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Tag: May 2016 (Page 2 of 3)

Book Review: The Last Time We Were Us

April 22, 2016 / / 2 Comments

The Last Time We Were Us

The Last Time We Were Us – Leah Konen – Katherine Tegen Books – Published 10 May 2016

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Synopsis

Liz Grant is about to have the summer of her life. She and her friend MacKenzie are getting invited to all the best parties, and with any luck, Innis Taylor, the most gorgeous guy in Bonneville, will be her boyfriend before the Fourth of July.

Local teen convict released early.

Jason Sullivan wasn’t supposed to come back from juvie. A million years ago, he was her best friend, but that was before he ditched her for a different crowd. Before he attacked Innis’s older brother, leaving Skip’s face burned and their town in shock.

“Everything is not what you think.”

Liz always found it hard to believe what they said about Jason, but all of Bonneville thinks he’s dangerous. If word gets out she’s seeing him, she could lose everything. But what if there’s more to that horrible night than she knows? And how many more people will get hurt when the truth finally comes out?

“You’re the one person who believes in me.”

My thoughts

The Last Time We Were Us is set in the summer but this is by no means a light and fluffy beach read. It reminded me of I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios for its raw and rough tone and its cusp-of-possibilities perspective. It is the perfect best-friends-falling-in-love story, but with far more depth – a story about one girl’s strength and belief in herself, a story about standing up and a story about family.

When Jason Sullivan is released from jail, Liz Grant’s summer is shaken. She knows that she should stay away from Jason, but she is undeniably drawn to her childhood friend. But secretly meeting with Jason complicates her relationships with her parents and sister and threatens the budding romance between her and Innis Taylor, the brother of the boy whose face Jason permanently scarred. Complicated is perhaps an understatement.

The Last Time We Were Us is the perfect mix of romance and social issues. It’s heavy and light all at the same time, mixing wedding planning (Liz’s sister is about to get married) with jail sentences, sweet kisses with the heavy topics of first-time sex and whole-town resentment.

Liz is meeting with Jason behind everyone’s backs and still developing a sort-of relationship with Innis. You know it’s going to end badly but you can’t help but hope that maybe there will be a shred of good in that bad, that maybe there is more to the story or that Liz can help or that she and Jason will be together in the end.  Continue reading

Book Review: Traces of Guilt

April 20, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Traces of Guilt

Traces of Guilt – Dee Henderson – Bethany House – Published 3 May 2016

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Synopsis

Evie Blackwell loves her life as an Illinois State Police Detective . . . mostly. She’s very skilled at investigations and has steadily moved up through the ranks. She would like to find Mr. Right, but she has a hard time imagining how marriage could work, considering the demands of her job. 

Gabriel Thane is a lifetime resident of Carin County and now its sheriff, a job he loves. Gabe is committed to upholding the law and cares deeply for the residents he’s sworn to protect. He too would like to find a lifetime companion, a marriage like his parents have. . . .
When Evie arrives in Carin, Illinois, it’s to help launch a new task force dedicated to reexamining unsolved crimes across the state. Spearheading this trial run, Evie will work with the sheriff’s department on a couple of its most troubling missing-persons cases. As she reexamines old evidence to pull out a few tenuous new leads, she unearths a surprising connection . . . possibly to a third cold case. Evie’s determined to solve the cases before she leaves Carin County, and Sheriff Thane, along with his family, will be key to those answers

My thoughts

Ten billion stars out of five (because one billion stars just wouldn’t be enough). I’m always ecstatic when I start a new Dee Henderson book, but also a little apprehensive because how can she possibly continue to improve on what is already out-of-the-park brilliance. How can you improve perfection? Well, I don’t know how, but Dee Henderson obviously does because her books just keep getting better and better. And Traces of Guilt is simply amazing.

The world Henderson creates is completely absorbing. I love getting to know the characters. I love the way crimes are worked, the nitty-gritty details, the long hours, the pain and emotional toll. And I love the humour and family and faith that is mixed into the serious topics. I wanted to savour this story, wanted to know all the answers, wanted to see the journeys of each of the characters and wanted to read this book every moment that I could.

Evie Blackwell and Gabriel Thane are our main characters. Evie is starting work with the new cold case task force and is using her vacation time to get started on two cold cases in Carin County, Illinois. Gabriel is Sheriff of Carin County and works with Evie on the cold cases that have rocked their community. Ann Falcon (from Full Disclosure) brings these two together, but it quickly becomes obvious that there is more at stake than two isolated cold cases.    Continue reading

Book Review: Tone Deaf

April 19, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Tone Deaf

Tone Deaf – Olivia Rivers – Sky Pony Press – Published 3 May 2016

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Synopsis

Ali Collins was a child prodigy destined to become one of the greatest musicians of the twenty-first century—until she was diagnosed with a life-changing brain tumor. Now, at seventeen, Ali lives in a soundless world where she gets by with American Sign Language and lip-reading. She’s a constant disappointment to her father, a retired cop fighting his own demons, and the bruises are getting harder to hide.

When Ali accidentally wins a backstage tour with the chart-topping band Tone Deaf, she’s swept back into the world of music. Jace Beckett, the nineteen-year-old lead singer of the band, has a reputation. He’s a jerk and a player, and Ali wants nothing to do with him. But there’s more to Jace than the tabloids let on. When Jace notices Ali’s bruises and offers to help her escape to New York, Ali can’t turn down the chance at freedom and a fresh start. Soon she’s traveling cross-country, hidden away in Jace’s RV as the band finishes their nationwide tour. With the help of Jace, Ali sets out to reboot her life and rediscover the music she once loved.

My thoughts

Tone Deaf reminded me of Angie Stanton’s Rock and a Hard Place crossed with Colleen Hoover’s Maybe Someday, mixing romance, music, hearing impairment and abusive home situations.

This book was enjoyable to read, and easy to devour. I love characters who have serious struggles to contend with and both Jace and Ali have suffered abuse at the hands of their families. As a result they are hurting and distrustful. They join together, Jace reaching out to Ali and Ali in return delving into Jace’s life and offering her own type of support.

Ali is deaf, but at times I forgot this while reading the story. Her ability to read lips, use ASL and even speak translated well to the written word, along with her descriptions of sounds as vibrations. It added another layer to the story, which I liked.

The romance is sweet and passionate, two hurting teens coming together and finding support they never expected is a lovely thing. And Jace’s band mates bring humour, comic relief, more romance and Doctor Who references.     Continue reading

Book Review: The Unexpected Everything

April 17, 2016 / / 0 Comments

The Unexpected Everything

The Unexpected Everything – Morgan Matson – Simon & Schuster – Published 3 May 2016

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Synopsis

Andie had it all planned out. When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future.

Important internship? Check.

Amazing friends? Check.

Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks)

But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life.

Because here’s the thing – if everything’s planned out, you can never find the unexpected. And where’s the fun in that?

My thoughts

Clearly this is a highly expected book. You only have to see some of the hype surrounding this book to know that readers love Morgan Matson’s writing. And that hype, that excitement is so deserved. This book is outstanding. Nothing and everything like I expected and so much more. This is a story about friendship just as much as it is a love story. But it’s also about family, looking out for and learning to stand up to each other, and about being brave enough to step away from the expected, the planned, and experience something so unexpected it just might change your mind about everything.

Andie is your typical type-A personality. Everything in order, under control and planned to the last detail. It has to be because one little mess-up could have serious ramifications for her father’s political career. But as so often happens, sometimes things spiral out of control even for the most prepared. So when a financial scam rocks her father’s career and her summer internship is pulled as a result, Andie finds herself at loose ends. Luckily she has an incredible group of friends with which to surround herself, manages to find a job walking dogs which isn’t all that bad, and the cute guy she keeps running into has definite crush possibilities. But with her father always around for once and the cute guy looking for more than Andie’s standard three week kiss-and-breakup ritual, this summer is nothing like she expected.    Continue reading

Book Review: 100 Days Of Cake

April 16, 2016 / / 0 Comments

100 Days of Cake

100 Days of Cake – Shari Goldhagen – Atheneum Books for Young Readers – Published 17 May 2016

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Synopsis

Get well soon isn’t going to cut it in this quirky and poignant debut novel about a girl, her depression, an aggressive amount of baked goods, and the struggle to simply stay afloat in an unpredictable, bittersweet life.

There are only three things that can get seventeen-year-old Molly Byrne out of bed these days: her job at FishTopia, the promise of endless episodes of Golden Girls, and some delicious lo mien. You see, for the past two years, Molly’s been struggling with something more than your usual teenage angst. Her shrink, Dr. Brooks isn’t helping much, and neither is her mom who is convinced that baking the perfect cake will cure Molly of her depression—as if cake can magically make her rejoin the swim team, get along with her promiscuous sister, or care about the SATs.

Um, no. Never going to happen.

But Molly plays along, stomaching her mother’s failed culinary experiments, because, whatever—as long as it makes someone happy, right? Besides, as far as Molly’s concerned, hanging out with Alex at the rundown exotic fish store makes life tolerable enough. Even if he does ask her out every…single…day. But—sarcastic drum roll, please—nothing can stay the same forever. When Molly finds out FishTopia is turning into a bleak country diner, her whole life seems to fall apart at once. Soon she has to figure out what—if anything—is worth fighting for.

My thoughts

I have one word for you. Cake. Because from that delicious, albeit a little squashed, cake on the front cover, to the cake-patterned title page to the chapter titles, this book made me crave cake so very much. But 100 Days of Cake is not all light, fluffy mocha-cream icing. No, under that layer of sweet goodness is a heartfelt story of family, resilience and one girl’s determination to be well, despite everything that is thrown her way.

100 Days of Cake challenges readers to consider the way in which mental health impacts not only the survivor but those around them, especially their family and friends. The fallout and the effort to face each day effects everyone. It’s a team effort, and this is slowly revealed to both the reader and to Molly as she learns to reach out to others and to let the people around her reach out to her.    Continue reading

Book Review: Ruined

April 15, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Ruined

Ruined – Amy Tintera – HarperTeen – Published 3 May 2016

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Synopsis

Emelina Flores has nothing. Her home in Ruina has been ravaged by war. She lacks the powers of her fellow Ruined. Worst of all, she witnessed her parents’ brutal murders and watched helplessly as her sister, Olivia, was kidnapped.

But because Em has nothing, she has nothing to lose. Driven by a blind desire for revenge, Em sets off on a dangerous journey to the enemy kingdom of Lera. Somewhere within Lera’s borders, Em hopes to find Olivia. But in order to find her, Em must infiltrate the royal family.

In a brilliant, elaborate plan of deception and murder, Em marries Prince Casimir, next in line to take Lera’s throne. If anyone in Lera discovers Em is not Casimir’s true betrothed, Em will be executed on the spot. But it’s the only way to salvage Em’s kingdom and what is left of her family.

Em is determined to succeed, but the closer she gets to the prince, the more she questions her mission. Em’s rage-filled heart begins to soften. But with her life—and her family—on the line, love could be Em’s deadliest mistake.

My thoughts

Ruined is an action-packed fantasy with plenty of vibrant characters, violent battles, and swoony romance.

It’s really interesting to start a book with a very strong heroine, instantly likeable but who wants to show the humans pain and make them pay, who has been raised to value violence, war and destruction. That’s what we find in Emelina, daughter of the feared Queen of the Ruined. Emelina has no Ruined powers herself, so instead relies on her ability to fight and deceive to seek vengeance for the murder of her mother and father, help find her kidnapped sister, save the Ruined from continued persecution and execution, and rid the world of the evil that is the royalty of Lera. First step in that plan is impersonating Lera’s Prince Cas’ fiancé.

Em and Cas start as strangers, with Em fiercely despising Cas and everything he stands for. But it isn’t long before Em starts to realise that Cas is nothing like his father, the King of Lera. While the feelings and attraction between Em and Cas do develop pretty quickly, Em’s reluctance to completely overthrow her long-held hatred for the Lera prevents it from feeling too quick. They have some great chemistry and really click through their shared use of sarcasm and growing unease over the killings and torture of the Ruined. Their romance story feels genuine and strong and I’m looking forward to seeing what will happen in the next book regarding their relationship.     Continue reading

Book Review: Her One and Only

April 13, 2016 / / 2 Comments

Her One and Only

Her One and Only – Becky Wade – Bethany House – Published 3 May 2016

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Synopsis

Gray Fowler, star NFL tight end, is being pursued by a stalker, so his team hires a protection agency to keep Gray under the watch of a bodyguard at all times. When Gray meets Dru Porter, an agent assigned to him, he’s indignant. How can an attractive young female half his size possibly protect him?
But Dru’s a former Marine, an expert markswoman, and a black belt. She’s also ferociously determined to uncover the identity of Gray’s stalker. And she’s just as determined to avoid any kind of romantic attachment between herself and the rugged football player with the mysterious past. But the closer they get to finding the stalker, the closer they grow to each other. As the danger rises, can Dru and Gray entrust their hearts–and their lives–to one another?

My thoughts

Her One and Only concludes the Porter Family series. This is the perfect book and the perfect end to a perfect series. Her One and Only is fun, romantic, nostalgic and breaks all the old romance novel clichés. As the last book in this series it is nice to reconnect with all the past characters, see how Bo and Meg are doing, check in with Ty, Celia and their brood of kids and catch up with Jake and Lyndie. Meg and Bo play a substantial part in the book, but ultimately it is Dru and Gray’s story that, rightly so, grabbed my heart.

Dru Porter is one tough heroine. She’s smart and not afraid to let everyone around her know it. Youngest Porter sibling, former Marine, and now executive protection agent, she can more than hold her own. And she’s going to need to when she takes the post as Gray Fowler’s bodyguard. Gray is a star NFL player, rich, determined and very used to getting his own way. Well, he hasn’t met Dru yet.     Continue reading

Book Review: Night Speed

April 11, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Night Speed

Night Speed – Chris Howard – Katherine Tegen – Published 3 May 2016

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Synopsis

Only those young enough can survive the pulse-pounding rush of tetra, a dangerous and addictive new drug that fuels a nine-minute burst of superhuman strength and speed. Alana West has been trained to use the drug so she can pursue the young criminals who abuse its power—criminals like the breakneck who nearly killed her kid brother.

On tetra, Alana is unstoppable. The rush makes her an explosive blur as she surges through New York City, battling to bring down breaknecks before they leave more people dead or injured in their wake. But with the clock ticking down to her eighteenth birthday, Alana will soon be too old for the rush…when just one more dose will prove deadly.

Supported only by her strong and steady handler, Tucker, Alana goes undercover, infiltrating an elite gang of breaknecks to stop the supply of their drug. But when Alana gets trapped on the wrong side of the law, she learns the breaknecks are not quite what they seem—especially Ethan, the artistic boy whose bottomless brown eyes seem to see the truth inside her. With her own dependency on tetra increasing, Alana must decide where her loyalties lie before the rush ends. Forever.

My thoughts

Night Speed is an action-packed thriller but I think it speaks louder as a statement about the tight hold drugs have over the mind and heart, the blurred lines between right and wrong and the fight addicts must go through to reclaim themselves.

Alana started her use of tetra in an effort to fight the breaknecks who take the drug to commit crimes, using the high speed rush to fuel their getaway. But Alana has become enamoured of the rush tetra provides and the distance between the good guys and the bad guys shrinks when Alana is blamed for a breakneck’s death. She decides to go undercover to take down the source of tetra once and for all.

Night Speed addresses a poignant topic considering the parallels to today’s prevalence of drug use. I spent the majority of the book unsure what the underlying message was, that drugs were okay if the rush was worth the fallout or that drugs take everything from you. I think this is reflective of the grey areas of life and it certainly kept me guessing. However, despite the high percentage of rush chases, shoot outs, fights and armed robbery, this was a slow read for me.     Continue reading

Book Review: The Way Back To You

April 9, 2016 / / 0 Comments

The Way Back To You

The Way Back To You – Michelle Andreani and Mindi Scott – Katherine Tegen Books – Published 3 May 2016

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Synopsis

Six months ago, Ashlyn Montiel died in a bike accident.

Her best friend Cloudy is keeping it together, at least on the outside. Cloudy’s insides are a different story: tangled, confused, heartbroken.

Kyle is falling apart, and everyone can tell. Ashlyn was his girlfriend, and when she died, a part of him went with her. Maybe the only part he cares about anymore.

As the two people who loved Ashlyn best, Cloudy and Kyle should be able to lean on each other. But after a terrible mistake last year, they’re barely speaking. So when Cloudy discovers that Ashlyn’s organs were donated after her death and the Montiel family has been in touch with three of the recipients, she does something a little bit crazy and a lot of out character: she steals the letters and convinces Kyle to go on a winter break road trip with her, from Oregon to California to Arizona to Nevada. Maybe if they see the recipients—the people whose lives were saved by Ashlyn’s death—the world will open up again. Or maybe it will be a huge mistake.

With hundreds of miles in front of them, a stowaway kitten, and a list of people who are alive because of Ashlyn, Cloudy and Kyle just may find their way to back to her…and to each other.

My thoughts

Heart and humour so aptly describes this book. But it also packs a powerful punch. Have tissues on hand, but also be prepared to smile, giggle and full on belly laugh as Cloudy and Kyle work their way through grief, confusing feelings, and from the mountains, by the sea and on to the desert. All the best books are about road trips, and what an epic one this is, starting with awkward, tense silences, a touch of unrequited love, heartache and a kitten and winding up somewhere near moving forward, laughs, love and life, with a whole lot of hope and even a wedding thrown in for good measure. The Way Back To You is a book to treasure.

The death of Cloudy’s best friend Ashlyn changed Cloudy’s world. For Ashlyn’s boyfriend Kyle, it changed everything. Now Cloudy struggles on with life, projecting an ‘I’m fine!’ façade, while Kyle is noticeably falling apart. When the opportunity to meet the recipients of Ashlyn’s organ donation presents itself to Cloudy, she takes it and neatly ropes Kyle into joining her. Perhaps this trip will give them both some closure or hope for the future.      Continue reading

Book Review: Sins of the Past

April 7, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Sins of the Past

Sins of the Past: A Romantic Suspense Novella Collection – Dee Henderson, Dani Pettrey, Lynette Eason – Bethany House – Published 3 May 2016

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Synopsis

Three Novellas from Bestselling Authors
In Dee Henderson’s “Missing,” a Wyoming sheriff is called to Chicago when his elderly mother goes missing. Paired with a savvy Chicago cop, the two realize her disappearance is no accident, and a race against the clock begins. 

Dani Pettrey returns to Alaska with “Shadowed,” introducing readers to the parents of her beloved McKenna clan. Adventure, romance, and danger collide when a young fisherman nets the body of an open-water swimming competitor who may actually be a possible Russian defector.

Lynette Eason’s “Blackout” delivers the story of a woman once implicated in a robbery gone wrong. The loot has never been found–but her memory of that night has always been unreliable. Can she remember enough to find her way to safety when the true culprit comes after her?

My thoughts

Three of my favourite romantic suspense authors all in one book?? Sign me up!!! Sins of the Past is a collection of three romantic suspense novellas. All three stories are based on something that has happened in the past impacting current events and they bring together plenty of action, suspense and romance.

Missing – Dee Henderson

Missing is a wonderfully insightful and exciting look at working a missing persons case, one that is very personal. Police chief John Graham’s mother has been reported missing. He teams up with Lieutenant Sharon Noble to help locate her. It’s a frustrating and emotional time for John, but he enjoys working with the enigmatic Sharon. The focus of this story is definitely the case. Details, interviews, clues and time lines, it’s like being dropped into the middle of an active crime scene and it’s very interesting. As always with Dee’s writing it is also very enjoyable to read. This is the first time I have read a novella by Dee and was pleased by the balance in timing, and the mix of family, crime solving and romance is also perfect. The story never felt rushed or cut short. The romance develops slowly and sweetly, with the delicate hand that Dee Henderson always turns to her love stories. Very enjoyable.    Continue reading

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