"The Turnout" by Megan Abbott

“Every girl wants to be a ballerina…”

It’s true; I did, too. The beautiful costumes and graceful dancers balancing on the tips of those satiny pointe shoes are enough to sway every little girl’s mind from veterinarians and nurses.

Most often, that dream is short-lived. Any true dancer can tell you that it takes a love few have. It requires a dedication and sacrifice of time, money, food, and even your body. All that beauty sometimes hides a darkness.

You aren’t raised by a Mother who runs a successful dance school, raises twin ballerinas, and pulls off yearly productions of The Nutcracker without learning something. Without understanding exactly what it takes: a sacrificial love most of us cannot fathom. Sometimes love does not bind but tears apart. And sometimes it takes much more. Something darker; something not everyone would even consider.

“The Turning” begins with the twin sisters running their deceased mother’s dance school. With just weeks until the yearly production of The Nutcracker, their perfect routine begins to crumble and secrets threaten everything they know and cherish.

So far, this is my favorite book by Megan Abbott. I loved ballet as the backdrop and how the author wove the dance theme throughout the story. This one definitely kept me reading; I had to find out what was really going on in this twisted family, what happened to the parents so many years ago, and would the sisters be able to make it out of this. 

And if you don’t know what turnout is, google it!

Publication Date: August 3, 2021

Format: Paperback

Genre: Thriller, mystery, suspense, family drama

Cover: Perfect

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up to 5

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via GoodReads. Thank you for the opportunity to read this fabulous book!

#TheTurning #MeganAbbott #Goodreads #GoodreadsGiveaways

"Don't Look for Me" by Wendy Walker

Molly disappears during a terrible storm while driving home from her son’s high school football game (in another town). Her car is abandoned on the side of the road with her cell phone inside. A few days later, a note is found in a nearby hotel room telling her family that she has left and “don’t look for me”. After an exhausting community/police search, no trace of her can be found. The search is called off and everyone goes back to their lives as best they can.

We are taught from an early age to be polite to strangers, our elders, teachers, law enforcement. But we are also taught not to get in the car with someone we don’t know; don’t be lured away from the playground with candy or the promise of petting a puppy. When do you cross that line from being polite to being more concerned about a situation and being rude if necessary? 

 

What would you do? Would you continue to look or obey her wishes and let her go? After all, her entire family is still reeling from her youngest child’s death a few years ago. A death that was her fault.

 

“Don’t Look for Me” by Wendy Walker is a twisted tale of lies, deceit, hatred, anger, obsession, and guilt. The story unfolds as a witness comes forward after the search for Molly has ended. Everyone believes that the witness is simply after the reward money; one million is a nice nest egg. Nicole, Molly’s daughter, does not believe that her Mother would just walk away from their family even though they have all treated her very badly as they blame her for Annie’s accidental death. Nicole decides to meet with the eyewitness to determine if she might just be telling the truth.

 

As Nicole tries to track down exactly what happened the night her mother disappeared, she finds that no one in the town is telling the truth and they all have something to hide.

 

This story made me quite uncomfortable sometimes. But aren’t those the best kind? The ones that make us ugly cry, ache for something more, make us uncomfortable? That doesn’t mean it was not a good book, it was. Some of the dialog/scenes just disturbed me.

 

As for me, I can tell you what I would do. My husband, daughter, sister, niece, or someone else I love disappears… you’d better hide well if that is your intent because I am never giving up!

 

Publication Date: September 15th 2020

Format: eBook

Genre: Thriller, mystery, suspense

Cover: Perfect

Rating: 4 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this great book!

#/DontLookForMe #NetGalley 

Mean girls. Queen bees. We all know one. Perhaps, you are one

Let’s move on. Karma. What comes around goes around. Reap what you sow.

 

OK, enough with the idioms.

 

“His & Hers” by Alice Feeney begins with Anna Andrews losing her dream job as a TV presenter in London. The presenter that she replaced has finally returned from extended maternity leave and she has just been demoted to an on-site TV reporter. The first story that she is sent to cover is a murder in Blackdown. Unbeknownst to those who know her at the TV station, it just so happens that Blackdown is the town in which Anna grew up. And the murder victim is someone she knows. Someone who has been carrying on with her ex-husband, DCI Jack Harper.

 

Not only does Anna know the victim, but she knows those closest to the case including the suspects. Things get even more dicey when Jack begins investigating the crime.

 

The book is told from three points of view; his (Jack), hers (Anna), and whoever has decided that the time to pay for past sins has arrived. It has some great lines.

 

“Sometimes we choose not to believe the things we don’t want to. I do it all the time. Hide my regrets inside boxes at the back of my mind and choose to forget the bad things I’ve done. Just like my Mother taught me. Denying the truth, doesn’t change the facts.”;

 

“The lies we tell ourselves are always the most dangerous.”; and

 

“People tend to see what they want in the people they love. They reshape them inside their heads, twisting them into the people they wish they were instead of the people they are.”

 

That is so true… I think that is especially accurate of loved ones we have lost. We choose to remember the good about that person and the pleasant memories.

 

But this time, someone has chosen to remember the not so good things. The mean, spiteful, ugly things. And it is time to pay! This is a great thriller with lots of twists and turns.

 

And if you’re a mean girl… watch out. Someone may be coming for you. After all, karma’s a bitch.

 

Publication Date: July 28, 2020

Format: Audiobook

Genre: Thriller, police procedural

Cover: OK

Rating: 4.5 stars (rounded to 5)

Source:  I received this audiobook from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this great book!

#His&Hers #NetGalley

"The Girl From Widow Hills" by Megan Miranda

We have all seen those iconic pictures on the news, magazines and book covers, and social media: the fireman carrying the baby after the Oklahoma City bombing, Jaycee Dugard, Baby Jessica, Madeleine McCann. But do we ever stop to think about how their lives changed? Not by the event that catapulted them into the news, but by being in the limelight forevermore. And not only their lives, but the lives of their spouse, children, parents, and/or friends. Just about the time things may return to some semblance of normalcy for them, the ten; twenty; or even thirty-year anniversary creeps up on them and they are thrown into the media again. It is never ending. 

“The Girl from Widow Hills” by Megan Miranda delves into just what happens to someone who is thrust into the limelight and how it affects everyone involved.

Arden Maynor, the girl from Widow Hills, was only six when she was swept away during a flash flood while sleepwalking. Miraculously, she was found three days later by a member of a search party; she was clinging to the inside of a storm drain. What happened to her during that time? How had she survived? How did she receive the odd injuries?

Flash forward almost twenty years. Arden has changed her name to Olivia, moved from Kentucky to North Carolina, and managed to create a life separate from that event. She lives in a remote area with only one neighbor nearby. Strangely, she remembers nothing from the event other than being found.

However, with the twenty-year anniversary looming in the back of her mind, and the recent death of her estranged mother, she begins sleepwalking again. She feels like someone is watching her, hears strange noises, and also has more night terrors. She awakens late one night in her yard and stumbles over a body. A body that she later finds is connected to her past as Arden Maynor.

The story is told with a mixture of current events and old transcripts, interviews, and press conferences from 2000 and shortly after. Loved the mixture that gave the reader background info.

“The Girl from Widow Hills” is a great thriller that kept me up late into the night to find out just what happened to Arden when she was six and what was happening to her now.  As with Megan Miranda’s books, she weaves a excellent story and ties everything up satisfyingly at the end.

Publication Date: June 23, 2020

Genre: Suspense, Mystery, Psychological Thrillers, Family Secrets

Cover: Perfect

Rating: 4.5 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

#TheGirlFromWidowHills #NetGalley

"The Caretakers" by Eliza Maxwell

Sisters! If you’ve got one, you know what I’m talking about. As for me, I ruined mine’s life when I was born. She continually tried to get rid of me. Seriously. Locked me in the refrigerator back in the olden days when they locked when closed (you couldn’t just push them open from the inside). Apparently, I fit inside perfectly. She pushed me down a hill in a cardboard box into rush hour traffic. Told me Indians were in the barn and waiting for darkness to come scalp me. Anyway, you get the point. Sisters can be huge pains in the you know what.

Don’t want to lead you astray. This book is not a comedy. Sisters can be many things.

Tessa Shepherd has just made a mistake. A big one. She filmed a documentary about a murderer who was wrongly accused. After her film helps to get him released, he kidnaps the daughter of the police officer who convicted him and implies that Tessa knew the plan all along. She is hounded by the press but cannot call the one person she needs to share her side of the story with… her twin sister. They have not spoken in years.

Tessa’s mother dies suddenly. During the reading of the will, she and her sister find that their Mother was not who they thought she was. They now own a once beautiful, magnificent home that is now ruined and decaying.  A home where her Mother’s entire family was murdered when she was just a baby.

In an attempt to hide from the press and the murderer, Tessa goes there only to find that the caretakers are two elderly sisters. One of them does not want her there and they don’t seem to be telling Tessa the truth about her family. Tessa vows to get to the bottom of the story, but will she be able to find the truth about her family before time runs out?

“The Caretakers” was a great story that blended old, family secrets with new ones and had a touch of the supernatural. Great imagery of the old house, forest and care taker’s cottage. It had some good twists and turns while getting to the end.

Oh, and by the way, it’s all good now. We laugh about my sister’s attempts to strike me from her life. She is my best friend.

Publication Date: April 14, 2020

Genre: Suspense, Mystery, Psychological Thrillers, Kidnapping, Family Secrets, Supernatural
Cover: Perfect

Rating: 4 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

#TheCaretakers #NetGalley

"Invisible Girl" by Lisa Jewell

We think we can do things and no one will notice. That we are sly. That we can meet a lover, shower afterwards, and no one will question why that second shower of the day. Sneak a cigarette, spray perfume, and no one will catch a whiff of that underlying scent. Perhaps we slip a shot or two of vodka into our juice, brush our teeth after, and believe no one will be the wiser. We are just fooling ourselves. Our spouse knows; our children know. Eventually, they will get tired of keeping our secrets.

 “Invisible Girl” begins on Valentine’s Night 2019; the night seventeen-year-old Saffyre Maddox literally vanishes from the streets of London. Everyone is concerned as there have been several attacks on women that seem to have escalated; the last sending the target to the hospital. Is Saffyre a victim of the unknown assailant or did she simply run away?

During a series of flashbacks, we learn the last several years have been hard ones for Saffyre. She lives with her uncle who is only ten years older. She has a secret. A secret that causes her to harm herself and has kept her in therapy for years. Her therapist, Roan, believes that she has been healed and quit seeing her. But Saffyre is far from healed. She cannot sleep, eat, or even stay indoors. She roams the streets of London where she eventually sees Roan from afar. Unbeknownst to him, she begins stalking both him, his family, and his lover.

While doing so, she encounters Roan’s creepy neighbor who lives across the street with his elderly aunt. She also befriends Roan’s son,

But what happened to Saffyre?

I love to think about why authors give a book a certain title. Why “Invisible Girl”? Who is the invisible girl and does she choose or try to be invisible or is it just the way life unfolds. All interesting questions to ask while reading this book!

I have read several Lisa Jewell books and this is one of my favorites! Great ending… twisty, turning read to get there.

Publication Date: June, 2020

Genre: Suspense, Mystery, Psychological Thrillers, Kidnapping, Incel,
Cover: Good
Rating: 5 stars
Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

#InvisibleGirl #NetGalley

"The Dilemma" B. A. Paris

Yikes! That’s a heck of a lot of lies for one small family. It definitely makes for an interesting story, though! “The Dilemma” is very aptly named.

I really liked how the book was laid out… most of it takes place in one day and the chapters are titled by the hour and perspective. The day is Livia’s 40^th birthday. A day she has been looking forward to for 20 years. And she is throwing a huge, extravagant party… for herself.

We all know that something untold just gets harder to tell the longer you let it go on. That’s the dilemma… to tell or not to tell and when.

Lesson learned… just because you dislike most of the characters in a book, doesn’t mean that it isn’t a great read! At 40, Livia is still butt hurt over not getting an expensive dream wedding after becoming pregnant out of wedlock when she was young. Don’t get me started on Adam… at least he matured, kind of. Their children are no better. Their daughter, Marnie, is a spoiled brat and rotten friend. The son, Josh, has extreme Daddy issues. 

B.A. Paris is an excellent storyteller. I have read all her books; you should too!

Publication Date: June, 2020

Genre: Suspense, Mystery, Psychological Thrillers

Cover: Good

Rating: 5 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

#TheDilemma #NetGalley

"Little Secrets" by Jennifer Hillier

Start pulling that string and you never know what is going to unravel and eventually, if you keep pulling, something will unravel. After all, everyone has secrets… even little ones.

Marin’s life has been in chaos for sixteen months; simply surviving after her son went missing at Seattle’s Pike Place Market just before Christmas. In the end, it was her fault and there are no leads. Someone dressed up like Santa with a child is not uncommon. And now, her husband Derek is having an affair with a much younger woman. Her best friend and long ago boyfriend, Sal, wants her to leave him or to let him “take care of him”.

Jennifer Hillier writes an engaging tale of kidnapping, lies, deceit, and desires with a satisfying ending.

When I requested this book, I looked at goodreads and marked it “Want To Read”. I knew I had to read it when I saw that it had no one or two star ratings! I looked at the author’s bio, it read “Jennifer Hillier writes about dark, twisted people who do dark, twisted things “. Looking forward to reading all her other books. 😊

Update: I checked out “My Year in Books 2019” on goodreads; her book was the highest rated of the 84 books I read last year.

Publication Date: April 21, 2020

Genre: Suspense, Mystery, Psycological Thrillers, Kidnapping, Crime, Adultery
Cover: Good
Rating: 5 stars
Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!
#LittleSecrets #NetGalley

"The Family Upstairs" by Lisa Jewell

People are warped and twisted. And sometimes… they produce children who are even more so.

Lisa Jewell weaves a tale of greed, lust and sheer insanity in her latest thriller, “The Family Upstairs.”

Set in London, the book begins with Libby Jones, adopted as an infant, finally finding out who her birth family is. Unbeknownst to her, she is also inheriting a mansion worth millions of pounds. However, everything comes with a price… and this house is no exception.

Surrounded by mystery, the house has been vacant for decades. Years ago, the owners were found dead and their children missing… except for a baby upstairs who appeared to have been well cared for.

Meanwhile, in France, a destitute mother of two sees a reminder on her phone: The baby is 25. What the heck? Just who is the baby and what does she have to do with this homeless woman? You will have to read to find out more and discover the truth behind the mystery. It’s well worth the time!

The book winds up nicely and the ending is shockingly satisfying. However, there is an opportunity for a sequel. Hoping that’s what Lisa Jewell has in mind. I want to know what happens next!

Publication Date: November 5, 2019

Genre: Suspense, Mystery, Adoption, Cults

Cover: Great

Rating: 5 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

#TheFamilyUpstairs #NetGalley

"The Long Call" by Ann Cleeves

If you are in the mood for an intriguing mystery/police procedural, British author Ann Cleeves’ “The Long Call” fits that bill! This is the first in a new series, Two Rivers, by the author in some time and it introduces Detective Matthew Venn.

Detective Venn has already had a rough day when he is called to a murder not far from the North Devon beach home he shares with his husband, Johnathan. Earlier, he viewed estranged father’s funeral from distance. He was not welcome because his parents belonged the Bretheren, a religious cult from which he was cast out several years prior.

As the investigation begins, a young lady from the Woodyard Centre goes missing. Everyone in the area wonders if the two events are related as this area has a very low crime rate. As Venn and his colleagues investigate the murder and kidnapping and grow closer to finding the culprit, several suspects emerge. It seems that the murdered man, the Woodyard, the Bretheren, and perhaps even Johnathan are tangled in the scheme.

This is the first book of Ann Cleeves I have had the pleasure to read, but it won’t be the last. Excited to find a new author with so many books from which to choose!

Publication Date: September 3, 2019

Genre: Mystery, thriller, suspense, police procedural, crime, international mystery, detective

Cover: Perfect

Rating: 5 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

#TheLongCall #NetGalley

"You Belong to Me" by Mark Tilbury

Those last three paragraphs! Wow… didn’t see that coming. That’s literally all you need to know.

When you feel like giving up because the chapters seem to be rehashing the same material over and over… keep on plowing through it. Don’t give up; it will be worth it! And when you are finished, let that last sentence sink in. Then give that title a little think.

Those of you who know me or who have read some of my other reviews know that I love me some justified revenge. Sometimes it’s fairly quick (Four Brothers) and sometimes it takes years (Remember… one of the best movies ever). Sometimes, two wrongs can make a right!

When I was close to the end, I almost thought that that there might be a part two. I hate those books that are written thinking that there will be two or three in the series (same story) and leave you hanging at the end of book one. Rest assured, you will be content when you read that final word.

#YouBelongToMe #NetGalley

Publication Date: February 4, 2019

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Cover: OK

Rating: 4.5 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

"Once Upon a River" by Diane Setterfield

I have been waiting for this book since I closed the cover on “The Thirteenth Tale”! (If you haven’t read it, download it now!) Diane Setterfield spins a tale like no other.

“Once Upon A River” begins with the discovery of a lifeless child at the river. A child whose “corpse was a blank page” and gave up no story about what had happened. The child, a girl, was discovered by a man who stumbles, half dead himself, into the The Swan; an ancient inn that was known for its storytelling.

Rita, the local nurse, is sent to attend to the man and to hopefully discover what exactly happened to the child. Before Rita can finish her examination of the dead girl, for she was indeed dead, the girl comes back to life.

Who is this girl? To whom does she belong? Is she the daughter of a local couple whose child was kidnapped two years ago? Is she the child of a local prostitute who jumped from the bridge a few weeks ago? Is she the ghost of another’s sister?

As the story unfolds, we learn about the characters and the girl. We learn their stories-their hopes, dreams, character. We learn how virtuous people can be and we learn how despicable they can be. We learn about the river. How it gives life and how it takes it away.

The characters are so very well developed that I did not want to say goodbye to them. I wanted to continue, but remember, we all have rivers of our own to attend to!

#OnceUponARiver #DianeSetterfield #NetGalley

Publication Date: December 4, 2018

Genre:  Suspense, Mystery, Kidnapping, Supernatural, Gothic, British

Cover: Perfect

Rating: 5 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

"Paradox (FBI Thriller #22)" by Catherine Coulter

I love justified revenge: Four Brothers, Carrie, Taken, Remember, True Grit and my all-time favorite The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Now that is some beautifully orchestrated justified revenge! And I can’t wait for Jennifer Garner’s new movie, Peppermint. That one looks awesome!

The problem is that everyone who seeks revenge thinks it’s justified. That’s what’s going on in Catherine Coulter’s latest Sherlock and Savich case, “Paradox”.

The book begins with a botched kidnapping of their son Sean. While trying to figure out who could want to kidnap him and why, they are called in to assist in another case. Willicott, Maryland’s police chief witnesses a murder early one morning while gazing at the lake from her home. When local officials drag the lake for the body, they discover bones from several bodies. A subsequent search uncovers an odd clue as to whom the bodies may belong. This seemingly idyllic little town has lots of secrets and a creepy murder house to boot!

Meanwhile, they discover that the kidnapper may be someone out for revenge and they must stop him before their family and others are devastated.

A great read for any Sherlock and Savich fans. Coulter tackles forgiveness and mental illness in this one, too.  Good story; this one has a truly satisfying ending! After all, some revenge may truly be justified!

#Paradox #CatherineCoulter #NetGalley

Publication Date: July 31, 2018

Genre:  Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Kidnapping, Mental Illness

Cover: Perfect

Rating: 5 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

"Under My Skin" by Lisa Unger

Do you ever start a book by a favorite author when it’s quiet and no one is around so you can read quickly and uninterrupted? Then, it’s so good, you slow down to savor the ending… not wanting it to end? This is one of those books!

“Sometimes we invite darkness.” Yes, Poppy, whether inadvertently or intentionally, sometimes we do! This is the gist of this book, to me.

The book begins with the main character, Poppy, in a bar talking to a stranger. However, too much to drink and too many pills to dull the pain render her unable to fend off her date when he tries to force her. A hooded man saves her just as she falls unconscious.

Poppy’s husband, Jack, was brutally murdered a year ago. With no leads, the murder is still unsolved. Just after the funeral, Poppy disappears for several days and has no memory of where she was or who she was with before turning up on her best friend’s doorstep in a red party dress. She is in counseling, but continues to self-medicate with pills and alcohol and suffers from insomnia. She soon realizes she is suffering from hypnogogia… the transitional phase between sleep and wakefulness or vice versa. She has no idea what is real and what is dream. She is being followed; she is seeing her dead husband. But, she is also seeing a strange woman that appears to her as being savagely beaten.

The Hollows is one of my favorite places and while “Under My Skin” is not set in this strange town, the main character does make a visit. While there, she also runs into one of my favorite characters, Jones Cooper. If you have read a few of Lisa Unger’s other novels, you know where and who I am talking about. I won’t lie… I was giddy when I got to those parts.

Read it… you won’t be able to put this book down!

Publication Date: October 1, 2018

Genre:  Thriller, Suspense, Murder, Mystery, Paranormal

Cover: OK

Rating: 5 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

#UnderMySkin #NetGalley

“Something In the Water” by Catherine Steadman

“Something In the Water” by Catherine Steadman is a tale of love, greed, betrayal, mystery and murder. All those things that make a great book!

Erin is a documentarian and she has thought of a great idea… interviewing three inmates who are getting ready to be released soon. She will interview them inside prison, film their release and interview them after. During this process, Erin and Mark finally get married and take a dream honeymoon to Bora Bora. However, while deep sea diving, they find a mysterious bag that changes their lives forever… and not in a good way.

Spoiler Alert! If you have neither started the book nor finished, get it, read it and come back later for the review!

I loved this book. It had a great beginning and I was hooked from the first sentence. It kept me entertained and I have never pondered the difference between flotsam and jetsam so much. 😉

In the end, my only issue was that I was not 100% sure about the wreck and when Mark became involved. I think that he was tangled up in the mess from the beginning. He was an experienced diver and it was quite coincidental that they just happened upon the wreck, he found the bag, and he dove to the wreck alone. In the final chapter, Erin is pondering how everything happened and she recounted the huge blow up with Mark the night they slashed the wedding cost. I also thought it odd at the time that they cut the wedding expenses so much but still went to Bora Bora for two weeks. I think I know why; he was involved from the get go!

Also, he had not seen Hector since before the wedding. He was busy planning something for all that time and his persona changed quite a bit. I think that deep down Erin knew that there was something “off” with Mark and that is why she chose not to tell him about the baby.

I loved how all three of her interviewees became a part of her life, especially Eddie. I still wonder if Eddie might have been involved somehow in the whole mess or was he just somewhat of a father figure/helper to Erin. He obviously liked her since he assisted her in the sale of the diamonds and the ensuing coverup of Mark’s murder.

Perfect ending… “You can’t save everyone. Sometimes you just have to save yourself.” Erin proved that she had what it took when it came to saving herself and her unborn child. The book wrapped up satisfyingly, and I wonder if there might be another that would include a few more details and Erin’s “other favor” for Eddie.

Publication Date: June 5, 2018

Genre:  Mystery, Thriller

Cover: Perfect

Rating: 4 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

#SomethingInTheWater #NetGalley

"Everything We Give (Everything #3)" by Kerry Lonsdale

Warning: Spoiler Alert! If you are reading this and have not read the first two books in the series, stop and read those first! If you have read the first two, I don’t give anything away about the third.

“Everything We Left Behind” ended with Lacy walking up to James on the beach, giving him a business card and telling him “I believe you know someone who might need this… He’s been looking for me.” I was quite surprised when "Everything We Give”, which wraps up the Everything series, began with Ian (Aimeee’s husband).

This book is Ian’s story. Chapters about his childhood and youth are interspersed throughout chapters of his current life. We learn why he is the way he is, but most importantly, we learn why he may be looking for Lacy.

This third book is as good as the first two and wraps up the series neatly!

“Women of the Dunes” by Sarah Maine

It isn’t often that I finish a book and immediately look to see if I own any others by that author so that I can start reading another. “Women of the Dunes” by Sarah Maine was that good! Betrayal, murder, romance, archaeology, myth, handsome Scottish men… this one has it all!

The author laces together a story of different generations with three alternating time lines. Set in Ullanessm, an island off the western coast of Scotland, Libby Snow arrives to excavate the site of Scottish legend Ulla in an attempt to find burial sites and artifacts. Ulla is a Viking who arrived with her lover, several warriors and treasure centuries ago. The travelers are met by a monk who tries to save the lover’s life but fails. Several legends and poems are written about them and they even inspire the name of the island.

Libby has long had the desire to visit Ullanessm after hearing stories of her great-great-grandmother, Ellen, who previously lived and worked on the island. However, shortly after arriving, Libby discovers a body… an unexpected body that cannot be connected to the legend since it is clearly much more recent.

She then meets the handsome caretaker of Sturrock House, Rodri, who seems to be hiding some secrets of his own.

What happened to Ulla, her lover, the monk and the treasure? What will Libby find? What is the identity of the latest body? Lots of questions that the author fully answered.

Such a great story that was perfectly written. The three story lines were expertly woven together to complete the picture of all three generations. Her writing made me feel as if I was there on Ulanessm. A great book with an excellent ending that would be a perfect vacation/beach read.

Oh, by the way, “The House Between Tides” is next; I’ll let you know.

Publication Date: July 24, 2018

Genre:  Women’s Fiction, Historical, Mystery, Suspense

Cover: Perfect and beautiful!

Rating: 5 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

#NetGalley #WomenOfTheDunes #SarahMaine

"In Places Hidden (Golden Gate Secrets Book #1)" by Tracie Peterson

Caleb Coulter, an attorney in San Francisco, is known for his character and deep faith. The decision to defend his friend Patrick Murdock, who he believed to be falsely accused of murder, came easy for him. However, it seems to be a decision that may have cost him his life.

Headstrong Camrianne Coulter travels to San Francisco in an attempt to find her brother Caleb as their family has not heard from him in three months. Along the way, she makes friends with two other young ladies traveling to San Francisco and agrees that it would benefit them all if they stayed together at her brother’s home and pooled their resources to live and search for Caleb.

The trail seems mostly cold by the time she arrives, but with she and her friends begin their investigation which leads them to take a look at the pollical corruption abounding in the city. Caleb’s business partner, house servants and even Patrick are not honest with her and she begins to feat that she will never find Caleb, dead or alive.

Several beautiful biblical truths/stories are woven throughout the book: we are all the same in the eyes of God, God is always waiting for you to return to him no matter how far you may have strayed, God has a plan for each of us, and The Prodigal Son. My favorite, though, was trust God, no matter your circumstances!

One of my favorite lines in the book was “Camri refrained from pointing out the celebrating Christmas didn’t make one a Christian.” Isn’t that the truth! Sometimes we all need to be reminded of that.

I can honestly say that I have never read a Tracie Peterson book that I did not like and this one is no exception. It was interesting and well researched. I can’t wait to read the next two books in the series to find what happens with her two friends, Judith and Kenzie and how their mysteries are resolved. The second book in the series, “In Dreams Forgotten” will be published on July 3, 2018 and tackles Judith and the hunt for her long-lost aunt.

Publication Date: April 10, 2018

Genre:  Christian Fiction, Romance, Mystery,  Historical

Cover: Perfect (and beautiful)!

Rating: 4.5 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher, Bethany House, in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

"After Anna" by Lisa Scottoline

"After Anna" by Lisa Scottoline

We all have defining moments in our lives by which we measure time. Some are good… some not so much. Before marriage, after marriage; before children, after children; before a divorce, after a divorce; before the child you have not seen in almost 17 years returns to your life and after.

Maggie, Anna’s Mother, is estatic when Anna contacts her. She has not seen Anna since she was six months old. Not since she had a breakdown and was hospitalized; during which her husband returned to France with Anna. French courts, lies and her ex-husbands wealth kept Maggie from seeing Anna or even receiving a photograph all this time. After the death of Anna’s father, step-mother and step-brothers in a plane crash, she wanted to reconnect with her mother and soon moves in with her.

Soon, Maggie’s idyllic life with her husband, Noah, and 10-year-old step son Caleb begins to fall apart. Anna, now a multi-millionaire, spends lots of money without asking and stays out late without calling to let anyone know where she is. When no adults are watching, she mistreats Caleb. Soon, she begins to accuse Noah of inappropriate behavior and even files a Protection from Abuse against him.

But who do you believe? Who do you trust? Your husband of two years or your new found 17-year-old daughter? And where do you turn when that daughter turns up dead on the porch of your husband’s new rental house and all evidence points to him as the killer?

Lisa Scottoline’s novels are always, well-written, fast-paced and full of twists. “After Anna” was no exception.

Publication Date: April 10, 2018

Genre:  Suspense, Thriller, Mystery

Cover: Great

Rating: 4 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

#AfterAnna #NetGalley