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Review: Last Train to Babylon by Charlee Fam

Last Train to Babylon

by Charlee Fam

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 352

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Who put the word fun in funeral? I can’t think of anything fun about Rachel’s funeral, except for the fact that she won’t be there.

Aubrey Glass has a collection of potential suicide notes—just in case. And now, five years—and five notes—after leaving her hometown, Rachel’s the one who goes and kills herself. Aubrey can’t believe her luck. 

But Rachel’s death doesn’t leave Aubrey in peace. There’s a voicemail from her former friend, left only days before her death that Aubrey can’t bring herself to listen to—and worse, a macabre memorial-turned-high-school reunion that promises the opportunity to catch up with everyone… including the man responsible for everything that went wrong between she and Rachel. 

In the days leading up to the funeral and infamous after party, Aubrey slips seamlessly between her past and present. Memories of friendship tangle with painful new encounters while underneath it all Aubrey feels the rush of something closing in, something she can no longer run from. And when the past and present collide in one devastating night, nothing will be the same again. 

But facing the future means confronting herself and a shattering truth. Now, Aubrey must decide what will define her: what lies behind… or what waits ahead.


Kritters Thoughts:  Aubrey returns home to bury a friend that maybe wasn't the best of friend in the end and there is a reason why this friendship didn't make it to adulthood, but the reader is left in the dark for a bit to wonder what happened to these two friends.  

Switching between present time and past stories, this book takes the reader on the journey of two friends and maybe isn't the most positive of friendships!  Without completely ruining the core of the book, I loved how the reader finds out what really happened to make this friendship unravel and it made my thoughts change about both Aubrey and her "ex" best friend Rachel - it is kind of fun when your opinions change on characters.  

Although the book is definitely biased in Aubrey's point of view, I still felt like I saw a true picture of Rachel and the other "friends" in their semi group.  I adore when authors send their characters to their hometowns to confront things from the past and it's even better when their hometowns are small and everyone knows everyone and everything!

This was definitely a debbie downer book which made me glad to read it during the fall season and not in the bright sunshine of spring or summer.  If you have read many thriller books, then this book is definitely different then the rest and I would recommend picking it up.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Certainty by Victor Bevine

Certainty by Victor Bevine

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 320

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  When you're fighting an injustice, can it be wrong to do what's right?

Inspired by the scandalous true story that shocked a nation at the close of WWI.

With America's entry into World War I, the population of Newport, Rhode Island, seems to double overnight as twenty-five thousand rowdy recruits descend on the Naval Training Station. Drinking, prostitution, and other depravities follow the sailors, transforming the upscale town into what many residents—including young lawyer William Bartlett, whose genteel family has lived in Newport for generations—consider to be a moral cesspool.

When sailors accuse a beloved local clergyman of sexual impropriety, William feels compelled to fight back. He agrees to defend the minister against the shocking allegations, in the face of dire personal and professional consequences. But when the trial grows increasingly sensational, and when outrageous revelations echo all the way from Newport to the federal government, William must confront more than just the truth—he must confront the very nature of good and evil.


Kritters Thoughts:  A new look at men in the Navy and while Prohibition was happening, there was also a stigma against a certain population and the Navy weren't quite welcoming to them amongst their ranks.  

A book that focuses on accusations of a priest of homosexual tendencies to the men he was ministering to that were stationed in Newport, RI.  The accusations may be true, but the actions of the officers in the Navy were repulsive and their witch hunt was just crazy to read about.  I am not sure I knew when I started how true that this story was, but after finishing the book and doing some research, I couldn't believe the truth and wanted to read the book again to take the details in.  

Whatever your feelings are towards same sex marriage or homosexuality this book is such a good view of the historical aspect of this debate.  And it is interesting to see what was said back then and compare it to what is being said now.  If you are a historical fiction fan and especially of this time period, this is a book worth picking up and reading about the behind the scenes of the Navy while not in war time.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes

Until You're Mine

by Samantha Hayes

Publisher: Crown

Pages: 368

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  You're alone. You're vulnerable. And you have something that someone else wants. At any cost.
 
Claudia Morgan-Brown finally has it all. Pregnant with a much-wanted first baby of her own, she has a happily established family of two small step-sons and a loving husband with a great career. But she is also committed to her full-time job as a social worker, and her husband travels often. So when Claudia hires Zoe to help her around the house in anticipation of the baby’s arrival, it seems like the answer to her prayers. But despite Zoe's glowing recommendations and instant rapport with the children, there's something about her that Claudia cannot trust.
 
Moreover, there has been a series of violent attacks on pregnant women in the area, and Claudia becomes acutely aware of her vulnerability. With her husband out of town for work and her family far away, who will be there to protect her? And why does she feel unsettled about Zoe? Realizing appearances can be deceiving even in her seemingly perfect world, Claudia digs deeper into Zoe’s blurry past and begins to wonder – how far would someone go to have a child of her own?

Kritters Thoughts:  A psychological thriller with such a fantastic twist that throws the reader for the best loop!  The prologue sets the scene with a woman who has been earning to be a mom for the longest time, but the reader doesn't know who this character is - not until the end!  Claudia is pregnant and her husband will be headed out to sea with the Navy, so they decide to hire a nanny to help with the twin boys and the upcoming arrival.  Zoe is the nanny and the reader gets to read from her perspective as well - so glad!

I loved that as a reader I was kept out of the dark at times and some chapters I didn't even know the character who was doing the talking - sometimes it is nice to be left out in the dark!  I also loved reading about the two investigator's home lives and how that affects them during the investigation into the murders.  It was nice to see that they had a home life beyond the job.  

Obviously I can't talk about it, but the twist in the ending just made the book for me.  I was enjoying it so so, but when the twist twisted - I was hooked and was ready to pass this book onto other mystery/thriller readers.  

After reading this book, I will be on the lookout for Samantha Hayes' previous and future books.

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Blogging for Books.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

This was probably the craziest week of reading!  A quiet week of work, a quiet week at home and a great weekend reading outside with the pups.

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

Last Train to Babylon by Charlee Fam
Proof of Angels by Mary Curran Hackett
How to Bake a Man by Jessica Barksdale Inclan
Letting Go by Molly McAdams
Bleeding Heart by Liza Gyllenhaal
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Currently Reading:

The Daughter by Jane Shemilt

Next on the TBR pile:

The Vineyard by Michael Hurly

Review: Killer WASPs by Amy Korman

Killer WASPs

by Amy Korman

Publisher: Witness Impulse

Pages: 352

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, is a haven for East Coast WASPs, where tennis tournaments and cocktails at the club are revered traditions. Little happens in the sleepy suburb, and that is the way the Lilly Pulitzer–clad residents prefer it. So when antiques store owner Kristin Clark and her portly basset hound stumble upon the area's newest real estate developer lying unconscious beneath the hydrangea bushes lining the driveway of one of Bryn Mawr's most distinguished estates, the entire town is abuzz with gossip and intrigue.

When the attacker strikes again just days later, Kristin and her three best friends—Holly, a glamorous chicken nugget heiress with a penchant for high fashion; Joe, a decorator who's determined to land his own HGTV show; and Bootsie, a preppy but nosy newspaper reporter—join forces to solve the crime. While their investigation takes them to cocktail parties, flea markets, and the country club, they must unravel the mystery before the assailant claims another victim.

Kritters Thoughts:  Kristin Clark is a quirky, antique store owner in a fancy suburb of Philadelphia, PA.  She becomes quite the sleuth and tries to find out who is attempting murder and the connection between the victims.  At the same time, she is trying to decide between two very handsome men as suitors.  

Kristin was sweet!  I fell in love with her immediately and loved how she was living in this hoity toity neighborhood, but was still an outsider.  I loved her as the narrator and main character.  The secondary characters were just as good as Kristin - they were exaggerated characters, but still so good.  With fun characters put into interesting situations, this book read fast and fun.

Because of this book, I am creating a new sub genre in the mystery/who dun it world and it will be called cheesy who dun its - not a negative, just an observation.  There was just some cheesiness to the characters and how the victims were killed and it was kind of fun to have a sweet and cheesy mystery for fall.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2014 Challenge: 59 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from HarperCollins.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Halfway to Nowhere by Steena Holmes

Halfway to Nowhere

by Steena Holmes

Pages: 137

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Nikki Landon walked away from her small town, Halfway, Montana, ten years ago, with no intentions of setting foot there again. But, when her mother dies unexpectedly, Nikki has no choice but to return, and this time with the child she was trying to hide—ten year old, Ryan.

Becky Jennings is living her happily-ever-after. She’s married to the man of her dreams and even though that means being the wife of a Christmas tree farmer, she’s happy. There’s only one thing missing from her fairy-tale life: a child to hold in her arms. After countless miscarriages, she’s struggling to accept that might be one dream that will never come true.

As teenagers, Nikki would have done anything to protect her best friend, Becky from heartache, which is why she left. But ten years later, there’s nowhere to hide in a small town where everyone can see the truth of the secret she can no longer keep. 

Could Nikki’s son be the child Becky has always longed for? And if he is, can the already fragile bond between the two friends, withstand the heartache?


Kritters Thoughts:  Three is always a company and these three friends find that out the hard way after many years apart.  Nikki Landon leaves her very very small hometown and escapes when she finds out she is pregnant.  She leaves her best friend and her best friend's boyfriend very suddenly and with no explanation.  Ten years later, her mother has passed away suddenly and she has returned to take care of business as quickly as possible and get back out of town - of course this doesn't happen!

The book is told in two perspectives - Nikki and Becky, their polarizing views helped create great depth to this book, with points of view the reader has a harder time taking sides and instead can see this big issue from both sides and have empathy with both women.  At some point, I did wonder if we should have heard a bit from Matt, Becky's husband who is crucial to the story.  

This was a concise book at just 137 pages and what a quick read!  I actually completely enjoyed that it was on the shorter end, I loved seeing the authors pull together a full story in such a short amount of time.  

Finally, let me just say that I adore Steena Holmes and sent her a note after I finished this book and she advised that the sequel is on its way and should arrive in December!  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2014 Challenge: 58 out of 100

Review: Bird in Hand by Christina Baker Kline

Bird in Hand

by Christina Baker Kline

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 288

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  The accident was just that -- an accident. It was dark, it was raining, ALISON had two drinks in her, and the other car ran the stop sign. She just didn't get out of the way fast enough. But now a little boy -- not her own -- is dead, and Alison finds herself trapped under the twin burdens of grief and guilt, and feeling increasingly estranged from her husband . . .

CHARLIE, who has his own burdens. He's in a job he doesn't love so that Alison can stay home with the kids (and why isn't she more grateful for that?); he has a house in the suburbs and a long commute to and from the city each day. And the only thing can focus on these days is his secret, sudden affair with . . .

CLAIRE, Alison's best friend. Bold where Alison is reserved; vibrant where Alison is demure, Claire has just had her first novel published, a thinly-veiled retelling of her childhood in South Carolina (which is also Alison's, in a sense). But even in the whirlwind of publication, Claire can't stop wondering if she should leave her husband . . .

BEN, an architect who is thoughtful, kind, and patient. And who wants nothing more than a baby, or two -- in fact, exactly the kind of life that Charlie and Alison have . . .

Four people, two marriages, one lifelong friendship: everything is about to change.

Kritters Thoughts:  Alison is driving home from an event and although didn't cause an accident was involved and a child dies, this accident sets off a series of events that will forever change her life.  The concept of small incidents changing a person's path is very interesting to me and this aspect of the book completely kept me reading.

One thing that I loved about this book was the ability to read from everyone's perspective, although it was hurtful to read from those who were living beyond their marriages it was interesting to read their viewpoints.  

Still considering myself a newlywed and wedded bliss and all that, it was hard to read about lying spouses and cheating and deception.  I knew going in this was the topic, but I couldn't shy away from this book because I am such a fan of the author.  Because I have loved her other books I did want to read how she would tackle this subject and the characters that she would create in this setting and in all I did cringe a few moments but it was probably at the moments that she wanted me to cringe.  After reading this book, I am still a HUGE fan of this author and will still pick up each and every book she has written and will write in the future.


Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: In Your Dreams by Kristan Higgins

In Your Dreams

by Kristan Higgins

Publisher: Harlequin

Pages: 480

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Emmaline Neal needs a date. Just a date—someone to help her get through her ex-fiancé's wedding without losing her mind. But pickings are slim in Manningsport, New York, population 715. In fact, there's really only one option: local heartthrob Jack Holland. Everyone loves Jack, and he won't get the wrong idea…. After all, Jack Holland would never actually be interested in a woman like Em. Especially not with his beautiful ex-wife creeping around, angling to reunite ever since he rescued a group of teens and became a local hero. 

But when the wedding festivities take an unexpectedly passionate turn, Em figures it was just one crazy night. Jack is too gorgeous, too popular, to ever end up with her. So why is she the one he can talk to about his deep, dark feelings? If Em is going to get her dream man, she'll have to start by believing in him…


Kritters Thoughts:  The fourth in the Blue Heron series centering around the only son in the family of girls raised in upstate New York on a vineyard.  Jack Holland has recently seen all of his sisters find love and he will finally find true happiness in this book!  At the same time Emmaline Neal is still getting settled in the small police department in Manningsport and is trying to make this town her real home.  

After reading the previous books in the series, it was fun to see the male perspective of this family.  As Kristan Higgins always does, the book is told from both Emmaline and Jack's perspectives, but I absolutely loved seeing the inner workings of the family from the male perspective - it felt fresh and new.  I also completely adored Emmaline - she was quirky but headstrong and their trip to her ex's wedding was just priceless; I sped through those pages and would love to read those scenes again!

This book renewed my love for this series and I am definitely wondering if there is another one to follow.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Little Bird Publicity.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

A good week followed with the Dewey's Readathon made for such a good full week of reading!  Hopefully this is the beginning of some good reading for this fall and winter.

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

In Your Dreams by Kristan Higgins
Halfway to Nowhere by Steena Holmes
Bird in Hand by Christina Baker Kline
Killer WASPs by Amy Korman
Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes
Certainty by Victor Bevine

Currently Reading:

Last Train to Babylon by Charlee Fam

Next on the TBR pile:

Proof of Angels by Mary Curran Hackett

Dewey's Readathon - FINAL update

So, after my last update my nap became a full night of sleep!  Have a quiet morning, so going to put in a few more hours this morning of reading.  I wouldn't call this a bust, I absolutely loved being a part of the readathon.

Book currently reading: 
Certainty by Victor Bevine

Books finished:

Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes
Killer WASPs by Amy Korman

Running total of pages read:  645 pages

Running total of time spent reading:  11 and a half hours

Dewey's Readathon - 12AM update

Still haven't finished the third book, but only 100 pages left!  Going to try for a nap now, hoping it is only a nap and I can get up and finish this one.  
Book currently reading: 
Certainty by Victor Bevine

Books finished:

Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes
Killer WASPs by Amy Korman

Running total of pages read:  645 pages

Running total of time spent reading:  11 and a half hours

Dewey's Readathon - 8PM update

Still reading, crockpot baked potato soup has been had and looking for dessert!  

Book currently reading: Certainty by Victor Bevine

Books finished:

Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes
Killer WASPs by Amy Korman

Running total of pages read:  493 pages

Running total of time spent reading:  9 hours

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now? Certainity by Victor Bevine
2. How many books have you read so far?  finished two
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Certainty by Victor Bevine - enjoying it
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? yes, mostly food and dog related!
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?  I haven't done as many challenges, have just been wanting to read away