Review: Silence the Dead by Simone St. James

Silence the Dead

by Simone St. James

Publisher: NAL Trade

Pages: 384

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  In 1919, Kitty Weekes, pretty, resourceful, and on the run, falsifies her background to obtain a nursing position at Portis House, a remote hospital for soldiers left shell-shocked by the horrors of the Great War. Hiding the shame of their mental instability in what was once a magnificent private estate, the patients suffer from nervous attacks and tormenting dreams. But something more is going on at Portis House—its plaster is crumbling, its plumbing makes eerie noises, and strange breaths of cold waft through the empty rooms. It’s known that the former occupants left abruptly, but where did they go? And why do the patients all seem to share the same nightmare, one so horrific that they dare not speak of it?

Kitty finds a dangerous ally in Jack Yates, an inmate who may be a war hero, a madman… or maybe both. But even as Kitty and Jack create a secret, intimate alliance to uncover the truth, disturbing revelations suggest the presence of powerful spectral forces. And when a medical catastrophe leaves them even more isolated, they must battle the menace on their own, caught in the heart of a mystery that could destroy them both.


Kritters Thoughts:  Historical fiction with ghosts, crazy PTSD soldiers and all in a home that is completely isolated from the world.  Kitty is a woman who has been running from a past for a very long time and she ends up in this historical home that has been converted into a mental hospital working as a nurse without the proper qualifications.  She learns that the past doesn't always stay in the past both the past of the occupants of the home and those in her personal past.  

I am a historical fiction fan and I liked this one, but I wish there was a little more to the story of the previous inhabitants of the house.  Once their part of the story started to unfold it was then done; I think it could have been woven a little more throughout the entire story.  I completely enjoyed that the house was almost a full character on its own - the author described this house to such detail that I felt I was there.  

If you like historical fiction with a dash of ghosts then you would love this one.

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 Penguin.  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: On Grace by Susie Schnall

On Grace by Susie Schnall

Publisher: SparkPress

Pages: 274

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Grace May is actually excited about turning forty in a few months. Now that her boys are both in school and she has a stimulating new writing job, the next chapter in her life can finally begin. She can't wait to rediscover the intelligent woman buried under the layers of mother and wife. But when Grace suddenly loses her job and receives unexpected news, she stands to lose everything: her marriage, her best friend, and her sense of self. By her fortieth birthday party, Grace will realize who and what matter most. With laughter. With tears. With grace.


Kritters Thoughts:  Grace is about to turn 40 and is feeling the effects of the big birthday.  She is trying to find herself and her new role as her children are leaving for their first years in school and don't necessary need her as much anymore.  I loved having a different age character trying to find her place in this new set of circumstances.

Although this book deals with some hard topics, I think the author did a fantastic job of keeping it authentic and real, but not too much of a downer!  I fell in love with this character and it was easy to want to follow her journey through it all.  The minor characters were full and just as enjoyable as Grace; which I think is key when they have such an impact on the journey of the main character.

So I have decided to put this book into a new sub genre of women's fiction that I am calling Coming of Age Later in Life!  I wish there were more books that took this approach with this age group of main characters because I felt it was a good view of how life can throw you a curve ball at any age.


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

Ebook 2014 Challenge: 20 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Booksparks PR.  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: Jaspar's War by Cym Lowell

Jaspar's War by Cym Lowell

Publisher: Rosemary Beach Press

Pages: 352

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Greenwich, Connecticut socialite Jaspar Moran has it all-a magnificent estate, two beautiful children and a loving husband, Trevor, serving as the Secretary of the Treasury. Protected, admired and living in the lap of luxury, Jaspar is reeling from the news that his government jet has crashed just as her children vanish without a trace. An ominous message warns her to keep silent about her husband's role in the President's economic plan. Or else. Determined to save her children, she'll go to hell and back, form alliances with assassins, traitors and Mafioso, and commit unspeakable acts-if that's what it takes. With alarms sounding around the world, hunted from all sides, and unsure of who to trust, she finds herself depending on a mysterious figure without an identity. Jaspar journeys from the Australian outback to the palazzos of Rome, the Monte Carlo Grand Prix, and to the magnificence of the Vatican, in her quest. Can she rescue her children before the plot to crash the global economy is unleashed?


Kritters Thoughts:  A political and economical thriller that by using the economic fall of 2008 crafted a great thriller that is so modern - I loved it!  The pacing was fantastic, it didn't stop until the end and there was no lull at the beginning, this story picked up and didn't stop.  Although the economic side of the story was hard, it was presented in a way that I think I got most of it.  

The characters and setting made this book.  With fantastic settings abroad and a few sites in the States, the author used the international intrigue to a T.  I loved how the political piece of the puzzle wasn't just in the USA.  The characters were across the board - citizens, royalty, Indians, and beyond, it was great to see all the diversity in the characters and how they fit into the puzzle.  

I wish I could change the cover on this book, there was a quick moment where I automatically turned it down, but with a quick read of the synopsis I gave it a chance.  Thank goodness because the book is so much better than the cover!

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 Meryl Moss Media.  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 very long week on the work front and a crazy weekend enjoying DC and friends and family!  Because of these things, the reading just didn't happen this week.

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

In the Mirror by Kaira Rouda
The Book of You by Claire Kendal
A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

Currently Reading:

Monday, Monday by Elizabeth Crook

Next on the TBR pile:

Steal the North by Heather Brittain Bergstrom

Review: Children of the Revolution

Children of the Revolution

by Peter Robinson

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 389

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  A disgraced college lecturer is found murdered with £5,000 in his pocket on a disused railway line near his home. Since being dismissed from his job for sexual misconduct four years previously, he has been living a poverty-stricken and hermit-like existence in this isolated spot.

The suspects range from several individuals at the college where he used to teach to a woman who knew the victim back in the early '70s at Essex University, then a hotbed of political activism. When Banks receives a warning to step away from the case, he realises there is much more to the mystery than meets the eye - for there are plenty more skeletons to come out of the closet . . .


Kritters Thoughts:  Banks is an investigator in Yorkshire and is debating about retiring and saying goodbye to the police force.  An intriguing case gets him excited about his job as a former college professor is not only found dead but in an interesting spot that complicates the murder mystery.  

Another mystery that took place in England and felt very similar to ones that I have recently read and just moved way too slow for me.  Because the flow wasn't there the ending wasn't as satisfying, so I may have to think twice about picking up the next one in this series.

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

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: Golden State by Michelle Richmond

Golden State

by Michelle Richmond

Publisher: Batnam

Pages: 304

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Doctor Julie Walker has just signed her divorce papers when she receives news that her younger sister, Heather, has gone into labor. Though theirs is a strained relationship, Julie sets out for the hospital to be at her sister’s side—no easy task since the streets of San Francisco are filled with commotion. Today is also the day that Julie will find herself at the epicenter of a violent standoff in which she is forced to examine both the promising and painful parts of her past—her Southern childhood; her romance with her husband, Tom; her estrangement from Heather; and the shattering incident that led to her greatest heartbreak.


Kritters Thoughts: As her relationship is falling apart and she is listening to her soon to be ex-husband blast messages via his radio show, she is trying to get to and attend to her sister who is having a baby and a man from her past is holding her colleagues hostage in the hospital AND if all this wasn't enough, the state she is living in is going through a controversial vote to cede from the Union.  A whole heck of a lot of drama.

One thing I really loved was how the author used both the ex lover on the phone having her tell stories of the past and the soon to be ex-husband's radio show with disguised messages to allow the foreshadowing in the book - it was different and I liked it.  These two storylines intermingled perfectly and I really enjoyed how the story unraveled piece by piece.

I think the big thing that made me not completely fall for this book was the vote in California, there was enough drama in the rest of the plot points that this part of the plot could have been left out; it was just too much.


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

Ebook 2014 Challenge: 17 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley.  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: Waiting on You by Kristan Higgins

Waiting On You

by Kristan Higgins

Publisher: Harlequin

Pages: 384

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Colleen O'Rourke is in love with love... just not when it comes to herself. Most nights, she can be found behind the bar at the Manningsport, New York, tavern she owns with her twin brother, doling out romantic advice to the lovelorn, mixing martinis and staying more or less happily single. See, ten years ago, Lucas Campbell, her first love, broke her heart... an experience Colleen doesn't want to have again, thanks. Since then, she's been happy with a fling here and there, some elite-level flirting and playing matchmaker to her friends.

But a family emergency has brought Lucas back to town, handsome as ever and still the only man who's ever been able to crack her defenses. Seems like maybe they've got some unfinished business waiting for them—but to find out, Colleen has to let her guard down, or risk losing a second chance with the only man she's ever loved.

Kritters Thoughts:  One of a set of twins who own the main bar in town and hasn't found love as good as she had in high school until that same guy walks into her bar for many reasons.  The ups and downs of their reunion were great, I loved that it wasn't easy for them to reunite and they were working out things throughout the book, but they still had other things going in their lives beyond their budding relationship. 

The third in the series and although each book is about a different character, I would definitely read these in a row as the previous main characters make appearances and you get updates on them in the following books.  

I am in love this town and these characters and will definitely be adding each one to my library!

Rating: perfect beach read

Ebook 2014 Challenge: 18 out of 100

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.

Review: The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins

The Perfect Match

by Kristan Higgins

Publisher: Harlequin

Pages: 441

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Honor Holland has just been unceremoniously rejected by her lifelong crush. And now—a mere three weeks later—Mr. Perfect is engaged to her best friend. But resilient, reliable Honor is going to pick herself up, dust herself off and get back out there… or she would if dating in Manningsport, New York, population 715, wasn't easier said than done. 

Charming, handsome British professor Tom Barlow just wants to do right by his unofficial stepson, Charlie, but his visa is about to expire. Now Tom must either get a green card or leave the States—and leave Charlie behind. 

In a moment of impulsiveness, Honor agrees to help Tom with a marriage of convenience—and make her ex jealous in the process. But juggling a fiancé, hiding out from her former best friend and managing her job at the family vineyard isn't easy. And as sparks start to fly between Honor and Tom, they might discover that their pretend relationship is far too perfect to be anything but true love….

Kritters Thoughts:  Honor is in the middle of the family and has always been the core of the family.  She has always taken on the brunt of the family by doing a lot of work at the vineyard and for the family, but her personal life may have taken a hit due to all of the things she took on.  

I think I liked this one even more than the first.  I knew the characters and was able to get into the story from the first page.  Honor had more ups and downs and her story felt so real - trying to balance her full time professional life and large extended family while also making time to find love.  I loved that Honor had a love story that started out like her, very business, but eventually she found the heart in it.

I will definitely be continuing this series, I love that there is romance but there hasn't been to much sexy times!  

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel (thank goodness it's a series!)

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.

Review: The Best Man by Kristan Higgins

The Best Man by Kristan Higgins

Publisher: Harlequin

Pages: 426

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Faith Holland left her hometown after being jilted at the altar. Now a little older and wiser, she’s ready to return to the Blue Heron Winery, her family’s vineyard, to confront the ghosts of her past, and maybe enjoy a glass of red. After all, there’s some great scenery there....

Like Levi Cooper, the local police chief - and best friend of her former fiancé. There’s a lot about Levi that Faith never noticed, and it’s not just those deep green eyes. The only catch is she’s having a hard time forgetting that he helped ruin her wedding all those years ago. If she can find a minute amidst all her family drama to stop and smell the rosé, she just might find a reason to stay at Blue Heron, and finish that walk down the aisle.


Kritters Thoughts:  An introduction to the Holland family and their Blue Heron Vineyard and a look at the youngest of the family Faith Holland as she returns home to face the past and hopefully find her future.  She had quite a public happening and ran away from home shortly after to find a new path, but has now returned home.  

Although predictable, this book was super sweet.  I loved that Faith didn't have it easy in the past and her current story wasn't all rainbows and sunshine! This book did center mostly on Faith's story, but it also set up the behind the scenes of this family and town in Western New York perfectly.  

Random note - I was married at a vineyard and am quite the fan of the workings of vineyards, so I extra enjoyed the parts that described the workings of the vineyard.  Especially the ice wine - I love that type of wine!  

Tomorrow I will review the second book in this series that centers around Faith's older sister Honor.   

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel (to be reviewed tomorrow!)

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?

It was a quiet week at work, but a busy weekend!  Thankfully these were some fantastic reads!!

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

The Collector of Dying Breaths by MJ Rose
Silence the Dead by Simone St. James
Catching Air by Sarah Pekkanen
Uganda Be Kidding Me by Chelsea Handler
The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell
The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna Van Praag

Currently Reading:

In the Mirror by Kaira Rouda

Next on the TBR pile:

For Such a Time by Kate Breslin

Review: Dancing with Fireflies by Denise Hunter

Dancing with Fireflies

by Denise Hunter

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Pages: 336

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Jade returns home to Chapel Springs after years of protecting her fragile heart. Then along comes Daniel, making her long to dance again.

Creative and complicated, Jade McKinley felt like a weed in a rose garden growing up in Chapel Springs. When she left, she thought she'd never look back. But now, pregnant, alone, and broke, she has no other choice but to return.

The mayor of Chapel Springs, Daniel Dawson, has been an honorary member of the McKinley family for years. While his own home life was almost non-existent, Daniel fit right into the boisterous McKinley family. He's loved Jade for years, but she always saw him as a big brother. Now that she's back, his feelings are stronger than ever.

As Jade attempts to settle in, nothing feels right. God seems far away, she's hiding secrets from her family, and she's strangely attracted to the man who's always called her "squirt." Finding her way home may prove more difficult than she imagined.


Kritters Thoughts:  The McKinley family takes center stage in another book, but a different daughter tells her story as she is overcoming her past and finding her way.  Jade is the daughter that left the small town, ran away, and has come home to find support from her family.  

Different from the first book, I wasn't quite certain where this book would end and I loved it.  I read this one quicker because I felt more invested in the story and really wanted to find out where Jade would end up.  It was also easier to read as I had just finished the first book and knew the characters pretty well.  I am hoping that there will be a few more books centered around this family.  

The second in the series and although this can possibly be read by its own, I would suggest starting with the first one Barefoot Summer, my review went up last night.  A note that I stated in my review of the first book - this is Christian fiction, but it was not heavy handed in the least bit.  

Rating: perfect beach read

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Litfuse 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.

Review: Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter

Barefoot Summer

by Denise Hunter

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Pages: 336

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Madison’s heart closed the day her twin brother died.

Since losing her twin, Michael, in a drowning incident, Madison has rejected the faith he lived by. Instead, she’s devoted her life to fulfilling Michael’s dream—winning the River Sail Regatta in their small Indiana town, Chapel Springs.

As she trains for the regatta, Beckett O’Reilly is teaching Madison to swim. But he’s keeping a painful secret from her—and as they grow closer, that secret threatens to upend their lives . . . and the lives of both their families.

Kritters Thoughts:  The first in a series about a family that has endured quite a few hard times and with their faith and each other they have weathered a few storms.  The first book centers around a twin, although she is no longer part of a pair as her twin brother Micheal died a few years ago and maybe she never fully recovered from his sudden death.  She is still living in the small town that she grew up in and is trying to fulfill his dreams.

I loved how this story set up the family, but at the same time gave Madison her due story.  It was obvious where the story was going to go, but although predictable, it was still a sweet story following a character as she found herself.  

I don't normally talk about covers because I try to have a cover not influence my read - in this case, I loved the cover and it fit the story and the feel so perfectly.  It made me hope for sunny days by a body of water!

As a side note, this book is definitely Christian fiction, but I didn't feel beat by the bible with this one, it was just generally obvious that their faith was an aspect of their lives.  


Rating: perfect beach read

Review: The Girl Who Came Home

The Girl Who Came Home

by Hazel Gaynor

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 384

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  In a rural Irish village in April 1912, seventeen-year-old Maggie Murphy is anxious about the trip to America. While the thirteen others she will travel with from her Parish anticipate a life of prosperity and opportunity - including her strict Aunt Kathleen who will be her chaperon for the journey - Maggie is distraught to be leaving Séamus, the man she loves with all her heart. As the carts rumble out of the village, she clutches a packet of love letters in her coat pocket and hopes that Séamus will be able to join her in America soon. 

In Southampton, England, Harry Walsh boards Titanic as a Third Class Steward, excited to be working on this magnificent ship. After the final embarkation stop in Ireland, Titanic steams across the Atlantic Ocean. Harry befriends Maggie and her friends from the Irish group; their spirits are high and life on board is much grander than any of them could have ever imagined. Being friendly with Harold Bride, one of the Marconi radio operators, Harry offers to help Maggie send a telegram home to Séamus. But on the evening of April 14th, when Titanic hits an iceberg, Maggie’s message is only partly transmitted, leaving Séamus confused by what he reads. 

As the full scale of the disaster unfolds, luck and love will decide the fate of the Irish emigrants and those whose lives they have touched on board the ship. In unimaginable circumstances, Maggie survives, arriving three days later in New York on the rescue ship Carpathia. She has only the nightdress she is wearing, a small case and a borrowed coat, to her name. She doesn’t speak of Titanic again for seventy years.


Kritters Thoughts:  A historical fiction book with a current storyline running through it at the same time and it centers around the Titanic.  Maggie survived the tragedy of the Titanic, but lost some very important letters and has never been able to track them down.  Her great granddaughter is a journalism student who has returned home to help out in the family home after a personal tragedy and she has to decide what is next for her. 

This is a heavy book due to the subject matter, but with the current storyline moving throughout the book, it stayed relevant and current.  There were obvious parallels between both of the main characters, but I didn't feel like the author shoved them down your throat, they were just obvious.  An interesting turn of events toward the end made this book even better than it would have been without it!

I loved how the author used other characters that were not on the Titanic to show the impact this tragedy had on family members and friends who were waiting their arrival in New York or were back living in Ireland - the lack of communication abilities was startling and these parts were probably my favorite.  

I would completely recommend this book to readers who are hesitant to read historical fiction, the characters in this book took center stage and the Titanic is an American point in history that I haven't seen often in the fiction genre.   

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2014 Challenge: 14 out of 100

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.