Review: Bridges by Maria Murnane

Bridges

by Maria Murnane

Publisher: Kindle Press

Pages: 194

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  It’s a piece of news Daphne never expected to hear: Her globe-trotting friend Skylar, who vowed never to get married, is engaged! Time to celebrate in Manhattan—Skylar’s treat, of course. After years scaling the corporate ladder, she can more than afford it. 

Daphne arrives in NYC with news of her own—the novel she’s finally finished appears to be going nowhere but the trash bin of every publishing house around. She’s devastated but plans to keep her disappointment under wraps, something that becomes trickier when she sees Skylar’s spectacular apartment. Could her life have been like this if she’d chosen a different path? 

What Daphne doesn’t know is she’s not the only one with a secret. Skylar and their friend KC are also holding something back, but what? As the trip unfolds, the truth about each woman emerges, along with tears. 

And laughter. And love. 

Kritters Thoughts:  The sequel to Wait for Rain and I completely recommend starting at the first book in this series because this book may not make complete sense without it.  

The three friends Daphne, Skylar and KC are reunited in this one as they celebrate the out of the blue engagement of Skylar so they head to Skylar's in New York City.  Of course when these girls reunite they egg each other on and its just fun.  

The thing that I didn't love in book one was the many times that Daphne was in her head and how distracting that was, that didn't happen in this book, which made me love this book SO much more!  I loved how the girls interacted in this book so much more, it seemed as though since this wasn't far after the reconnection in the first book they just seemed to bounce off each other so much better.  

This book is shorter in length and after meeting the characters in the first book, this one read so quickly.  I still say start with book one because there are things from that book that you need to know to better enjoy this one.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2017 Challenge: 38 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the author.  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: Wait for Rain by Maria Murnane

Wait for Rain

by Maria Murnane

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 281

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Daphne White is staring down the barrel of forty—and is distraught at what she sees. Her ex-husband is getting remarried, her teenage daughter hardly needs her anymore, and the career she once dreamed about has somehow slipped from her grasp. She’s almost lost sight of the spirited and optimistic young woman she used to be.

As she heads off to a Caribbean island to mark the new decade with her best friends from college, Daphne’s in anything but the mood to celebrate. But when she meets Clay Hanson, a much younger man, she ignores her inner voice warning her that she’s too old for a fling. In fact, this tropical getaway might be the perfect opportunity to picture her future in a new sun-drenched light.

With the help of her friends, Daphne rediscovers her enthusiasm for life, as well as her love for herself—and realizes that her best years are still ahead.

Kritters Thoughts:  Three friends decide to get away for their 40th birthday and celebrate and just spend time together as friends.  Daphne the mainish character has finalized a divorce and is still mourning the loss of the relationship and struggling with moving forward.  With the help of friends and some strangers she interacts with, she learns a lot about herself and makes some big changes in her life.

For the most part I loved the book.  The one thing that happened throughout the book that I didn't love was the constant Daphne in her head and questioning herself and stressing and anxiety.  I understood at the beginning and it showed what was going on in her mind, but I feel like it went on too long and at times it got distracting from the story.  I loved that Daphne was flawed and not perfect, but it just got in the way a few times of the story for me.

I loved the three friends and how they were the same age but at different moments in life and very different people and how Maria Murnane showed that women can be friends and help each other move their lives forward from different points in life.  With what I said above, I would still love more books with these friends and am reviewing another "Daphne White" book tomorrow.  I hope to say tomorrow that I would like more after it as well, come back to find out.


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

Ebook 2017 Challenge: 37 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the author.  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: Beneath Copper Falls by Colleen Coble

Beneath Copper Falls

by Colleen Coble

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Pages: 368

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Dana Newell has just moved to Rock Harbor to take a job as a sheriff's dispatcher and is settling in next door to Bree and Kade Matthews. The abusive relationship she left behind seems a distant memory in this perfect place.

Her first day on the job, Dana receives a call from her friend Allyson who screams "He's going to kill me too" before the phone goes dead. Dana immediately dispatches a deputy, but it's too late. Allyson's death is ruled an accident, but Dana just doesn't believe it. She knows Allyson—an investigative reporter—was researching a new story. Did someone want to keep her quiet?

Dana continues to look into the accident with the help of Bree and also Allyson's cousin Boone. Romance quickly blooms between Dana and Boone but the game is much more complex than either of them imagined. When Dana's ex-fiance locates her, she's caught in the middle. It’s a game of cat and mouse as she and Boone fight to catch one killer while evading another.

Kritters Thoughts:   The sixth book in a series, but my first read of the series, so if I spoil anything below from previous books I will have no clue!  So sorry in advance if I do so!  Let me just spoil my review by saying after reading the sixth book, I plan on starting at book one and getting into this series!

A who dun it from a known Christian fiction author that kept me on the edge of my beach chair (was on vacation while reading) and was so good that I may have skipped a few things just to finish!  I rated it below that you can't read two in a row even after it being so good because I needed a breather after it, but after that breather I would pick up another one from this series real fast!

Dana Newell has come back to town to escape drama in a relationship and the reader wonders whether it will follow her home - little do we know!!  Of course I will not spoil this book, but the main focus was women who were being killed right before their wedding days in a similar way and Dana's experience with an abusive partner.  The way that the book dealt with serial killing and abusive relationships was just right, it wasn't light and easy but not too dark and serious.  

The big thing with mystery/thrillers is if the culprit is satisfying and if the twists and turns are ridiculous, predictable or just good - for this one they were so good.  I love the way Colleen Coble unpacked this book and slowly but surely gave hints and things and the minute I thought I was right was just the right time!

Has anyone else read books from this series?  Have you read this one?  Are they all just as good as 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 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: How to Change a Life by Stacy Ballis

How to Change a Life

by Stacy Ballis

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 400

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Eloise is happy with her life as a successful private chef. She has her clients, her corgi, and a recipe for the world's most perfect chocolate cream pie. What more could she need? But when her long-lost trio of high school friends reunites, Eloise realizes how lonely she really is.

Eloise, Lynne, and Teresa revamp their senior-class assignment and dare one another to create a list of things to accomplish by the time they each turn forty in a few months. Control freak Lynne has to get a dog, Teresa has to spice up her marriage, and Eloise has to start dating again.

Enter Shawn, a hunky ex-athlete and the first man Eloise could see herself falling for. Suddenly forty doesn't seem so lonely--until a chance encounter threatens the budding romance and reveals the true colors of her friends. Will the bucket listers make it to forty still speaking to one another? Or do some friendships come with an expiration date?

Kritters Thoughts:  Eloise is basically happy in life and things are just smooth sailing along when two of her high school friends come back into her life and she has to question the goals and dreams she had for herself back then and how her life measures up now.

What a great book to make you think about the milestones you had for yourself and to take a moment and reconnect and figure out where you want to go so you can make a plan to head that way.  I loved that nothing was wrong in Eloise's life things were fine, but with a few pushes in a few spots she could elevate fine to great.  

I thought Eloise was a great main character and I loved seeing a job that wasn't an office job and how interesting her life was.  I like books that can give you a glimpse into someone else's life and you can "experience" it without changing your life!

Stacey Ballis is a solid author who can write females to a T and I love how they are whole and complete.  Her books can seem breezy, but without the amount of heart they have they don't feel like just fluff.  I am and will always be a fan and she will be one I look for for that book to stick in the beach bag!


Rating:  perfect beach read (read it while on vacation!)

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley.  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 quieter reading week being back at work and catching up from the vacation.  I also had a busy/full weekend of activities and with a pool being closed no excuse to sit and read!!  

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore
Wait for Rain by Maria Murnane
Bridges by Maria Murnane
The Summer that Made Us by Robyn Carr
A Face to Die For by Andrea Kane
A Dangerous Year by Kes Trester

Currently Reading:

Wish You Were Here by Renee Carlino

Next on the TBR pile:

Risking It All by Nina Darnton

Review: The Future She Left Behind by Marin Thomas

The Future She Left Behind

by Marin Thomas

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 352

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  One woman's journey home gets derailed by her soon-to-be ex-mother-in-law in a novel filled with humor, small-town charm, rekindled love, and the resilient ties of family. 

Cast aside by her cheating husband, Katelyn Chandler is ready to pack it all in and drive home to Little Springs, Texas. She wants a chance to regroup, reconnect with her mother, and get back to her art. 

But Shirley Pratt--master manipulator, elitist snob, and Katelyn's terror of a live-in monster-in-law--has other ideas. Shirley insists on joining Katelyn's trip after her son tries to pack her off to a retirement community. Katelyn has no choice but to play peacekeeper between the ornery old woman and the proud matrons of Little Springs. Yet the small town seems to be changing Shirley. And as Katelyn weighs the wisdom of picking up where she left off with Jackson Mendoza, the town bad boy and her high school sweetheart, she must find a way to believe in the strength of her dreams.

Kritters Thoughts:  Katelyn Chandler has had a tough few years and after a horrible letter from her husband as he travels abroad for work, her world set into a tail spin and she decides relocating may start things afresh.  So off to the small town she grew up in with her hellish mother-in-law in tow is how it goes.

I absolutely adored this book.  I read this on vacation in one day and it was just the right amount of content with easy reading.  I loved the characters in this book, Katelyn and her mother and mother-in-law, were just great.  I loved that they each had their quirks and no one was perfect and they played off each other so well!  The way each of them grew throughout the book was just right, it felt real and honest but was still fiction.

Marin Thomas knows how to write a contemporary story with heart where you get completely invested in the characters and fast!  I wanted to know about each of them and where they were going and what was going to be next, it is a sign of a great book when you want to know what happens next so bad.  I will continue to be a fan of Marin Thomas.


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

Ebook 2017 Challenge: 36 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the author.  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: Something Like Happy by Eva Woods

Something Like Happy

by Eva Woods

Publisher: Graydon House

Pages: 384

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  It's simple, really. You're just meant to do one thing every day that makes you happy. Could be little things. Could be big. In fact, we're doing one right now…”

Annie Hebden is stuck. Stuck in her boring job, with her irritating roommate, in a life no thirty-five-year-old would want. But deep down, Annie is still mourning the terrible loss that tore a hole through the perfect existence she'd once taken for granted—and hiding away is safer than remembering what used to be. Until she meets the eccentric Polly Leonard.

Bright, bubbly, intrusive Polly is everything Annie doesn't want in a friend. But Polly is determined to finally wake Annie up to life. Because if recent events have taught Polly anything, it's that your time is too short to waste a single day—which is why she wants Annie to join her on a mission…

One hundred days. One hundred new ways to be happy. Annie's convinced it's impossible, but so is saying no to Polly. And on an unforgettable journey that will force her to open herself to new experiences—and perhaps even new love with the unlikeliest of men—Annie will slowly begin to realize that maybe, just maybe, there's still joy to be found in the world. But then it becomes clear that Polly's about to need her new friend more than ever…and Annie will have to decide once and for all whether letting others in is a risk worth taking.

Kritters Thoughts:  Annie Hebden has had a lot happen in her life and she hasn't recovered from any of it as it keeps piling on.  The current drama is the dissolution of her marriage and her mother in the hospital for early on set dementia, it is in the hospital where she meets Polly who is a patient and will completely change her life.

With the help of Polly, Annie is challenged to do a 100 days of happiness challenge where each day she either does something or finds happiness in something each day.  I loved how the book was edited with long and short chapters each with a title of what Annie did or how she found happiness in that day and the short or long snippet of that day.  

I couldn't divulge too much about the book because it is so worth the read and the little surprises inside are great.  There were pages where I was crying and then the next I would be laughing out loud, it was a book full of feels!  I read this on vacation and it was the PERFECT vacation read to dip in and out of by a pool or curling up for an afternoon of quiet.  

I was excited to do research on this author after I finished and find that she has two books on her backlist that I will have to read very soon!


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 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 Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter

The Good Daughter

by Karin Slaughter

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 528

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Two girls are forced into the woods at gunpoint. One runs for her life. One is left behind…

Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn's happy small-town family life was torn apart by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father — Pikeville's notorious defense attorney — devastated. And it left the family fractured beyond repair, consumed by secrets from that terrible night.

Twenty-eight years later, and Charlie has followed in her father's footsteps to become a lawyer herself — the ideal good daughter. But when violence comes to Pikeville again — and a shocking tragedy leaves the whole town traumatized — Charlie is plunged into a nightmare. Not only is she the first witness on the scene, but it's a case that unleashes the terrible memories she's spent so long trying to suppress. Because the shocking truth about the crime that destroyed her family nearly thirty years ago won't stay buried forever…

Kritters Thoughts:  A pair of sisters have endured the unimaginable and have seen things that kids of any age shouldn't and each react in different ways and must deal with the consequences.  

The book mostly takes place in current day in this small town where Charlie is just trying to get by day to day and keep the past in the past.  She is doing what her father did and with her father which may cost her a lot, but she wants to be "the good daughter."  She is in the wrong place at the wrong time and things spiral out of control.  

There are a few key moments in the book when the narrative goes into the past and it is hard to read, but it really informs the present.  I loved how the author put them in and how they were done.  I don't want to spoil too much, but will say that this book isn't for the faint of heart - if you are opposed to abuse to children then you may want to avoid this one.

I have only read a few of Karin Slaughter's but after I read each one, I keep meaning to grab more they are the best when it comes to mystery/thriller and she just knows how to do it.


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: The Long Way Home by Kevin Bannister

The Long Way Home

by Kevin Bannister

Publisher: Fireship Press

Pages: 348

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Set in the turbulent times of the War of Independence, 'The Long Way Home' follows the lives of Thomas Peters and Murphy Steele who are friends, former slaves, fellows-in-arms and leaders of the Black Brigade. Their real-life story is an epic adventure tale as they battle bounty hunters, racism, poverty and epidemic in their adopted country after the war.


Kritters Thoughts:  Murphy Steele and Thomas Peters were slaves in the United States and were ready for a new life so they join the fight for Independence, but on the British side with hopes and promises.  After fighting and surviving they are promised land and such for them and their families if they move far from their homes, so they go and the adventure begins.

As always with historical fiction books, I enjoy when I learn something that I didn't know before without reading a text book.  I don't remember learning about former slaves joining the British to basically fight their owners and such and that they were promised freedom and more if they did so.  That was interesting to read about the fighting, the promises and the after the war drama.

What I didn't love about this book was the flow.  There were moments where the action just stalled and I was ready for it to move along.  At the same time there were moments where the action was going going and going and I loved how each page had the story moving forward.  I wish that the book had been more balanced.  

There were times where I wished we heard more from the women that Thomas and Murphy had by their sides.  We had bits and pieces here and there, but I wanted more from how the ladies had to live through a war and then being uprooted to follow their men on the adventure.  

I read after finishing the book that the author is working on a second and although there were parts that I enjoyed on this one I am not sure I will read book two.


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.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

Thank goodness for a quiet vacation week full of reading and relaxing!  This helped with my yearly reading goal in which I am semi behind!

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

The Long Way Home by Kevin Bannister
Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton
The Breaking Wave by Katherine Hayton
The Future She Left Behind by Marin Thomas
Beneath Copper Falls by Colleen Coble
How to Change a Life by Stacey Ballis

Currently Reading:

The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore

Next on the TBR pile:

Wait for Rain by Maria Murnane

August - a busy month!

source

August was a crazy month! I had my mom's birthday, one of my nieces, my birthday and my wedding anniversary, so a lot to celebrate and lots of things to do. We finished August with a vacation, the husband and I hadn't done a proper vacation in a while, so a week by the pool and at the beach was perfect to get some quiet time!

1. Secrets of the Tulip Sisters by Susan Mallery
2. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
3. Searching for Irene by Marlene Bateman
4. Where I Want to Be by Cortney Roudebush
5. At Wave's End by Patricia Perry Donovan
6. If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss
7. The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb
8. Girl Last Seen by Nina Laurin
9. The Other Girl by Erica Spindler
10. Before I Knew by Jamie Beck
11. American Housewife by Helen Ellis
12. I'll Have What She's Having by Erin Carlson
13. The One that Got Away by Melissa Pimetel
14. A Mother Like Mine by Kate Hewitt
15. A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang
16. The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter
17. Something Like Happy by Eva Woods
18. The Long Way Home by Kevin Bannister
19. Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton
20. The Breaking Wave by Katherine Hayton
21. The Future She Left Behind by Marin Thomas
22. Beneath Copper Falls by Colleen Coble

Total pages read, clicked and flipped:  7,449

Where having I been Reading?:
Washington
Pakistan
Virginia
Napa Valley, CA
New Jersey
North Carolina
Minnesota
Seattle, WA
Louisiana
Oregon
England
New York City, NY
Georgia
London
Nova Scotia
Thailand
Texas
Michigan

Review: American Housewife by Helen Ellis

American Housewife

by Helen Ellis

Publisher: Doubleday

Pages: 208

Format: audiobook

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Meet the women of American Housewife: they wear lipstick, pearls, and sunscreen, even when it's cloudy. They casserole. They pinwheel. They pump the salad spinner like it's a CPR dummy. And then they kill a party crasher, carefully stepping around the body to pull cookies out of the oven. These twelve irresistible stories take us from a haunted prewar Manhattan apartment building to the set of a rigged reality television show, from the unique initiation ritual of a book club to the getaway car of a pageant princess on the lam, from the gallery opening of a tinfoil artist to the fitting room of a legendary lingerie shop. 


Kritters Thoughts:  I don't listen to that many audio books, but I thought this was the perfect one to do, with a collection of short stories I could listen to one and "put the book down" and come back to it later when I was cleaning the house or driving somewhere.

I had heard about this book before I listened and knew that it was a fun collection about different housewives and experiences and I completely agree with that depiction.  I liked that the stories had variations in length.  I liked that there were short itty bitty ones and then there were some that had some pages to it.  

In all short story collections there are some that stand out and some that take a back seat and this one was that.  There were some stories that literally made me laugh out loud and stop what I was doing to listen and others that were just ok.  The ones that were just ok didn't affect my reading, we can't all like everything.  What stories I love could be stories that you dislike and vice versa.  

Being a book nerd the one story that stood out was the one about bookclubs.  I belong to two book clubs and it was hilarious how she described the people and the quirks and the dynamics, that one was absolutely my favorite and I wouldn't have minded if that one had been longer!

I had never read Helen Ellis before and I looked at her backlist and nothing seemed similar to this, have you read anything by her?  If I liked this, what should I try next?


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 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.