It's my birthday!

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Review: Our House by Louise Candlish

Our House

by Louise Candlish

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 416

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  On a bright January morning in the London suburbs, a family moves into the house they’ve just bought in Trinity Avenue. 

Nothing strange about that. Except it is your house. And you didn’t sell it. 

When Fiona Lawson comes home to find strangers moving into her house, she's sure there's been a mistake. She and her estranged husband, Bram, have a modern co-parenting arrangement: bird's nest custody, where each parent spends a few nights a week with their two sons at the prized family home to maintain stability for their children. But the system built to protect their family ends up putting them in terrible jeopardy. In a domino effect of crimes and misdemeanors, the nest comes tumbling down.

Now Bram has disappeared and so have Fiona's children. As events spiral well beyond her control, Fiona will discover just how many lies her husband was weaving and how little they truly knew each other. But Bram's not the only one with things to hide, and some secrets are best kept to oneself, safe as houses.

Kritters Thoughts:  Told in two different formats that were unique and interesting.  One was the transcript of sorts of a podcast that Fiona Lawson made about this incident that happened to her and the other was a word document that Abraham Lawson left behind.  Sprinkled amongst these two formats were narration to help give a little context and help move the story along.

Fiona Lawson approaches her house where she is "bird nesting" with her soon to be ex husband and finds all of her belongings gone and a new family moving in.  She must quickly get to the bottom of this without the aid of this soon to be ex husband who has disappeared.  What an interesting mystery!

I loved the story.  I loved the characters.  I loved the concept.  I just loved this one.  It was easy for a summer weekend to dip in and out of and pick up and put down for a weekend.  At the same time it was so interesting that I wanted to keep reading and reading to find out how it would all unfold.  

BUT the ending.  Without spoiling too much, I have to say that I hated the ending.  I wanted so much more from it and I wasn't happy with the conclusion.  Would I read it with knowing about the ending, YES!  The story is so different and fascinating that it is worth a little bit of frustration at the end.

Again, I love reading an author and finding out that they have a backlist.  Have you read any of Louise's backlist?  If I loved this one where should I go next?  


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley NAL.  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: If We Had Known by Elise Juska

If We Had Known

by Elise Juska

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Pages: 320

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  One August afternoon, as single mother Maggie Daley prepares to send her only child off to college, their world is shattered by news of a mass shooting at the local mall in rural Maine. As reports and updates about the tragedy begin to roll in, Maggie, an English professor, is further stunned to learn that the gunman had been a student of hers. Nathan Dugan was an awkward, complicated young man whose quiet presence in her classroom had faded from her memory-but not, it seems, the memories of his classmates.

When a viral blog post hints at the existence of a dark, violence-tinged essay Nathan had written during Maggie's freshman comp seminar, Maggie soon finds herself at the center of a heated national controversy. Could the overlooked essay have offered critical red flags that might have warned of, or even prevented, the murders to come? As the media storm grows around her, Maggie makes a series of desperate choices that threaten to destroy not just the personal and professional lives she's worked so hard to build, but-more important-the happiness and safety of her sensitive daughter, Anna.


Kritters Thoughts:  A book that is about a few tough issues, but because the author confronts them so honestly with fantastic characters the book doesn't feel too heavy.  A shooting happens at a mall in this small college town and this book doesn't focus on the actual event, but the moments after and the years before.  I think the author really put an emphasis on how people need a place to point their fingers for the blame and the finger can go in many different directions.

The main focus of the book is on a professor that the shooter had for freshman English and a paper he wrote.  With the incident in everyone's mind this paper looks a little more like a warning of something possible happening in the future.  And because of that she is blamed for not sending out warning signals and this sends her world into a tailspin.  On top of that she has a daughter who lives with anxiety and all of these will affect her also and it is interesting to read from her perspective also.

I liked that this book felt so relevant with the inclusion of facebook posts and articles and more.  Don't worry the book mostly looks like a typical novel, but it has some interesting inserts that make the story even better.  

I am always excited after I read a book by an author that I like to find that they have more books to read.  I will be checking out Victoria Helen Stone's backlist and may have to read them 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 Grand Central Publishing.  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 Sugarhouse Blues by Mariah Stewart

The Sugarhouse Blues

by Mariah Stewart

Publisher: Gallery

Pages: 400

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Allie, Des, and Cara, each having her own reasons for wanting a share of their father's estate, meet in the grand Victorian home in which he grew up, only to be greeted by another secret he purposely hid from them: his sister Bonnie. The women reluctantly band together to take on Fritz's challenge, working with a local contractor to begin the renovations financed by an account Fritz had set up for the task. While the restoration appears to go smoothly at first, it soon becomes apparent that the work will be more extensive than originally thought, and Des, elected to handle the money, needs to find ways to stretch out the remaining savings while searching for new sources of funding.

As strangers linked only by their DNA try to become a family, the Hudson sisters also try to come to terms with the father they only thought they knew. In the process, each woman discovers her own capacity for understanding, forgiveness, love, and the true meaning of family.

Kritters Thoughts:  The second in a series and this is one of those series where you completely need to start with book one.  This series is about three sisters and both books had full plot points for each sister, so start this series at book one - The Last Chance Matinee.  Be warned that since this builds off book one, there will be spoilers below. 



Ok.  Now that you have been warned.  I loved book one and was excited to see that there was a book two and already knew before starting this book that there will be a book three!

Allie, Des and Cara are sisters, but Allie and Des didn't know about Cara and vice versa until recently when their father passed away and left them a theater that needed a lot of love and attention and was a condition of their inheritance.  That was book one.  

This book starts right where that book ends and they must deal with the consequences of costly repairs that need to take place at the theater and their budget is limited now.  I felt as though book one was very focused on them meeting and dealing with the theater and book two dove more into their lives and less repairs and their relationships with each other and people in the small town.  I loved the new focus of this book.  

I love each sister and where you can see how their parents and their upbringing affected each one so differently.  It was also so fun to read them more ingrained in the small town and learning about the town and how their theater affected this town.  

I completely can't wait for book three.  I am so interested to see where these sisters go from here and if they decide to stay in this town or move back to where they were before this book.  


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 64 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Simon and Schuster.  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: Cooper's Charm by Lori Foster

Cooper's Charm

by Lori Foster

Publisher: HQN Books

Pages: 384

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  One summer, two sisters and a chance to start over…

Before the burglary that shattered her confidence, Phoenix Rose had a fiancé, a successful store and a busy, happy existence. After months spent adrift, she takes a job at the lakeside resort of Cooper’s Charm. Surrounded by beautiful scenery, friendly colleagues and a charismatic, widowed boss, Phoenix is slowly inching her way back into the world.

Visiting Cooper’s Charm to check up on her little sister, Ridley Rose impulsively agrees to fill in as housekeeper. Still reeling from an ego-bruising divorce, she finds satisfaction in a job well done—and in the attention of the resort’s handsome scuba instructor.

For Phoenix and Ridley, Cooper’s Charm is supposed to be merely temporary. But this detour may lead to the place they most need to be, where the future is as satisfying as it is surprising…

Kritters Thoughts:  Before I embark on my review of this particular book, let me start by saying something about me and my relationship with romance books in general.  I read a lot of romance throughout the year and I love the genre mostly.  I am not a prude but also don't love books that are full of sexy times.  I like a relationship to flourish and maybe they go to the bedroom and we hear about how good it is, but I am in the middle of how much I like when it comes to the sexy times in a book.

Ok, with that being said, lets get on with the review.

Phoenix Rose owned a landscaping business and after an incident on the job she decides to move and start life over - she pushes a reset button.  Cooper owns a lakeside resort and after finding out about her past is keen on hiring her and allowing her that second chance.  

From the beginning, I loved these characters and the setting.  BUT I was put off pretty quickly.  Once you find out about the incident you will know why this put me off, don't want to spoil too much.  So with her incident, I could see her not being trusting of people especially the opposite sex and it felt like she went from hesitate to sexy talk with Cooper WAY too fast.  It didn't seem like a lot of time went by before she was sexy talking and sexy timing with him.  It really threw me for a loop.  

As I said above, I don't mind the sexy times if it feels like it is well placed and appropriate in timing with the book, but this went way too fast for me.  The other thing I didn't completely love about this book was the actual sexy times - they went on for pages and pages.  If you like a lot of descriptive bedroom time then you would like this, but I have to say that I will probably not read another Lori Foster, her books were too much for me.


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

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 46 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Aro 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 nutty week with lots of things going on in our personal life, so not a lot of reading happened!

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

If We Had Known by Elise Juska
A Christmas by the Sea by Melody Carlson
Our House by Louise Candlish

Currently Reading:

Not Her Daughter by Rea Frey

Next on the TBR pile:

After Nightfall by AJ Banner

Review: The House at Saltwater Point by Colleen Coble

The House at Saltwater Point

by Colleen Coble

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Pages: 352

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Ellie Blackmore is making a name for herself as a young house flipper. But when her sister disappears, she can’t focus on anything but finding out what really happened. Blood on the floor might indicate that MacKenzie was killed and her body was removed.

Ellie is at odds with Grayson Bradshaw, the handsome Coast Guard intelligence officer who thinks MacKenzie faked her own death and is off enjoying her ill-gotten gains: billions of dollars in cocaine.

They both want the truth, but truth—and family—is often more complex than it may first appear.

Kritters Thoughts:  The second in a series and like most in a series like this they can be read out of order as each book centers around a different character in the same setting.  The rule follower in me has a hard time not starting on book one, chapter one, page one, so I had read book one in this series and completely suggest starting there, but if you are a rebel, you can start here!

Ellie Blackmore is flipping houses and her partner is her sister's ex boyfriend, a little weird of a working relationship, but it works.  Ellie heads to her sister's boat to celebrate her sister's birthday and she doesn't find her sister and instead finds a puddle of blood . . . .  

Colleen Coble does this genius thing where she writes a mystery/thriller that can also be defined as a women's fiction piece of art with a dash of Christian fiction.  Colleen Coble is the side of Christian fiction that I like where there are bits and pieces but it is subtle and the plot of the book matters way more to her.  

I loved the characters in this book.  They were so unique and different but at the same time felt so real.  Of course the mystery part is a little over the top, but nothing to roll your eyes at!  I love what she puts these characters through.  There isn't much I would add or take away from this one, the pacing was spot on.  I loved the peek ins of previous characters from book one and that the reader gets to catch up with them while not taking away the focus of this book.

I will absolutely continue this series and was excited to see on Goodreads that book three is already planned for release in January of 2019!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

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: Beautiful Exiles by Meg Waite Clayton

Beautiful Exiles

by Meg Waite Clayton

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 384

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Key West, 1936. Headstrong, accomplished journalist Martha Gellhorn is confident with words but less so with men when she meets disheveled literary titan Ernest Hemingway in a dive bar. Their friendship—forged over writing, talk, and family dinners—flourishes into something undeniable in Madrid while they’re covering the Spanish Civil War.

Martha reveres him. The very married Hemingway is taken with Martha—her beauty, her ambition, and her fearless spirit. And as Hemingway tells her, the most powerful love stories are always set against the fury of war. The risks are so much greater. They’re made for each other.

With their romance unfolding as they travel the globe, Martha establishes herself as one of the world’s foremost war correspondents, and Hemingway begins the novel that will win him the Nobel Prize for Literature. 

Kritters Thoughts:  A historical fiction book that takes back to the time of Ernest Hemingway and the moments before he meets his third wife, Martha Gellhorn.  Martha is much more than one of Hemingway's wives and this book celebrates her life that she had before and during Hemingway.  

I went into this book a fan of Meg Waite Clayton and was ready to see what she would do to make this historical moment come alive and I have to be honest it didn't meet my expectations.  The book felt dry and just didn't move the way I wanted it to.  I didn't expect it to grip me like a mystery/thriller book can, but I have read many historical fiction books where the story flows so fluid that it is hard to put down in hopes to find out what is going to happen next.  

The big thing that kept me reading was the feeling of being behind the scenes in Earnest Hemingway's life.  I found seeing behind the scenes in his life more thrilling than Martha's story and her part of his story.  I wanted to feel more connected to Martha and to care about her and her future and I just couldn't get connected to her.  

Rarely do I have such a hard time with a historical fiction book because I get so excited to read and try to decide what is fact and fiction, but I just couldn't do it with this one.  I will not count Meg Waite Clayton out and will read her future books, but this one didn't strike a chord for me.  


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

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 62 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.

July - the heart of summer

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July was such a good reading month. With some pool time, some boat time and a few rainy days they were all great reading days. 


1. The Ever After by Sarah Pekkanen
2. Safe Houses by Dan Fesperman
3. The Summer Sail by Wendy Francis
4. Stalking Sapphire by Mia Thompson
5. When We Found Home by Susan Mallery
6. The Last Thing I Told You by Emily Arsenault
7. The Love Letter by Rachel Hauck
8. A Woman Walks Into a Bar by Rowan Coleman
9. Beautiful Exiles by Meg Waite Clayton
10. Moan by Emma Koenig
11. The House at Saltwater Point by Colleen Coble
12. Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza
13. What Remains of Her by Eric Rickstad
14. The Christmas Angel Project by Melody Carlson
15. The Sugarhouse Blues by Mariah Stewart
16. Can't Help Myself by Meredith Goldstein
17. Jacob's Descent by Sandra Brannan
18. Jeremiah's Revenge by Sandra Bannan
19. Hunting Charles Manson by Lis Wiehl
20. Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone
21. If We Had Known by Elise Juska

Total pages read, clicked and flipped:  6,588

Where having I been Reading?:
Chicago, IL
Bermuda
Berlin
Los Angeles, CA (2)
Seattle, WA
Connecticut
Washington
Pennsylvania (2)
Vermont
Minnesota
Boston
South Dakota
Denver, CO
Minneapolis, MN
Maine

Review: Hunting Charles Manson by Lis Wiehl

Hunting Charles Manson

by Lis Wiehl

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Pages: 336

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  In the late summer of 1969, the nation was transfixed by a series of gruesome murders in the hills of Los Angeles. Newspapers and television programs detailed the brutal slayings of a beautiful actress--twenty six years old and eight months pregnant with her first child--as well as a hair stylist, an heiress, a businessman, and other victims. The City of Angels was plunged into a nightmare of fear and dread. In the weeks and months that followed, law enforcement faced intense pressure to solve crimes that seemed to have no connection.

Finally, after months of dead-ends, false leads, and near-misses, Charles Manson and members of his "family" were arrested. The bewildering trials that followed once again captured the nation and forever secured Manson as a byword for the evil that men do.

Drawing upon deep archival research and exclusive personal interviews--including unique access to Manson Family parole hearings--former federal prosecutor and Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl has written a propulsive, page-turning historical thriller of the crimes and manhunt that mesmerized the nation. And in the process, she reveals how the social and political context that gave rise to Manson is eerily similar to our own.

Kritters Thoughts:  I have read a few books about Charles Manson both fiction and non fiction but this one sticks out as the most readable and enjoyable.  Although it is hard to keep everyone straight because of their real names and Family names and the ones that come in and out of the Family, but this one felt the most full and encompassing of both life during their rise the murders and the post.  

I liked that this book showed a full picture of both Charles Manson and all of the people he took in.  There was just as much background and information on Charles Manson as there was about the members of his "Family."  There were so many things in this book that I wasn't aware of and the way it was presented it was easy to read and learn so much.

I think I liked most the post murder/trial part of the book.  I never knew how nutty Charles acted during his trial and then during his many parole hearings.  It was so interesting to hear how they tried to create mistrials and how the judges avoided them.  I liked that there was a large number of chapters that focused on this time of his life because I think that was the part I knew the littlest about.  

I have read Lis Wiehl's fiction and loved them, so I was pretty sure going into this one that I would enjoy her writing, but I liked it even more than I predicted.


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 Smith 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?

With all the rain this week, there was nothing to do, but curl up and read!


A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

The Christmas Angel Project by Melody Carlson
The Sugarhouse Blues by Mariah Stewart
Can't Help Myself by Meredith Goldstein
Jacob's Descent by Sandra Brannan
Jeremiah's Revenge by Sandra Brannan
Hunting Charles Manson by Lis Wiehl
Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone

Currently Reading:

If We Had Known by Elise Juska

Next on the TBR pile:

Our House by Louise Candlish

Review: The Love Letter by Rachel Hauck

The Love Letter

Rachel Hauck

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Pages: 352

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  With the colonies at war and his country divided, Hamilton Lightfoot must choose sides: Fight for the British Crown or for the Independence of America. But after witnessing the death of his family at the hands of redcoats, he fears he’ll fight for revenge instead of honor. On the verge of a great battle, he pens a letter to Esther, the woman he loves.

Esther Longfellow is in love with Hamilton, but her father is a loyalist, living in upcountry South Carolina and working for a wealthy British lord. When the Revolutionary War comes to her doorstep she is forced to choose between devotion to her father and her love for Hamilton.

Chloe Daschle is the daughter of Hollywood royalty—a great director and an Oscar-winning actress. Yet her career has taken an unexpected turn: She’s the queen of death scenes. Trying to break out, she accepts a supporting role in a revolutionary war film. But she longs for the perfect role and the perfect real-life romance. Does happily ever after only exist in the movies?

After a life-changing tragedy, MIT graduate Jesse Gates decides to leave his life behind and move to LA to try his hand at acting and screenwriting. When he finds a page from one of his ancestor’s letters, he becomes consumed with the love he finds there. Determined to help his grandfather find happiness at the end of his life, Jesse writes and sells a screenplay based on the events surrounding the lost love of previous generations.

When Jesse meets the woman he has cast to play Esther Longfellow—his grandfather’s one true love—the stories of all four collide across time and space. The love letter from the past might have more power to affect the future than any of them could have imagined.

Kritters Thoughts:  I sit on the fence often when I read Rachel Hauck.  Her books have such great plot and story and characters but I am aware they are in the Christian fiction genre they just seem to be a little heavy handed in that area.  I am not naive in that I know going into a Christian fiction book that there will be elements of the faith in the book, but I like them to be a little more subtle if I were wanting to give this book to someone and slowly introducing them to the faith, this would not be the book I would recommend.  

At the same time, I love the story and the plot.  I love the dual storylines that clearly are connected from page one.  But got even more connected as the story progresses.  I loved Chloe and Jesse.  Their story was interesting and kept me hooked on the book.  I loved the inside peek into Hollywood and how they were both connected to the industry in different ways.  It was also interesting to see inside a filming set and schedule - I know its fiction, but it felt based in reality just a bit!  

I enjoy Rachel Hauck, but I am hesitant to recommend her to any reader.  There is a big asterisk I give when talking about her to other readers.  She is definitely in the Christian fiction lane, but if you enjoy a good plot and characters with some Christianity, then you could enjoy her books too.  


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.