Review: Killer Punch by Amy Korman

Killer Punch

by Amy Korman

Publisher: Witness Impulse

Pages: 224

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Antiques dealer Kristin Clark is ready for summer: Her friends—Holly, Sophie, and Bootsie—have been busy party-planning for the annual Tomato Show at the country club, and plotting to beat long-time nemesis, Eula, in the tennis tournament. Plus, Kristin’s now serving a famously potent Peach Punch every Thursday at her store, which will definitely lure in customers!

But when a prominent pastoral painting, a key piece of décor for the big event, disappears from the Club, everyone’s a suspect, and Kristin and her friends start sleuthing. Could the annoying Eula have stolen the pricey painting? And, is Eula violating Tomato Show rules by growing her Early Girls in the unbeatable New Jersey soil?

Meanwhile, their village is in an uproar about an unsightly new Mega Wine Mart slotted to go up in a local forest (though everyone’s excited about the cheap booze). And will July be the month their decorator buddy Joe finally proposes to Sophie—if she can get her Guccis back from her shoe-stealing ex, and finish her divorce? The Killer Wasps are on the case!

Kritters Thoughts:  Killer Punch is book 3 of a mystery series.  I had read book one and two a very long time ago and reading book 3 and 4 were on my to do list that I wanted to complete in 2018 and I just barely did at the end of the year.

I think the reasons why I didn't love this book as much as book one and two is because I read those so long ago and I wasn't connected with the characters and felt as though reading this book I was jumping on a ship midstream.  I have also read a lot of mystery books since reading the previous two books and after reading all of those, this book felt amateurish.  I felt as though this story jumped around and I had a hard time keeping my attention to the story.  

I think I liked Kristin Clark more in the previous books and felt as though I enjoyed her investigating in the previous mysteries.  This one had two mysteries going on and they seemed disjointed and maybe I would have liked it more if there had been more focus on one other the other.  

Tomorrow I am reviewing the final in the series, Killer Holiday and will be glad to check an unfinished series off my list.


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

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 99 out of 100

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.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

It was another busy week, but I completely enjoyed the books I did finish!

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

The Secret of Clouds by Alyson Richman
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
The Quintland Sisters by Shelley Wood
Dark Blossom by Neel Mullick

Currently Reading:

A Criminal's Defense by William Meyers Jr.

Next on the TBR pile:

An Engineered Injustice by William Meyers Jr.

Review: How the Light Gets In by Jolina Petersheim

How the Light Gets In

by Jolina Petersheim

Publisher: Tyndale House

Pages: 400

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  When Ruth Neufeld's husband and father-in-law are killed working for a relief organization overseas, she travels to Wisconsin with her young daughters and mother-in-law Mabel to bury her husband. She hopes the Mennonite community will be a quiet place to grieve and piece together next steps.

Ruth and her family are welcomed by Elam, her husband's cousin, who invites them to stay at his cranberry farm through the harvest. Sifting through fields of berries and memories of a marriage that was broken long before her husband died, Ruth finds solace in the beauty of the land and healing through hard work and budding friendship. She also encounters the possibility of new love with Elam, whose gentle encouragement awakens hopes and dreams she thought she'd lost forever.

But an unexpected twist threatens to unseat the happy ending Ruth is about to write for herself. On the precipice of a fresh start and a new marriage, Ruth must make an impossible decision: which path to choose if her husband isn't dead after all. 

Kritters Thoughts: Ruth Neufeld is in the midst of grief as her husband has been killed while working as a physician in Afghanistan.  As her family life in Ireland is less than ideal she has decided to go back to where her husband is from in Wisconsin and bury him there and then regroup with her two daughters and decide what is next for them.  Ruth ends up making a great life for her and her daughters in Wisconsin and a future starts to look bright and clear when she is thrown a curveball and has to make a major decision.  

There were times in this book where I loved it.  I loved the internal battle that Ruth had and the really tough decisions that she was making that not only impacted herself but also her daughters.  I loved the struggle for happiness but also safety and security.  It all worked for me until the end.

Now I pride myself on keeping this blog mostly spoiler free so I will dance around the ending and my thoughts hopefully without giving too much away.  The ending took a twist that I wasn't prepared for and for me destroyed the book.  I would have preferred the last chapter be left out and for me the story would have been amazing right then and there!  I just couldn't with it and I was so upset as to where it took the story.  

My reading of this book will not keep me from reading this author again, I liked her characters, setting and storytelling, it was just the ending that blew it for me.


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: The Military Wife by Lauren Trentham

The Military Wife

by Lauren Trentham

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Pages: 352

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Harper Lee Wilcox has been marking time in her hometown of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina since her husband, Noah Wilcox’s death, nearly five years earlier. With her son Ben turning five and living at home with her mother, Harper fights a growing restlessness, worried that moving on means leaving the memory of her husband behind.

Her best friend, Allison Teague, is dealing with struggles of her own. Her husband, a former SEAL that served with Noah, was injured while deployed and has come home physically healed but fighting PTSD. With three children under foot and unable to help her husband, Allison is at her wit’s end.

In an effort to reenergize her own life, Harper sees an opportunity to help not only Allison but a network of other military wives eager to support her idea of starting a string of coffee houses close to military bases around the country.

In her pursuit of her dream, Harper crosses paths with Bennett Caldwell, Noah’s best friend and SEAL brother. A man who has a promise to keep, entangling their lives in ways neither of them can foresee. As her business grows so does an unexpected relationship with Bennett. Can Harper let go of her grief and build a future with Bennett even as the man they both loved haunts their pasts?

Kritters Thoughts:  A book that intrigued me from the minute I was pitched it to review.  I am a wife of a police officer and I always wonder how close and far apart the life of a wife of a military personnel was compared to a police officer.  I am not sure that I have had my eyes open and looking, but I was unaware of any other book that solely looks at life through the lens of a military wife.  

The main narrator is Harper Lee Wilcox and her husband died serving in Afghanistan and she is still trying to put her life in order after his death.  The story has two time lines, the current moment where she is doing the single mom life and then the past where it tells of the story of her meeting her future husband and their relationship.  I liked getting that viewpoint of the past coming to meet the present.

The thing that I loved most about this book was the honesty.  This book gave a few viewpoints of different military wives with husbands with different reactions to the war and the honesty of each of these women just felt so real and raw.  I loved getting to know each of them and it felt as though I could be friends in the trenches with these ladies.  

I loved this book and would love to read more books like this that expand my worldview and giving me a honest perspective of a life of another person.


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

Ebook 2019 Challenge: 6 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from St Martin's Press.  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: Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser

Forget You Know Me

by Jessica Strawser

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Pages: 336

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Molly and Liza have always been close in a way that people envy. Even after Molly married Daniel, both considered Liza an honorary member of their family. But after Liza moved away, things grew more strained than anyone wanted to admit—in the friendship and the marriage. 

When Daniel goes away on business, Molly and Liza plan to reconnect with a nice long video chat over wine after the kids are in bed. But when Molly leaves the room to check on a crying child, a man in a mask enters, throwing Liza into a panic—then her screen goes black. 

When Liza finally reaches Molly, her reply is icy and terse, insisting everything is fine. Liza is still convinced something is wrong, that her friend is in danger. But after an all-night drive to help her ends in a brutal confrontation, Liza is sure their friendship is over—completely unaware that she’s about to have a near miss of her own. And Molly, refusing to deal with what’s happened, won’t turn to Daniel, either. 

But none of them can go on pretending. Not after this.

Kritters Thoughts:  Molly and Liza are best friends, the best of friends that they put each other before ANYONE else.  When Liza moves away they have a harder time keeping up their relationship.  One night, they decide to video chat and what Liza sees when Molly leaves the room will send both of their worlds into a tail spin.  

This was one of those books that I liked, but didn't completely love.  Everyone had secrets and it seemed like it took a very long time for those secrets to unfold.  And when they call came out some were great and juicy and some just seemed like duds.  I judge these mystery/thriller books based on the culprit and if it works for me and I didn't love this one.  Of course, I won't spoil a thing, but I just couldn't get behind this one.

I liked the writing in this book.  I loved the feeling I felt while reading, the pacing was great and I did finish it because of the need to want to know how it was going to end.  I would read more from this author, but would have to make sure that the synopsis was one that excited me.


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

Ebook 2019 Challenge: 5 out of 100


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from St Martin's Press.  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: I Might Regret This by Abbi Jacobson

I Might Regret This

by Abbi Jacobson

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Pages: 320

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  When Abbi Jacobson announced to friends and acquaintances that she planned to drive across the country alone, she was met with lots of questions and opinions: Why wasn't she going with friends? Wouldn't it be incredibly lonely? The North route is better! Was it safe for a woman? The Southern route is the way to go! You should bring mace! And a common one... why? But Abbi had always found comfort in solitude, and needed space to step back and hit the reset button. As she spent time in each city and town on her way to Los Angeles, she mulled over the big questions-- What do I really want? What is the worst possible scenario in which I could run into my ex? How has the decision to wear my shirts tucked in been pivotal in my adulthood? 

In this collection of anecdotes, observations and reflections--all told in the sharp, wildly funny, and relatable voice that has endeared Abbi to critics and fans alike--readers will feel like they're in the passenger seat on a fun and, ultimately, inspiring journey. With some original illustrations by the author.

Kritters Thoughts:  This is an interesting mix of memoir, short stories, essays and thoughts from Abbi Jacobson.  When I was pitched this book, I didn't know anything about the author and I just thought this was a fun road trip memoir.  I was correct, but it was so much more with her interesting perspective working in many ways on a tv show, so this was also one of my favorite things - a behind the scenes of Hollywood life or in her case tv in New York life.

Abbi Jacobson along with friend Ilana Glazer created a web series that after hard work and determination ended up on tv.  After four seasons, she is heading to Hollywood after a breakup and decides a single road trip may help heal her mind and soul.  I loved the different ways she wrote in this book.  Her sleepless nights and what went through her mind made me literally laugh out loud.  I loved reading her journey and seeing how getting out of her comfort zone helped her to grow.  

I would love to read more books like this from different levels of celebrities.  

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.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

I feel like a broken record, it was another busy week, so most of my reading happened during the weekend.

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

The Three Beths by Jeff Abbott
The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen
Map of the Heart by Susan Wiggs

Currently Reading:

The Secret of Clouds by Alyson Richman

Next on the TBR pile:

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

Review: Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering

Tell Me Lies

by Carola Lovering

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 352

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Lucy Albright is far from her Long Island upbringing when she arrives on the campus of her small California college, and happy to be hundreds of miles from her mother, whom she’s never forgiven for an act of betrayal in her early teen years. Quickly grasping at her fresh start, Lucy embraces college life and all it has to offer—new friends, wild parties, stimulating classes. And then she meets Stephen DeMarco. Charming. Attractive. Complicated. Devastating.

Confident and cocksure, Stephen sees something in Lucy that no one else has, and she’s quickly seduced by this vision of herself, and the sense of possibility that his attention brings her. Meanwhile, Stephen is determined to forget an incident buried in his past that, if exposed, could ruin him, and his single-minded drive for success extends to winning, and keeping, Lucy’s heart.

Kritters Thoughts:  Alternating between Lucy and Stephen this book gives each the chance to tell their side of the story and I love when a book does this!  I especially love it in a relationship story and getting a male and female perspective!  The other thing this book does is jump around in time and it is clearly marked and I love seeing the present story unfold at the same time as the past is being shown - I think it is so interesting to do a book this way.  

This book was hard to read, but satisfying.  It is hard to watch a relationship unfold and scream at a character to do one thing or another!  I love when I get connected with characters enough to care about their future, it is hard to keep going when you don't care.  I wanted to know where the heck Lucy and Stephen would end up and if it would end where I thought it would.

A pet peeve that I have when it comes to any genre reading is when a character consistently hints at a secret and it takes awhile for the reader to get in on the secret.  In this book they kept referring to "The Unforgivable Thing" and the reader knows that this moment for Lucy was a big deal and that it shaped her life and I just wish I knew what it was a little faster.  This ended up being distracting and although yes it was a big deal, the build up seemed more than the actual secret was worth.

Overall, I liked this book but didn't love it.  I would read another by this author and try another one from them.  


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 Atria 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.

January - a new start

source

January was a solid start to the year. I am right on target to meet the goodreads goal for now. I am hoping that there are a few more quiet days in February that can be filled with reading!

1. The Secret Language of Dogs by Victoria Stilwell
2. I Might Regret This by Abbi Jacobson
3. The Liar's Room by Simon Lelic
4. Go On, Girl by Hilary Grossman
5. The Maze at Windermere by Gregory Blake Smith
6. Game of Pies by Heather Wardell
7. Hard to Kill by Christina Dodd
8. Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser
9. How the Light Gets In by Jolina Petersheim
10. Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose
11. Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering
12. The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman by Denis Theriault
13. The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley
14. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
15. The Sisters by Rosalind Noonan
16. The Three Beths by Jeff Abbott


Total pages read, clicked and flipped:  5,506

Where having I been Reading?:
London
New York
Newport, RI
Toronto
Cincinnati, OH
Wisconsin
Quebec, Canada
Portland, OR
Austin, TX

Review: The Liar's Room by Simon Lelic

The Liar's Room

by Simon Lelic

Publisher: Berkley Books

Pages: 352

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Two liars. One room. No way out.

Susanna Fenton has a secret. Fourteen years ago she left her identity behind, reinventing herself as a therapist and starting a new life. It was the only way to keep her daughter safe.

But when a young man, Adam Geraghty, walks into her office, claiming he needs Susanna's help but asking unsettling questions, she begins to fear that her secret has been discovered.

Who is Adam, really? What does he intend to do to Susanna?

And what has he done to her daughter? 

Kritters Thoughts:  In a book that takes place not only in one day, but in an afternoon during a counseling session these two people will come to terms with things that happened in the past and how they are both involved with all of it.

Susanna Fenton is a counselor.  She has a secret that she is trying to keep under wraps and has done a lot of things to keep it quiet.  Adam Geraghty comes to a counseling session with her and needs her help to deal with issues that came from his past.  

I read this book in one day in two sittings.  It is such a page turning book that I warn not to start it until you are ready to sit and read the whole thing!  The book just keeps you locked in until you have to know how these two are connected and then how things will get solved.  

As with my review of most mystery thrillers I will have to keep it short and simple and say this one has become one of my favorites.  I loved the writing, the plot and how it was constructed to take place in such a short amount of time - it all worked so well.

This was my first reading of Simon Lelic and after finishing I had to go see what was of his backlist.  He has quite a few, have you read anything else by him, where should I go next?


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

Ebook 2019 Challenge: 3 out of 100

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?

Another hectic week and one of the books below was quite a long one!  

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley
The Sisters by Rosalind Noonan

Currently Reading:

The Three Beths by Jeff Abbott

Next on the TBR pile:

The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen

Review: Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe by Carla Laureano

Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe

by Carla Laureano

Publisher: Tyndale House

Pages: 432

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Baker and pastry chef Melody Johansson has always believed in finding the positive in every situation, but seven years after she moved to Denver, she can't deny that she's stuck in a rut. One relationship after another has ended in disaster, and her classical French training is being wasted on her night job in a mediocre chain bakery. Then the charming and handsome private pilot Justin Keller lands on the doorstep of her workplace in a snowstorm, and Melody feels like it's a sign that her luck is finally turning around.

Justin is intrigued by the lively bohemian baker, but the last thing he's looking for is a relationship. His own romantic failures have proven that the demands of his job are incompatible with meaningful connections, and he's already pledged his life savings to a new business venture across the country--an island air charter in Florida with his sister and brother-in-law.

Against their better judgment, Melody and Justin find themselves drawn together by their unconventional career choices and shared love of adventure. But when an unexpected windfall provides Melody with the chance to open her dream bakery-cafe in Denver with her best friend, chef Rachel Bishop, she's faced with an impossible choice: stay and put down roots with the people and place she's come to call home . . . or give it all up for the man she loves.

Kritters Thoughts:  The second in the series and this book focuses on a different from from the group.  Melody Johansson is a baker and pastry chef and in the first book she seals her fate with Rachel's and leaves the restaurant that Rachel also leaves.  In this book she is unhappily working in a shop as a baker and making recipes that are not her own and isn't able to use her creative chops.  Through some interesting circumstances she has an inheritance and with Rachel by her side they decide to open a cafe.  This will test her friendship and of course will create some antics.

Just like the first book in the series this is a romance and there is a relationship brewing in this one also.  Unlike the first book I could tell much more so that this book was a Christian fiction book.  Just as in the first book, they abstain from the sexy times, but beyond that in this book unlike the first they talk much more about their faith and so on.  I don't tend to completely love how obvious and blatant it can be in a book, I like a little more subtle, but I know going in if I am reading from this publisher.

But beyond that.  I liked this romance better.  This one seemed to have a little more realistic ups and downs and I appreciated these two people who have very different job lives and trying to create a relationship around them was so enjoyable.  My significant other has crazy work hours, so I really enjoyed reading a couple trying to create a relationship with this big obstacle in the middle.

I am ready to read the final book with Ana at the center (I am assuming!).  I am intrigued to see how the author creates a story around her as she is the only friend who doesn't have a job that focuses on food.


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 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 Saturday Night Supper Club by Carla Laureano

The Saturday Night Supper Club

by Carla Laureano

Publisher: Tyndale House

Pages: 416

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Denver chef Rachel Bishop has accomplished everything she’s dreamed and some things she never dared hope, like winning a James Beard award and heading up her own fine-dining restaurant. But when a targeted smear campaign causes her to be pushed out of the business by her partners, she vows to do whatever it takes to get her life back … even if that means joining forces with the man who inadvertently set the disaster in motion.

Essayist Alex Kanin never imagined his pointed editorial would go viral. Ironically, his attempt to highlight the pitfalls of online criticism has the opposite effect: it revives his own flagging career by destroying that of a perfect stranger. Plagued by guilt-fueled writer’s block, Alex vows to do whatever he can to repair the damage. He just doesn’t expect his interest in the beautiful chef to turn personal.

Alex agrees to help rebuild Rachel’s tarnished image by offering his connections and his home to host an exclusive pop-up dinner party targeted to Denver’s most influential citizens: the Saturday Night Supper Club. As they work together to make the project a success, Rachel begins to realize Alex is not the unfeeling opportunist she once thought he was, and that perhaps there’s life--and love--outside the pressure-cooker of her chosen career. But can she give up her lifelong goals without losing her identity as well?

Kritters Thoughts:  The first in a series that centers around three friends, all very different with different skills and passions and outlooks on life.  This first book focuses on Rachel Bishop.  After a social media firestorm costs her her job and restaurant she ends up partnering with an unlikely character and starting a new venture that could hopefully lead to more.

Tyndale House Publisher is a Christian fiction publisher and I knew going into this book that there would be this element in the story.  I like to read a few books in the year that are from the genre of Christian fiction to expand what I read.  The big thing that I could see that made this book a piece of Christian fiction was that it was a romance without any sexy times.  The relationship that bloomed in this book was very chaste, but I have to say I liked it.  It makes me feel like that the author puts more effort into the plot and story because they can't rely on sexy times to move the story along.

It was interesting to have social media take a front seat in the book.  I don't seem to think of a lot of plots that use social media as a plot point.  It made this book feel really fresh and of the time.  I loved it.

I hope there are more books to come in this series.


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

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 98 out 100