Review: Woman with a Secret by Sophie Hannah

Woman with a Secret

by Sophie Hannah

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 384

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Traffic on Elmhirst Road has come to a halt. The police are stopping cars, searching for something. Nicki Clements waits patiently, until she glimpses a face she hoped she’d never see again. It’s him—and he’s the cop checking each car. Desperate to avoid him, she makes a panicky U-turn and escapes.

But Nicki’s peculiar behavior did not go unnoticed, and now the police have summoned her for questioning. A resident of Elmhirst Road has been murdered—a controversial newspaper columnist named Damon Blundy. The detectives begin peppering her with questions. Why was she seen fleeing the scene? What is her connection to the victim? Why was the knife that killed him used in such a peculiar way? Why were the words “HE IS NO LESS DEAD” painted on the wall of Blundy’s study?  And what do they signify? 

One simple answer could clear her. But she can’t explain why she fled Elmhirst Road that day without revealing the secret that could ruin her.

Nicki isn’t guilty of murder. But she’s far from innocent . . .


Kritters Thoughts:  Nicki is married, but not completely happy and is guilty, but the reader doesn't know what she is guilty of in the beginning.  At the same time a controversial columnist is found dead in his home with many clues at his murder and no leads.  Nicki gets tied up in the murder investigation, but the reader knows that her guilt isn't to the murder, but we don't know for quite some time until all the clues start to come together.  

The chapters alternated between Nicki's point of view and the murder investigation with columns from the victim interspersed.  I loved that these two things were kept separate via chapters - it helped get into each story line at a time.  The investigation got a little hectic and confusing so I read that chapter a little slower because of all the moving parts and detectives, it was just a lot to take in where Nicki's chapters went smoother.

I enjoyed "hearing" from the dead, but the columns themselves were just ok.  I don't know what I wanted to hear, but I felt like they were just so so.  

My first Sophie Hannah read and it won't be my last, but I wasn't completely in love with this one.  I love a who dun it, but I felt like the killer came out of left field and it just didn't satisfy me.  Yes, the character was there throughout the book, but I just didn't feel like they should have been the one - it didn't work for me, but I am still wanting to try another one by her.


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.

My Birthday!

For my birthday this year my mom and I went out the night before to a book signing for Jennifer Weiner.  We are both big fans and love to go to book signings where we both adore the author!  

The event was at the DC Jewish Community Center and Jennifer Weiner kindly provided treats to enjoy and mom and I can't say no to a macaroon!

I love to do things with my mom for birthdays - spending time together is priceless!

Review: The Invisibles by Cecelia Galante

The Invisbles

by Cecelia Galante

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 400

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Thrown together by chance as teenagers at Turning Winds Home for Girls, Nora, Ozzie, Monica, and Grace quickly bond over their troubled pasts and form their own family which they dub The Invisibles. But when tragedy strikes after graduation, Nora is left to deal with the horrifying aftermath alone as the other three girls leave home and don't look back.

Fourteen years later, Nora is living a quiet, single life working in the local library. She is content to focus on her collection of "first lines" (her favorite opening lines from novels) and her dog, Alice Walker, when out-of-the-blue Ozzie calls her on her thirty-second birthday. But after all these years, Ozzie hasn't called her to wish a happy birthday. Instead, she tells Nora that Grace attempted suicide and is pleading for The Invisibles to convene again. Nora is torn: she is thrilled at the thought of being in touch with her friends, and yet she is hesitant at seeing these women after such a long and silent period of time. Bolstered by her friends at the library, Nora joins The Invisibles in Chicago for a reunion that sets off an extraordinary chain of events that will change each of their lives forever.

Kritters Thoughts:  Four women who were thrust together into a girls home in high school made a big impact on each other and then departed and 15 years later are reuniting to help one recover.  Each of these women had a horrible home life which led them all to the girls home and it was interesting to see how each of them reacted to the negative home life and the lack of parents in their developing years.  

With most of the action taking place in the present as these women reunited, I enjoyed the few moments that took the action back into the past to see how this foursome was created and then how they grew to depend on each other.  I also loved finding out what events took place to put these four girls into the home in the first place.  I always love reading books where friends are family and if you don't have a great family life you kind input friends to make a family unit.  

This was a road trip and friendship book combined and I loved most of it, but there were a few moments where the action sort of stalled and I wanted to pick up.  I didn't rate it a full five stars because it felt a little long at moments, but the overall story, concept and themes really made it a four star book for me.


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 Uninvited by Cat Winters

The Uninvited

by Cat Winters

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 368

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Twenty-five year old Ivy Rowan rises from her bed after being struck by the flu, only to discover the world has been torn apart in just a few short days.

But Ivy’s life-long gift—or curse—remains. For she sees the uninvited ones—ghosts of loved ones who appear to her, unasked, unwelcomed, for they always herald impending death. On that October evening in 1918 she sees the spirit of her grandmother, rocking in her mother’s chair. An hour later, she learns her younger brother and father have killed a young German out of retaliation for the death of Ivy’s older brother Billy in the Great War.

Horrified, she leaves home, to discover the flu has caused utter panic and the rules governing society have broken down. Ivy is drawn into this new world of jazz, passion, and freedom, where people live for the day, because they could be stricken by nightfall. But as her ‘uninvited guests’ begin to appear to her more often, she knows her life will be torn apart once more, but Ivy has no inkling of the other-worldly revelations about to unfold.

Kritters Thoughts:  Ivy Rowan runs from home after she finds out that her brother and father have murdered someone.  Ivy runs to an old classmate's widow's home and along the way encounters an interesting set of characters.  

This book is one of those that has quite the interesting twist and it definitely added to the book and if I had enjoyed it more, it would be one of those to reread to see if I could have caught the clues faster.  

As I said before I love historical fiction and I loved reading the thoughts of Americans and how they were treating their German neighbors at this time; interesting to see friendly neighbors turn into enemies. 

A combination of ghost story and historical fiction and it was a little out of my comfort zone.  I love historical fiction and don't always read the ghost stories, so I thought I would give this one a try.  End result - interesting, but not sure I would recommend to those who don't love a good ghost story.


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


Ebook 2015 Challenge: 40 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.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

What a great weekend of weather and reading!  The dogs and I loved spending time in the backyard playing and reading!

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Baker's Blues by Judith Ryan Hendricks
The Uninvited by Cat Winters
The Invisibles by Cecilia Galante
Woman with a Secret by Sophie Hannah

Currently Reading:

The Legacy of Us by Kristin Contino

Next on the TBR pile:

The Race for Paris by Meg Waite Clayton

Review: Baker's Blues by Judi Hendricks

Baker's Blues

by Judi Hendricks

Publisher: Chien Bleu Press

Pages: 372
Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  In Wyn Morrison’s world a 5 A.M. phone call is rarely good news. It usually means equipment trouble at her bakery or a first shift employee calling in sick—something annoying but mundane, fixable. But the news she receives on a warm July morning is anything but mundane. Or fixable.

Mac, her ex-husband, is dead.

He’s not just in a different house with another woman, but actually, physically gone. Ineligible for widowhood, Wyn is nonetheless shaken to her core as she discovers that the fact of divorce offers no immunity from grief.

As Mac's executor, Wyn is now faced with not only sorting his possessions and selling the house, but also with helping his daughter Skye deal with financial and legal aspects of the estate--a task made more difficult by Skye’s grief, anger and resentment.

Ironically, just when Wyn needs support most, everyone she’s closest to is otherwise occupied. Her mother and stepfather have moved to Northern California, her best friend CM has finally married the love of her life and is commuting to New York, and her protégé Tyler is busy managing the bakery and dealing with her first serious love affair. They’re all sympathetic, but bewildered by her spiral into sadness. After all, it’s been three years since the divorce.

On her own, she stumbles at first. For the last several years Wyn has been more businesswoman than baker, leaving the actual bread making to others. Now, as she takes up her place in the bread rotation once more, she will sift through her memories, coming to terms with Mac and his demons, with Skye’s anger, and with Alex, who was once more than a friend. Soon she will re-learn the lessons that she first discovered at the Queen Street Bakery in Seattle…that bread is a process--slow, arduous, messy, mysterious--and best consumed with the eyes closed and the heart open.


Kritters Thoughts:  A bakery in Los Angeles with a baker who's personal life implodes and she must take a break from the bakery to handle it all.  Wyn was a great character and the first few chapters showed the present day as she finds out that her ex husband and dies, but then the book quickly goes into the past and into their relationship as she reflects on how things went down hill and if maybe she could have made different choices.

This was for me the big theme.  You can reflect back on past relationships or just decisions and see if you could have done something differently, but you would have ended up somewhere different and is that a good thing?  I loved how the author gave the deceased ex husband some chapters to tell his side of the story and give the reader some context as to why he was acting the way he was while at the same time seeing Wyn's reaction to his actions.  

The third in a series and I wasn't aware when I agreed to do the tour, but I didn't feel like I missed too much by reading this out of order.  I absolutely wish I had started at the beginning, but am still motivated to go back and read the first two before I continue on, and I will continue on!  

I loved Judith Ryan Hendricks writing and it was easy to slip into Wyn's story and want to know what was happening from one chapter to the next.  Do we know if we are going to get another book in this series?


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: The Ones We Trust by Kimberly Belle

The Ones We Trust

by Kimberly Belle

Publisher: Mira

Pages: 304

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  When former DC journalist Abigail Wolff attempts to rehabilitate her career, she finds herself at the heart of a US army cover-up involving the death of a soldier in Afghanistan -- with unspeakable emotional consequences for one family. As the story of what happened comes to light, Abigail will do anything to write it. 

The more evidence she stumbles upon in the case, the fewer people it seems she can trust, including her own father, a retired army general. And she certainly never expected to fall in love with the slain soldier's brother, Gabe, a bitter man struggling to hold his family together. The investigation eventually leads her to an impossible choice, one of unrelenting sacrifice to protect those she loves.

Beyond the buried truths and betrayals, questions of family loyalty and redemption, Abigail's search is, most of all, a desperate grasp at carrying on and coping -- and seeking hope in the impossible.


Kritters Thoughts:  Abigail Wolff was a great character.  Although many of the characters that surrounded here were unreliable, it was ok because the reader knew they could count on her.  Abigail leaves her job as a journalist when one of her stories takes a turn and hurts a number of people.  She has been staying out of the spotlight, but two stories will pull her back in.

I loved how there was more than one story that she was investigating, but I didn't get them mixed up at all.  One story is an extension of the story that took her out of commission while the other story has personal impact with her family members involved - it was good!  This was an interesting take on a family drama with a daughter having to question everything she has known about her parents and how she was raised.  

There is a bit of a love story but it in no way takes precedence over her investigations but it worked perfectly in conjunction with the main plot line.  

As a DC resident I loved reading a book that took place in my back door.  And the pacing of this book was non stop, I think I read it in just two sittings!  

This is my second Kimberly Belle read and so far I have adored both!  I am adding her to my auto buy list and will absolutely read anything she writes, maybe even without reading the synopsis!


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: The Best of Enemies by Jen Lancaster

The Best of Enemies

by Jen Lancaster

Publisher: NAL

Pages: 320

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Jacqueline Jordan knows conflict. A fearless journalist, she’s spent the past decade embedded in the world’s hot spots, writing about the fall of nations and the rise of despots. But if you were to inquire about who topped Jack’s enemy list, she’d not hesitate to answer: Kitty Carricoe.

Kitty reigns supreme over the world of carpools and minivans. A SAHM, she spends her days caring for her dentist husband and three towheaded children, running the PTA, and hiding vegetables in deceptively delicious packed lunches.

Kitty and Jack haven’t a single thing in common—except for Sarabeth Chandler, their mutual bestie. Sarabeth and Jack can be tomboys with the best of them, while Sarabeth can get her girly-girl on with Kitty. In fact, the three of them were college friends until the notorious frat party incident, when Jack accidentally hooked up with Kitty’s boyfriend…

Yet both women drop everything and rush to Sarabeth’s side when they get the call that her fabulously wealthy husband has perished in a suspicious boating accident. To solve the mystery surrounding his death, Jack and Kitty must bury the hatchet and hit the road for a trip that just may bring them together—if it doesn’t kill them first.


Kritters Thoughts:  Three is a crowd and these three women have never been able to be a threesome.  They work in sets of two, but these three women have never been able to be friends.  Sarabeth is the common denominator in the group between Jack and Kitty.  Jack is the childhood friend and they went to college together.  Kitty is the college friend who has easily transferred into adult life with many commonalities.  

In this book, Kitty and Jack take turns telling the story.  They tell stories from the past when they met Sarabeth and stories that center around their pasts and then the current time as they are dealing with the death of Sarabeth's husband.  I love multiple characters telling the story; it always makes my day so I loved that both best friends had a chance to tell their sides.  

I loved the idea that we can be best friends with different people and be a part of ourselves with each person, but still the same person.  (confused?  sorry)  But I loved that Sarabeth had two best friends one very tom boyish and adventure and out there and Kitty who is very feminine and stay at home mom and Sarabeth still fit in both of their worlds and could still be best friends with both and still her authentic self.

There is an interesting little twist at the end which was good, but a little quirky.  The twist made me want to stop and reread the book to see if I could have picked up on the clues, but I really felt like it came out of left field.     

If you tend to stay away from Jen Lancaster's snarky memoirs, don't avoid this one, it is different and such a great read.


Rating: absolutely love 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: Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica

Pretty Baby

by Mary Kubica

Publisher: MIRA

Pages: 384

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  She sees the teenage girl on the train platform, standing in the pouring rain, clutching an infant in her arms. She boards a train and is whisked away. But she can't get the girl out of her head...

Heidi Wood has always been a charitable woman: she works for a nonprofit, takes in stray cats. Still, her husband and daughter are horrified when Heidi returns home one day with a young woman named Willow and her four-month-old baby in tow. Disheveled and apparently homeless, this girl could be a criminal—or worse. But despite her family's objections, Heidi invites Willow and the baby to take refuge in their home.

Heidi spends the next few days helping Willow get back on her feet, but as clues into Willow's past begin to surface, Heidi is forced to decide how far she's willing to go to help a stranger. What starts as an act of kindness quickly spirals into a story far more twisted than anyone could have anticipated. 

Kritters Thoughts:  Narrated from three points of view - Heidi Wood, Chris Wood and Willow.  Willow narrates from a different point in time than the Woods, but it fits together so well.  The Woods take turns narrating from the same point in the timeline and I think the book wouldn't work without each of their points of view.  They have different views on Willow and it takes the reader awhile to decide who to trust and whose side to take.

This book took some twists and turns that I could never predict, but I enjoyed each and every one of them.  I think I remember gasping out loud a few times!  I thought that Willow's story was going down a certain road and it took such an interesting turn at an interesting time and I loved it.  Heidi's story took a turn also, but I am not sure I was completely sold on it, but it didn't ruin the book for me. 

This is my first Mary Kubica read and I am excited to pick up The Good Girl 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 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.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday to my Mom!  My bookish partner in crime!

Also, an early Happy FIRST Birthday to my niece Payton.  Tomorrow she turns the big ONE!

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

What a busy week and weekend!  With a few social things, some house projects and a new dog situation, the reading just didn't happen during the week or the weekend and next week looks just as if not more crazy!

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

The Ones We Trust by Kimberly Belle
The Best of Enemies by Jen Lancaster

Currently Reading:

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Next on the TBR pile:

The Uninvited by Cat Winters

July!

source

A much better reading month full of some good books and some not so good books, but some great weekends by the pool reading!  I am hoping August has a few more good books and just as much pool time!

1. Her Sister's Shoes by Ashley Farley
2. The S Word by Paolina Milana
3. The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain
4. Somebody I Used to Know by David Bell
5. Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
6. At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen
7. Whisper Beach by Shelley Noble
8. Olivay by Deborah Reed
9. Beautiful Girl by Fleur Philips
10. Bum Rap by Paul Levine
11. A Necessary End by Holly Brown
12. Orphan Number Eight by Kim van Alkemade
13. Losing Me by Sue Margolis
14. The Man of My Dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld
15. The Wonder of All Things by Jason Mott
16. Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J Ryan Stradal
17. Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica
18. The Road Home by Kathleen Shoop
19. The Witch of Bourbon Street by Suzanne Palmieri
20. The Ones We Trust by Kimberly Belle

Total pages read, clicked, and flipped: 6,485

Where Have I Been Reading?:

South Carolina
Chicago, IL (2)
Paris
Ohio 

Los Angeles, CA (2)
Scotland
New Jersey
Montana
Miami, FL
San Francisco, CA
New York City, NY
Pittsburgh, PA
North Carolina
Minnesota
Des Moines, IA
New Orleans, LA
Washington, DC