Review: Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica

Don't You Cry

by Mary Kubica

Publisher: MIRA

Pages: 320

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  In downtown Chicago, a young woman named Esther Vaughan disappears from her apartment without a trace. A haunting letter addressed to My Dearest is found among her possessions, leaving her friend and roommate Quinn Collins to wonder where Esther is and whether or not she's the person Quinn thought she knew. 

Meanwhile, in a small Michigan harbor town an hour outside Chicago, a mysterious woman appears in the quiet coffee shop where eighteen-year-old Alex Gallo works as a dishwasher. He is immediately drawn to her charm and beauty, but what starts as an innocent crush quickly spirals into something far more dark and sinister than he ever expected.  

As Quinn searches for answers about Esther, and Alex is drawn further under Pearl's spell, master of suspense Mary Kubica takes readers on a taut and twisted thrill ride that builds to a stunning conclusion and shows that no matter how fast and far we run, the past always catches up with us in the end.

Kritters Thoughts:  Two stories are moving forward at the same and you wonder when and how they may intersect and although it takes awhile they do and in a big way!  

Quinn narrates one side of the story and her room mate has gone missing and as she tries to find her she finds out a lot of secrets that her room mate had.  The other story is narrated by Alex who chose to stay in his home town instead of going off to college and he is following this new mysterious girl who will change his life.

In true Kubica fashion, this book has twists and turns, but as a reader you will enjoy the final destination.  I kept waiting for the stories to connect and as a warning, it is at the bitter end, but I am glad that we had all of the clues and mystery before the final reveal. 

This book definitely has a creepy factor and I was glad that I wasn't home alone reading it!  From graveyards to haunted houses, all of the creepy things were in this book.

I have read two out of the three of Kubica's books and officially I am a fan and will read whatever comes next - even before I read the synopsis!


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 Harlequin MIRA.  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: Wedding Girl by Stacy Ballis

Wedding Girl

by Stacy Ballis

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 416

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Top pastry chef Sophie Bernstein and her sommelier fiancé were set to have Chicago’s culinary wedding of the year…until the groom eloped with someone else in a very public debacle, leaving Sophie splashed across the tabloids—fifty grand in debt on her dream wedding and one-hundred percent screwed on her dream life. The icing on the cake was when she lost her job and her home…
 
Laying low, Sophie moves in with her grandmother, Bubbles. That way, she can keep Bubbles and her sweater-wearing pug company and nurse her broken heart. But when Sophie gets a part-time job at the old-fashioned neighborhood bakery, she finds herself up to her elbows in dough and reluctantly giving a wedding cake customer advice on everything from gift bags to guest accommodations. Before she knows it, she’s an online wedding planner. It’s not mousse and macarons, but it pays the bills. But with the arrival of unexpected personal and professional twists, Sophie wonders if she’s really moving forward—or starting over from scratch...

Kritters Thoughts:  A combo of You've Got Mail and Father of the Bride with a fantastic baking twist - and be warned once you start this book, you won't want to put it down til the last page!  

Sophie is left at the altar in the first chapter and not only does she lose her groom, she also loses her way in her career and ends up back at her grandmother's home to regroup and find a new direction.  Through an interesting meeting she becomes a wedding advice person via email and gets back into the business in her hometown bakery.  

I loved this book.  This isn't my first Stacey Ballis read and I have both loved and not so much loved books from her.  I loved that this book that it had the combination of a woman trying to find her place both in her career and her love life - it is great to have a book that isn't completely revolving around love and that love isn't the only thing that can complete you!

Funny enough, I read this while I was in Chicago for BEA and this book takes place in Chicago.  I loved the coincidence and it made the book even more of a fun read!


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.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

It was BEA week - a whole week in Chicago to celebrate the book industry and see what is coming out in the next few months.  I actually thought I would get some reading done in Chicago, but it was crazy from morning to night, so very little reading happened!

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

Portrait of a Conspiracy by Donna Russo Morin
Wedding Girl by Stacey Ballis

Currently Reading:

Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica

Next on the TBR pile:
Re Jane by Patricia Park

Review: Fading Starlight by Kathryn Cushman

Fading Starlight

by Kathryn Cushman

Publisher: Bethany House

Pages: 304

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Lauren Summers is hiding. Her fashion house internship should have launched her career, but a red carpet accident has left her blackballed. The only job she finds is unpaid, but comes with free lodging--a run-down cottage in the shadow of a cliff-side mansion. Unsure of what comes next, she's surprised to be contacted by a reporter researching a reclusive former Hollywood ingEnue who lives in the nearby mansion. 

Kendall Joiner wants Lauren's help uncovering the old woman's secrets. In return, she'll prove the red carpet accident was a publicity stunt so Lauren can regain her former job. With all her dreams in front of her, Lauren's tempted by the offer, but as she and the old woman get to know each other, Lauren realizes nothing is quite as it seems.

Kritters Thoughts:  Lauren Summers has to escape what she has called home for awhile because of a very public incident that threatens the future of her career.  She is offered a job if she can stay low for a bit and then future jobs after the drama dies down.  If she wants to be the fashion designer she has always dreamed of she must take a step back.

I love behind the scenes Hollywood books - they are my wheelhouse!  I loved how this book not only gave a glimpse behind the current Hollywood, but through some back stories of Lauren's very private neighbor the reader gets behind the scenes stories of old Hollywood.  

This is my first Kathryn Cushman book and I loved the plot, but sometimes the writing for me made me feel as though the character was drastically younger than her actual age.  I felt as though there were moments where she wasn't acting her age and it turned me off of her as a character.

As a side note, I went into this book knowing it was from a Christian fiction publisher and I tend to read Christian fiction here and there.  I felt as though this one was a little on the preachy side and as I say when I review romance the level of which the sexy times are included, I will now give a level on Christian fiction and this one was a little preachy at times.  I like my Christian fiction when the characters have values and the plot is full and deep.  


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: I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

I Let You Go

by Clare Mackintosh

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 384

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  On a rainy afternoon, a mother's life is shattered as her son slips from her grip and runs into the street . . .
 
I Let You Go follows Jenna Gray as she moves to a ramshackle cottage on the remote Welsh coast, trying to escape the memory of the car accident that plays again and again in her mind and desperate to heal from the loss of her child and the rest of her painful past. 
 
At the same time, the novel tracks the pair of Bristol police investigators trying to get to the bottom of this hit-and-run. As they chase down one hopeless lead after another, they find themselves as drawn to each other as they are to the frustrating, twist-filled case before them. Elizabeth Haynes, author of Into the Darkest Corner, says, “I read I Let You Go in two sittings; it made me cry (at least twice), made me gasp out loud (once), and above all made me wish I'd written it . . . a stellar achievement.”

Kritters Thoughts:  An accident happens and a child is killed.  After the accident Jenna Gray must get out of town to escape it all and she goes to a secluded town and tries to start over.  The other storyline is behind the investigation to find out who the driver of the car that killed the boy is and the detectives behind the investigation.  Halfway through the book it takes a turn and the reader gets more information and another storyline comes in told in second person (I think!) that was so interesting to read and discover more about the back story of Jenna Gray and how she ended up where she did on that fateful day.

This book was so different.  I loved that the case was unfolding at the same time as you were learning about the people involved.  There were things that came out of nowhere and sometimes that bugs me, but this time I loved it.  I loved it enough there were a few chapters that I reread a few times to make sure I was seeing things clearly!

I was nervous that an accident that kills a little boy would be too much, but thankfully the accident itself is minor and the investigation and the backstory of Jenna Gray are the important storylines.  

After reading this, I can't wait for what comes next for this author, she will be one I will watch out for!


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 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.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

This week was jam packed with work and prepping for BEA!  I am packed and ready to go and hoping for a few quiet moments in Chicago to read - fingers crossed!

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

The Last Good Girl by Allison Leotta
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
Fading Starlight by Kathryn Cushman

Currently Reading:

Portrait of a Conspiracy by Donna Russo Morin

Next on the TBR pile:
Wedding Girl by Stacy Ballis

Review: The Last Good Girl by Allison Leotta

The Last Good Girl

by Allison Leotta

Publisher: Touchstone

Pages: 304

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Emma, a freshman at a Michigan university, has gone missing. She was last seen leaving a bar near Sigma Pi, the prestigious and secretive fraternity known on campus as “the rape factory.” The main suspect is Dylan Brooks, the son of one of the most powerful politicians in the state. But so far the only clues are pieced-together surveillance footage of Emma leaving the bar that night…and Dylan running down the street after her.

Anna Curtis is on the case when she discovers the video diary Emma kept over her first few months at college, exposing the history she had with Dylan—and accusing him of rape before she disappeared.

Emma’s disappearance gets media attention and support from Title IX activists across the country, but Anna’s investigation hits a wall. Now Anna is looking for something, anything she can use to find Emma alive. But without a body or any physical evidence, she’s under threat from people who tell her to think hard before she ruins the name of an “innocent young man.” Inspired by real-life stories, The Last Good Girl shines a light on campus rape and the powerful emotional dynamics that affect the families of the men and women on both sides.


Kritters Thoughts:  Anna Curtis strikes again!  She is still in Michigan when her DC team comes to her as they investigate the disappearance of a college student who has kept a record of abuse from a senior fraternity boy who has a well known dad who can pull some strings.  Emma is just not any college student, she is the daughter of the president of the university, so one would think that the university and her father would back her when she brings charges against this boy, but instead her father is more concerned with the image of his university.

I loved this installment although I am ready for them to return to DC!  I love that this case felt current and relevant and there was honestly a CNN news story about a female getting kicked out of university as she was bringing charges of rape against a fellow student.  This was so such an interesting book because the case was so interesting.  

Of course Anna's personal life continues in this book and she must make a decision, two men and two cities and I will be really intrigued as to how the next book moves from where she ends this one.

The last installment for now in the Anna Curtis series, but this one felt like it left on a cliffhanger, so I could see another coming soon, does anyone know?  I hope there is another, I love this series and I love its mix of mystery/thriller, focus on a case but still character development and it made for a fluid series.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Touchstone.  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: A Good Killing by Allison Leotta

A Good Killing

by Allison Leotta

Publisher: Touchstone

Pages: 320

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Former federal prosecutor and critically acclaimed author Allison Leotta’s spellbinding thriller follows prosecutor Anna Curtis as she heads home to Michigan to defend her sister in a case that will bring her to her knees.

Newly single after calling off her wedding, sex-crimes prosecutor Anna Curtis is summoned home to Michigan when her old high school coach—a hometown hero—is killed in a fiery car crash. But Anna isn’t there to prosecute a crime, she’s home to support her innocent sister, Jody, who has been wrongfully accused of the coach’s murder.

But maybe Jody isn’t so innocent after all? The police are convinced that Jody was having an affair with the married coach and killed him out of jealousy. As Anna investigates with the help of her childhood friend Cooper Bolden—an Afghan War veteran with a secret of his own—she slowly peels back the facade of her all-American hometown and discovers that no one is telling the truth about the coach, not even the people she thought she knew best.

When the town rallies against them, threatening not just Jody’s liberty but both sisters’ lives, Anna resolves to do everything she can to save her sister and defend the only family she has left. 


Kritters Thoughts:  A twist in this series and it happened at just the right time!  Anna Curtis is called back to her hometown in Michigan to help exonerate her sister as she is charged with the murder of a prominent hometown hero - the football coach!  Anna is determined that her sister is innocent so she switches sides of the courtroom and goes back to Michigan to defend her sister.

This book took a small hiatus from the personal drama that was building in the last three books and was more about Anna and her sister and her upbringing.  I enjoyed getting to know Anna more and without the context of a relationship and the back and forth of should she and shouldn't she date/marry him.  This one had more to do with family and history and I liked that break from the dating drama.

The case in this book was also intriguing as it had the difference of being from a small town instead of DC and how small town politics and justice are very different.  I grew up in a small town and never had a run in with the politics, but this story reminded me of how intertwined lives in a small town can be and how secrets are kept.  

The latest installment in this series will be reviewed tomorrow.



Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2016 Challenge:  12 out of 50

Review: Speak of the Devil by Allison Leotta

Speak of the Devil

by Allison Leotta

Publisher: Touchstone

Pages: 288

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  On the very night she gets engaged to the man she loves, sex-crimes prosecutor Anna Curtis’s professional life takes a shocking turn that threatens everything she holds dear. A few miles away from where she’s enjoying her romantic dinner, two separate groups are gearing up to raid a brothel. A vicious killer known as Diablo—the Devil—leads one group. A few minutes later, Anna’s own investigative team heads in to search the brothel, as part of an ongoing fight against human trafficking in DC. Both groups are caught off guard, with deadly results.

As Anna investigates the bloody face-off, the boundaries between her work and home life begin to blur when she discovers a web of long-buried secrets and official lies that lead straight to her doorstep. And everything Anna counted on—the happiness she seemed so close to securing—comes into question as Diablo moves in for yet another kill.


Kritters Thoughts:  The third book in the series with US Attorney Anna Curtis and this one centers around the mix of gangs and sex related crimes.  A prevalent gang in the DC neighborhoods MS 13 takes center stage in this installment.  Anna Curtis and her team get to the bottom of who is in charge in this gang and tries to bring their organization to a halt in the DC area.

Again another book in this series that I love.  With book three, it was interesting to see Anna Curtis keep evolving as a character and then how the author was going to incorporate sex crimes into another major investigation.  Weird to say - but I liked the mix of violent gang crime mixed with the sex crimes.

I read these books back to back and I liked not having to hang on the cliff hanger from one book to another!  

I don't know how many books are planed in this series, I have two more to review this week, but I wouldn't mind many many more!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Review: Discretion by Allison Leotta

Discretion

by Allison Leotta

Publisher: Touchstone

Pages: 336

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  When a beautiful young woman plummets to her death from the balcony of the U.S. Capitol, Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Curtis is summoned to the scene. The evidence points to a sexual assault and murder. The victim is one of the city's highest-paid escorts. And the balcony belongs to Washington, D.C.'s sole representative to Congress, the most powerful figure in city politics. 

The Congressman proclaims his innocence, but he's in the middle of a tough primary fight, and the scandal could cost him the election. For Anna, the high-profile case is an opportunity. But as the political stakes rise, she realizes that a single mistake could end her career. 

At the same time, her budding romance with Jack Bailey, the chief homicide prosecutor, is at a crossroads. Determined to gain respect in the office, Anna wants to keep their relationship under wraps. But the mounting pressure and media attention that come with the office's most important case will inevitably expose their relationship if it doesn't destroy it first. 

The investigation leads Anna to Discretion, a high-end escort service that caters to D.C.'s elite. But with each break in the case, the mystery deepens. And the further Anna ventures into D.C.'s red-light underworld, the larger the target on her own back. 

From the secret social clubs where Washington's most powerful men escape from public view to the asphalt track where the city's most vulnerable women work the streets, Discretion is a gripping exploration of sex, power, and the secrets we all keep.


Kritters Thoughts:  The second in the series and Anna Curtis is swept into another crazy case in the heart of DC.  A young woman dies at the US Capitol and with the mix of politics and prostitution, this should be an interesting case to solve.  

First let me say that I would definitely start at book one and then I would absolutely read the novella which introduces you to the woman who dies, so you get a glimpse into her life before this story starts.

Again, being a resident of the greater DC area, I loved reading this book and "seeing" places that I see often in a book.  Since I have moved up here, I have definitely become more politically minded then I was before.  SO I loved reading about the craziness of politics.  I had a friend who worked on the hill and I got a little glimpse into her life, but reading this book took it to another level!  My hope is that there is some truth in this book, so I could get an honest glimpse into the life of politics!

I also loved the continuation of Anna Curtis' story.  Her personal life perfectly mixed in and out of the investigation and it just worked. 


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Review: Ten Rules for a Call Girl by Allison Leotta

Ten Rules for a Call Girl

by Allison Leotta

Publisher: Touchstone

Pages: 56

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  From former federal sex-crimes prosecutor Allison Leotta, an eShort story about the secret life of Washington, D.C.’s highest-paid escorts.

Beautiful Georgetown undergrad Caroline McBride almost has it all—a loving fiancée, a promising academic career, and a college life of fabulous parties—but she can't afford it. When her father becomes ill, plunging her family into debt, she reluctantly agrees to meet Madeleine, the madam of a high-end escort service. Catering to the most powerful men in D.C., Caroline can make more money in one night than in a month at her part-time college job. And no one has to know. All she has to do is follow the madam’s ten simple rules.

Kritters Thoughts:   A very very short novella that sets up the story for book 2.  As I am coning late to this series, I am not sure when this novella came about, but I knew it was in the line up (thanks Goodreads) when I started book 1.  

My main critique about this novella will be, is it worth it?  My answer is sure.  I would read it more as a prequel to book 2 and it is nice to meet the characters and get a little more back story then what is provided in the first few chapters in Discretion, book 2.  I think that I probably wouldn't have been as quickly attached to the victim without this novella, so I say start here and then head on to book 2 - Discretion, review to go up shortly!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2016 Challenge:  11 out of 50

Review: Law of Attraction by Allison Leotta

Law of Attraction

by Allison Leotta

Publisher: Touchstone

Pages: 288

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  As a newly minted assistant U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., Anna Curtis has already developed a thick skin to help her deal with the unsettling brutality she encounters daily with her overflowing stack of domestic violence cases. Yet when Laprea Johnson walks into Anna's life—battered by her boyfriend on the morning after Valentine's Day—there's something about this particular case that Anna can't quite shake, something that reminds the prosecutor of her own troubled past.

At the trial, Laprea makes a last-minute reversal, lying on the witness stand to free her boyfriend. Shortly after he is freed, Anna is horrified to hear the news that Laprea's body has been found in a trash heap. Hastily assigned to prosecute the murder case alongside the handsome and intimidating chief homicide prosecutor, Jack Bailey, Anna finds herself trapped in a difficult situation when she discovers that her boyfriend, public defender Nick Wagner, plans to sit across from her in the courtroom representing Laprea's boyfriend and suspected murderer.

Caught between seeking justice for Laprea and saving her personal life, Anna makes a series of choices that jeopardize her career, her relationships, and her very life as she uncovers the shocking truth behind the murder.

Kritters Thoughts:  New to the US Attorney's office, Anna Curtis is determined to right the wrongs that she witnessed as a child while her mother was getting abused by her father.  She enters the Sex Crimes unit and hopes to make an impact.  Soon she has a case on her desk that hits close to home and she must help this woman escape a relationship that is beyond harmful.  Anna is devastated when this woman is found dead and is bound and determined to get to the bottom and put the culprit behind bars.

I read this book awhile after it was released knowing that it was going to be the beginning of a series and I could enjoy getting to know Anna and her story as well as this case.  Like most other mystery/thriller series, the case itself is self contained, but you still want to start at the beginning to get to know the main character.  

I love these kind of series, but this one was even better because it takes place in my stomping grounds.  I live right outside of DC and she works for the US Attorney's office, so her home and working life intertwine with mine.  She mentions something specific about our baseball park - Nationals park and I recognize it.  I love books when I can completely and utterly imagine where the story is taking place and I can with this series as these are the roads I drive everyday.

I am excited to review the rest of the series this week, ending on Friday with the newest installment that was just published.

Rating: absolutely love it and want a sequel (which I will review tomorrow)

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

I spent the weekend reading the Allison Leotta series and all my reviews will go up next week, spoiler alert - I loved them!

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

Discretion by Allison Leotta
Speak of the Devil by Allison Leotta
A Good Killing by Allison Leotta

Currently Reading:

The Last Good Girl by Allison Leotta

Next on the TBR pile:
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh