Review: The Best of Us by Robyn Carr

The Best of Us

by Robyn Carr

Publisher: MIRA

Pages: 384

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Dr. Leigh Culver loves practicing medicine in Timberlake, Colorado. It is a much-needed change of pace from her stressful life in Chicago. The only drawback is she misses her aunt Helen, the woman who raised her. But it’s time that Leigh has her independence, and she hopes the beauty of the Colorado wilderness will entice her aunt to visit often.

Helen Culver is an independent woman who lovingly raised her sister’s orphaned child. Now, with Leigh grown, it’s time for her to live life for herself. The retired teacher has become a successful mystery writer who loves to travel and intends to never experience winter again.

When Helen visits Leigh, she is surprised to find her niece still needs her, especially when it comes to sorting out her love life. But the biggest surprise comes when Leigh takes Helen out to Sullivan’s Crossing and Helen finds herself falling for the place and one special person. Helen and Leigh will each have to decide if they can open themselves up to love neither expected to find and seize the opportunity to live their best lives.

Kritters Thoughts:  Robyn Carr is one of those authors that I read when nothing else will work.  I picked up this book in the middle of the holiday season when I needed something to be easy and entertaining and this did that and more.  

The fourth in a series, but this is a series where you can read them in any order you choose as each book focuses on a different character in this town.  I have read all of them and suggest reading them all, but you can start wherever you please in this series.

This story focuses mostly on Dr. Leigh Culver and Rob Shandon.  Leigh has recently moved to this small town in Colorado for a change in life.  Rob has lived here awhile and owns the pub in town.  After some meetings, they decide to take a try at dating although their lives are busy their relationship blooms quite slowly.  There are two other mini romances in this book - Leigh's aunt who comes for a visit and the general store owner, Sully and one of Rob's kids, Finn and Maia.  

I loved having a few romances to follow in this short book.  It was fun that each "couple" were at different stages of life and how that affected the pacing of their relationships.  I enjoyed seeing love at different ages and how that could affect the story.  

Robyn Carr just does romance right.  There were a few scenes that could make you blush in this book, but there is still plenty of plot for those readers who want a full story to read.  She has just the right balance for me when I want to read some romance.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

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.

Bout of Books Wrap Up

This was a bust of a Bout of Books.  So I am going to revert to my usual Monday reading recap.  It was a rough busy week, so I did a lot of Netflix this week and not a lot of reading.  

Finished this past week:

Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser

The Military Wife by Laura Trentham

Currently Reading:

Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose
How the Light Gets in by Jolina Petersheim

Next on the TBR pile:

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

Review: The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict

The Only Woman in the Room

by Marie Benedict

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Pages: 272

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Hedy Kiesler is lucky. Her beauty leads to a starring role in a controversial film and marriage to a powerful Austrian arms dealer, allowing her to evade Nazi persecution despite her Jewish heritage. But Hedy is also intelligent. At lavish Vienna dinner parties, she overhears the Third Reich's plans. One night in 1937, desperate to escape her controlling husband and the rise of the Nazis, she disguises herself and flees her husband's castle.

She lands in Hollywood, where she becomes Hedy Lamarr, screen star. But Hedy is keeping a secret even more shocking than her Jewish heritage: she is a scientist. She has an idea that might help the country and that might ease her guilt for escaping alone -- if anyone will listen to her. A powerful novel based on the incredible true story of the glamour icon and scientist whose groundbreaking invention revolutionized modern communication, The Only Woman in the Room is a masterpiece. 


Kritters Thoughts:  If you love historical fiction that is based completely in the truth then this book is for you!  Hedy Kiesler was a real woman that had a unique viewpoint as Hitler was tearing across Europe.  She was married to an owner of an ammunitions plant and she was at many a party where things were said and alliances were made and broken.  

I LOVE a historical fiction that has me guessing where the truth ends and fiction begins.  I pulled up Wikipedia a few times to get a few thoughts on where the truth is/was.  Every time I read a book, and I read a lot, about World War II I think I have read it all and there isn't anything else that I could learn about the people, time and place, but this one was such a different viewpoint of the business behind war and how different leaders and countries reacted to Hitler and his ideas.  

I haven't read Marie Benedict's other two books and after reading this book they have moved up on my TBR list.  I loved her hyper focus on a female who maybe didn't make the history books, but maybe should!  Her other two books seem like the same, should I read The Other Einstein or Carnegie's Maid first?


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

Ebook 2018 Challenge:  92 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the Netgalley.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Gown by Jennifer Robson

The Gown

by Jennifer Robson

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 400

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  “Millions will welcome this joyous event as a flash of color on the long road we have to travel.”—Sir Winston Churchill on the news of Princess Elizabeth’s forthcoming wedding

London, 1947: Besieged by the harshest winter in living memory, burdened by onerous shortages and rationing, the people of postwar Britain are enduring lives of quiet desperation despite their nation’s recent victory. Among them are Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, embroiderers at the famed Mayfair fashion house of Norman Hartnell. Together they forge an unlikely friendship, but their nascent hopes for a brighter future are tested when they are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime honor: taking part in the creation of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown.

Toronto, 2016: More than half a century later, Heather Mackenzie seeks to unravel the mystery of a set of embroidered flowers, a legacy from her late grandmother. How did her beloved Nan, a woman who never spoke of her old life in Britain, come to possess the priceless embroideries that so closely resemble the motifs on the stunning gown worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her wedding almost seventy years before? And what was her Nan’s connection to the celebrated textile artist and holocaust survivor Miriam Dassin?


Kritters Thoughts:  What a perfect historical fiction!  Dueling storylines - Ann and Miriam are in London 1947 and they work for the fashion house of Norman Hartnell as embroiderers.  In Toronto 2016, Heather has just had the death of her grandmother and while going through her things is finding clues of a life she lead that no one knows about.  It is obvious early on how these stories will converge and what is most interesting is as you are reading you are wondering where the fact and fiction end.    

My favorite thing about historical fiction is when it makes me look up to see something visual.  There were a few times during this book where I looked up details about the dress, the venue and all things royal wedding.  It was so fun to read this after all the hype of Kate and Meghan's royal weddings.  I have read about the many hours that go into these dresses, but to really see it through their eyes was so interesting.  

There were moments where I felt as though Heather's storyline was unnecessary and I thought it was just extra beyond the heart of the story but in the end I liked that it was included.  I liked that we were learning about where Ann ended up while also learning what sent her down that path, it almost felt like the two storylines were going to meet in the middle.

I have read all of Jennifer Robson's books and this one by far is my favorite!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Review: The Vanishing Season by Joanna Schaffhausen

The Vanishing Season

by Joanna Shauffhausen

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Pages: 274

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Ellery Hathaway knows a thing or two about serial killers, but not through her police training. She's an officer in sleepy Woodbury, MA, where a bicycle theft still makes the newspapers. No one there knows she was once victim number seventeen in the grisly story of serial killer Francis Michael Coben. The only victim who lived. 

When three people disappear from her town in three years, all around her birthday—the day she was kidnapped so long ago—Ellery fears someone knows her secret. Someone very dangerous. Her superiors dismiss her concerns, but Ellery knows the vanishing season is coming and anyone could be next. She contacts the one man she knows will believe her: the FBI agent who saved her from a killer’s closet all those years ago.

Agent Reed Markham made his name and fame on the back of the Coben case, but his fortunes have since turned. His marriage is in shambles, his bosses think he's washed up, and worst of all, he blew a major investigation. When Ellery calls him, he can’t help but wonder: sure, he rescued her, but was she ever truly saved? His greatest triumph is Ellery’s waking nightmare, and now both of them are about to be sucked into the past, back to the case that made them...with a killer who can't let go.

Kritters Thoughts:  The first in a series that I was excited to start.  Ellery Hathaway has moved to a quiet town to escape her past in Chicago.  She wants to leave it all behind and just do her job as a police officer.  There have been three disappearances and some mystery things happening and she swears it is related to her past but can't get the attention of her co workers until she calls an old friend from the FBI and gets things moving.

This was such a great mystery.  There were definitely some gruesome moments so if you don't love to hear the gruesome details you may want to skip this one.  

What I loved most about this book was the twist on how her past was reappearing.  It was obvious and in your face and instead was subtle and had me guessing until the end.  I know a mystery is good when I want to restart it the minute I finish to see if I can find the clues to the culprit faster the second time!

I am excited to read the second book in the series and review it next week.  


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 94 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Netgalley.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

An Anonymous Girl

by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Pages: 384

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Seeking women ages 18–32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed. 

When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields, she thinks all she’ll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money, and leave. But as the questions grow more and more intense and invasive and the sessions become outings where Jess is told what to wear and how to act, she begins to feel as though Dr. Shields may know what she’s thinking…and what she’s hiding. As Jess’s paranoia grows, it becomes clear that she can no longer trust what in her life is real, and what is one of Dr. Shields’ manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.

Kritters Thoughts:  The second book by this writing duo.  I am more familiar with Sarah Pekkanen and have read and reviewed almost all of her books here on Kritters Ramblings.

The synopsis for this one is we have Jessica Farris who is barely making ends meet for a few reasons and when at a job she hears about a study where she can make a large amount of cash and at this moment in her life she will do about anything for more income.  Dr. Shields is the person running this study and she has quite a few reasons to run this study and they aren't all fo real academic research.

When I was pitched this book, the synopsis had me go hmmm.  I was up for a psychological thriller with a study and a doctor at the heart of it.  This is a spoiler  but I have to share because this was the reason why I just couldn't enjoy this book and it is a sub genre that I just don't enjoy reading so if you don't either you may want to skip this one.  The reason for Dr. Shields to enact her study is to get to the bottom of her husband's possible affairs.  I personally do not like cheating husband books.  Everyone may have a subgenre that they do not enjoy reading for any reason and cheating husband is the one for me that I doesn't enjoy reading - haven't experienced it, but just not something I like reading about.  So if I had known that before starting, I would have possibly skipped this one.

Beyond that, the book was definitely set up well and the perfect twisty turny thriller.  The pacing was right on and I liked the elements of it.  I just didn't enjoy Dr. Shields' motive.  I will read their next joint venture as long as we can stay away from the cheaters!

In the end, I have to say that I loved their first collaboration so much better.  Go check out The Wife Between Us, it is such a great read that will go places that you could never have predicted!

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

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from St Martins 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: Pure Hollywood by Christine Schutt

Pure Hollywood

by Christine Schutt

Publisher: Grove Atlantic

Pages: 144

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  In 11 captivating tales, Pure Hollywood brings us into private worlds of corrupt familial love, intimacy, longing, and danger. From an alcoholic widowed actress living in desert seclusion, to a young mother whose rejection of her child has terrible consequences, a newlywed couple who ignore the violent warnings of a painter burned by love, to an eerie portrait of erotic obsession, each story in Pure Hollywood is an imagistic snapshot of what it means to live and learn love and hurt.


Kritters Thoughts:  I don't tend to read a lot of short story collections, but usually when I do I remind myself that I really like them - this was not the case.  I couldn't connect or care about any of the stories.  The way I rate short story collections is if I have the feeling that I wish at least one or more of the stories were to be expanded into a full novel, then that is a good collection in my book.  I couldn't find one story in this collection that I wanted more from.  

I am going to keep this short and quick since I don't want to dwell on the negative.  I would love to hear if you have read something else by Christine Schutt and if I should try something else?



Rating: not such a good read

Ebook 2018 Challenge:  93 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Netgalley.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

Being off for most of this week, I made it a great start to the new year with lots of reading and organizing!

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

Friend Request by Laura Marshall
The Secret Language of Dogs by Victoria Stilwell
I Might Regret This by Abbi Jacobson
The Liar's Room by Simon Lelic
Go On, Girl by Hilary Grossman
The Maze at Windermere by Gregory Blake Smith
Game of Pies by Heather Wardell

Currently Reading:

Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose
Hard to Kill by Christina Dodd

Next on the TBR pile:

Families and Other Enemies by Christina Dodd

Bout of Books 24 TBR

Bout of Books starts on Monday, January 7th and goes through Sunday, January 13th. 

My goal, as it always is, for the Bout of Books 24 TBR pile is to read 250 pages per day, which amounts to 1,750 pages for the whole week.  
 

Doing another round of Bout of Books, we shall see how it goes.  I love participating because there are really no rules, you are just challenge yourself to read more than you typically do.  So I am hoping for a great week in books!  I love doing this one in January because it helps me set the right intention for the year, it could be a busy week at work, but I want to set the goal anyways!

Let's see how this goes!

1. The Military Wife by Laura Trentham (352 pages)
2. Families and Other Enemies by Christina Dodd (82 pages)
3. How the Light Gets In by Jolina Petersheim (400 pages)
4. The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley (544 pages)
5. Behind Closed Doors by Sherri Hayes (190 pages)
6. Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser (336 pages)

This is a total of 1904 pages!

For those that don't know what Bout of Books is... here you go:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 8th and runs through Sunday, January 14th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 24 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Review: True Places by Sonja Yoerg

True Places

by Sonja Yoerg

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 347

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  A girl emerges from the woods, starved, ill, and alone…and collapses.

Suzanne Blakemore hurtles along the Blue Ridge Parkway, away from her overscheduled and completely normal life, and encounters the girl. As Suzanne rushes her to the hospital, she never imagines how the encounter will change her—a change she both fears and desperately needs.

Suzanne has the perfect house, a successful husband, and a thriving family. But beneath the veneer of an ideal life, her daughter is rebelling, her son is withdrawing, her husband is oblivious to it all, and Suzanne is increasingly unsure of her place in the world. After her discovery of the ethereal sixteen-year-old who has never experienced civilization, Suzanne is compelled to invite Iris into her family’s life and all its apparent privileges.

But Iris has an independence, a love of solitude, and a discomfort with materialism that contrasts with everything the Blakemores stand for—qualities that awaken in Suzanne first a fascination, then a longing. Now Suzanne can’t help but wonder: Is she destined to save Iris, or is Iris the one who will save her?

Kritters Thoughts:  A woman, mother and wife has almost hit her breaking point so she decides to give up the commitments and drive away from all the things she has to do while on her drive she comes across what seems like a homeless girl and rescues her and takes her to a hospital, this girl changes the trajectory of her life and her family's lives.  Will they in turn change her life for the better?

I loved this story.  I love how in a moment of sheer frustration this woman makes a decision and it will completely alter her life.  Suzanne had what seemed like the perfect life and as things are piling up she comes across Iris.  She decides to take Iris to the hospital and not just drop her but help Iris beyond the immediate medical needs that she had.  I loved Suzanne, I loved Iris and I loved Suzanne's family and parents.  Even though I am not a parent, there were so many moments where I could relate to Suzanne and her need to to do it all even above taking care of herself.  I love how Iris' outlook on life and what is important makes her question everything she has signed herself up for.  

This book was perfect to read during this time of year when the new year is making me question what priorities from 2018 I will continue in 2019 and what I may need to leave behind.  I love when a book is first a good story but second makes me think and sit down and reflect on my own life.  The story is simple and sweet, but if you really sit with it, it can make you check on yourself and make sure you are where you are supposed to be and heading where you want to go.    


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

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 91 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.

Review: The Secret Language of Dogs by Victoria Stilwell

The Secret Language of Dogs

by Victoria Stilwell

Publisher: Ten Speed Press

Pages: 160

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Recent studies into the minds of canines show that they have a rich social intelligence and a physical and vocal language as complex and subtle as our own. In this fun and fascinating guide, world-renowned trainer Victoria Stilwell explores the inner world of dogs. This book is your guide to understanding your pooch, communicating effectively, strengthening your bond, and helping dogs learn in the most effective way possible so they feel confident navigating the human world with success. 

Along the way, you’ll learn the answers to questions such as:
• What do different tail wags mean?
• What does being right-pawed say about my dog’s personality?
• How can I tell the difference between boredom barking and warning barking?
• What does it mean when my dog spins around, arches his back, or gives me the whale eye?
• Do dogs feel guilt?
• How do dogs perceive human faces?
• Why do some scientists think dogs’ emotional experience is even greater than ours?

Kritters Thoughts:  I have always wonder between the three dogs in our lives what they are thinking or saying in their words and mannerisms.  We have three very different dogs and they each have their own ways and I enjoyed reading a book that gave me some tips and tricks to interpret my dogs and their language.

Dividing the chapters into different ways that dogs speak to humans was such an ideal way to organize the book.  It made it so this book was pleasing to read through front to back for the first time, but in the future to also use a resource when I need to figure something out.  I read this in ebook form, but plan on buying a physical copy to keep in our house as a reference book.

The biggest thing that I learned that I am excited to use was the tip about calming your dog when they get anxious.  One of our dogs can't stand fireworks and we live near a historic site that has fireworks very frequently, I plan on using the positive training techniques to see if we can lower his anxiety when there are fireworks in the neighborhood.

I almost wish this book was required reading before you brought a dog home.  I learned things in this book that I had been wondering about for years!


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

Ebook 2019 Challenge:  1 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Netgalley.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

2019 Reading Goals

source

As we enter a new year, I am excited and nervous about a new year.  There have been a lot of changes in my personal and professional life and they are affecting my reading life, so I am hoping that 2019 can become the year where things find a little more balance.

Looking at my reading challenges that I participated in last year, here are the reading challenges I have put as my goal for reading in 2019.

1.  I want to read a minimum of 219 books in 2019.  I surpassed my goal in 2018 and would love to do it again next year.

2.  I want to read at least 100 ebooks in 2019.  I hit it in 2018, so I am going to keep it the same for next year.

3.  I want to read more off my shelves of books that I own.  I have set this as a goal in years past and have yet to accomplish it.  I want to do a first on, last off shelf challenge, where I read at LEAST one book a month from my shelf in order of what went first on my goodreads books I own shelf.  These are books that I have had since at least 2010, so 9 years later I want to get them read and then send them on their way.  I am copying this exact goal from last year in hopes that just maybe I will do it this year!


And the challenge that I love to do (partly because it is easy) is:

Where Are You Reading?
In this challenge, I keep a Google Map (link to my google map for 2019) and place a pinpoint at each spot where a book takes place.  The link to my google map will also be in the sidebar all year round, so anyone can check out where I have been reading!

If you would like to participate - check out Book Journey.  She hosted this challenge in the past, not sure if she is hosting again, but as this is my favorite thing to do, I am continuing!