Jeff Sexton
Superbly Written Thriller Will Make You Reconsider Your Ideas Of 'Justice'. On the one hand, a man has identified a way to identify serial sexual predators - and is committed to stopping them before they can strike again. On the other, a law man absolutely committed to the Rule of Law and that *everyone* has the right to a second chance once their sentence is complete. Which one is "good". Which one is "just"? How can we as readers of this text reconcile the two competing ideals? Should we? How can we as a society reconcile these ideals? Should we?
Redfearn - yes, the same Suzanne Redfearn of In An Instant, Moment In Time, Hadley & Grace, and Where Butterflies Wander - here presents her most thoughtful book to date, damn near an Atlas Shrugged level deep, *deep* philosophical dive - without Rand's overt political diatribes. Indeed, the text here in some ways is also remeniscent of NPC by Jeremy Robinson, which also features such deep examinations from two different sides by two people of equal mental acuity - though in the Robinson text, the questions at hand are more existential in nature rather than centered on justice for all, particularly those deemed the lowest of the low by society at large.
This is one of those books that could have gotten quite preachy rather quickly in any number of ways in a less deft hand - as Rand was known to do, despite her own great storytelling abilities - and yet never actually does. It questions and it shows pros and cons of both sides, with quite a bit of real (enough) logically paced and logically executed action. While it can be read as a straight up thriller, and many might, it is one of those texts that really deserves and demands to be more deeply considered and examined. Perhaps particularly in the weeks leading into an Election Day, though that has nothing at all to do with the book and is nowhere present in the text.
This was the 157th book I read in 2024. I'm reasonably confident (at the moment at least, we'll see what happens in my final rankings in December) in saying that if you read just a single book this year... make it this one.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Superbly Written Thriller Will Make You Reconsider Your Ideas Of 'Justice'. On the one hand, a man has identified a way to identify serial sexual predators - and is committed to stopping them before they can strike again. On the other, a law man absolutely committed to the Rule of Law and that *everyone* has the right to a second chance once their sentence is complete. Which one is "good". Which one is "just"? How can we as readers of this text reconcile the two competing ideals? Should we? How can we as a society reconcile these ideals? Should we?
Redfearn - yes, the same Suzanne Redfearn of In An Instant, Moment In Time, Hadley & Grace, and Where Butterflies Wander - here presents her most thoughtful book to date, damn near an Atlas Shrugged level deep, *deep* philosophical dive - without Rand's overt political diatribes. Indeed, the text here in some ways is also remeniscent of NPC by Jeremy Robinson, which also features such deep examinations from two different sides by two people of equal mental acuity - though in the Robinson text, the questions at hand are more existential in nature rather than centered on justice for all, particularly those deemed the lowest of the low by society at large.
This is one of those books that could have gotten quite preachy rather quickly in any number of ways in a less deft hand - as Rand was known to do, despite her own great storytelling abilities - and yet never actually does. It questions and it shows pros and cons of both sides, with quite a bit of real (enough) logically paced and logically executed action. While it can be read as a straight up thriller, and many might, it is one of those texts that really deserves and demands to be more deeply considered and examined. Perhaps particularly in the weeks leading into an Election Day, though that has nothing at all to do with the book and is nowhere present in the text.
This was the 157th book I read in 2024. I'm reasonably confident (at the moment at least, we'll see what happens in my final rankings in December) in saying that if you read just a single book this year... make it this one.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Superbly Written Thriller Will Make You Reconsider Your Ideas Of 'Justice'. On the one hand, a man has identified a way to identify serial sexual predators - and is committed to stopping them before they can strike again. On the other, a law man absolutely committed to the Rule of Law and that *everyone* has the right to a second chance once their sentence is complete. Which one is "good". Which one is "just"? How can we as readers of this text reconcile the two competing ideals? Should we? How can we as a society reconcile these ideals? Should we?
Redfearn - yes, the same Suzanne Redfearn of In An Instant, Moment In Time, Hadley & Grace, and Where Butterflies Wander - here presents her most thoughtful book to date, damn near an Atlas Shrugged level deep, *deep* philosophical dive - without Rand's overt political diatribes. Indeed, the text here in some ways is also remeniscent of NPC by Jeremy Robinson, which also features such deep examinations from two different sides by two people of equal mental acuity - though in the Robinson text, the questions at hand are more existential in nature rather than centered on justice for all, particularly those deemed the lowest of the low by society at large.
This is one of those books that could have gotten quite preachy rather quickly in any number of ways in a less deft hand - as Rand was known to do, despite her own great storytelling abilities - and yet never actually does. It questions and it shows pros and cons of both sides, with quite a bit of real (enough) logically paced and logically executed action. While it can be read as a straight up thriller, and many might, it is one of those texts that really deserves and demands to be more deeply considered and examined. Perhaps particularly in the weeks leading into an Election Day, though that has nothing at all to do with the book and is nowhere present in the text.
This was the 157th book I read in 2024. I'm reasonably confident (at the moment at least, we'll see what happens in my final rankings in December) in saying that if you read just a single book this year... make it this one.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Superbly Written Thriller Will Make You Reconsider Your Ideas Of 'Justice'. On the one hand, a man has identified a way to identify serial sexual predators - and is committed to stopping them before they can strike again. On the other, a law man absolutely committed to the Rule of Law and that *everyone* has the right to a second chance once their sentence is complete. Which one is "good". Which one is "just"? How can we as readers of this text reconcile the two competing ideals? Should we? How can we as a society reconcile these ideals? Should we?
Redfearn - yes, the same Suzanne Redfearn of In An Instant, Moment In Time, Hadley & Grace, and Where Butterflies Wander - here presents her most thoughtful book to date, damn near an Atlas Shrugged level deep, *deep* philosophical dive - without Rand's overt political diatribes. Indeed, the text here in some ways is also remeniscent of NPC by Jeremy Robinson, which also features such deep examinations from two different sides by two people of equal mental acuity - though in the Robinson text, the questions at hand are more existential in nature rather than centered on justice for all, particularly those deemed the lowest of the low by society at large.
This is one of those books that could have gotten quite preachy rather quickly in any number of ways in a less deft hand - as Rand was known to do, despite her own great storytelling abilities - and yet never actually does. It questions and it shows pros and cons of both sides, with quite a bit of real (enough) logically paced and logically executed action. While it can be read as a straight up thriller, and many might, it is one of those texts that really deserves and demands to be more deeply considered and examined. Perhaps particularly in the weeks leading into an Election Day, though that has nothing at all to do with the book and is nowhere present in the text.
This was the 157th book I read in 2024. I'm reasonably confident (at the moment at least, we'll see what happens in my final rankings in December) in saying that if you read just a single book this year... make it this one.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Superbly Written Thriller Will Make You Reconsider Your Ideas Of 'Justice'. On the one hand, a man has identified a way to identify serial sexual predators - and is committed to stopping them before they can strike again. On the other, a law man absolutely committed to the Rule of Law and that *everyone* has the right to a second chance once their sentence is complete. Which one is "good". Which one is "just"? How can we as readers of this text reconcile the two competing ideals? Should we? How can we as a society reconcile these ideals? Should we?
Redfearn - yes, the same Suzanne Redfearn of In An Instant, Moment In Time, Hadley & Grace, and Where Butterflies Wander - here presents her most thoughtful book to date, damn near an Atlas Shrugged level deep, *deep* philosophical dive - without Rand's overt political diatribes. Indeed, the text here in some ways is also remeniscent of NPC by Jeremy Robinson, which also features such deep examinations from two different sides by two people of equal mental acuity - though in the Robinson text, the questions at hand are more existential in nature rather than centered on justice for all, particularly those deemed the lowest of the low by society at large.
This is one of those books that could have gotten quite preachy rather quickly in any number of ways in a less deft hand - as Rand was known to do, despite her own great storytelling abilities - and yet never actually does. It questions and it shows pros and cons of both sides, with quite a bit of real (enough) logically paced and logically executed action. While it can be read as a straight up thriller, and many might, it is one of those texts that really deserves and demands to be more deeply considered and examined. Perhaps particularly in the weeks leading into an Election Day, though that has nothing at all to do with the book and is nowhere present in the text.
This was the 157th book I read in 2024. I'm reasonably confident (at the moment at least, we'll see what happens in my final rankings in December) in saying that if you read just a single book this year... make it this one.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Superbly Written Thriller Will Make You Reconsider Your Ideas Of 'Justice'. On the one hand, a man has identified a way to identify serial sexual predators - and is committed to stopping them before they can strike again. On the other, a law man absolutely committed to the Rule of Law and that *everyone* has the right to a second chance once their sentence is complete. Which one is "good". Which one is "just"? How can we as readers of this text reconcile the two competing ideals? Should we? How can we as a society reconcile these ideals? Should we?
Redfearn - yes, the same Suzanne Redfearn of In An Instant, Moment In Time, Hadley & Grace, and Where Butterflies Wander - here presents her most thoughtful book to date, damn near an Atlas Shrugged level deep, *deep* philosophical dive - without Rand's overt political diatribes. Indeed, the text here in some ways is also remeniscent of NPC by Jeremy Robinson, which also features such deep examinations from two different sides by two people of equal mental acuity - though in the Robinson text, the questions at hand are more existential in nature rather than centered on justice for all, particularly those deemed the lowest of the low by society at large.
This is one of those books that could have gotten quite preachy rather quickly in any number of ways in a less deft hand - as Rand was known to do, despite her own great storytelling abilities - and yet never actually does. It questions and it shows pros and cons of both sides, with quite a bit of real (enough) logically paced and logically executed action. While it can be read as a straight up thriller, and many might, it is one of those texts that really deserves and demands to be more deeply considered and examined. Perhaps particularly in the weeks leading into an Election Day, though that has nothing at all to do with the book and is nowhere present in the text.
This was the 157th book I read in 2024. I'm reasonably confident (at the moment at least, we'll see what happens in my final rankings in December) in saying that if you read just a single book this year... make it this one.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Added to listARCs Currently TBRwith 34 books.
Very Different From Previous Books. Still Solid In Its Own Right. The first two books in this series dealt with vastly different types of relationships than our MCs here have. In the first book, it was a friends to lovers situation, while in the second book it was a S L O W burn second chance situation. Here, its more of a situation situation. As in, this is a couple that has been fucking for *years* behind the backs of the siblings of one of them - one of those siblings being the best friend of the other. More on a situational level though - both were available and attracted to each other and had an opportunity, so mutual itch scratching was had. Fair enough, and that back story alone makes this *wildly* different than the other books here.
And because of that back story, this is perhaps the spiciest entry into the series. So those looking for the no sex/ "fade to black" type books... this aint fucking that. Instead, it more readily takes scenes from a Fifty Shades type environment, and that alone should tell most anyone what to generally expect there.
Still, this book and these characters have history within the series, and that is well respected here. The characters from the prior entries all show up in appropriate enough places, and indeed certain elements of prior storylines come into play heavily in this book - so absolutely read this series in order.
Overall a fun, spicy, story whose every element blends the Puerto Rican background of these characters with their current Chicago home quite well. Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Very Different From Previous Books. Still Solid In Its Own Right. The first two books in this series dealt with vastly different types of relationships than our MCs here have. In the first book, it was a friends to lovers situation, while in the second book it was a S L O W burn second chance situation. Here, its more of a situation situation. As in, this is a couple that has been fucking for *years* behind the backs of the siblings of one of them - one of those siblings being the best friend of the other. More on a situational level though - both were available and attracted to each other and had an opportunity, so mutual itch scratching was had. Fair enough, and that back story alone makes this *wildly* different than the other books here.
And because of that back story, this is perhaps the spiciest entry into the series. So those looking for the no sex/ "fade to black" type books... this aint fucking that. Instead, it more readily takes scenes from a Fifty Shades type environment, and that alone should tell most anyone what to generally expect there.
Still, this book and these characters have history within the series, and that is well respected here. The characters from the prior entries all show up in appropriate enough places, and indeed certain elements of prior storylines come into play heavily in this book - so absolutely read this series in order.
Overall a fun, spicy, story whose every element blends the Puerto Rican background of these characters with their current Chicago home quite well. Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Short. Quick. Hallmarkie. Perfect For Holiday Season Or Any Time You Need A Quick Break From Reality. Let's face it, particularly barely two weeks out from polls beginning to close in the 2024 Presidential Election, we could *all* use a break from reality... but we don't all have hours to spend in some 300+ page book, much less a 700+ page fantasy tome. Enter this short story originally written as part of an anthology, but now available independently. I read it in I want to say 2.5 hrs or so, it really is that quick. And can be mostly read in shorter chunks still, if that is all the time you have. It works *best* as a finale to the Falling In Friar Hollow series, as it was written as, but in all honesty, if you don't mind knowing that the couples featured in a *romance book* wound up together... this could also work as an introduction of sorts to the series. Similarly, if you've never read Dallen and/ or her contemporary books, this is a solid introduction to her general style for that type of tale. Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Short. Quick. Hallmarkie. Perfect For Holiday Season Or Any Time You Need A Quick Break From Reality. Let's face it, particularly barely two weeks out from polls beginning to close in the 2024 Presidential Election, we could *all* use a break from reality... but we don't all have hours to spend in some 300+ page book, much less a 700+ page fantasy tome. Enter this short story originally written as part of an anthology, but now available independently. I read it in I want to say 2.5 hrs or so, it really is that quick. And can be mostly read in shorter chunks still, if that is all the time you have. It works *best* as a finale to the Falling In Friar Hollow series, as it was written as, but in all honesty, if you don't mind knowing that the couples featured in a *romance book* wound up together... this could also work as an introduction of sorts to the series. Similarly, if you've never read Dallen and/ or her contemporary books, this is a solid introduction to her general style for that type of tale. Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Added to listOwnedwith 48 books.
Obvious "Research" Yet Still Manages To Be Hyper Political. The basic premise of this book is that people are more about those things that are physically, emotionally, or ideologically close to them. Ok, and the sky is blue. Next. Oh, but now there's numbers showing this! And? There are numbers showing why the sky is blue. Nobody cares. Well, maybe the scientists and pedants. Aha! The target audience for this very academically oriented text!
I'll grant that the length of the bibliography is solid, clocking in at 30% of the text of the Advance Review Copy of this book that I read. Though content wise, it seems cherry picked specifically to support the author's conclusions rather than offer a more well rounded view of the topic.
In making claims such as "Partisan polarization proved to be the deadliest factor for Americans' health." (while blaming elderly Americans for their own deaths during the COVID event) and saying the US-Mexico border "The US -Mexico border as we know it today is a product of historical correction that took place in 1896 to rectify mapping errors from the US-Mexican War of 1849-1855. However, it is not merely a line drawn by Washington, DC and Mexico City to separate two nations. Rather, it is a dynamic permeable membrane shaped by centuries of movement and interaction among indigenous peoples, Spaniards, Mexicans, and Americans.", Cortina makes statements that his fellow members of the Academy may agree with... that will leave the rest of us in the "real" world wondering what the fuck those "Academics" are smoking, and if we can have some - particularly in these last days before the 2024 Presidential election. And then there is the fictitious claim that "assault rifles" exist (they don't) or that anthropogenic "climate change" is causing ever more natural disasters. Here, I'll at least give Cortina credit for moderating a *touch* in later chapters and moving on to a more "regardless of origins, it is happening" approach - which is still not actually borne out in the data, but is at least much closer to reality. Cortina would argue that my own proximal politics - growing up in the foothills of the Appalachians yet currently living just six miles off the beach - influences our disagreement here... I would argue reality does. ;)
And that is ultimately how anyone is going to find this book. If you like academic treatises with a strong leftward bent, you're going to enjoy what Cortina has put together here, obvious though it may be. Hey, there's numbers now! ;) If you find yourself not drawn to that type of book... spare Cortina the much more vicious take down that even *I* was tempted to write and just ignore this book. Your cardiologist will hate you for it, but your family will love you ever more for allowing them a few more days with you from not having a heart attack over this book. :D
Recommended, but only for very select readers.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Obvious "Research" Yet Still Manages To Be Hyper Political. The basic premise of this book is that people are more about those things that are physically, emotionally, or ideologically close to them. Ok, and the sky is blue. Next. Oh, but now there's numbers showing this! And? There are numbers showing why the sky is blue. Nobody cares. Well, maybe the scientists and pedants. Aha! The target audience for this very academically oriented text!
I'll grant that the length of the bibliography is solid, clocking in at 30% of the text of the Advance Review Copy of this book that I read. Though content wise, it seems cherry picked specifically to support the author's conclusions rather than offer a more well rounded view of the topic.
In making claims such as "Partisan polarization proved to be the deadliest factor for Americans' health." (while blaming elderly Americans for their own deaths during the COVID event) and saying the US-Mexico border "The US -Mexico border as we know it today is a product of historical correction that took place in 1896 to rectify mapping errors from the US-Mexican War of 1849-1855. However, it is not merely a line drawn by Washington, DC and Mexico City to separate two nations. Rather, it is a dynamic permeable membrane shaped by centuries of movement and interaction among indigenous peoples, Spaniards, Mexicans, and Americans.", Cortina makes statements that his fellow members of the Academy may agree with... that will leave the rest of us in the "real" world wondering what the fuck those "Academics" are smoking, and if we can have some - particularly in these last days before the 2024 Presidential election. And then there is the fictitious claim that "assault rifles" exist (they don't) or that anthropogenic "climate change" is causing ever more natural disasters. Here, I'll at least give Cortina credit for moderating a *touch* in later chapters and moving on to a more "regardless of origins, it is happening" approach - which is still not actually borne out in the data, but is at least much closer to reality. Cortina would argue that my own proximal politics - growing up in the foothills of the Appalachians yet currently living just six miles off the beach - influences our disagreement here... I would argue reality does. ;)
And that is ultimately how anyone is going to find this book. If you like academic treatises with a strong leftward bent, you're going to enjoy what Cortina has put together here, obvious though it may be. Hey, there's numbers now! ;) If you find yourself not drawn to that type of book... spare Cortina the much more vicious take down that even *I* was tempted to write and just ignore this book. Your cardiologist will hate you for it, but your family will love you ever more for allowing them a few more days with you from not having a heart attack over this book. :D
Recommended, but only for very select readers.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Solid Hallmarkie Christmas Romance That "Officially" Has The Weirdest Personal Story Ever For Me. This is one of those damn near prototypical Hallmark Christmas movie type romances, and that alone will tell most people whether they're going to like this or not. Obviously, with how much success Hallmark has with these types of movies every year (and with so many of the romance authors I've worked with over the years now getting chances to write some of these actual movies), there is quite a considerable market for exactly this type of story, so kudos to Cassidy (and the actual person behind her) for branching out into this realm. Here, Cassidy even manages to introduce a few wrinkles not *always* seen... but this also ties into the personal story I have to tell.
For those who don't care about my very weird personal history with this book, what I said above is everything you need to know. It was really good for its type and had some interesting wrinkles, and is absolutely worthy of your time if you like these types of tales. Very much recommended.
Now, for the weird personal tale:
As I was reading this book in the week before release in October 2024, I *absolutely knew* I had read this tale before. To the level that it was an exact duplicate of the tale I knew I had already read, which I recognized 100% from one particular scene, among others. As I've known the actual person behind the Cassidy pseudonym online for many years now and have read and reviewed many of her books under her real name, I knew such blatant plagiarism simply *was not* possible. Not the author I've known for so long. And yet... I *knew* I had read this story weeks earlier, back when I last reviewed this author's 2024 release under her real name.
And yet... I had *ZERO* record that I had already read this book. Which is statistically damn near as close to zero as you can get, as I have *extensive* record keeping about literally every book I read in *numerous* different places.
I have an Excel file where I have three different sheets containing different data about every book, and I mark each sheet as I complete a given book. I download the cover to my phone and then create two separate images - one with my Hardcover.app profile on the side and one without - with my rating of the book on both. I then post the one without in a Facebook group on my personal profile where we keep track of all the books the group reads. I then Facebook Messenger my reader profile both images. I then save both images in a particular folder on my computer. Then I begin to actually write the review in Hardcover.app. I then copy the text of the review into Goodreads, BookHype.com, BookBub.com (if the book is there), TheStoryGraph.com, NetGalley.com (if the book came from there, as both the earlier book under this author's real name and this book did), my blog, and at least two separate Facebook reader groups, and I'm trying to get better about making it at least three. (My own group there, Reader Garage, as well as at least Readers Coffeehouse and I'm trying to get better about My Book Friends). I then finish out my review on my blog with imagery and some links, then post the links from my blog to the Hardcover.app review and to the NetGalley review. I then copy all of the other review site review links into the NetGalley review and submit that. Finally, I place the link to my blog review in my LinkTree and get the Hardcover version of the cover image out on my Twitter, Instagram, Threads, and Facebook Blog Page. I then share the Facebook Blog Page post publicly on my reader profile there.
So there are a LOT of places that *some* record of me reading this book back then *should* have existed in some form. 25 by my count, 26 counting the My Book Friends group.
And YET, I found record that I had read this book in just *ONE* of them - It had been removed from the Excel tab where I remove books as I complete them. Even this isn't conclusive, however, as I've been known to make mistakes and cut the wrong book from time to time over the years.
But y'all, I *KNOW* I read this book, and I even remember having the plan back in July, when I read the other book under this author's real name, that I would read this book immediately after - along with then doing the same thing with another author who had two books releasing around the same time as both of this author's books. (IIRC, the other author's first book released a week or so after "Cassidy"'s first book, and the other author's October book released last week, a week before this book.)
So what I *suspect* and *believe* happened - yet have almost exactly zero evidence of - is that I did in fact read this book back then. It is the only thing that makes sense with everything that I know to be true about everything surrounding this very weird experience. I then noticed that I simply had too many books releasing in August to follow through with my plans for working the other author in a similar manner, and clearly I somehow forgot to go through my review process for this book back then. I honestly have no idea what caused such a lapse, but such a lapse happening is the *only* thing that actually makes sense with everything else I know.
So there you have it. Even the "machines" of the book review space, as some authors have called me over the years, have our breaking points. It seems that August 2024 - whose books I did not fully clear until September 30, with my review of James Rollins' Arkangel - may have been too close to my own for comfort. But at least I'm on the back side of that, and some new opportunities are arising as I begin to slow down the ARC work that has kept me so busy for so many years now.
Hopefully y'all will continue to follow me on these new adventures... and hopefully you'll continue to follow Ms. Cassidy under both this identity and her real one. :)
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Solid Hallmarkie Christmas Romance That "Officially" Has The Weirdest Personal Story Ever For Me. This is one of those damn near prototypical Hallmark Christmas movie type romances, and that alone will tell most people whether they're going to like this or not. Obviously, with how much success Hallmark has with these types of movies every year (and with so many of the romance authors I've worked with over the years now getting chances to write some of these actual movies), there is quite a considerable market for exactly this type of story, so kudos to Cassidy (and the actual person behind her) for branching out into this realm. Here, Cassidy even manages to introduce a few wrinkles not *always* seen... but this also ties into the personal story I have to tell.
For those who don't care about my very weird personal history with this book, what I said above is everything you need to know. It was really good for its type and had some interesting wrinkles, and is absolutely worthy of your time if you like these types of tales. Very much recommended.
Now, for the weird personal tale:
As I was reading this book in the week before release in October 2024, I *absolutely knew* I had read this tale before. To the level that it was an exact duplicate of the tale I knew I had already read, which I recognized 100% from one particular scene, among others. As I've known the actual person behind the Cassidy pseudonym online for many years now and have read and reviewed many of her books under her real name, I knew such blatant plagiarism simply *was not* possible. Not the author I've known for so long. And yet... I *knew* I had read this story weeks earlier, back when I last reviewed this author's 2024 release under her real name.
And yet... I had *ZERO* record that I had already read this book. Which is statistically damn near as close to zero as you can get, as I have *extensive* record keeping about literally every book I read in *numerous* different places.
I have an Excel file where I have three different sheets containing different data about every book, and I mark each sheet as I complete a given book. I download the cover to my phone and then create two separate images - one with my Hardcover.app profile on the side and one without - with my rating of the book on both. I then post the one without in a Facebook group on my personal profile where we keep track of all the books the group reads. I then Facebook Messenger my reader profile both images. I then save both images in a particular folder on my computer. Then I begin to actually write the review in Hardcover.app. I then copy the text of the review into Goodreads, BookHype.com, BookBub.com (if the book is there), TheStoryGraph.com, NetGalley.com (if the book came from there, as both the earlier book under this author's real name and this book did), my blog, and at least two separate Facebook reader groups, and I'm trying to get better about making it at least three. (My own group there, Reader Garage, as well as at least Readers Coffeehouse and I'm trying to get better about My Book Friends). I then finish out my review on my blog with imagery and some links, then post the links from my blog to the Hardcover.app review and to the NetGalley review. I then copy all of the other review site review links into the NetGalley review and submit that. Finally, I place the link to my blog review in my LinkTree and get the Hardcover version of the cover image out on my Twitter, Instagram, Threads, and Facebook Blog Page. I then share the Facebook Blog Page post publicly on my reader profile there.
So there are a LOT of places that *some* record of me reading this book back then *should* have existed in some form. 25 by my count, 26 counting the My Book Friends group.
And YET, I found record that I had read this book in just *ONE* of them - It had been removed from the Excel tab where I remove books as I complete them. Even this isn't conclusive, however, as I've been known to make mistakes and cut the wrong book from time to time over the years.
But y'all, I *KNOW* I read this book, and I even remember having the plan back in July, when I read the other book under this author's real name, that I would read this book immediately after - along with then doing the same thing with another author who had two books releasing around the same time as both of this author's books. (IIRC, the other author's first book released a week or so after "Cassidy"'s first book, and the other author's October book released last week, a week before this book.)
So what I *suspect* and *believe* happened - yet have almost exactly zero evidence of - is that I did in fact read this book back then. It is the only thing that makes sense with everything that I know to be true about everything surrounding this very weird experience. I then noticed that I simply had too many books releasing in August to follow through with my plans for working the other author in a similar manner, and clearly I somehow forgot to go through my review process for this book back then. I honestly have no idea what caused such a lapse, but such a lapse happening is the *only* thing that actually makes sense with everything else I know.
So there you have it. Even the "machines" of the book review space, as some authors have called me over the years, have our breaking points. It seems that August 2024 - whose books I did not fully clear until September 30, with my review of James Rollins' Arkangel - may have been too close to my own for comfort. But at least I'm on the back side of that, and some new opportunities are arising as I begin to slow down the ARC work that has kept me so busy for so many years now.
Hopefully y'all will continue to follow me on these new adventures... and hopefully you'll continue to follow Ms. Cassidy under both this identity and her real one. :)
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Compelling Companion. This book is more "companion" novel to Bleeker's 2023 novel When We Were Enemies than "sequel", in that only the prologue and epilogue feature the more modern timeline from the earlier book. The rest of this story is, well, the rest of the historical story found in pieces in the earlier book as our lead character there tries to piece together her family's past.
Bleeker does a remarkable job of continuing the story of survival she began in When We Were Enemies and continuing through WWII and the ensuing decades. And just when you think survival is all you get - and with some interesting foreshadowing bringing another well known tale into the narrative in a perfectly timed (both narrative wise and timeline wise) point - ... Bleeker manages to bring heavy amounts of dust into the room and absolutely *shatter* you, the reader. But this is done in almost literally the last pages and even words of this tale, so those who give up short of the finish line won't get to the best part of the tale overall... much like those who give up short of the goal line in most other things, come to think of it. :)
I've literally read everything Bleeker has written, from her powerful debut through this one, and this is easily near the top of her stack in ambition and overall storytelling. Bleeker has had others that may hit even harder (her 2015 debut, WRECKAGE), but this one shows a remarkable growth as a storyteller overall, able to write this in just a few months and make it flow so well with both its predecessor and within the times and worlds in which it inhabits in our "real" world.
Overall a truly excellent book, and very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Compelling Companion. This book is more "companion" novel to Bleeker's 2023 novel When We Were Enemies than "sequel", in that only the prologue and epilogue feature the more modern timeline from the earlier book. The rest of this story is, well, the rest of the historical story found in pieces in the earlier book as our lead character there tries to piece together her family's past.
Bleeker does a remarkable job of continuing the story of survival she began in When We Were Enemies and continuing through WWII and the ensuing decades. And just when you think survival is all you get - and with some interesting foreshadowing bringing another well known tale into the narrative in a perfectly timed (both narrative wise and timeline wise) point - ... Bleeker manages to bring heavy amounts of dust into the room and absolutely *shatter* you, the reader. But this is done in almost literally the last pages and even words of this tale, so those who give up short of the finish line won't get to the best part of the tale overall... much like those who give up short of the goal line in most other things, come to think of it. :)
I've literally read everything Bleeker has written, from her powerful debut through this one, and this is easily near the top of her stack in ambition and overall storytelling. Bleeker has had others that may hit even harder (her 2015 debut, WRECKAGE), but this one shows a remarkable growth as a storyteller overall, able to write this in just a few months and make it flow so well with both its predecessor and within the times and worlds in which it inhabits in our "real" world.
Overall a truly excellent book, and very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Updated a reading goal:
Read 52 books by December 31, 2022
Progress so far: 508 / 52 977%
Added to listOwnedwith 47 books.
Added to listOwnedwith 44 books.
Added to listARCs Currently TBRwith 34 books.
Solid Dallen. With A Cat. 😀 This is another excellent entrant in Dallen’s loosely coupled Friar Hollows series – meaning each book works well as a standalone, as long as you don’t mind expected spoilers of previous book leads being in relationships and making sporadic appearances. Hallmarkie-ish romance, with an element of cat vs dog person to boot – and some great hilarity around the cat in particular. Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Solid Dallen. With A Cat. 😀 This is another excellent entrant in Dallen’s loosely coupled Friar Hollows series – meaning each book works well as a standalone, as long as you don’t mind expected spoilers of previous book leads being in relationships and making sporadic appearances. Hallmarkie-ish romance, with an element of cat vs dog person to boot – and some great hilarity around the cat in particular. Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Fun, Fast, and Fluffy. This was a very light, very funny romance designed for the Hallmark Movie crowd but with elements that could draw in fans of the various home renovation shows all over TV (and even some streaming services) these days. Very fast read, without sleep catching up on me and Facebook being too addicting, I could have easily finished this book in 3 ish hrs. (As it was, I still finished in 12 - most of that asleep.) Book 2 in the series, but the main couple from the first book barely appears at all (indeed, the male half *doesn't* appear at all) and even the secondary couple in that book barely registers in this one. (The man in it is in this book for maybe one scene, the female is mostly just a convenient plot device to make introductions to other secondary characters.) In other words, can very easily be read as a stand-alone book. Not a lot of drama here, just a syrupy sweet romance where the most action even hinted at is hugs and kisses - so good for the "clean" crowd too. Given that Dallen surprised us with a brand new couple in this book, I'm very interested to see where she takes Book 3 in this series. Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Fun, Fast, and Fluffy. This was a very light, very funny romance designed for the Hallmark Movie crowd but with elements that could draw in fans of the various home renovation shows all over TV (and even some streaming services) these days. Very fast read, without sleep catching up on me and Facebook being too addicting, I could have easily finished this book in 3 ish hrs. (As it was, I still finished in 12 - most of that asleep.) Book 2 in the series, but the main couple from the first book barely appears at all (indeed, the male half *doesn't* appear at all) and even the secondary couple in that book barely registers in this one. (The man in it is in this book for maybe one scene, the female is mostly just a convenient plot device to make introductions to other secondary characters.) In other words, can very easily be read as a stand-alone book. Not a lot of drama here, just a syrupy sweet romance where the most action even hinted at is hugs and kisses - so good for the "clean" crowd too. Given that Dallen surprised us with a brand new couple in this book, I'm very interested to see where she takes Book 3 in this series. Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Perfectly Hallmark. If you're looking for the book version of a Hallmark Movie romance... you've found it. Funny yet angsty, with the classic clueless best friends and the friends that know before the best friends do. Perfectly zany ending. It aint deep, it aint earth shattering, but sometimes light and fun is ... perfectly... what you need. ;)
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Perfectly Hallmark. If you're looking for the book version of a Hallmark Movie romance... you've found it. Funny yet angsty, with the classic clueless best friends and the friends that know before the best friends do. Perfectly zany ending. It aint deep, it aint earth shattering, but sometimes light and fun is ... perfectly... what you need. ;)
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Dallen Strikes Again - With A Friend. This is my first book Meyer has been a part of, but I'm very familiar with Dallen's work (as my review history shows ;) ), and this reads very much like a solid Dallen HS romance. If any real difference was noted, it was that much of the drama was more internal and less relational (whereas a pure Dallen tale tends to have some internal but mostly relational to some degree). The ending was a bit interesting in that it began to play with the timeline a bit, which provides a nice little tease for the presumptive Book 2 in this series. So when can we get it? ;) Very much recommended.
Dallen Strikes Again - With A Friend. This is my first book Meyer has been a part of, but I'm very familiar with Dallen's work (as my review history shows ;) ), and this reads very much like a solid Dallen HS romance. If any real difference was noted, it was that much of the drama was more internal and less relational (whereas a pure Dallen tale tends to have some internal but mostly relational to some degree). The ending was a bit interesting in that it began to play with the timeline a bit, which provides a nice little tease for the presumptive Book 2 in this series. So when can we get it? ;) Very much recommended.
Solid Dallen. With A Cat. :D This is another excellent entrant in Dallen's loosely coupled Friar Hollows series - meaning each book works well as a standalone, as long as you don't mind expected spoilers of previous book leads being in relationships and making sporadic appearances. Hallmarkie-ish romance, with an element of cat vs dog person to boot - and some great hilarity around the cat in particular. Very much recommended.
Solid Dallen. With A Cat. :D This is another excellent entrant in Dallen's loosely coupled Friar Hollows series - meaning each book works well as a standalone, as long as you don't mind expected spoilers of previous book leads being in relationships and making sporadic appearances. Hallmarkie-ish romance, with an element of cat vs dog person to boot - and some great hilarity around the cat in particular. Very much recommended.
Review Of Retribution, Originally Written February 11, 2021:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
With Remorse. This is a book that has a lot of similarities to Tom Clancy's Without Remorse (soon to be in bastardized form on your screens), but a lot of key differences. As with the Clancy text, here we get to see a bit of a retired super spy/ assassin falling in love... before we see that ripped away in brutal fashion, with the spy surviving what the bad guys think has killed them. And as with the Clancy text, the rest of the tale is essentially the spy doing whatever it takes to send their lover's killer(s) straight to Hell - Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200. The key differences here are that while the Clancy text was more of a coda to an already existing character, this one is intentionally set up as Book 1 of a potential new series, and thus there are some of the standard-ish “book 1” mechanics of working to set up a universe, allowing a few plot threads to dangle, setting up an overarching mythos that can be strung out or wrapped up as the author (and, likely, sales) demand, etc. And arguably the real difference here is the lack of utter brutality in this text. Here, Steel is quite capable, and often underestimated - and we see her use her skills in situations that many might deem “less realistic”, but which are plausible enough to work within the story. Still extremely hard hitting and with a decent body count of bad guys genre readers expect, just nowhere near the outright savage brutality of the Clancy. But fans of Clancy, either long time or new ones picked up from the upcoming movie, will do themselves a great service in reading this book. Very much recommended.
Review of Collateral Damage, Originally Written September 30, 2022:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Explosive Spy / Revenge Thriller. When we catch up with our heroine of the series in this book, she is hiding and hurting – but still righting wrongs where she sees them, in badass and brutally effective fashion. And shortly thereafter, she gets roped into yet another mission that turns out to not be as it seems, which leads to even more action which tends to also be brutally effective at times. Yet again Sneeden does an excellent job of providing a seemingly shortish (no official page count as I type this review, but it *felt* like it was in the sub-300 page area) bit of pure escapism, this time highlighting various areas of Europe in the process. Perfect for fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher or J.M. LeDuc’s Sinclair O’Malley, or (sadly now late) Matthew Mather’s Delta Devlin. Very much recommended.
Review of Dark Reckoning, Originally Written October 11, 2024:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Explosive From Start To Finish. This is one of those books that starts out as a somewhat classic spy caper - someone is trying to flee from their home country with hyper sensitive material (and knowledge) and is doing the whole "take two steps. stop. turn right and go 3 steps. stop." thing trying to avoid detection and give the authorities the slip.
But then it takes about 1/3 of the book to get back to that... because we're now involved in *another* spy thriller such that both will come together - and get even more explosive when they do - but now we need to get back to our series heroine, Ms. Drenna Steel, and find out what she is doing and how she is going to get involved with the first scene.
No matter where we are in the tale, the bad guys are always a shadow away and it is up to Ms. Steel and her allies to keep the good guys safe and handle the bad guys... well, in the manner in which bad guys get handled in such tales. ;)
But then that ending. Wow. On several different levels. Yet again, Sneeden manages to make you want the next book... how about right freaking NOW?!?!?!?!
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Review Of Retribution, Originally Written February 11, 2021:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
With Remorse. This is a book that has a lot of similarities to Tom Clancy's Without Remorse (soon to be in bastardized form on your screens), but a lot of key differences. As with the Clancy text, here we get to see a bit of a retired super spy/ assassin falling in love... before we see that ripped away in brutal fashion, with the spy surviving what the bad guys think has killed them. And as with the Clancy text, the rest of the tale is essentially the spy doing whatever it takes to send their lover's killer(s) straight to Hell - Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200. The key differences here are that while the Clancy text was more of a coda to an already existing character, this one is intentionally set up as Book 1 of a potential new series, and thus there are some of the standard-ish “book 1” mechanics of working to set up a universe, allowing a few plot threads to dangle, setting up an overarching mythos that can be strung out or wrapped up as the author (and, likely, sales) demand, etc. And arguably the real difference here is the lack of utter brutality in this text. Here, Steel is quite capable, and often underestimated - and we see her use her skills in situations that many might deem “less realistic”, but which are plausible enough to work within the story. Still extremely hard hitting and with a decent body count of bad guys genre readers expect, just nowhere near the outright savage brutality of the Clancy. But fans of Clancy, either long time or new ones picked up from the upcoming movie, will do themselves a great service in reading this book. Very much recommended.
Review of Collateral Damage, Originally Written September 30, 2022:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Explosive Spy / Revenge Thriller. When we catch up with our heroine of the series in this book, she is hiding and hurting – but still righting wrongs where she sees them, in badass and brutally effective fashion. And shortly thereafter, she gets roped into yet another mission that turns out to not be as it seems, which leads to even more action which tends to also be brutally effective at times. Yet again Sneeden does an excellent job of providing a seemingly shortish (no official page count as I type this review, but it *felt* like it was in the sub-300 page area) bit of pure escapism, this time highlighting various areas of Europe in the process. Perfect for fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher or J.M. LeDuc’s Sinclair O’Malley, or (sadly now late) Matthew Mather’s Delta Devlin. Very much recommended.
Review of Dark Reckoning, Originally Written October 11, 2024:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Explosive From Start To Finish. This is one of those books that starts out as a somewhat classic spy caper - someone is trying to flee from their home country with hyper sensitive material (and knowledge) and is doing the whole "take two steps. stop. turn right and go 3 steps. stop." thing trying to avoid detection and give the authorities the slip.
But then it takes about 1/3 of the book to get back to that... because we're now involved in *another* spy thriller such that both will come together - and get even more explosive when they do - but now we need to get back to our series heroine, Ms. Drenna Steel, and find out what she is doing and how she is going to get involved with the first scene.
No matter where we are in the tale, the bad guys are always a shadow away and it is up to Ms. Steel and her allies to keep the good guys safe and handle the bad guys... well, in the manner in which bad guys get handled in such tales. ;)
But then that ending. Wow. On several different levels. Yet again, Sneeden manages to make you want the next book... how about right freaking NOW?!?!?!?!
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.