Cassandra
Borrowed via Kindle Unlimited. I enjoyed this book, but I'd like the ending to be a little different. That's just where my head was going, I guess. Couldn't wait to continue on with the series. Love it!
This was an enchanting story and I liked it a lot. There were a few places where the story went on a political tangent and it was enriching, but some instances caused me to become so extremely outraged at the cruelty and inhumanity that I had to take a break from reading for the rest of the day, I even skipped a day twice, because I was really upset. I will not forget this book. This was the first book I read from this author and I'm an instant follower and fan now. I can't wait to read more of his work.
Here on GoodReads you can read a synopsis of the book so my reviews don't go into all that. There's a chance I'll say too much and spoil it for you so I'll just tell you what I thought about it. I hope that's copacetic enough for you.
I was so wrapped up in this story! I almost couldn't put my Book of the Month copy down and it sure got a little strange at the end so I dared myself not to. I just had to know what was going on! This one takes the reader down a spiral of ‘What just happened?' and you may not recover from it unless you're one who appreciates the storyteller. You find yourself wishing you had paid special attention to all the details. You begin to question every assumption you made because you just knew you had it all figured out and even if you did have a few things guessed right I'll bet you were still a good way off from what it's really about. It might even have ticked you off that you were wrong. That, my friend, is the clever artistry by which Tarryn Fisher weaves her stories. I am one of those readers who can't get enough of that. Here it is a month after I finished The Wives and I'm still thinking about it. Thanks for the ride, Tarryn!
I have had to rewrite this review several times because there was a glitch with the Goodreads mobile app. Now that I have my working laptop, I'll convey my thoughts on this book from memory. It was a rating of 3.75, but I've rounded it up to 4 since there are no fractions of stars here. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical aspect of this book. I haven't read many books during this era but I really like this one and plan to look for more since I enjoyed it so much. I also would like to read more from this author, she did an excellent job on Baby Doe's story. I definitely recommend it to friends who enjoy historical fiction stories.
Quirky & Fun book
2 & 3/4 Stars. This one, Flirting With the Frenemy, was a little quirky, but I liked it ok. I want to read all the books in the Bro Code series so this one was a must for me.
☐ No place like home: Read a book that appears in your Goodreads newsfeed.
☐ Reading roulette: Read the third book you see on your Want to Read shelf.
I really enjoyed The Unhoneymooners and will definitely read more by this writing team. This book was recommended to me by a few friends who gave it high ratings.
Summer Reading Challenge:
- It takes two: Read a coauthored book.
-In the friend zone: Read a book that a friend has recommended.
The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey is enchanting and brilliant! I chose this as one of my December ‘19 BOTM selections. I also purchased the Audible version to accompany it. I became so fond of the perfect narration by the lovely Imogen Church, one of my favorite narrators, that I took my time to listen and read simultaneously.
The story centers around the retelling of a romance that begins one fateful night in the summer of 1925 between Selina, the youngest daughter in an aristocratic British family, and Lawrence, a handsome artist from the other side of the tracks. The attraction and love they feel for each other is electric and magical. The antics of Selina and her friends are paparazzi fodder so the lovers must find stolen moments away from the limelight.
A decade later, while Selina and her husband are away, she decides to lead her 9 year old daughter Alice on a treasure hunt via letters she has carefully designed to tell Alice the story. This is done with the help of one of the household staff named Polly who is caring for Alice at Selina's parents' estate.
This book made me cry several times, but it also made my heart sing. The writing is so beautiful and brilliant that I felt like I was there. I could almost hear the music and feel the electricity in the air as I was reading. I couldn't put this book down and will definitely be recommending it to my friends.
That Second Chance was a cute story to read while being summoned to a hospital bed all week. I really needed something romantic and light. I fell in love with each character and look forward to reading the adventures of the Knightly clan. I'm sure this is closer to a 3.5 star rating for me, but with whole stars available, I'll have to concede with 3. The story was a tad too trite and predictable to be a 4 star IMHO, but I did enjoy it just fine. Meghan Quinn's books are available on Kindle Unlimited.
I chose this book as one of my BOTM selections and I borrowed the audiobook from my library with Libby. The audiobook was narrated well. The book was very entertaining and the ending is so shocking! I never expected half of it. Perhaps that is due to how far-fetched it was - in a good way. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys themselves a good thriller or horror.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It's one of those stories where you don't really know what's going on until the last couple of chapters and then it all unfolds like you could never have imagined, but it all falls together seamlessly. Some of it I realized, of course, like who was causing the ‘problems' for the protagonist, but there were so many key components that led up to this and there was another ‘out of nowhere' background story where you say to yourself, “Wow! I never in a million years expected that!”. I read the hardback version that I got from Book of the Month for August 2019. I also had the privilege of listening to the audio book simultaneously via Scribd. The narrator, Imogene Church, is incredible - one of the best. I'm becoming a real Ruth Ware fan and I can't wait for her next book!
I purchased the Kindle version of Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle on Amazon and simultaneously listened to the audiobook which I borrowed from the library via the Libby app. I really enjoyed this book, but there were a few trigger moments for me so it wasn't the easiest read, by any means, and it was so very realistic that I had to step away and regroup a couple of times. However, I believe the sensitive situations and how the story unfolds made it all better in the end and is why I gave it 5 stars.
I would definitely recommend this book to others. I would caution you from watching any YouTube reviews or reading blog reviews beforehand. Please do check them out afterward, because there really are some good ones, but when I was trying to decide which Kimberly Belle book I was going to pick up next, I watched 2 that promised no spoilers, but they failed. Their choices for casting gave away one of the biggest twists in the book. I was disappointed about these spoilers so I'm giving a warning. ;) Hope you pick this up and enjoy it.
This was a fast read and I enjoyed it. The story is about a female firefighter and I looked forward to reading it because I've always been interested in the firefighter job and lifestyle. How do they accommodate the co-ed living situation, for example? I imagined there was prejudice from the men when a women came into their ranks and this book is all about that. It was really good.
2019 Summer Reading Challenge:
Continental drift: Read a book set in every continent - this book was set in North America.
Back to school: Read a book about a subject you don't know much about.
I bought the hardcover copy and Audible version, but when I saw the Kindle copy for less than $5, and that Whispersync for voice was available, I went for it. The story was good and I liked the main characters, plus there were some good lessons, too. I just had issues with the way Leon's part was written so I struggled with rating it higher.
OK yes, this book did have some cheesy moments but I think that's pretty much expected just by the title and cover; however, it was a really cute story. It also had some funny moments and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I borrowed the book via Kindle Unlimited (Audible version included).
It has been some time since I read these first books in The Folk of the Air series, but I wanted to read this because it's Taryn's POV. I was a little curious to know where she got her motivation to do all the things she did and why she was so awful. Yes, it does give perspective, but Jude went through all the crap, (and more) so it doesn't really excuse Taryn. Anyway, I'm just checking off another piece of this series. I would recommend reading this if you're reading the Folk of the Air books, but it's not required. It would have been nice if this had been added as an epilogue within the Queen of Nothing eBook.
This was incredible story! I started getting teary-eyed towards the end of the book, not only because of what I was reading, but that I was on the last chapter and I didn't want it to end. I read this with Kindle Unlimited, but I'm going now to purchase the Kindle copy and Audible version to keep. The Audible version was fantastic! If I hear that Amy Harmon is coming to do book signings near me, I will definitely be going to get myself a signed copy! I'd love to thank her in person for bringing so much reading pleasure to my boring life. (lol... not kidding!) I know my T.B.R. list is daunting, but I'm going to look for more of Harmon's books now. This book has made a fan out of me.
I enjoyed this book by Peter Swanson, and I'd like to read more of his work. I purchased the hardback copy from Book of the Month [March 2019] and I also bought the Audible version, which was really good. The story was exciting, but I was pretty upset with myself when I figured out the twist early on. The way it was revealed in the story and that scene would have been so much better to have found out that way. It was an easy read so I was able to finish it in 1 day. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers with almost heroic bad guys. They really mess with your head, don't they?
I just finished reading Coptown and it wasn't really my favorite book by Karin Slaughter, but it was still really good. I'm a big fan of her work, so I have been buying and stockpiling her books this year. This one was a little nostalgic for me because I lived in Metro Atlanta in the 70's, and although I was a kid back then, I still remember most of the areas and landmarks in this book. Some of them no longer exist, but Slaughter did a great job of bringing them back to life for me.
Some of the messages in this book were very good, but I was not a fan of any of the characters so that's the main reason why I couldn't get into it so well. Also, I was in the Neurotrauma ICU getting treatment for a CSF leak when I was reading it so I wasn't in the best head space. Overall, it was a good read.
After sleeping on it, I changed my rating on this book from a 2 to a 3 because it did keep me reading, but I still feel a little unsatisfied.
2019 Summer Reading Challenge:
New voices: Read a debut novel.
I wanted to read this book before it even came out, because reading the synopsis was right up my alley. However, I watched some vlogs and read reviews online that led me to believe it wasn't going to be as good as I was hoping it would be so I passed on it. Now I'm kicking myself for waiting almost a whole year on it! I should have trusted Reese! I almost always like her picks and this book was no exception. This was such a romantic love story and it had me crying, laughing, and pacing as I read it! It was painful in parts and to watch the pure emotion unfold was tormenting to read, yes, but that's what made it so good! Josie Silver did such a great job on this, her very first book. I'm a new fan! This will make an incredible movie or mini-series. I fell in love with the main characters in this book and I was so hooked on their story that I read this book every hour I wasn't sleeping or working the past 2 days. Now that I'm done, I miss these characters. I really would like to see a part 2 to the story.
This is my review of Three Days Missing by Kimberly Belle - it's not a synopsis of the book. You can get the publisher's intended description or GoodReads' version by clicking on the book image or title.
I purchased the Kindle and Audible versions so I could read and listen simultaneously. One reason why I do this is because I'm not coordinated enough anymore to walk while holding a book in front of my face and some books just can't be put down. ;) Another reason why I do this is because, with my A.D.D., it's necessary to read the words and hear them audibly in my ear so I can drown out all the noise and distractions around me.
This book was very good! There were a few things I expected to unfold, but that's more of my imagination going wild than anything else. The character development was good, and although I had sympathy for the mothers, I didn't care for them much. I figured out who the culprit behind the boy going missing was, but the author kept me guessing for a little while. I can usually figure things out not too far into any book, but when an author as talented as Kimberly Belle weaves such an intriguing story line like this, it keeps you guessing and questioning every determination you make.
I would definitely recommend this book!