drama

Review: After the End by Clare Mackintosh

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This was such a great story, and so very different from what you’d expect.

The illness of a child, something that parents don’t even want to imagine. But here it is, Max and Pip dealing with the harsh reality of Dylan’s cancer. And even when things are very bad, they still believe that it has to get better.

It doesn’t get better, though. And if the doctors are to be believed, it won’t ever get better. So Max and Pip are faced with a decision that no parent should ever have to make. What happens if they decide differently?

This much alone makes this such a deeply compelling story. But the author does something unexpected. We are presented with two different endings, two different paths the story could have taken. And the most intriguing part is, we never truly find out which was the actual outcome. It leaves you wondering, which in this case is a great thing!

~Thalia

Buy It Now: After the End

Review: The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter

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I don’t know how this one slipped by me. I love Karin Slaughter and always greedily snatch up her latest books. And yet I missed this one…

A shocking crime. A mother and her two daughters are held at gunpoint, victims of a revenge crime. Some escape, one does not. But nobody comes out of this tragedy unscathed.

Flash forward twenty plus years. Another shocking crime, and Charlie finds herself involved yet again. This time, not so much a victim. Still, old memories come rushing to the surface.

Once again, the author has written a can’t-put-it-down kind of story. It’s fast-paced, has great characters, and includes a few little twists and turns. Everything you’d want in a thriller!

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The Good Daughter

Review: The Year They Fell by David Kreizman

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Preschoolers become the best of friends, along with their parents. Preschoolers grow up and go through a multitude of dramas and changes along the way to becoming high schoolers. No longer friends, but not enemies either. Just casualties of life happening.

And then tragedy strikes. When a plane carrying all, actually almost all, of their parents crashes they find themselves thrown together to deal with the aftermath.

A good story, delves deeply into teenage emotions. Be prepared to suspend your disbelief for part of it, but overall enjoyable.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The Year They Fell

Review: How to Love a Duke in Ten Days by Kerrigan Byrne

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It’s a new series by Kerrigan Byrne!!! And what a beginning this was. When I first found out she was writing a new series I was thrilled. I love her Victorian Rebels series, so I was dying to dive into this new one.

This author is another auto buy for me, and one that I don’t read the blurbs beforehand. I like to go in blind. So when I read the inscription, I wondered if this book was going to give me all the feels. And the I read the prologue. Not for the faint of heart. Gripping and heart racing beginning.

Alexandra Lane has held onto this secret for 10 years. Guilt, shame and fear have been her constant companions. My heart broke for her. Having to live like that, I wanted to reach in the pages and give her a hug. She was so strong but yet she needed someone stronger to set her free.

I adored Piers. SO MUCH. He needs to find a bride, and have an heir, in order seek revenge on his cousin. When he agrees to marry Alexandra, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. Secrets threaten to keep them from his ultimate goal but he’s determined to win her and succeed.

The chemistry was sizzling between these two. I was loving their interactions. She’s used to being surrounded by men so she has a strong wit that keeps him engaged. Their passion was off the charts. Piers was made for her. He was strong and determined to help discover her secrets and help her move past them.

The side characters are a riot! I am so looking forward to their stories. The friendship bond these girls have is strong and I know they will be there for each other till their dying breaths.

I need the next book!!

~Melpomene

Grab book one in this series here: https://amzn.to/2F49d5I

Review: All the Flowers in Paris by Sarah Jio

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So much love for this one. It has everything I enjoy in a historical tale…World War II era, secrets, romance, danger, and a meshing of old and new.

It starts with Caroline waking up in the hospital. She has no memory of her past life, so she’s left to piece together what she can. What she discovers is, she wasn’t a very happy person. Along the way, she begins to uncover the story of another.

Celine is a young window in Nazi occupied Germany. Her only concern is keeping her father and young daughter safe. The letters she leaves behind tell her sad story.

This is an outstanding addition to the genre of historical fiction. Five stars for me!

~Thalia

Buy It Now: All the Flowers in Paris

Review: The Wolf Wants In by Laura McHugh

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What a richly woven, compelling story this one was. It starts off with a death, an unexpected one for sure, but still a suspicious death to Shane’s family. From there it spirals into a complex tale of family loyalty, secrets, suspicions, and bonds too strong to be broken. Bouncing back and forth between two time periods, the author gives us a glimpse into the events right before Shane’s death. Because Sadie just can’t let it go, she’s drawn deeper and deeper into a part of her brother’s life that she wasn’t a part of. It’s a mystery, yes, and a bit of a detective story as well. But the story is so well-written, the characters so fully developed, that it reads nothing like the procedural pieces we’ve come to expect from the genre. Definitely five stars!

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The Wolf Wants In

Review: Quiet Man by Kristen Ashley

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Novellas are always hard to rate. They’re usually too short to be too emotionally awesome. Now a KA novella, those are in a league of their own. Definitely worth the five stars.

Mo and Lottie’s sorry was short and sexy and just the right length. I am so happy she got her dream man. She deserved happiness just like the rest of the Rock Chicks. It was so fun to see Lottie take center stage and not get swallowed up by the craziness of those girls. She gets lost in the shuffle sometimes. She was due to have her own HEA.

Mo was the perfect man for her. It’s like he was made for her. I love everything about him. He was strong and yet insecure at times. I like that in a hero, his realness. I liked being in his head. He was definitely a riot at times.

And can we talk about his buds? They are gonna be so fun to watch! The way they all responded to her and accepted her made my heart squeeze. They all have their quirks and she knows exactly how to work with them. She now has more “brothers” than she knows what to do with. I am happy for her.

And of course the epilogue was amazing as ever. Kristen Ashley is the queen of the epilogue so there was never any doubt.

So I didn’t get a Hot Bunch Guy.
I got my Dream Man.
And the best of all that…
My Dream Man got his Dream Girl.

This is the start of a new spin off of sorts and I can’t WAIT to get more!! I love these new guys!

~Melpomene

Click pic to buy

Review: Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood

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T. Greenwood has done it again. She’s written a story so complex, so emotional that it sticks with you long after the last page has been turned.

The year is 1969. A different time, different beliefs. Ginny is heartbroken when her newborn is ripped from her arms and given over to a “special school” before she even knows what’s happening. Her husband, Ab, and his father convince her it’s for the best. After all, what do they know about raising a child with Down Syndrome?

So Ginny tries to move on. She continues to be a good wife and mother to their other child. But Lucy is always in her heart and on her mind. Then she sees an article on Willowridge, the school where Lucy has been sent. And the stories coming from Willowridge are not good.

Acting on instinct, she takes a trip to see it for herself. What she sees isn’t good. It certainly isn’t a place anyone should willingly want their child to live. Determined to save Lucy this time, she sets out on a cross country journey while trying to convince Ab that their baby belongs at home with them. Along the way she finds that, while Lucy may have been out of her hands for the last two years, she’s never been out of her heart.

This is another outstanding story from one of my favorite authors. It’s heartbreaking but also historical in that it captures the attitudes from the time period perfectly. It’s a story of despair and hope, a story of family and love. This is one I won’t soon forget!

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Keeping Lucy

Review: The Secret Letter by Debbie Rix

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Trust me when I say, this one does come together at the end. There’s a lot going on, and a long cast of characters to keep straight.

There’s young Magda in Germany, struggling and rebelling against the war. And there’s young Imogene in Europe, trying to concentrate on school while bombs fall all around her. And we have downed English pilots and Nazi officers. Oh and don’t forget the past and present narrative.

But yes, it’s worth it.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The Secret Letter

Review: The Red Ribbon by Lucy Adlington

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Looking for your next can’t-put-it-down book? If historical fiction’s your thing, this one from Lucy Adlington is perfect.

Presenting yet another take on WWII fiction, this tale takes us into the world of a young seamstress caught up in a Nazi concentration camp. It has tragedy and triumph, hope and despair, friendship and loneliness.

Fans of WWII era stories, grab this five-star read!

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The Red Ribbon