drama

Review: Cop Town by Karin Slaughter

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15251769_201403042048I love Karin Slaughter. She’s one of those authors whose new releases I always look forward to. Her Grant County series and Will Trent series exemplify crime writing at its finest. So it was with great anticipation that I began her latest novel, Cop Town.

The year is 1974. The place, Atlanta. The story revolves around two female police officers. There’s Maggie Lawson who’s been on the force for a few years and comes from a family of officers. Then there’s Kate Murphy, a rookie fresh out of training. Kate’s not prepared for the outright hostility aimed at females on the force, while Maggie has grown used to it. There’s unrest from every imaginable angle. Racism, sexism, religious bigotry are all at work. The “good ole boy” network is alive and well in Atlanta. Amidst all this turmoil a new danger lurks. Someone is killing Atlanta’s finest, execution style. When Maggie’s brother, Jimmy, almost becomes a victim, the danger hits too close to home.

Although the mystery/crime part of this book was good, it’s the character development and attention to detail that really carried the story for me. The author creates such a vivid, bleak picture of Atlanta during this time period, an era when civil rights and women’s rights were still freshly recognized. It’s hard for us to believe that these conditions ever existed but rationally we know it to be true. The characters are complex and go much deeper than first impressions imply. With the hand of an outstanding author, even some of the most unlikeable characters somehow redeem themselves by the end of the story.

Was this as good as Slaughter’s other books for me? No, but Will Trent and the gang set the bar exceptionally high. Still, it’s a good solid story with enough suspense to pull you in from the first couple of pages. I would love to see this one become the first in a new series.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Cop Town: A Novel

Review: Fast Track by Julie Garwood

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When you’re already laughing and crying in the first quarter of a book, you know it’s a good one. Once I got through my tears, Garwood had me on the edge of my seat. Fast Track was fast-moving through to the end, I’ll tell ya.

The complex plot included terrific friendships, happy couples, an impending romance, secret agents (well, two special agents and one guy who couldn’t be pigeonholed) and a family driven so deeply by greed that it colored black the relationships with their own blood! I loved every minute of the suspense.

The friendship among the women was good – they were real with each other. The guys related to each other pretty realistically, too. I didn’t love the hero… he had some personality quirks that just weren’t for me… but in the end his redeeming qualities shone through. The heroine was a strong woman who became a bit submissive when interacting with the love of her life – an annoying but understandable part of the story.

I struggled a bit with a few rambly parts … wordy pages here and there and some lengthy descriptions that I glossed over. I also noticed quite a bit of telling instead of showing. Besides that, the beautifully thought-out plot overwhelmed any shortcomings in the writing.

-calliope

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Review: I’ll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

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20140707-124504-45904477.jpgI could not put this book down. Because it’s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. And she’s amazing.

This is the story of Sam and Emily. From the moment they meet, they realize they’re destined to be together. But there are problems. Sam and Emily don’t just come from different backgrounds. They come from entirely different worlds.

Sam and his little brother, Riddle, have been on the run with their thieving, murdering father since they were little. They haven’t seen their mom since the day they were loaded into the car and basically abducted by dear old dad. Traveling from town to town, they only stay long enough to exhaust the supply of people to victimize. Sam’s guarded and shy, and his only goal in life is to look out for Riddle who has been stuck in his own little world since he was a baby.

And then there’s Emily. She’s lovely beyond belief in both body and spirit. She comes from a good family, has plenty of friends, and doesn’t lack for male admirers. She has a happy, if somewhat uneventful, life. All that changes when fate intervenes and she sees Sam sitting in the back of the church as she sings one Sunday morning. And then everything changes. He becomes her everything, her reason for being. And he begins to live for someone other than his little brother.

But of course love is never easy, and in this story it’s downright dangerous. Sam keeps his family secrets close to his heart, although he finds it harder to do so as Emily’s family embraces both Sam and Riddle. They feed them, love them, and provide that emotional support that’s been missing in their lives. Just when we think that everyone might actually get their happily ever after, dear old dad decides they’ve been in one place for long enough. With nary a glance behind him, he once again uproots the boys and hits the road.

So this is is far as I’m going to go. To find out how the story ends, you’ll have to read the book. And read it you should. These are characters that you’ll find yourself pulling for, laughing with, and weeping inside over. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to read the sequel…

~Thalia

Buy It Now: I’ll Be There

Review: Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian

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20140426-172618.jpgPredictability in an author is a good thing, but so is the unknown. I enjoy knowing what I’m in for when I read a new selection by a favorite writer. But it’s so much better when an author delivers something different yet equally amazing with each new novel. Chris Bohjalian is just such an author. With this latest work, he once again has gone off course in a delightful way for me.

Emily Shepard doesn’t have a picture perfect life. Her parents drink and argue too much and are miserable with their lives in Vermont. Emily “fails to live up to her potential” according to counselors at her school. She’s always right on the edge of things, flirting around with major trouble. Still, she lives in a nice home, loves writing in her journals, and adores her dog Maggie. Then it all begins to fall apart in a matter of hours. The nuclear power plant where both of her parents work has a meltdown, killing her parents and scores of other people. Her town is declared radioactive, and to make matters worse everyone blames her father for the devastating accident. So Emily does the only thing she knows to do. She flees her small town and heads to Burlington where she joins the ranks of homeless teenagers trying to survive. Hooking, stealing, using drugs, cutting…Emily experiences it all during the few short months she’s on the streets. If not for the love of a lost little boy she might have stayed there. But one tragic event leads to another and she eventually finds herself back on the road to home, to confront her emotional demons as well as whatever physical ones might remain.

This book started off well, pulling me in very early on. It proceeded nicely if somewhat uneventfully for about the first half. Then the story built to a crescendo, ending on a high note. Especially memorable for me is the moment when the reader finds out the meaning behind the title. If anything was missing for me, it would be that I was left with a few questions about some of the major characters. But still, sometimes it’s better to be left wondering than to be given an ending that you don’t like.

~Thalia

Buy it Now: Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands: A Novel

Review: The Girls of August by Anne Rivers Siddons

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This would be a fantastic book to listen to in the car on the way to the beach for a week. Or while basking in the sun on your back deck. It’s a beach read… about the beach and its freedom and isolation and peace.

I admit I went into this book expecting something heavy. Instead I found an easygoing story about four women who get together for two weeks at the beach. The catch is, one woman is the new girl. The other three don’t let her forget it, and make her life miserable until personal tragedies bring them all together.

The Girls of August leaves many loose ends: we don’t know what happens with the health of two of the women, or the marriages of the other two. We never find out what happens to the island natives, or to the land that was supposedly left to one of the husbands. We don’t know if there’s a next vacation planned or a wedding.

I’m uncomfortable finishing a book without closure. I felt like I read a short story that was supposed to share a moral or a theme, but left the plot hanging.

However, The Girls of August has the wonderful redemptive quality of authentic friendships and introversion. These ladies were real with each other. They were snarky and sarcastic and bitter and loving and comforting and witty. They used the quiet of the beach to peel away their layers and discover themselves – not the women other people *expected * them to be, but who they really were. These women didn’t necessarily change, they just figured out who they were and who they were going to be from now on.

–Calliope

buy THE GIRLS OF AUGUST

Review: The City by Dean Koontz

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thecityIt’s been many years since I’ve read any Dean Koontz….okay…by many I mean at least 20….oh dear, I am getting so old! Without going into just how stupid I am, I was a bit confused at the start of this book….this was in NO WAY Koontz’s FAULT….it was my own….When it started to make sense to me…well….I still wasn’t swept away with the story. It was interesting….but a bit long-winded to me…However, at about 30% into it, I fell in love. This goes to show that it doesn’t matter what the story is…..how bad it is….how good it is…..if a character wins your heart…well….the book owns you….

Don’t get me wrong…this isn’t a bad story….there is one bit that doesn’t really tie in for me….The mysterious lady from the 6th floor really is never fully explained to my satisfaction…and no, I won’t go into this as I hate spoilers!

However, the tenant from the 4th floor absolutely won my heart over….He wasn’t the main character….but he was the one that completely owned my heart…

I enjoyed this story, but I can’t say that it really reminded me of the Koontz that I used to read…and if not for the love I felt for the gentleman I have mentioned, I believe that I would have liked the story alright, but could not have been motivated to review it or to give it a second thought after finishing the final page….

There is a bit of the supernatural going on in the novel, but it is not heavy…and it’s certainly not horror….more suspenseful than scary….

This is a story told Jonah Ellington Basie Hines Eldridge Wilson Hampton Armstrong Kirk……yes…..that’s correct….please don’t make me repeat it….let’s just make it easier on all of us and say Jonah….

Jonah is an older man when this story begins…it begins when a friend tells him he needs to talk about his life…..he asks if this includes “the dark stuff” and is told that “the dark stuff” needs to be included as well…..so Jonah starts to tell his story….he mostly goes back to when he was 9-11 years old and the events that occurred during this time…We meet his parents, and his grandparents and many others that reside in “The City”…..in the end we learn that it is not really the buildings and the location that makes a true city….A city is made up by the people who live within it….

I realise that this might sound very simple….and kinda boring…..but hey ho….weren’t you paying attention at all when I said that there is a character in here that makes the entire book worth your time? Go on…..stop reading this looking for spoilers….you won’t find any here…..all you’ll find is my recommendation that you should give this one by Koontz a read…..move on now…nothing more for you here…..go get the book…..go on…move it…..shoo….

Until next time….

Urania xx

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review

Buy it now The City by Dean Koontz

Review: Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith

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20140321-194407.jpgAs much as I love reading with every fiber of my being, I’ll be the first to admit that the majority of my reading choices don’t lean towards the very deep or especially thought-provoking. This one was a complete departure from that typical experience.

Martin Grey is an up and coming lawyer who has everything going for him. He and his best friend own their own rising law firm. He has a beautiful wife he adores. And he’s just won the biggest case of his career. Now he’s asked to become part of the club-a group of elite, prestigious men who also happen to all be black. In fact, that’s a requirement for acceptance into this secret group. In a twisted attempt at avenging the crimes committed against their ancestors, these pillars of society have reversed the roles of slavery. At a hidden compound deep in the forest, they are the masters and abducted Caucasian men and women are the slaves. Although Martin is horrified by what he discovers, he quickly realizes that simply walking away is not an option. These men will stop at nothing to preserve their twisted secret. Will Martin survive?

Forty Acres was such an emotional, thought-provoking book for me that I had to let it simmer in my heart and soul for a few days before even attempting to write a review. I knew I wanted to say great things about this story, but at the same time I wanted to make sure my words did the story justice. The content is sure to stir up some controversy, and that alone is a good enough reason to add this one to your next book club list. It forces the reader to ask deep questions of both their own feelings and those of our society in general. Have we come as far in the area of equal rights as we’d like to believe? Is there justification in feeling slighted because of the actions of people from previous generations? And can we truly ever say that the past is behind us? For me personally the answer is no. This book reminds us that there is always danger in letting ourselves forget the sins of the past. Grab this one and settle in for quite a ride!

~Thalia

Buy it Now: Forty Acres: A Thriller

Review: The Promise by Robyn Carr

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20140623-230542-83142578.jpg Robyn Carr, you’ve done it! You’ve created a Thunder Point novel that I fell in love with, just as I fell in love with the Virgin River books. The Promise was SO satisfying. From the small-town doctor’s office to the big-time ex-boyfriend cardiologist, from the romantic tension between widower Scott and newcomer Peyton to the comfortable companionship of Carrie and Rawley, I was completely taken by The Promise.

I was glad Carr took the time to give me her usual update on characters from past books, and even happier that this installment centered on a romantic relationship or two. Or three. I was pleasantly surprised to find Rawley making a move … And making no apologies for it!

Some of the most fun parts to read were of Peyton’s visits to her family farm. I could feel her joy and relief when she stepped foot on the property: a place of safety, respite, love, and dancing! Peyton’s family was warm and embracing, a lovely counterpart to the misunderstandings and dilemmas facing Peyton. And the food… Ohmygoodness my mouth was watering. I wasn’t even hungry and I was jonesing for a fresh baked baguette, olive oil, and just-picked tomatoes.

The Promise really has it all: food, family, fun, love … oh! and two new babies. Irresistible. I’ll read it again unless Book 6 is waiting in the wings.

Ms. Carr? Possible publish date for book 6? Hello?

-Calliope

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Review: The Same but Different by Serena Clarke

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The beautiful thing about book titles is that they seem to mean one thing at first, and then you finish the book and realize they could mean a whole bunch of other things.

Cady and Shelby are twins – the same but different, yeah? There’s a death in the family and they decide to travel from the UK to the US… and join a flash mob thingy called Flashpoint. While they’re there, they look for their biological dad, and run into two women also named Cady and Shelby -the same but different, again! And by the end of their US adventure, Cady and Shelby grow and develop and peel away layers until they themselves are different… yet the same.

I thought this book would be straight up romance or chick lit, but it was really much more. There was suspense, adventure, family drama, more family drama, and yep, some romance. It was refreshing to read such a well-rounded story, kind of along the lines of a Nora Roberts novel. I’m used to so much straightforward chick lit romance that I forget how satisfying a good, substantial story can be. A big Thank You to Serena Clarke for reminding me. 🙂

–Calliope

buy THE SAME BUT DIFFERENT

Review: That Night by Chevy Stevens

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20140319-213038.jpgWhere to start with this one? Let me begin by saying that all passionate readers have that select group of favorite authors whose newest release is an eagerly anticipated, must-read. Chevy Stevens is one of those authors for me. Anytime she puts out a new story, I just know it’s going to be a good one. This newest selection did not disappoint.

Our protagonist is Toni, a young woman who is being released from prison after a long stint served for the murder of her teenage sister. Everyone, even Toni’s parents, were eventually convinced that she and boyfriend Ryan did indeed murder Nicole. Now seventeen years later, Toni is trying to get her life back on track and find some sense of normalcy, albeit a completely different kind of normal from the one she knew before her incarceration. However, the past has other plans. Enemies and secrets from the past begin to show their ugly heads, threatening to send Toni back to prison. Her only chance to save herself is to find out who is really responsible for her sister’s death.

I enjoyed this story and as a result finished it in a matter of a couple of days. It’s a great honor to read and review this work before it hits the stands. Chevy Stevens has been a favorite author of mine since I discovered Still Missing a few years ago. I will say that this story lacked some of the intensity of her previous stories. It wasn’t as pulse-pounding and page-turning as her earlier works. But, you really can’t go wrong when you pick one of her books off the shelf. You can always rely on a good, compelling story with intriguing characters. Add this one to your list, especially if you’ve enjoyed her other stories!

~Thalia

Buy it Now: That Night