Suspense

Review: Sweet Damage by Rebecca James

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51slwSQHDkL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_This was one creepy and suspenseful book from the beginning until the very end. If you like scary, on the edge-of-your-seat stories, grab this one and settle in for the ride.

Tim Ellison’s an easy going fellow, happy in life for the most part. Surfing, working at his dad’s restaurant, pining over his crush on friend Lilla…he finds plenty to fill his days. But when things get a little too crowded crashing on Lilla’s floor, he’s forced to look for a new place to live. He can hardly believe his luck when he finds an affordable room in a fancy house in a posh neighborhood. Forget the fact that his new roommate is downright creepy, never leaves the house, is seriously depressed, and is likely sitting on the wrong side of sanity. But as he gets to know Anna, he discovers there’s more beneath the surface. And as he becomes closer and closer to her, strange happenings begin to occur.

It’s hard to give more of a review without giving away too much of the story, so I’ll leave it at that. This is a good story, quick and easy to read but hard to put down. There are plenty of twists and turns in this psychological thriller to keep you turning pages long after it’s bedtime.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Sweet Damage: A Novel

Review: The Job by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

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What a fun caper!

The Job is about FBI Agent Kate O’Hare’s plan to catch a criminal – using criminal/informant/love interest Nick Fox and a slew of other assistants, including Kate’s dad.

The whole thing has an Ocean’s Eleven feel to it, which I love. You’ve got good guys and bad guys and really smart guys all working together to con the baddest, meanest son of a gun criminal. There are inside jokes, flirting, clever one-liners, loads of pretense, and witty conversations.

Yes, the plot is light and somewhat predictable. Yes, you must suspend your disbelief a few times. But really, it’s all so worth the fun of joining O’Hare and Fox on a smart mission to take one more bad guy off the streets.

This was number 3 in a series. Sign me up for number 4.

-calliope

buy THE JOB

$1.99! What a deal!

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I’m doing a little online shopping and I’m tempted by the great price drops on kindle books. Here are four fantastic looking reads that caught my eye – at bargain prices! –calliope

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Review: Don’t You Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn

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18599667So this is one of those books that I had to sit back and think about for a time after finishing it. It’s more along the lines of, “What in the world did I just read?” And I absolutely mean that in the best possible way.

It’s the story of young Skylar, and to a slightly lesser extent her sister, Piper. They live in Gardnerville, at first glance an idyllic little town nestled in the mountains. But Gardnerville holds secrets both good and bad. And the bad definitely outweighs the good!

Every fourth year, the town’s teenagers are overcome with a compulsion to do very bad things. And Piper was one of those teens four years ago. Now Skylar is trying to come to terms with what happened. That means finding out where Piper is. Is she locked up in the town’s mysterious reformatory? Or did she make her escape that night four years ago high up on the train trestle?

To say this is a weird book would be quite an understatement. It’s the kind of story that had me stopping along the way to ponder what was happening. And, I found myself going back quite a bit to reread. It’s a challenging book because the answers are not given to you easily. There’s a ton of imagery which I’m still trying to sort out. There’s drug use, violence, and death. Still, the words are so beautifully put together that it was a joy to read even as I was trying to put it all together in my head. In this case, definitely judge a book by its cover because the words inside this one are just as appealing and beautiful as the outside package!

~Thalia

Buy It Now: (Don’t You) Forget About Me

Review and Giveaway: Saving Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia

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01sav For those who don’t know, I have loved loved loved Poughkeepsie more than words can say. From the very first chapter, I knew this book was special. It is in my Top 10 of all time. In fact this was my very first signed book I ever received. So it will always hold a special place in my heart. So when I heard that she was making it a trilogy, I was concerned. I loved the first book so much, and I just didn’t know if the second and third books could hold a candle to it. I have such love for Blake, Cole and Beckett and was so worried something horrible would happen, that I almost didn’t want to read them. But I had faith in Deb, and she didn’t disappoint.

Synopsis
Beckett Taylor’s quest to be a better man has brought Eve Hartt back into his life, but sometimes it feels like they’re bound together with barbed wire. Though he longs to love her without causing pain, the wreckage of their past continues to crash down around them.

Yet with the help of this brothers—and for his brothers—Beckett won’t stop trying. He’s determined to make them all a family, to make a life they want to live, and to make Poughkeepsie a place that’s safe to live it.

He can feel their futures balanced precariously on his shoulders: Blake and Livia and their children, Cole and Kyle and the new baby they’ve just brought home, and Eve…always Eve. He wants their dreams to be real. But murderers don’t just get Happily Ever After handed to them. They have to wrench it away from Satan himself.

Good thing Beckett is prepared to do just that. After all, saving Poughkeepsie is the only way his story ends.

Prepare your heart and your head for a wild ride in this final installment of the Poughkeepsie Brotherhood series. Debra Anastasia does not disappoint as she weaves the last chapter of a story that blends true love, turbulent emotions, and life’s harsh realities into an uplifting tale that calls to the good in each of us.

Okay. This book….I started this book knowing it was about Beckett and nothing else. I knew it was going to be rough. Cuz let’s face it, Beckett Taylor is not a clean cut guy. He is a force. If you don’t work with him, you’re against him, and he will take down anyone who’s against him.

Saving Poughkeepsie is just that. He wants to save it and will do anything, in his power, to do that. He wants his family to be safe. If that means losing his own life, then so be it. But he wants Eve as his family, so he’s going to do everything to keep himself, and her, safe as can be.

“Everybody in my life has their match. I just want you to be mine.”

Eve’s story was so heartbreaking. The fact that everyone around her was starting families, and she knew she couldn’t, it was chipping at her heart. But she loved Beckett and trusts him to be her family. So little by little, his little “Killer” was coming back to him.

This story was filled with a hefty dose of emotional scenes that stunned me to my core. I was so upset at one point, I had to step away. How can a book do this to me?? I kept hoping I was reading it wrong, or perhaps it was a dream. I was in no way prepared for what I just read.

This was the most action packed, nerve wrecking, heartstrings tugging, gut twisting, amazing book. The last 20% I spent on the verge of wanting to drink. The excitement level was through the roof. I felt like I was in the story. I was rooting for Poughkeepsie. I wanted to jump in there and defend it against those who wished to tear it down.

This was the best ending to the most fabulous series. I feel honored to be able to experience this story. Well done, Debra. Well done!!

***GIVEAWAY***
If you’d like to read about Poughkeepsie and experience all these emotions for yourself. Comment below and I’ll pick a winner later this week and you’ll receive a set of all three EBOOKS.

~Melpomene

Buy Saving Poughkeepsie

Get caught up with the brothers:
Poughkeepsie
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Review: The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

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814W1xbdR+LI’ve read a few books by Diane Chamberlain, each one intriguing and full of a good story. This newest one didn’t disappoint.

Riley MacPherson has lived her life knowing that once upon a time she had an older sister. But just what happened to Lisa has never been completely clear. Did she die in a tragic accident? Was it suicide? Murder? Or is there something else going on, something that’s been kept secret for far too long? All of Riley’s beliefs and questions come together in a burst of confusion when, after her father’s death, she’s charged with the task of clearing out his house and settling his affairs. Brother Danny isn’t much help as he’s lost in his own solitary world after a tragic military accident. Friends and neighbors provide bits and pieces of information but each story conflicts with the other. A deep desire to find out the truth about her family leads her in a direction she could have never imagined.

This is a good story, solid and engaging until the very end. The characters are believable and likable, and the story line is entirely plausible. My only complaint is that it was mildly predictable and had me guessing the climax around halfway through. Still, Chamberlain is an author who knows how to write about contemporary issues, and she’s rapidly becoming one of my favorite contemporary fiction authors.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The Silent Sister

Review: Hazardous Duty (Squeaky Clean Mysteries #1) by Christy Barritt

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Since I’m on a mystery roll, I scoured my early kindle purchases for a fun cozy mystery title. Hazardous Duty fit the bill. It reminds me of Evanovitch’s Stephanie Plum books – but subtler, cleaner, and with a smidge of God talk in there.

Gabby is a crime scene cleaner, so she runs into murders and mayhem all the time. Difference is, usually no one tries to kill her! Gabby tries to help a friend and solve a crime while maneuvering around politics and a dirty politician. Between trying to save her own life, spending time in her apartment house of quirky friends, and trying not to fall in love with a man anything like her loser dad, Gabby is a little bit scattered and a lot scared!

Thanks to two new friends who happen to be male, good-looking, and on the right side of the law, Gabby makes it to the end of the book alive. On her way, a little seed of faith is planted, and I can’t wait to see where it takes her in Book 2.

This is a deal at 99¢, and so good that I gladly paid $10 for book 2. 🙂 Yes. I did.

-Calliope

buy HAZARDOUS DUTY

Review: Conversion by Katherine Howe

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dd0188081c1c4d616421d117d5f437bbThe history nerd in me loves anything to do with the Salem witch trials. The book lover in me loves historical fiction combined with a bit of fantasy. This latest book by Katherine Howe fits the bill on both ends.

It’s the story of Colleen and her friends, seniors at a prestigious girls’ prep school. They’re already under immense pressure from AP courses, GPAs, and the college admission process. And then comes another level of stress as several of the girls become afflicted with some strange syndrome. Hair loss, twitching, rambling incohesive speech…it’s all there and nobody can seem to figure out what’s causing it. Is it environmental? Stress? Mental/emotional? Or is something more sinister at work?

Part of the appeal of this book for me was how the author shifted back and forth between the present day story and the early 1700s during the actual Salem witch trial period. We’re given a glimpse into the hysteria of that era and encouraged to make a connection to the current story. This is a good story that kept me guessing as to what was really happening. An afterword by the author provides some insight into what inspired her to write this book. Grab this one for a great read, just in time for Halloween!

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Conversion

Review: Of Scars and Stardust by Andrea Hannah

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Of-Scars-and-StardustHidden deep within the cornfields of of Ohio, the wolves are waiting for you. They’ll hunt you down with their eerie yellow eyes and tear you apart with their sharp, glistening fangs. If you look closely, you may be lucky (or unlucky) enough to catch a glimpse of gray fur streaking by in a blur. So stay inside at night and lock your doors. And whatever you do, don’t wear the color periwinkle or anything cherry-scented. These are the two things guaranteed to draw them to you in an instant.

This is the story that’s been passed down for years in rural Amble. It’s the story Claire and her friends have passed around, some believing in the legend more than others. But when a young girl goes missing and just traces of blood are left behind, what other explanation could there be? Surely it’s better to believe that wild beasts are responsible rather than the human kind. Now Claire begins to see the wolves everywhere. She’s sure they’re watching her. And when tragedy strikes her younger sister, Ella, Claire escapes to New York where she hopes to become lost in the crowd. Nightmares have a way of following us, however, and Claire finds herself returning to her hometown to confront her fears, both real and imaginary.

This debut YA novel from Andrea Hannah is creepy on so many different levels. It’s got that spooky campfire story feel to it, with a scary tale that will keep you up at night. There’s the psychologically thrilling fear that comes from so many twists and turns that keep you guessing from one page to the next. And then there’s the aftershock as you sit and reflect, trying to digest exactly what just happened. There isn’t a happy ending where everything is tied up in a neat little package with a pretty bow on top. But this is one story that will stick with you long after you’ve finished it!

~Thalia

Buy it Now: Of Scars and Stardust

Review: Sweet Unrest by Lisa Maxwell

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Sweet Unrest finalWhat a thrill it was to receive this as an ARC months before the release date. I’d been eyeing it for several weeks after I added it to my wish list, so of course I had to jump right in when I got it.

I have to start off by saying that the cover is one of the most beautiful introductions to a story I’ve seen in awhile. Simple and understated but so elegant and indicative of the story.

The story centers on Lucy, a teenager who has been dragged against her will to an old plantation outside of New Orleans when her dad takes on a new job. She’s determined to just ride out the summer until she can return to Chicago. Through a combination of dreams and encounters with a mysterious stranger, she begins to uncover secrets both old and new. Although parts of the story take place in the distant past, much of the danger is very much set in Lucy’s present day world.

I have a weakness for stories set in Louisiana and New Orleans in particular so this one was right up my alley. It’s a ghost story and love story wrapped up in one but, have no fear about it being too scary or gruesome. And although the story centers on the dark and spiritual world of voodoo, much of the scary stuff is left to the reader’s imagination. It’s simply a beautiful tale, reminiscent of legends passed down over time. An excellent debut novel from an exciting new author!

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Sweet Unrest