Thursday, December 28, 2017

Recommend a Karin Slaughter book (Poll)





Good day Blogging Friends,

There has been an author that ends up on my TBR list every year and every year I don't get to it, I am going to change this in the New Year, possibly even have it as my 1st read of the year.  As she has many books I am going to choose one of her stand alones as that is my preference over a series.

So Karin Slaughter fans, which one do you recommend?

Vote on my sidebar poll if you do not wish to comment.

Thank you



2017

The stunning new novel from the international #1 bestselling author  a searing, spellbinding blend of cold-case thriller and psychological suspense.
Two girls are forced into the woods at gunpoint. One runs for her life. One is left behind…
Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn's happy small-town family life was torn apart by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father — Pikeville's notorious defense attorney — devastated. And it left the family fractured beyond repair, consumed by secrets from that terrible night.
Twenty-eight years later, and Charlie has followed in her father's footsteps to become a lawyer herself — the ideal good daughter. But when violence comes to Pikeville again — and a shocking tragedy leaves the whole town traumatized — Charlie is plunged into a nightmare. Not only is she the first witness on the scene, but it's a case that unleashes the terrible memories she's spent so long trying to suppress. Because the shocking truth about the crime that destroyed her family nearly thirty years ago won't stay buried forever…
Packed with twists and turns, brimming with emotion and heart, The Good Daughter is fiction at its most thrilling.



2015

Sisters. Strangers. Survivors.
 
More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia’s teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that's cruelly ripped open when Claire's husband is killed.
 
The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them? Forming a wary truce, the surviving sisters look to the past to find the truth, unearthing the secrets that destroyed their family all those years ago . . . and uncovering the possibility of redemption, and revenge, where they least expect it.
 
Powerful, poignant, and utterly gripping, packed with indelible characters and unforgettable twists, Pretty Girls is a masterful novel from one of the finest writers working today.



2014

Karin Slaughter, author of the bestselling Will Trent novels, is widely acclaimed as “one of the best crime novelists in America” (The Washington Post). Now she delivers her first stand-alone novel: an epic story of a city in the midst of seismic upheaval, a serial killer targeting cops, and a divided police force tasked with bringing a madman to justice.
 
Atlanta, 1974: As a brutal murder and a furious manhunt rock the city’s police department, Kate Murphy wonders if her first day on the job will also be her last. She’s determined to defy her privileged background by making her own way—wearing a badge and carrying a gun. But for a beautiful young woman, life will be anything but easy in the macho world of the Atlanta PD, where even the female cops have little mercy for rookies. It’s also the worst day possible to start given that a beloved cop has been gunned down, his brothers in blue are out for blood, and the city is on the edge of war.
 
Kate isn’t the only woman on the force who’s feeling the heat. Maggie Lawson followed her uncle and brother into the ranks to prove her worth in their cynical eyes. When she and Kate, her new partner, are pushed out of the citywide search for a cop killer, their fury, pain, and pride finally reach the boiling point. With a killer poised to strike again, they will pursue their own line of investigation, risking everything as they venture into the city’s darkest heart.
 
Relentlessly paced, acutely observed, wickedly funny, and often heartbreaking, Cop Town is Karin Slaughter’s most powerful novel yet—a tour de force of storytelling from our foremost master of character, atmosphere, and suspense.



Tuesday, December 19, 2017

2018 New Release - I am excited






During the holidays, I usually Google my favourite authors just to see if I have missed a book and I can also plan my 'must' reading list for the new year, well yaaaaay, Lisa Genova is coming out with her new one in March.  I have enjoyed all of her books, Still Alice being a Top 3 favourite of all times.


Book Summary from authors site

An accomplished pianist, Richard received standing ovations from audiences all over the world in awe of his rare combination of emotional resonance and flawless technique. Every finger of his hands was a finely calibrated instrument, dancing across the keys and sticking each note with exacting precision. That was eight months ago.
Richard now has ALS, and his entire right arm is paralyzed. His fingers are impotent, still, devoid of possibility. The loss of his hand feels like a death, a loss of true love, a divorce - his divorce. 

He knows his left arm will go next.

Three years ago, Karina removed their framed wedding picture from the living room wall and hung a mirror there instead.But she still hasn't moved on. Karina is paralyzed by excuses and fear, stuck in an unfulfilling life as a piano teacher, afraid to pursue the path she abandoned as a young woman, blaming Richard and their failed marriage for all of it. 

When Richard becomes increasingly paralyzed and is no longer able to live on his own, Karina becomes his reluctant caretaker. As Richard's muscles, voice, and breath fade, both he and Karina try to reconcile their pasts before it's too late.


What Lisa Genova book is your favourite?


Still Alice - 5 star, I read before blogging.  The movie was great also.

Love Anthony 3 1/2 star - My Review

Left Neglected 4 1/2 star - My Review

Inside the O'Briens - 3 star No Review





Saturday, November 25, 2017

Review - Lie To Me by J.T Ellison





Book Published

Book Summary

They built a life on lies 

Sutton and Ethan Montclair's idyllic life is not as it appears. They seem made for each other, but the truth is ugly. Consumed by professional and personal betrayals and financial woes, the two both love and hate each other. As tensions mount, Sutton disappears, leaving behind a note saying not to look for her. 

Ethan finds himself the target of vicious gossip as friends, family and the media speculate on what really happened to Sutton Montclair. As the police investigate, the lies the couple have been spinning for years quickly unravel. Is Ethan a killer? Is he being set up? Did Sutton hate him enough to kill the child she never wanted and then herself? The path to the answers is full of twists that will leave the reader breathless.


My Review - 4 stars

Another great one by my favourite author.  The Dr. Samantha Owens series books are my #1 favourite but I enjoyed this standalone also.  Nothing is as it seems but this goes with the title Lie to Me.  One lie continuous into life and death consequences. What is the lie - you will never figure it all out and the little part you do, HA, nothing to do with what it really is, this was executed well.

The ending is shocking but I really don't think believable but the ultimate retaliation plan gone wrong on so many levels.  Betrayal, murder, lies, marriage, friends, relationships and more lies.

Sutton and Ethan are successful writers, but there a marital problems, deciding to have a baby, possibly some abuse and it all becomes to much.  Does Sutton leave, get murdered or did she commit suicide?  She leaves a note saying do not look for me but Ethan knows something is wrong.  The police are unsure who to believe.

Ethan calls his mother in law and all the best friends with worry only to be accused by many on hurting Sutton.  There are so many lies and you want to blame someone, but who is to blame. Another exciting part of the book is you hear from a voice, but whose, who are unsure.

"But I also know right from wrong.  I know good from evil.  I may be compelled to ruin the lives in front of me., but I could walk away if I want. Couldn't I"  Kindle 1%

When it comes to lies, everything you read is a clue.  Sutton reads this.

"Life is full of confusion.  Confusion of love, passion, and romance.  Confusion of family and friends.  Confusion with life itself.  What path we take, what turns we make.  How we roll our dice." 
Kindle 54%

This is the perfect, who did it book for those that love a good psychological read.  There is so much going on something that pulls at your heart, I'm sure you won't figure it all out.

This has been the year of marriage, dark, disturbing relationship reads.  I have enjoyed them.  Which one was your favourite?

Thanks NetGalley for another amazing read.  

Monday, November 20, 2017

It's Monday - What are you reading?





Book Date now hosts It's Monday What Are Your Reading?  The meme that we use to share what we read this past week and what our plans are for the upcoming week.  It's a great way to see what others are reading and add to your own To Be Read List.

Currently reading

I downloaded the sample late last night and was pulled right in.



Just finished - review coming - 4 star (My favourite series)



Netgalley read - review coming - 4 star (A favourite author)



And for work I have chosen this one.  I will be using as a Team Building exercise.



Christmas is just around the corner.  I am sure those in the US are looking forward to Thanksgiving, enjoy.  Christmas trees are sold in Bermuda as of this Saturday, I can't wait. 




Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Review - Hidden by Catherine McKenzie




When a married man suffers a sudden fatal accident, two women are shattered — his wife and his mistress — and past secrets, desires, and regrets are brought to light.

While walking home from work one evening, Jeff Manning is struck by a car and killed. Two women fall to pieces at the news: his wife, Claire, and his co-worker Tish. Reeling from her loss, Claire must comfort her grieving son as well as contend with funeral arrangements, well-meaning family members, and the arrival of Jeff’s estranged brother, who was her ex-boyfriend. Tish volunteers to attend the funeral on her company’s behalf, but only she knows the true risk of inserting herself into the wreckage of Jeff’s life.

Told through the three voices of Jeff, Tish, and Claire, Hidden explores the complexity of relationships, the repercussions of our personal choices, and the responsibilities we have to the ones we love.


My Review - 4

This was a mature read, it will hit a few readers in the gut, trigger many but I think will start great conversation regarding the difference between an emotional affair versus a physical one.  You are left with a did they or did they refrain thought.

Jeff and Tish work for the same company but different locations and become acquainted during HR training and a company event.  Both are married with similar aged children but quickly become connected, drawn to each other, is it appropriate or not.

The book starts with a bang, Jeff is involved with a fatal accident after terminating someone and both his wife Claire and colleague Tish cannot understand why he is not responding.  The story starts with us knowing the two women will connect but how and on what circumstances, we are unsure.

But how are you supposed to feel, really, when all your worst fears, things you'd never even imagined could happen, actually do happen, actually do come true?  Kindle 68%

I enjoy stories where we hear from characters to get their side of the story and in Hidden, we hear from Jeff, Clair and Tish.  The additional spin to this story is that Claire dated Jeff's brother Tim first.  You start to realize the decisions one makes affects many in different ways and also can trigger many years later.

The book had titled chapters - what do you think of this style?  I like the added touch of titles, sometimes they are really memorable and help to set the moment.

This was my first book by Catherine McKenzie but I have Fractured on my to read list.


Thanks for visiting Tea Time with Marce

Friday, August 4, 2017

Review - I See You by Clare Mackintosh



Published - February 2017

Book Summary from Amazon

Every morning and evening, Zoe Walker takes the same route to the train station, waits at a certain place on the platform, finds her favorite spot in the car, never suspecting that someone is watching her...

It all starts with a classified ad. During her commute home one night, while glancing through her local paper, Zoe sees her own face staring back at her; a grainy photo along with a phone number and a listing for a website called FindTheOne.com.

Other women begin appearing in the same ad, a different one every day, and Zoe realizes they’ve become the victims of increasingly violent crimes—including murder. With the help of a determined cop, she uncovers the ad’s twisted purpose...A discovery that turns her paranoia into full-blown panic. Zoe is sure that someone close to her has set her up as the next target.

And now that man on the train—the one smiling at Zoe from across the car—could be more than just a friendly stranger. He could be someone who has deliberately chosen her and is ready to make his next move…


My Review - 3 1/2

I read I Let You Go last year and really enjoyed it so I looked forward to this one.  It was a unique idea, revenge at its finest but not the edge of your seat or with excitement as the other. I read a little every day but it didn't pull me away from social media or tv with the family.  This was for an online book club which helped.

I wasn't able to guess who, no one made sense which I thought was a great sign.  Who the author tried to make a suspect, I never considered but Zoe did which was a shocker for me.  As soon as she suspected him I knew she made a deadly choice and wowsa did she ever.  Even once we realize what is going on something says this is not the whole story and I was right.  Really great ending with an additional bonus added, well done to Clare Mackintosh.

There was betrayal all around and I liked looking back and reflecting on that but I didn't understand the story lines and were they were going.  This is why I think I only gave a 3 1/2, the execution could have made me really think what is going on and think about everyone as a suspect.  Zoe surely did, but she was truly paranoid which I understood.

I really enjoyed the commentary from the perpetrator, this in my opinion, made the book exciting, making you want to guess who is behind the madness. 

If anyone commutes and is a creature of routine, I am sure after reading this book, that will change but I also think having similar faces even though strangers gives a certain level of comfort too.  Overall a good read, I look forward to reading more by Clare Mackintosh.  This definitely is not a book you will read on the train, wink wink.








Monday, June 19, 2017

What are you reading?


Book Date now hosts It's Monday What Are Your Reading?  The meme that we use to share what we read this past week and what our plans are for the upcoming week.  It's a great way to see what others are reading and add to your own To Be Read List.





I'm currently reading - loving it so far



I read and reviewed - It will be released on July 19



I think I will read this next



I added this to my Wishlist this week



I hope everyone is doing well, enjoy your summer.  I am going Chicago soon, any recommendations on what I should do, restaurant to go to?

America's Cup question - are any of you into sailing?  Have you been watching the news specials regarding America's Cup in Bermuda?   Opinions?  It has been an amazing experience to have the teams in Bermuda, the finals have started Oracle USA vs Emirates New Zealand 






Monday, June 12, 2017

ARC Review - The Breakdown by B. A. Paris



Published Date - July 19, 2017

Book Summary (Amazon)

Named One of the Most Anticipated Thriller Novels Of 2017 by Bustle!
If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?
Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods. It was on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, and a woman was sitting inside—the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm, and she probably would have been hurt herself if she’d stopped. Not only that, her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home.
But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing. Where she left the car; if she took her pills; even the alarm code.
The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.
And the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…

You won't be able to put down B. A. Paris's The Breakdown, the next chilling, propulsive novel from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors.


My Review - 4 1/2

I am so pleased to say B. A. Paris has another knockout and shocking psychological thriller.  Behind Closed Doors was on my top 10 list last year and I have no doubt this one will make it also.

I enjoy reading a novel, especially a thriller with an unreliable character so my expectations are higher when authors try this style.  We meet Cass and quickly learn that her mom had Dementia but she hasn't told her husband the history, so when she starts forgetting small things, she starts to worry and doesn't know how to tell him.

Reaching out, I run a finger down his cheek, thinking how much I love him.  I hate that he's seen a side of me that even I didn't know existed, I hate that he must be wondering what on earth he got himself into by marrying me.  Kindle 43%

The story starts out with a bad decision. She decides to take a faster route home in a storm, sees a car and stops to help a lady but the lady doesn't get out and she doesn't want to get out because of the storm, it is late and scary, so she drives off.  The next morning she learns the lady was murdered but not only that, she knows her. The forgetting, guilt and now paranoia starts an incredible downward spiral of Cass breakdown.  It doesn't help that she has started receiving calls and no one is on the other side.  Is this really happening or part of her paranoia and early onset dementia?

How could I have forgotten that Rachel was coming to stay tonight when we'd only arranged it on Monday?  ....... Jane's murder and the guilt I feel have distracted me, yes, but to forget about Rachel coming to stay? Kindle 24%

Cass is on summer vacation, as she is a teacher but unfortunately this is the summer she has a breakdown.  Cass doesn't tell her husband, best friend Rachel or anyone else what is really going on. I start to question her and even not like her because little lies just become so overwhelming and unjustified.  I found the small incidents that were slowly becoming a catastrophe exciting and then just as I became bored with them at 60% it all started coming together.  The little thoughts you have on what is going on start to make sense and you try putting it together and race to the end, WOW, I was completed fulfilled with the ending.  One seating from 60% to the end, I couldn't put it down and stayed up late into the night.  You will not be able to guess who did it in this thriller, so well done.  I was only half right, 2 parts specifically but it was all unexpected even though hints were definitely there.

I continued to have a thought, which I won't say as I think it will be a spoiler and hint to figuring out the motive.

I get excited to find new authors and the 2nd book is just as good, the same intensity, we are in for a great ride with B. A. Paris. Thank you NetGalley, I loved this one.  I also like that the main characters  in both novels, are female and are viewed as vulnerable and weak but shocking they are nothing as portrayed and strong females that should be respected, I really appreciated and enjoyed this.


beyond the book.........

So, where the hell have you been Marce.....   I have started a new job, almost 3 months in and talk about busy.  I have no time for blogging, emails, whatsapp, messaging etc.  And nights I have my family and yoga business.  Also, my 10 year old has taken over my laptop, lol.  I think about you often and really miss what books I should be adding to my list, oh how I miss this part of blogging.  The other thing is Small Great Things really did leave the worst book hangover on me and this is the first book that said, review and share NOW.  I have to figure out the balance, I do think of you often.

Tell me, what has been your favourite book to read so far, I will come over to your blog and read that review and comment for sure.  I will try to get back into networking.



Monday, March 27, 2017

It's Monday - What are Reading?


Book Date now hosts It's Monday What Are Your Reading?  The meme that we use to share what we read this past week and what our plans are for the upcoming week.  It's a great way to see what others are reading and add to your own To Be Read List.



I haven't had much time for blogging and networking and even reading at night, eyes were closing fast.  I have a week off before starting my new job next Monday.  I am a HR Specialist and left my last company of 9 years.  I'm very excited about my new career endeavour but the transition has been long.  Apologies for not being around.


I'm currently reading, from a favourite author, I highly recommend Unravel and Unhinge.





I just reviewed and will watch the movie this week.  My Review



I need to review my book club's choice.



Next up will be my book club read for April.




I also watched Fifty Shades of Grey,  it made me remember how much I loved the first in the series.  It was well done, I was a huge fan of the 1st.

My Review




Have an awesome week.

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Review - The Girl with all the Gifts by M. R. Carey




Book Summary

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her "our little genius."

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.

The Girl With All the Gifts is a groundbreaking thriller, emotionally charged and gripping from beginning to end.


My Review - 3 1/2

I saw the trailer for the movie and had to read the book first, it looked intense, totally me so I went for it.  Amazing characters which kept me reading.  A very strong intro where we meet all the characters, get a little understanding of what is going on and then all hell breaks loose.  Some escape and begin the journey of survival.  I thought I was in for a 5 star read.

This is where the book changed for me.  This journey went on forever, I think it could have been shorter, I lost my interest but continued through it because I had to know how it ended.  Melanie is a fascinating girl and you want to know what will happen and if they find a cure and safety.  She really is a gifted child. The science part did nothing for me, it felt like a filter instead of to bring more understanding.  This is my first zombie book, they are called hungries in The Girl with all the Gifts.  I would read another zombie book only if recommended to me, this wasn't a turn off to me.

"That's Pandora,"  Miss Justineau said.  "She was a really amazing woman.  All the gods had blessed her and given her gifts.  That's what her name means - 'the girl with all the gifts'.  So she was clever, and brave, and beautiful, and funny, and everything else you'd want to be.  But she just had the one tiny fault, which was that she was very-and I mean very - curious."  Kindle 3%

The best part of this book was the characters and relationships built.  What changes people when in survival mode?  Do you have moral and integrity issues when fighting for what is right?

But this is how you square the circle.  Can't go back.  Can't go forward.  Can't stay put.  So you pick another direction and you get out from under.  Kindle 72%

I thought the ending was great, circular but it threw me a little.  If I had loved the story I would have reread the ending.  There was a part that Melanie witnessed that I knew would mean something and I was intrigued again, it made the book worth reading but the middle lacked something.  Melanie is the glue to this story, worth reading to know this character.  I look forward to watching the movie.




Thursday, March 2, 2017

Review - The Butterfly Garden







Book Summary


Near an isolated mansion lies a beautiful garden.
In this garden grow luscious flowers, shady trees…and a collection of precious “butterflies”—young women who have been kidnapped and intricately tattooed to resemble their namesakes. Overseeing it all is the Gardener, a brutal, twisted man obsessed with capturing and preserving his lovely specimens.
When the garden is discovered, a survivor is brought in for questioning. FBI agents Victor Hanoverian and Brandon Eddison are tasked with piecing together one of the most stomach-churning cases of their careers. But the girl, known only as Maya, proves to be a puzzle herself.
As her story twists and turns, slowly shedding light on life in the Butterfly Garden, Maya reveals old grudges, new saviors, and horrific tales of a man who’d go to any length to hold beauty captive. But the more she shares, the more the agents have to wonder what she’s still hiding.



My Review - 3

I think Butterfly Garden would be a good horror on screen.  It is labeled an adult thriller but I can't say I was thrilled or sitting on the edge of my seat for this one.  I thought this was going to be a quick read at less then 300 pages but it took me forever because it didn't say pick me up.

I enjoyed the beginning, we meet Maya telling the detectives about her time in the garden.  Immediately you know somehow she escaped or the police found them so no suspense there.  We are told the story through Maya reliving the life of being captured with 20 plus young women.  We get to know some of the women and had a sense of life in the garden.  A mix between a prison, science lab and gorgeous gardens.  All very weird and I can't really say believable.

Who can create these kind of places without anyone anonymously letting the police know. Beautiful garden, greenhouse, high tech walls that come down and shut everything out, waterfalls, weird concept to believe.

....when I fell asleep, the nightmare would still be there.  When I woke up, the nightmare would still e there.  Every day for three and a half years, the nightmare would always, always be there, and there was no comfort against that.  Kindle 63%

We have a father and two sons.  The father is known as the Gardner, he captures the ladies, tattoos their backs with wings to create a butterfly, sometimes tattooing their faces.  He is the ultimate sociopath and serial killer which sees nothing wrong with what he does.  Just like butterflies they have a short life and the women know that at 21 there time comes to an end.  He abducts the women and takes care of them but he also murders them.

We then first meet the eldest son, Avery, he had anger issues and abused the women, this was the only parts that felt like abuse and that something was wrong.  As you are reading there are times you forget these women are captured and freedom is not an option.  The sexual acts do not feel like rape until Avery comes along reminded the women they are in a dangerous zone.

Most of the girls did better pretending the sky wasn't so close, pretending that our world was bigger than it was and that nothing waited Outside.  If it helped them, I wasn't going to argue with them.  But I love it up there.  Some days I'd even climb the trees and stretch out and press my hand against the glass.  I liked reminding myself that there was a world beyond my cage, even if I'd never see it again.  Kindle 28%

Then we meet Desmond, he finds his way into the Garden to see what he father is hiding.  He is so naive he doesn't understand  or believe the concept that his father can be taken young women against their will.  During his visits to the garden he falls in love with Maya, the butterfly that takes care of all the butterflies.  How does this relationship end?

We get good cop versus bad cop during the interviews but I really couldn't wait for them to be over.  You read looking forward to the end, how were they found, the suspense has you engaged and then they are captured and when you hear the end of the story from Maya......... well it just ends.  I don't think I can let my mind go that far left to believe.  I think the ending will be a love it or hate it choice.  Overall a very weird book, some parts where magical, if you can call it that.

This was the 1st book in a trilogy or series, I have no interest in reading on.  Even though there were some hard topics in this book they were written with ease and class.



Monday, February 27, 2017

Happy Monday - What are you reading?




Book Date now hosts It's Monday What Are Your Reading?  The meme that we use to share what we read this past week and what our plans are for the upcoming week.  It's a great way to see what others are reading and add to your own To Be Read List.



I'm currently reading, so far it is amazing.



I just finished, review will be up this week




I will be reading for Book club next



NetGalley approved my request so I will be reading this also, excited




Happy Monday - have a great week.


Friday, February 17, 2017

Have you read The Girl with all the Gifts?




I never read a review on this one, I thought it was YA which I usually do not read.  I saw the cover on Netflix and said I think that is a book, let me have a look.  WOW, this looks intense, I am going to read next.

Talk about do not judge a book by its cover.



Have you read it, what did you think?






Book Summary

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her "our little genius."

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.

The Girl With All the Gifts is a groundbreaking thriller, emotionally charged and gripping from beginning to end.



Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Review - A Suitable Lie by Michael J Malone



Publication Date - August 2016

Book Summary

Some secrets should never be kept… Andy Boyd thinks he is the luckiest man alive. Widowed with a young child, after his wife dies in childbirth, he is certain that he will never again experience true love. Then he meets Anna. Feisty, fun and beautiful, she’s his perfect match … and she loves his son like he is her own. When Andy ends up in the hospital on his wedding night, he receives his first clue that Anna is not all that she seems. Desperate for that happy-ever-after, he ignores it. A dangerous mistake that could cost him everything. A brave, deeply moving, page-turning psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie marks a stunning departure for one of Scotland’s finest crime writers, exploring the lengths people will go to hide their deepest secrets, even if it kills them…



My Review - 3 1/2

Andy is a single widowed father when he believes he has been blessed with another love.  He meets Anna and quickly falls in love.  And this is when the emotional physical abuse starts.  A Suitable Lie is unique where the abuse victim is the husband.  When you read books about abuse you realize there are no rules.  People stay for all different reasons, dealing with the ultimate betrayal and fear.

I sat on the stairs, balls and head aching, mind dull with worry.  What was going on here?  Who was this woman I married?  She was so small.  I was so big.  Kindle 25%

Andy also has a close knit family, with him mom and brother living close.  In order to keep the secret, the closeness unravels and at times he chooses the abuse he knows he will get in order to spend time with his family.  It was all very sad to read, you can feel his torture and bruised ego.

I did have a main part of the story correct but I was a little let down by all of the glimpses of why.  I did like the secondary story with his coworker Sheila.  She had found the strength to get out of an abusive relationship and Andy cotinued to think could he be as brave and walk away.  This storyline was touching.

I wish we were told more about Anna's past.  It is amazing how you can continue hurting and hurt others when you don't trust.  So many are affected by abuse but when Andy is lying to himself, how can he recover and be the best father, son, brother and possible husband.

A lie could slip out as easily as a feather from a torn duvet.  But a ton of feathers was still a ton.  All it would take is one last feather, one last lie, and you would collapse under the strain.  Kindle 74%

With abuse comes manipulation and how Anna played Andy I thought was obvious but could be a huge surprise for some readers.  There was a little mysterious feel to the book.


At times the writing turned me off, I couldn't tell if it was repetitive to try to give us a feel of the family or community but they always called the children, 'the wee boys', it just drove me crazy after awhile.

I added A Suitable Lie to my TBR list after reading Novel Gossip's review.  She gave it 5 stars and thought is was similar to Behind Closed Doors.




Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Waiting on Wednesday - BA Paris



Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event spotlighting upcoming releases we are highly anticipating. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

I usually look forward to new books from favourite authors but every now and again a 2nd book by an author comes out after you thoroughly enjoyed their debut.  This week, this one falls in that category.  Behind Closed Doors was one of my most anticipated debuts to read also.




Book Summary from Amazon

Named One of the Most Anticipated Thriller Novels Of 2017 by Bustle!
THE NEW CHILLING, PROPULSIVE NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?
Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside—the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she’d stopped.
But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn’t have a baby.
The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.
Or the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…

You won't be able to put down B. A. Paris's The Breakdown, the next chilling, propulsive novel from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors.






Behind Closed Doors - was on my Top List of 2016.  Intense.  My Review


What book are you excited for?


Monday, February 6, 2017

What are you reading, it is February.......



Book Date now hosts It's Monday What Are Your Reading?  The meme that we use to share what we read this past week and what our plans are for the upcoming week.  It's a great way to see what others are reading and add to your own To Be Read List.

After reading my first book of the year Small Great Things, I haven't really been able to read, major book hangover, sigh.  I have put a few down as I wasn't in the right mood for it, abandoned one but really need something to grab me right now.

It is Feb and I am only on my 3rd book.  I realized reading reviews of it helps to keep it in my head, adding to the hangover so I may have to stop as obviously small great things do matter.


I'm currently reading




I tried to read the 2nd book but I abandoned 




I think I am going to read this next



Happy Monday, have a great week.