Tag: fiction

Unliving the Dream by Sandra Vischer

Title: Unliving the Dream
Author: Sandra Vischer
Pub Date: 23-03-2016
Rating: 4 Stars

Unliving the Dream is about Alex a wife, mother, career woman and entrepreneur who appears to have it all. That is until one day, while on a business trip, her husband James tells her he wants to take a break. Shortly thereafter, she discovers he has been having an affair with an employee, a person she called friend.

Alex now has to rethink her life and is left to deal with the aftermath of an unfaithful husband and a divorce. This includes dealing with two children, on her own, who are left hurt and confused by what they consider to be a betrayal by their father.  Lily, the older of Alex’s two children, has a particularly hard time. She is very anger at her father and starts down a destructive path that could destroy her life before it has even begun.

During all this turmoil at home, Alex gets no support from James. He has become an absentee father who would rather take a romantic trip with his girlfriend than be a dad for his kids. In addition, James has become verbally abusive towards Alex at their work place. He constantly berets and belittles Alex even in front of employees. Through all of this Alex puts on a brave face and tries to stay calm. She feels like she has to support both her children and her employees.

For Alex it is a long road to healing. I believe this is because she concentrates so hard on everyone else that she forgets about herself.  All during the story I keep thinking she needs to tell James where to get off. A couple of times I would have loved to tell her to wake up and smell the roses. Alex’s friends finally point out to her what the reader has known for a long time…. that James is an abuser and a scum bag. It is at this point that Alex finally is able to move on.

The first two thirds of the book went really fast. Mainly because of all the drama revolving around James and Lilly. Once that is resolved things slowed down and I had to work to get through the remainder of the story. All-in-all I still enjoyed. The author did a good job of getting us inside the head of Alex to understand all the complex feelings she was having behind the brave face she wore. In addition, the story is a very realistic view of what can happen after a divorce and reminder to all that life does not always turn out as we have planned.

This book will appeal to anyone who likes women’s fiction especially stories like this where the character rises above adversity with the calm and determination of Alex.

I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lola by Melissa Scrivner Love

Title: Lola
Author: Melissa Scrivner Love
Pub Date: 21-Mar-2017
Rating: 4.5 Stars

Wow! What a great story. I could not help falling in love with the character of Lola. Yet, I feel like I am not supposed to like the gang banger she is, this is morally wrong, but I could not help myself. Lola and her story are so compelling. How can a Mexican-American woman rise to power in a gang in South Central LA.? Lola does it because she is a strong, determined woman. She knows what she wants and she is smart enough to get it.

Most people think Lola is just the girlfriend to Garcia the leader of a small gang that calls themselves The Crenshaw Six.  Lola likes it this way. She likes being in the shadows biding her time. Yet, her time is running short. The cartel, unaware that Lola is the true leader, has asked Garcia to disrupt a rival’s drop and bring them the drugs and two million cash that is to change hands. When the drop goes bad because Lola’s younger brother, Hector, makes a fatal mistake, Lola’s very life is on the line. She gets drawn much deeper into the world of drug trafficking than a small time gang leader would normally go. This just might be the chance for Lola to prove herself and rise from the shadows. That is IF she manages to stay alive.

There are many twists in the plot and that kept me on my toes. I was constantly trying to figure out what was going to happen next and what brilliant plan Lola was going to devise to get out of the sticky situations she finds herself in. One problem with the story, all the men of power too readily accept Lola as a leader.  Sure, it maybe plausible but I say highly unlikely is more like it. For this reason, I think the story was a bit Hollywood.  At the same time it was so well written I can easily over look this.

I recommend this to anyone who likes thrillers. Note of caution, the story does contain violence and talks about drugs, child prostitution, pedophiles and other topics some people might find disturbing.

I received a free ARE from Crown Publishing through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program.

 

The Original Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig

Title: The Original Ginny Moon
Author: Benjamin Ludwig
Pub Date: 2-May-2017

Ginny Moon is a 14 year old girl with autism. Ginny’s story is told from her point of view giving the story a very unique voice. The reader gets a glimpse into the how the mind of a child with autism might work and how they view the world.

Ginny was raised by her biological mother, Gloria, until the age of 9 when she was removed for abuse and neglect. When we meet Ginny, five years have passed and she is currently in her third “Forever Home”. Because of her autism she struggles with communicating. She has been trying to tell everyone that she needs to find her Baby Doll.  The last time she saw her Baby Doll was the night she was removed from her mother’s home. All her actions are centered around getting back to Gloria and her Baby Doll. She knows Gloria is not taking proper care of Baby Doll and to Ginny it is a matter of life and death that she returns. As she works towards this goal things begin to spiral out of control and those around her struggle to keep her in a safe home.

The story telling was superb and it will touch you. I was hooked after just the first few pages. I was cheering for Ginny the whole time and I am sure you will too.  There is not one particular kind of reader I would recommend this to because I suspect most any reader will enjoy this book.

I received an ARC from Harper Collins in exchange for my honest review.

Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens

Title: Never Let You Go
Author: Chevy Stevens
Pub Date: 14-Mar-2017
Rating: 5 stars

Never Let You Go is an engaging thriller written by Chevy Stevens. The plot is well thought out and had me totally vested, which kept me turning pages well into the early morning hours. The character develop was excellent also. I especially liked getting into Lindsey’s head a little to understand how an abusive relationship starts and then escalates. How the mental abuse wears a person down and they begin to question everything and are so afraid to seek help.

In the story we meet Lindsey and her daughter Sophie who live in a remote part of Canada’s Pacific Coast accessible only by boat. They escaped there after Andrew, Lindsey’s ex-husband, is sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing a woman one night while drinking and driving. They have been carefully building their new lives. Lindsey now has a successful cleaning business with a few employees. She is finally feeling like her life is nearing normal. Sophie is a gifted artist and is finishing high school with plans to attend college.

Then strange things start happening shorty after Andrew’s release from prison. For example, Lindsey finds her keys and phone placed just so on her purse when she is at a client’s house cleaning. This is something she never does, but Andrew always berated her about losing them. How could Andrew have found her… and so quickly? Deep down Lindsey knew this day would come. Andrew is never going to let her go. She is his and he will go to any length to keep her. At least that is the logical conclusion given Andrew’s history.

Even though I figured out Andrew’s role or lack thereof as the case may be, I was still truly surprised by the ending. A great story and it was intense. If you love thrillers, you have to read this book and you will devour it.

Please note, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, through a Shelf Awareness giveaway.

 

Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia

Title: Everything You Want Me to Be
Author: Mindy Mejia
Pub Date: 3-Jan-2017
Rating: 4.5 Stars

Everything You Want Me to Be is the tale of the murder of high school senior Hattie Huffman. The story is told from three points’ of view, Hattie’s, Del’s (the local sheriff and family friend) and Peter’s (Hattie’s high school English teacher).  There are a few twists in the story but the real zinger is saved for the end. There were some things that I found very predictable about the story and that is the reason I could not give this one a five star rating (my rating is 4.5 stars). Ultimately Hattie’s character is what made the story for me.  She is such a typical teenager and this added an extra level of believability.

Hattie is typical in that she is so naive. She thinks she understands the world and that she plays her parts in life just as well as she plays her role as Macbeth in the school play. How can one be so dumb at 50ish yet so brilliant at 17/18? So like a teenager!

Hattie wants to be accepted so badly that she is willing to throw her own identify away in order to please those around her. Now that Hattie is reaching maturity she is struggling with finding herself. Despite this identity crisis of sorts, Hattie is an outstanding student and a budding actress. On the surface all seems well in Hattie’s world…. until her murder that is.

Now Del must find the murderer and fast. He has promised. As he digs deeper, he discovers that Hattie may not be the person everyone thought she was.

Despite the predictability, it is still a very good story. Reads of YA and thrillers alike will enjoy.  I suspect most will gasp with surprise at the ending.

I received an ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in return for my honest review.

 

Dandelion Dead by Chrystle Fiedler

Title: Dandelion Dead Author: Chrystle Fiedler Pub Date: 27-Sep-2016 Rating: 5 Stars
Title: Dandelion Dead
Author: Chrystle Fiedler
Pub Date: 27-Sep-2016
Rating: 5 Stars

Dandelion Dead, by Chrystle Fiedler, is the fourth book in the Natural Remedies series. Even though this is the fourth book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone book. Ms. Fiedler did an excellent job of giving the reader enough background information on the characters so you do not miss out on anything happening in the story.

Willow McQuade wears many hats, owner of Nature’s Way Market and Café, holistic doctor, animal rescuer and part time sleuth. It all starts when Willow is catering an event for Pure, a local winery, run by her ex-boyfriend Simon. All is going well, at least on the surface, until during the party the body of Amy Lord is found and it is discovered that she died from ingesting poison hemlock. Amy is the sister-in-law to Simon’s business partner David. The leading suspect in the case is Willow’s assistant Lily and the police are convinced they have their killer since Amy had both motive, opportunity and the knowledge of poisonous plants.

With the police refusing to look for another suspect, the trio of Willow, Simon and Willow’s boyfriend Jackson team up to put their amateur sleuth skills to work. What they uncover is a tangled web of lies, jealousy and deceit. They suspect that David was the real target and not Amy. As they try to unravel the mystery of Amy’s death there are additional attempts on David’s life confirming their theory and spurring them on to discover who the real killer is.

There are several interesting twists that made the story very compelling. The back stories of the characters were very thoughtful done and gave the story a real believability. The pace of the story was good and I particularly liked how all the lives of the characters were intertwined. All in all, this book is a great cozy mystery. I really loved all the herbal lore and remedies in the story. The author’s love of herbs and holistic remedies really shows in this book.

Anyone who loves mysteries is bound to fall in love with this one. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Winter Park by Graham Guest

Title: Winter Park Author: Graham Guest Pub Date: 4-Mar-2016 Rating: 3.7 Stars
Title: Winter Park
Author: Graham Guest
Pub Date: 4-Mar-2016
Rating: 3.7 Stars

Winter Park, the debut novel by Graham Guest, is an unusual read. In fact, I have never read anything like it. I think that is what intrigued me most about the novel. I found the plot a little lacking; yet, what Mr. Guest does do well is interject a mix of thought provoking ideas with an absurd sense of irony that really worked. Due to the lack of grammar, the prose can be difficult at times to follow and the characters are nothing short of bizarre.

The story starts with a young Philosophy PhD student, Eric Swanson, on spring break headed to Winter Park, CO to a reunion of sorts with friends he left behind. What ensues is a drug/drunken calamity that ends in murder. Part I abruptly ends when Eric wakes up from his stupor and recalls what happened.

In Part II, the reader is then whisked away to a rehabilitation camp in Texas called The Dude Ranch. The camp is run by a strange group of people. Eric has now metamorphosed into a paraplegic as a result of the trauma in Part I. He is then given an alias, as everyone is, of Wayne Ford and is paired with Harris Birdsong. Harris is a savant of sorts in that he has memorized the whole dictionary but appears to function on a social level of a young child. The story from this point is mainly a continuous stream of Harris’s thoughts. Without a doubt, the intent here is to recall the idiom “out of the mouth of babes”.

I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Risen by Ron Rash

Title: The Risen Author: Ron Rash Pub Date: 16-Sep-2016 Rating: 5 Stars
Title: The Risen
Author: Ron Rash
Pub Date: 16-Sep-2016
Rating: 5 Star

The Risen is another Ron Rash novel that the prose just sings off the page. Rash never fails to disappoint me in his use of descriptive verse. He so easily transports me to the stage of his characters. It was as if I was sitting on that river bank soaking my toes in the icy waters of the mountain stream known as Panther Creek. The story itself is rather quiet and ambles along at a nice pace and then before you know it you have reached the end. Then I exhale in a long sigh because it is always bittersweet to come to the end of a story well told.

The book is both a coming of age story and a murder mystery wrapped up in one neat package.  The story revolves around two brothers, Eugene and Bill Matney, 16 and 20 respectively, and one pivotal summer in 1969. Bill is home from Wake Forest for the summer and he and Eugene have gone fishing after church, as they do every Sunday, when they meet Ligiea. Ligiea, 17 herself, has been exiled by her parents to her Uncle’s in rural Western North Carolina in an attempt to remove her from the drugs and counterculture of the 60s she has been involved in at Daytona Beach.

For these young boys/men, she is a temptress. She is worldly to their innocence and Eugene is captivated by her. With her, he experiences alcohol, drugs and sex for the first time. Bill, is much less progressive, while at first he joins in, later, after his girlfriend visits, he under goes a metamorphosis. A sibling rivalry of sorts ensues and the brothers drift apart.

Years later, Eugene is an alcoholic and his brother is a prominent surgeon in Asheville and though the physical distance between them is short, in reality, they are worlds apart. Then the unimaginable happens, a body is found near the spot where they fished that summer in 1969. The remains are identified as Ligiea’s. The police start asking questions. She can’t be dead, Eugene knows Ligiea was on a bus bound for Florida.

I have had this book on my desk for over a month. I kept putting it off for others that were more pressing. Now I want to read it again. Great Stuff!

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Title: The Bear and The Nightingale Author: Katherine Arden Pub Date: 10-Jan-2017 My Rating: 4 Stars
Title: The Bear and The Nightingale
Author: Katherine Arden
Pub Date: 10-Jan-2017
My Rating: 4 Stars

The Bear and the Nightingale, by Katherine Arden, is an adult fairy tale. The story draws heavily on folklore and fairy tales and is set during Russian medieval times when belief in demons and witches was still prolific. The story is beautifully crafted and the imagery is elegantly presented. I did find the first thirty or so pages a little slow, but once I made it through the beginning I was thoroughly entertained.

The story is about a young girl, Vasilisa, who is the second daughter of Pyotr Vladimirovich, a Russian lord. Vasilisa, like her mother, is able to see the old spirits that protect the home and hearth. Though Christianity is starting to take a foot hold, even in the remote northern wilderness of Russia, the belief in these spirts is still strong. When Father Konstantin, a new priest, comes to Vasilisa’a small village he preaches against the old ways and forbids the honoring of the old spirits. Without the spirit’s protection evil is allowed to gain a foothold and crops fail and some of the villagers die. Vailisa must find a way and the courage to protect those she loves from the evil that abounds. Continue reading “The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden”