Synopsis: Scandal, love, family, and murder combine in this gripping literary mystery by critically acclaimed author Emily Arsenault, in which a young academic’s life is turned upside down when her brother is arrested for murder and she must prove his innocence.The Battle siblings are used to disappointment. Seven years, one marriage and divorce, three cats, and a dog later, Theresa still hasn’t finished her dissertation. Instead of a degree, she’s got a houseful of adoring pets and a dead-end copywriting job for a local candle company.Jeff, her so-called genius older brother, doesn’t have it together, either. Creative, and loyal, he’s also aimless in work and love. But his new girlfriend, Kim, a pretty waitress in her twenties, appears smitten.When Theresa agrees to dog-sit Kim’s puggle for a weekend, she has no idea that it is the beginning of a terrifying nightmare that will shatter her quiet world. Soon, Kim’s body will be found in the woods, and Jeff will become the prime suspect.Though the evidence is overwhelming, Theresa knows that her brother is not a cold-blooded murderer. But to clear him she must find out more about Kim. Investigating the dead woman’s past, Theresa uncovers a treacherous secret involving politics, murder, and scandal—and becomes entangled in a potentially dangerous romance. But the deeper she falls into this troubling case, the more it becomes clear that, in trying to save her brother’s life, she may be sacrificing her own.
Thoughts: A great mystery read, as well as a brother-sister relationship story. The subject matter was heavy, but there was plenty of humor--and snark--in the dialogue to help keep it from getting TOO heavy. The conversations between the Battle siblings, Theresa and Jeff, were very realistic for two people who don't really know how to talk about their feelings, and therefore cover them up with shallow conversations.
The mystery component was a REAL mystery, in that I didn't have it figured out in the first three chapters. The ending was a total surprise that I never saw coming. My only real complaint is that there was a little too much discussion of Theresa's thesis subject..many times it didn't seem to fit in the plot, and honestly it was pretty boring to me.I would definitely recommend this to any lover of mysteries, however, and will be looking at some of the author's earlier work, as well
What I read last week:
1) Trailer Trash With A Girl's Name, by Stacey Roberts (for review on Goodreads/Amazon)
2) Copycat Killing, by Sofie Kelly
3) Legacy, by Jesikah Sundin (for review on Goodreads/Amazon)
4) Defending Jacob, by William Landay
5) Assaulted Pretzel (An Amish Mystery #2), by Laura Bradford
6) Hotel Apocalypse, Volume II, by Bennett Gavrish (for review on Goodreads/Amazon)
What I listened to last week:
1) The Reluctant Queen (The Love Story Of Esther), by Joan Wolf
2) How To Raise Your Adult Children: Because Big Kids Have Even Bigger Problems, by Gail Parent
What I'm currently reading:
1) #hashtagged, by Kimberly Hix Trant (for review on Goodreads/Amazon)
2) What Strange Creatures, by Emily Arsenault
3) The Joshua Effect, by P.S. Meronek
What I'm currently listening to:
1) A Brew To A Kill (Coffeehouse Mystery #11), by Cleo Coyle
What I plan to read this week:
1) The Outsorcerer's Apprentice, by Tom Holt
2) Lending A Paw, by Laurie Cass
3) Hotel Apocalypse III, by Bennett Gavrish (for review on Goodreads/Amazon)
4) Marriage Takes Three, by G.E. Hamlin (for review on Goodreads/Amazon)
What I plan to listen to this week:
1) Lost And Found: The True Story of Jaycee Lee Dugard and the Abduction That Shocked the World, by John Glatt
2) Peril In Paperback (A Bibliophile Mystery), by Kate Carlisle
Synopsis: Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.
Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.
Thoughts: Amazing writing. The way it wrapped up the "mystery" situation was totally unexpected, and what came after that was heartbreaking. But the last page....the last page was PERFECTION.
Synopsis: Caralynne Hayman is angry and bitter over the abuse and death of her eleven-year-old daughter at the hands of a radical religious cult—The Children of Righteous Cain. So when her husband, a founding member of the cult, suffers a massive heart attack, Caralynne allows her husband to die. Caralynne’s secret seems safe until Dayne MacFarland returns, determined to learn the truth about the cult. His investigation and his rekindled love for Caralynne lead the pair toward a confrontation with the group’s elders. Can Dayne’s love for Caralynne bridge the gulf of anger and bitterness that divides the community? Or will Caralynne’s deadly secrets prove too high a price for her redemption?
Thoughts: **I was given a copy of this book by the author in return for an honest review.**
This was a tough book to get through at times....not because of the way it is written, but because of the subject matter. The incidents of abuse, and the other incidents of violence, were very powerful, to the point of being sickening. It was like being there in person, watching from a distance, unable to do anything about what was happening. Thankfully, the true love of God is witnessed throughout the story, as opposed to the false teachings of the cult leader.
Synopsis: When the author was born, his mother did the unthinkable. She gave him a girl’s name—Stacey. But Stacey’s name was just the first hurdle he’d face in his uphill climb from birth to manhood. He also had to deal with an entitled older brother, the hodgepodge of different men his mother was involved with, and the nomadic lifestyle he was forced to endure for five years. And to top it all off, his mother couldn’t cook a decent meal to save her life. Trailer Trash, With a Girl’s Name is Stacey Roberts’ lighthearted, often hilarious account of growing up in an unstable household during the 1980s. Full of humor, history, and hope, it follows Stacey from the hospital room where he was born to the Winnebago that carried him across the country, filling in the gaps with a wit and humor that anyone with a dysfunctional family can appreciate. So go ahead and start reading. Once you hop aboard the Winnebago with Stacey and his quirky family, you’ll find that you’re in for the ride or your life, where what you learn along the way is not only entertaining, but also enormously enriching.
Thoughts: **I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.**
I'm still trying to figure out how a book can be so hilarious and so sad all at the same time. A lot of the stories included are heartbreaking, but thanks to the author's style and take on them, you can't help but laugh. I know for sure I'll never look at red onions the same ever again! A great story of overcoming your childhood, not dwelling on the bad things, and turning it into something positive.
Synopsis: Hotel Apocalypse is an action-packed dystopian adventure set in a post-apocalyptic world. One corporation controls the last shelter on Earth, and those inside are subject to its laws and lies. With each episode, you'll uncover more of the tower's mysteries and get to know the group of heroes fighting for a brighter tomorrow.
Thoughts: Oh my gosh! This was even better than Volume I....more action and suspense, and I couldn't stop reading it. My heart is still pounding from the ending, and I can't wait to find out what happens in Volume III.
Oliver,Leo and company are back again, continuing their adventures at "Hotel Apocalypse." Ruby and Leo are expecting a baby, and that fact colors every decision Leo makes this time around. There is humor, sadness, suspense, action, romance....a little something for everyone.*I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.*
Synopsis: Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney for two decades. He is respected. Admired in the courtroom. Happy at home with the loves of his life, his wife, Laurie, and teenage son, Jacob.
Then Andy’s quiet suburb is stunned by a shocking crime: a young boy stabbed to death in a leafy park. And an even greater shock: The accused is Andy’s own son—shy, awkward, mysterious Jacob.
Andy believes in Jacob’s innocence. Any parent would. But the pressure mounts. Damning evidence. Doubt. A faltering marriage. The neighbors’ contempt. A murder trial that threatens to obliterate Andy’s family.
It is the ultimate test for any parent: How far would you go to protect your child? It is a test of devotion. A test of how well a parent can know a child. For Andy Barber, a man with an iron will and a dark secret, it is a test of guilt and innocence in the deepest sense.
How far would you go?
Thoughts: I don't know what to say about this story. It nearly ripped my heart out several times, in several different ways. Not only that, but there were three times when the plot went somewhere I never expected it to go. The last chapter...oh my, the last chapter. I cried when I realized what happened. One of the most compelling stories of a family in crisis that I've read this year.
