Small Favors

 

My friend lent me Small Favors and it was just the thing I needed to get out of my reading slump.

I was expecting a lot of things with Small Favors since I know my friend's taste in books well and it did not disappoint. The story was magical, mesmerizing, and terrifying. 

Ellerie lives a happy life learning all about bee keeping from her father while helping her mother run the household. Everything is lovely in her life until the oddities start to happen and then the people are attacked in the woods. Who, what, or is anything going on in the woods? Ellerie wants answers and will stop at nothing to get them.

I like the writing style a lot, it was full of fancy and fun but then turned dark and creepy without missing a beat. It did not seem awkward in the writing or loose any of it's charm despite having dark undertones. Ellerie was a fun character and I enjoyed how she questioned her own sanity and what was happening to the town, it made her far more believable. Despite the ending being somewhat open I liked how things ended and most of my major questions were answered. 

What Lies in the Woods

What Lies in the Woods was a random late night choice when I felt I had enough energy to try to read. 

Naomi just wants to forget what happened in the woods that awful summer and she has done a good job so far until the attack dies in prison causing her to receive notification. Unable to hide from her demons any longer she heads back to her hometown and starts trying to learn the truth of what happened that summer. 

The writing was okay and transitions were smooth. The main character was not my favorite. I get she was suppose to be slow on the uptake of learning thing but she was painfully slow. I figured out the whole mystery before anything was revealed which is annoying. I don't mind figuring out part but I like some shocking twists and turns. 

Not sure when I will get motivated to read again. My husband passed and I have been spending all my time working on his estate. By the time I go to bed just the thought of picking up a book is totally overwhelming. 

Still See You Everywhere

 

Still See You Everywhere is the third book in the Frankie Elkin series. Like previous books in the series I read this in every free second I had.

Frankie is still on a mission to find missing people from cold cases she has found browsing the internet and newspapers. Not sure why she is answering Frankie answers the call of a cold hearted serial murderer who is due to be executed soon. Unwilling to help at first soon Frankie is drawn in and quickly heads to a remote island in search of answers. 

Frankie is flawed and broken in so many ways. I love that she is not a perfect character, does not always figure everything out, and acts like a normal human when faced with her life on the line. I like that the mystery is not always so cut and dry and not that easy to say who is right and who is wrong. 2025 cannot come soon enough because I am eager to read the next story in the series. 

Running Blind

 

Running Blind is part of a series but I had no issues reading it as a stand alone book.

Shirlee McCoy is always good for a fast read, her books are light hearted with plenty of action and clean romance. I like that I can figure out what is going to happen to the main characters but still have the mystery aspect. 

Fool Me Once

 

Fool Me Once is a stand alone mystery novel. It is the first Harlan Coben novel I have read so I cannot confirm if Mr. Coben has a writing style with a lot of similarities like other reviews state.

Maya is a mess, her husband has been killed in a random act of violence or so the police state, her daughter's nanny is acting strange, and Maya deals with horrible flashbacks to her time serving in the military. 

I liked Maya she seemed like a thought out character with lots of flaws, real feelings, and struggled to know what to do like any normal human would struggle with. I feel like the other characters were sort of an after thought though, they really lacked personality and had no no real feel to them.

The overall story was new for me and not one that felt cookie cutter compared to other writers I have read previously. However I did not like the ending at all, felt like the easy way was taken out. 

Writing was consistent, I never struggled to figure out what was happening at the time, some surprises and turns while some I figured out. I would consider reading more of Mr. Coben's work if I see at the library. 

The Mystery Guest

 

The Mystery Guest is the second book in the Molly the Maid series. While I enjoyed The Maid enough to continue on the series I am dubbing The Mystery Guest with second book syndrome. I had to force myself to keep reading at times. 

Molly is different and thinks different then the average person, I love how consistent her character is all the time. In no way at all is Molly a cookie cutter character and it was nice seeing an in-depth look at her childhood and how she even struggled to relate to children. 

I was not overly thrilled with the story line, it did not hold my attention and nothing was a shock for me. I expected almost everything that happened. I kept hoping for a big revelation I missed in some way. If the library has The Mistletoe Mystery I would consider trying it. 

The Ballad of Never After

 

The Ballard of Never After is the second book in the Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy. 

I love Evangeline, everything from her name to her personality. She is such a dynamic and well rounded character that I could easily see her with her pink hair walk through the door any moment. Normally love triangles make me cringe but this one is executed perfectly and adds so much to the story. 

Stephanie Garber has a lovely and elegant writing style it is not for everyone but I just adore it. The way Mrs. Garber is able to describe things paints a rich and vivid image in my mind that I thoroughly enjoy. Also I did not deal with second book syndrome while reading The Ballard of Never After. Constantly I was trying to rush through daily life just have a few minutes to read. The other day I stopped at the bookstore and have already started A Curse For True Love.