Tuesday, September 17, 2024

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. 



Monday, September 16, 2024

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. 

Sunday, August 11, 2024

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. 


Thursday, June 20, 2024

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. 


Wednesday, June 12, 2024

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

Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Chasing Endless Summer

 

I had no clue that Chasing Endless Summer Chasing Endless Summer was the second book in a series. 


Caroline had no personality just seemed like a shadow of a person who could have personality. It was typical V.C. Andrews style with the family have dark secrets, mental illness, and society frowned upon relationships. I know V.C. Andrews passed away many years ago but I am not sure if it is the same ghost(s) writer or not. The story also did not fit well, part here, part there, and another part over there it had a horrible flow. Not a series I will continue and if I feel a need for a guilty read I will be choosing to re-read some early work from V.C. Andrews. 

Monday, June 3, 2024

Home is Where the Bodies Are

 

I had a 21 hour car ride and knew I would need something to entertain myself so checked out Home is Where the Bodies AreHome is Where the Bodies Are to read during the ride. Due to my situation I was able to read the story in one sitting. 


Beth resents her siblings like crazy, they ignored their dying mother and showed up in time to see Beth fall apart right after her mother had passed. Each child has their own demons, Beth knew she was never good enough for her parents having stayed in a small town working at the factory her father had worked at. Nicole loves drugs more then anything and no one was interested in helping her except Beth. Michael is the rich child who escaped to California and forget all his family. With the three siblings thrown together they have to learn to face the past to learn what finally happened to their father who walked out on them years ago. 


This was not my favorite Jeneva Rose book but it did keep my attention for a whole reading. I did not figure out everything until key parts were revealed. I liked the characters and the growth that was shown with them while still showing them having serious PTSD from various things that occurred in their lives.