The Lipstick Bureau

 

I do not recall where I got The Lipstick Bureau from but I have liked other stories loosely based on history previously so I figured I would give it a try. 

While the story jumps between several points of view I feel like the story was mainly told from Niki's point of view and she is the one I felt had the most sense of completion with her story. Since Niki is based loosely on a real woman it is really hard to critique any actions she made because it was a real person's choice but I do not feel that Mrs. Gable convened who Niki was as a person overly well. Despite being a fan of breaking the rules constantly and enjoying smoking Niki did not come off as a strong character who was well rounded and developed. 

I did managed to finish the book without skimming so I will say it is a fair read. I do appreciate the consistency in the chapter length, saying whose point of view it was at the start of the chapter, and being clear when transitions were being made between time periods. 

Everyone Here is Lying

 

With all that is going on in my life I need a good distraction and Shari Lapena is providing that. Everyone Here is Lying had me reading way past my bedtime most nights.

Avery is a difficult child and tries both her parents patience but when her father gets so mad at her he strikes her so hard she hits the floor people start to suspect he may have done more. Avery is missing and the quiet town is horrified to learn a nine year girl was snatched off the street in her middle class neighborhood. Unsure who is telling the truth and who is lying the detective on the case are determined to find Avery no matter what. 

Once again I had no clue who was responsible for making Avery disappear, the twists and turns kept me guessing along with all the detectives. I do wish that the characters were more fleshed out though lost of them and I felt like I knew none of them. 

Not A Happy Family

 

Not a Happy Family is by an author I have enjoyed in the past so I stuck with the story to the end. I did not care for this story at all, I kept waiting for hints about the investigation but seemed to never get any. I literally had no clue who the killer was until it was revealed. Personally not enough closure to the mystery was provided at the end for me either. 

Murdered and rich with angry kids and a housekeeper who loves the kids more then herself leaves detectives with a perplexing case. Who killed the Mr. and Mrs. Merton? With every suspect having a motive and every one of them willing to lie the story contains plenty of twists and turns leaving the reader guessing.

Personally I did not enjoy Not A Happy Family, the writing style was not to my taste. However the mystery was solved with a solid reason why things occurred the way they did. 

Seduction of a Highlands Lass

 

I do not know where I got Seduction of a Highland Lass just that it was in my old bedroom at my grandparents house when I was visiting and I had nothing else to read. 

If you are looking for a steamy romance where the men tell the women what to do this is that. While it does try to show that women have some say in the matters of their lives it is very little. Lots of steamy scenes and not a book I would say is for anyone under 18 years of age. 

The history was sketchy at times but overall I did like the story and it took my mind off the many stresses I have in my life at the moment. 

You Shouldn't Have Come Here

 

I actually saw You Shouldn't Have Come Here as a book on booktok reposted on facebook so I wanted to give it a try. 

Grace is going on vacation and wants a quiet get away where she can enjoy nature and read. However something about the seemingly perfect ranch is off but Grace cannot figure out what. With a small town a few miles away full of a vast array of characters who seems to lack social skills Grace finally puts it down to a small town not used to visitors. Determined to enjoy her time on vacation reading and doing yoga she just focuses on nature. However all the changes when the local sheriff shows up looking for a missing girl who was suppose to have stayed at the ranch before she arrived.

What a ride, so many twists, turns, and moments where I was second guessing myself. I did not see the ending coming and I was happy for that. Now I did have some major questions left over after the book ended but I do not think I will ever get an answer to them just something I will have to come to terms with. I like the writing enough to read more work by Jeneva Rose. 

The Perfect Marriage

 

The Perfect Marriage was available to check out immediately on the e-library so I decided to give it a try. 

Adam is living the dream, he has it all, a work acholic wife who supports his lavish life style, a home away from home in the form of a vacation home his wife bought him to continue his writing, and a mistress. As he enjoys spending time at the second home and the rendezvous with his mistress everything is perfect until the police show up at his door demanding to know why a homicide victim is in the bed of his vacation home. Horrified and heartbroken at the lose of his mistress Adam suddenly realizes his is the number one suspect. Unsure what to do he turns to the only person he can his wife Sarah who is a hot shot defense attorney. With one chance at proving he is innocent Adam places all his hope that Sarah will forgive his indiscretions. 

The writing style is fast paced with little room for fluff. I really enjoyed how each chapter was pushing the story line along introducing new characters or information about what really happened to the mistress. While many characters were introduced they were built up enough I got a good feel for them but none of them stole the spotlight from Adam and Sarah. I do plan on reading more novels by Jeneva Rose.

An Unwanted Guest

 

This is the second book I have read by Shari Lapena and if I had not read one of her books previously I would not have stuck with An Unwanted Guest. It starts so slow. Lots of different characters and a bunch of chapters was spent introducing them before the murder happened. 

Slow start with several new characters introduced quickly. I mixed up some of the male characters at times and had to pause to think of who each one was several times while reading. 

Compared to The Couple Next Door I did not really enjoy An Unwanted Guest the pacing was too slow and the mystery really hard to put together in parts since the reader lacked a lot of information.

Fast Girls

Fast Girls was in the local free library so I figured I would give it a chance.

I liked reading about the different girls but I do feel like the white girls had their story told more then the African American girls which was disappointing.

The "politics" of the racing did not appeal to me that much. I would have rather had more on the girls then the coaches worrying about how it would look having a diverse group of women racing.

Since the story was told from several different points of view it jumped between women but I never got confused or lost on whose part of the story the book was on. The writing was smooth and alright, not too many cliffhangers that left me wanting to read just one more chapter before bed.