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.

The Wedding Promise

 

The Wedding Promise is the second book in the Angel Island series. 

Liza is slowly learning how to run and inn and how expensive it to can be to maintain a historic building. As she continues to renovate the rooms and update the many parts of the inn a young woman visits begging her to host a wedding. Unsure what to say Liza explains the inn is not up to hosting a large wedding and she thinks it best to pass on the opportunity. However the young woman refuses to give up and Liza soon finds herself learning how to host a wedding while continuing to update the inn.

A slow paced story with light hearted moments and exactly what I need with my mental state right now. The writing continues to be consistent and the characters hold true to who they are. I like that the island seems to just fix problems for people and makes the reader believe miracles can happen. I do plan on continuing the series I just have to catch up on some other library books I have checked out first. 

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart

 

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart was in the local free library.

Alice knows a life of fear and pain but strong love from her mother. Unable to protect her mother Alice learns to tread softly and keep her father happy above all else. Soon Alice is torn from the only home she knows and sent to live on a flower farm with her Grandmother June where she hopes her life will change for the better. 

I do not like to do reviews on books I do not enjoy. It felt like the overall theme was just sadness and the happy parts of Alice's life were just skimmed over like they did not matter. The writing was nothing special and Alice did not really seem to grow in any way despite the story taking place over her childhood and young adult life. 

Death by Didgeridoo

 

This is the first time I have reviewed a book twice but Death by Dedgeridoo is worth it. 

Jamie Quinn is a divorce attorney and has taken some time off after the death of her mother. Trying to find herself she is thrown into the deep end of criminal law when he cousin is accused of murder. What I like about Jamie is that she is just a normal person who wants to make sure that the wrong person is not sent to prison for murder. Add in moments of light humor and you have a nice cozy read.

Barbara is consentient in her writing, the story line flows smoothly and all the characters have quirks. One other thing I enjoy is the chapters are all similar in length making the reading session more enjoyable.