Christmas at Harrington's

 

I believe I got Christmas at Harrington's from the free library earlier this year. I knew I was saving it for Christmas time. One of the best parts is that the story was to the point but still held tender hearted moments. I actually miss books being around this length, not every book needs to be a five hundred page plus beast filled with non needed fluff. 

Lena is eager for a new start after being released from prison for a crime she did not commit. Trusting the advocate to have set her up with a chance at a new life Lena blindly gets on a bus and finds herself in a small town where she hopes to forget her past. 

The story is complete and leaves a feel good on your heart. It does have a plot but not much fluff and despite their being several characters I felt like I got to know all of them. A delightful Christmas story and I see why it is a classic. 

The Senator's Wife

 

I really do not know why I stick with books I do not like but for some reason I managed to read all of The Senator's Wife.

Sloane is worried about her his replacement surgery and how the foundation she runs will cope without her to be at the helm. Her husband, a powerful senator, suggests a home aide who can help her with her recovery and working with the foundation while she recovers for six weeks. All is going well until Sloane just does not get better, instead she continues to get worse. 

A great premise and for a bit I was thrown off who the cuprite was but the majority of the book was fluff that did not move the story forward. The last handful of chapters was where the suspense kicked in and when things got interesting. 

The Spare Room

 

I have no clue what I was thinking when I stuck with The Spare Room. Interesting concept but horrible execution. 

Kelly needs an escape from her relationship after having a fight with her fiancé. Luckily for her a friend from high school has rekindled their friendship and invites her to join her and her husband at their mansion. Soon Kelly and her cat arrive at the mansion and it is like a dream. Having to quarantine is a not fun but being able to do it in a mansion with a pool, library, and wine cellar makes it a bit more bearable. All is not as it seems though and suddenly Kelly finds herself trapped in a mansion with two people she cannot trust and if she it not careful she will disappear just like their last houseguest. 

Great premise, a pandemic and a loves spat forcing someone to stay with essentially strangers. I am not really why this was marketed as thriller since the thriller part was non existent for most of the story except for the last handful of chapters. The characters were consistent with their personality  and their faults but I found I did not like any of them at all nor do I care about them. All in all was a boring read for me with constant parts repeating and a highly unbelievable ending. 

The Hawthorne Legacy

 

After finishing The Inheritance Games I made a special trip to the bookstore to buy The Hawthorne Legacy. 

Avery is learning that pretty much everything is a game in the Hawthorne's life and that it is a way for them to cope with having been raised being wealthy beyond belief. No longer in disbelief about her newly inherited lifestyle Avery instead focuses on her relationships with the Hawthorne family and their acquaintances. Parts of the story seem unbelievable and I am not sure if it because the Hawthorne's are so rich or just the author taking liberties.

I was not as invested in The Hawthorne Legacy as I was The Inheritance Games, I hate love triangles especially when I like all the characters. Parts were so slow and did not seem to drive the main story forward. For the game being Zander's it did not seem like he was really part of the story. Instead Jameson was the main Hawthorne present. I will not go so far as to say the story suffers second book syndrome since it was not a chore to read it but I easily put it down to do chores or other things. 

A note: I just moved to a new place so that is also taking a lot of my time away from reading. I read the story in about five days it just feels like it took me a lot longer to read. 

The Inheritance Games

 

I have been torn on The Inheritance Games for awhile. Having heard back and forth about whether or not it was a good story or just gimmicky left me wondering if I should spend my hard earned cash on it. Finally I gave in and bought the book because waiting list for the library had 356 people on it. 

Avery is just a smart girl who knows the way to get ahead in life is through her education. Determined to make the most of her last year of high school Avery is doing all she can to work, study, and avoid her sister's abusive boyfriend. Suddenly she is thrust into a world of the rich when her presence is requested at the reading of an eccentric billionaire's will. Unable to resist the game or the mysterious Hawthorne brothers Avery decides to play along and find the truth. 

Despite liking the storyline over all I had a few issues with the side parts of the story. While sometimes Avery seems super mature for her age other times she seems like a much younger kid which I was fine with but it did get hard keeping up with her switching personalities at times. My biggest issue was the lazy writing at times, such as saying "and me" instead of "and I" but that is more on the editor I suppose. The last problem I had was the way the color of the Hawthorne brothers skin was described. It was confusing and I am still not sure of the skin color of each brother. No clue was provided as the the skin color of any of the other characters which was also frustrating. I picked up the second book today and have already read a few chapters of The Hawthorne Legacy. 

Someone We Know

 

I just seem to be on a thriller/mystery era at the moment. Since the last one let me down I went back to comfortable and familiar Shari Lapena. Someone We Know kept me guessing at every turn. 

A young woman is found dead in the truck of a car that was sank into a lake. Soon the police learn her name is Amanda and everyone from her husband to endless barrage of lovers is as suspect. As the two detectives on the case navigate the twists and turns of who killed Amanda they soon learn no one is as they seem and everyone has secrets. 

My biggest issues with Someone We Know is that it ended like the book would be a series but it is not. I do not want to give spoilers but I was hoping that something mentioned at least twice that I recall would have had more of a set in stone ending instead of leaving it up to the readers imagination on what it could have been. Despite that Mrs. Lapena's writing remains consistent, she has a style all her own. Like usual if I see any more work by Mrs. Lapena I would not hesitate to try reading it. 

The Girl Who Vanished

 

The Girl Who Vanished had such an exciting premises but I had to force myself to keep reading. The story started out with a bang then just slowed to a snails pace.

Despite the story jumping around I was able to keep track of all the characters easily. Other then struggling a bit with some of the British English I pretty much figured out everything including the big mystery fairly early in the story. Really I should have just skipped ahead and read the ending to see that I was correct in my assumption.