ARC – One Chapter

When I Kill You by B.A. Paris

4.5 Stars Suspense

Someone is following Nell, she’s sure of it. She feels it yet she has no proof. She’s old enough to understand what’s going on, she’s 36 for heaven’s sake, she can’t be imagining these feelings. Alex, her older friend, can’t be the culprit, she’s pretty sure about that one.

Flashing back in the book, we find a younger Nell, a Nell who goes by the name Elle. Elle was looking out her window when she saw an interaction between a young woman and a gentleman taking place. It was one of those incidents that you watch unfold before your eyes. As it happens, you can’t believe that you are actually witnessing it, taking place. Elle tried to help the woman once she realized what was happening, she really did, but it was too late. Once the police were brought in, Elle did her best to help with the investigation but it’s not over. There’s more, will it ever be over?

The fragile flowers arrived for Nell, at work. Void of a card and with the flowers brightening up the room, Nell wondered who could have sent this huge bouquet for no reason. They discovered that the sender paid cash for the flowers. With Nell being sure that her boyfriend would never send her flowers at work, the identity of who purchased these flowers added another layer to her mystery.

Throughout the story, we do read excerpts from “Extract From Notebook #” which is the person who is actually following Nell. This person gets physically close to Nell and tells their point of view of the who, what and why. Why they chose Nell, what they’re doing, her reactions, and they always close their entry with the same sinister comment. I thought it got creepy sometimes reading Nell’s narrative and then, reading these “Extract From Notebook #” narratives as you read/see their different points of view. I can’t believe how close this individual got to Nell and she didn’t recognize their repeated appearance and figure out who this creepy individual was. Or was it someone that Nell knew who was following her, and giving her the creeps?

Such a suspenseful story that had me wondering who the menace was and why. There were a few individuals that I had suspected but narrowing them down was the tricky part. I’ve always enjoyed B.A. Paris’ books, and this one was no exception. I did wish there would have been story about the younger Nell. Elle’s innocence and drive created the perceptive and over-attentive Nell. 4.5 stars

A big thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this fantastic thriller in exchange for my honest review.

Keeper of Lost Children by Jadeqa Johnson

5 stars Historical Fiction

I could not read this book fast enough! With multiple timelines, I was thrown between the lives of Sophia, Ozzie, and Ethel. The situations of the characters were different enough to keep the character’s stories separate as I read but when I had to put the book down to actually go to sleep, I did write down some notes as I didn’t want to lose track of any of the important information in the lives of these captivating individuals.

It is the 1940’s, his world is at war and Ozzie wants to make a life for himself. Enlisting with the Army, Ozzie is sent to Germany, where desegregation of the military has just begun. Ozzie thinks he’s keeping his life together amidst all the activities surrounding him. Being alone for the first time in his life, he has made a few friends, and accountability rests all on his shoulders. Although he left his mother back home, her voice is constantly replaying in the back of his mind. The temptation is just too great and Ozzie can’t resist. Out with the guys at a club, he meets a local, Jelka. She fills the void that Ozzie left behind at home. It’s all fun and games for a while until he hears the words that snap him to attention, she’s pregnant.

It’s the mid 1960’s, Sophia is living on a farm with her brothers and parents. Sophia bears a lot of responsibility. Sophia has always felt more like a farmhand than a daughter to her parents, but she never questioned it because life on a farm is hard. A smart student, she earns the opportunity for a free ride to a prestigious school, West Oak Academy. I loved the way Sophia navigates her way to the academy, as she knows the reality of the circumstances that she lives in. Once there, the reality of the situation hits. This is a good academic fit for Sophia, but when she arrives with her meager belongings, she realizes there are going to be many more hurdles that she’ll have to jump over besides the ones she just cleared. It’s hurdle after hurdle as Sophia tries to make a better life for herself. These obstacles left me cheering for Sophia throughout the book. She’d have to be successful, right? She had the determination and the makings to be successful individual. She couldn’t let outside issues and a couple bullies bring her down, could she? She’s going to have to face her parents someday and when that happens, it should be interesting. Sophia can’t keep dodging the facts.

And we have Ethel. Ethel was trying to make the best of her life, but she was missing something. She wanted to have children. It’s the mid 1950’s and Ethel and her husband were unable to have children of their own. Ethel notices a group of nuns with children in the distance, so Ethel approaches them which creates life changing events for her. I saw Ethel as an innocent, sweet women with a huge heart. Ethel wanted to help the nuns and the children, whose lives they oversaw easier. Ethel started out doing what she knew she could do and she later enlisted the help of others. I don’t think Ethel knew the intensity or the impact that she would make in the lives of these individuals.

I enjoyed all the individuals inside this story and as their stories merged, I loved the story even more. The effect that each one of them had with one another created a deep and long-lasting impression. This book was more than I expected when I first read about it. Definitely a must read. 5 stars

Thank you to Simon & Schuster, NetGalley, and Sadeqa Johnson for providing me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them by Ashely Alker

5 stars Nonfiction

Covering a whole mountain of information, this book breaks everything apart and lays it back down in a nice, organized fashion. We are presented with material that we can read and understand the implications that it has. The book is not all technical and over-your-head facts and figures; there are personal and relatable information packed inside along with information that you can apply to your own life. There are tons of information inside this book, I mean tons. I bet you’ll walk away knowing something that you didn’t know before or better yet, pass along this information to others, who just might think you’re pretty smart. I do have to admit that I did have to take a break from this book for a few days as I needed time to ingest everything I had read. My mind was churning with all the different comments and interactions that hadn’t even crossed my mind before opening this book and I did notice I had become more aware of the world before me. Not paranoid but just aware of things.

Let me share what I enjoyed about this book. I really enjoyed how the author broke the book into different sections. I think these different groupings helped me understand and comprehend the information better. I also liked how the author described each method in medical or technical terms and then expanded on that and explained it in normal everyday language that I could understand. These stories, personal and firsthand accounts made each of these methods practical and more meaningful.

The author put herself in the writings, not only with her personal stories but with her personality and humor which was shown throughout the book in her writing. The tension, knowledge and load of emotions were felt within each section.

I’ll never be able to remember everything that I read in this book, oh my goodness! It’s great to know that this book is available to have as a resource. I know that when I closed this book I knew more and felt more educated than when I first opened it.

I read this book on vacation which probably wasn’t such a good idea. Here I was in a different country reading a book about 99 Ways to Die. Reading this beside my husband, I can’t tell you how many times, I hit him and asked him, “did you know this?’ and then I’d start reading him a passage out of the book. Some great conversations were had over this book.

An interesting and enlightening read for those who are intrigued, ever questioned, or enjoy learning would benefit from this book. I have tons of highlights inside this book, areas that I found interesting and/or eye-opening for me. These sections I found very interesting: the section on penicillin, antibiotics, Ebola, tapeworms, vaccine-diseases (especially since there is a controversy over this now), water, and warfare. The whole book was great, but these previous items were the cream of the crop for me. This was a great read for me. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Ashley Alker, and St. Martin Press for providing this book to me in exchange for an honest review.

Cold as Hell by Kelley Armstrong

4.5 stars Mystery

I jumped into this series which worked out for me. I’ve read some of Kelley Armstrong’s books before and when this popped up on NetGalley, I knew it would be good, but I was curious if jumping into a series was a wise choice. Kelley provided enough background information so I wasn’t lost but I think to understand the chemistry between the characters, it would be wise to start at the beginning of this series.

The bleakness of the weather situation drew me in. Located in the Yukon Wilderness in Canada, this area is rugged, a true frontier, where nature rules. As the locals gathered, it seemed like a typical night. She doesn’t remember how she ended up on the edge of town. Right now, she’s glad that she’s alive. She hadn’t had that much to drink, which was good otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to put up much of a fight. But what happened? Who was behind this? And why?

The sheriff and area detective are called in. Eric and Casey begin investigating the assault when the weather takes a turn for the worse. Temperatures plummet and a blizzard hits the area. Looking at the area where the assault occurred, the team discover a frozen female body. The body is disturbing in nature which alerts the women. Who would be out in these conditions? What are they dealing with?

This is a very small community which they felt was a close-knit group but now, they are second guessing this community they are living in. The residents start to feel unsure of their neighbors and start to question each other. If that wasn’t enough to fill your mind with, Casey is pregnant and very close to her due date. Casey wants to do her job, to continue to be a detective who is committed to justice but she’s also about to be a mother, can she do both successfully? With mysteries and interesting characters, I enjoyed this fast-paced book. It’s a small town where everyone has their own story, their own secrets and who can you trust. 4.5 stars

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Lions’ Run by Sara Pennypacker

5 stars Middle School

A fabulous read! The last half of this book, I could not put down! I was up into the early morning hours as I had to know what happened, yet I didn’t want my journey with Lucas and Alice to end. Could I have predicted that Lucas would meet up with Alice? No. What transpired between them was not romance but something deeper and far more reaching than either of them could have predicted.

Lucas was a delivery boy. It got him out of the abbey where he lived. It wasn’t quite freedom, but he was free from the eyes of everyone around him. The Germans did monitor the world outside the abbey, but Lucas was getting used to their checkpoints and the restrictions that they placed on the residents. Lucas knew what they expected and he knew how to make his deliveries within the town. Lucas had a soft heart which got noticed around his peers and thence he got the name Petit Éclair. At first, his peers thought this name was funny and Lucas fought hard to get rid himself of this title, but it is, what it is and now, there were only two bullies who would taunt Lucas by calling him Petit Éclair.

The story takes off when Petit Éclair (a.k.a. Lucas) rescues a sackful of kittens from the hands of the bullies who still taunt Lucas. They had thrown the kittens into the canal. Desperate to find shelter for these kittens and get back to his deliveries, Lucas places them in a deserted barn located at the end of a trail, for now.

How Lucas was going to care for these kittens was beyond me, but he might have the means since he has access to different delivery customers. Returning to tend to the kittens, Lucas discovers a horse in the barn. The horse Bia belongs to Alice who is attempting to also hide it, only she is hiding it from Hitler’s men for fear of what they would do it. Alice is determined to get her horse to America where it can be free. I loved Alice’s energy and her confidence as she began to inspire Lucas. She shows him what it is like to be resourceful in difficult situations. Lucas and Alice’s were so different yet here they were, striving for the same dream, which pushed them closer together.

When Alice opens Lucas’ eyes to the truth behind Bois Larris, he immediately changes. His maturity leaps. Lucas knew that it held many secrets but as Alice peels back the layers, Lucas sees the truth right before his eyes. I believe this is what powers Lucas, this is the nudge Lucas needed. There was no stopping Petit Éclair now. He has the means to take control, to change things, and with Alice by his side, Lucas will make a difference.

This was another great novel by Sara Pennypacker. Definitely one that I highly recommend. Thank you to Fierce Reads, Goodreads and Sara Pennypacker for sending me this copy of The Lions’ Run. I won this book in Goodreads Giveaway. 5 stars.

The Library of Fates by Margot Harrison

3 stars Fantasy

I really loved the idea behind this book. A magical library. Can you just imagine that?! Inside this magical library, lives a magical book which is governed by a special librarian. This magical book, The Book of Dark Nights, gives those who use it a gift. Those who write upon the pages of this magical book are granted a glimpse into their future. Sounds amazing, right? Yet, what must be written on the pages are your own deepest confessions. Would you be willing to share your most private confessions to see a glimpse of your future?

It’s a difficult decision but it becomes even more complicated when the predictions don’t materialize like they should. It’s a special library, and the librarian is part of the magic. If you tell the librarian that you “need” a book (no title suggested), she will go into the library’s shelves and find you the perfect book that you “need” for your situation right now.

Told in dual timelines, we follow Eleanor when she is a young student in college and when she is middle-aged. As a student, the library is a new experience and she’s excited to be a part of it. She’s dating a new guy and the library becomes a part of it. As an adult, Eleanor has been a mentee at the library but is now suddenly thrown into the position of Librarian. I liked the dural timelines, but I didn’t like how frequently they switched, I would have rather become more involved in one time period and then switched over, then have the constant switching. I was having a hard time connecting to the characters and I thought the story was choppy in the middle with all the flip flopping. Eleanor first job is to hunt down the missing The Book of Dark Nights. It’s a interesting journey with her mentor’s son beside her.

I wished that more of the back stories of the characters would have been explained to us. The story felt so long and drawn out in the middle, and I think it was because I was jumping through timelines and I had to switch the characters back and forth. I did like the characters, and I liked that there were not a lot of them. I was lost about Daniel and his actions. I just couldn’t understand why he didn’t recognize anything even after everything Eleanor said and did. Why wasn’t anything explained in the dual timeline? It was an okay read for me. 3 stars

Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne

4.5 stars Fiction

I have mixed feelings about this story. I liked the story, but I was confused with the anagrams that the character created in her mind. Lennie was a character who was content with her life, a well-constructed life that she had created. She keeps everyone at arm’s length, and she is in control. Lennie enjoys playing Scrabble so when she finds herself constructing the anagrams in her head, is it because she enjoys word playing? Or it is something else? I thought the use of the anagrams in the story felt too randomly used and they started to annoy me. I just didn’t know when they would pop up and as I read, the anagrams broke up the flow of the story and I started to skip them.

Lennie lives a very strict and structed life. A strict and structed life, alone. She hasn’t made any deep connections with anyone, and I think in the back of my mind, she was just used to that. She buys the same food week after week, and her bookshelf is lined with copies of The Hobbit. She played Scrabble with her imaginary friend, Monica (Lennie loved watching Friends), and her most recent addition is a dog that she rescued from the street. Lennie is now not walking down that street anymore, for she fears that she might run into some individuals who would not be happy about her newly “adopted” dog. Yes, Lennie leads a very strict and structured life, a life that Lennie is content in and she’s happy.

Lenny, the schoolteacher, would have loved to live this way forever but one day, she received a letter which changed her life. The return address, on this letter, stumps her. She doesn’t know anyone from the Adult Parole Board, or did she? Lennie is forced to remember her past, a past that she didn’t recall she had forgotten.

This book reminded me of a book I had read previously, up to a point. Lennie had suppressed her childhood, and it took the letter to start bringing back everything. As she finds the truth, I hoped that it was worth it and that she would finally be able to make some connections with individuals who were actually real. This was a good story that I enjoyed, and I was happy to see the new Lenny. 4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin Press, and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

4.5 stars Fiction

You can always dream. Lucy started to escape into the world of books at a small age. She needed this escape as she had nothing in her own home life to hold onto. Jack Masterson provided the world into which Lucy would crawl into. Soon, these worlds that Jack had created would become a part of Lucy. As a reader, I think Lucy’s connection with Jack and her escape resonates with many of us. The amazement and freedom to escape into the pages of a great book and leave our current world beyond, even for just a few moments, is priceless.

As a teacher’s aide, Lucy is drawn to a student in her classroom Christopher, who is in foster care. Lucy feels a connection with Christopher and this connection deepens throughout the year. Lucy would like to adopt Christopher, but her current situation is not ideal. Lucy heart is in the right place as she tries to find a solution to this problem, but her frustration grows. It’s an emotional story as Christopher and Lucy both struggle with the way life is and how they want it to be. Lucy introduces Christopher to the Jack Masterson books that she loved growing up and soon, they share this reading experience together.

Getting an invitation in the mail, Lucy is invited to a contest hosted by Jack Masterson. This could be Lucy’s “golden ticket,” her chance to change the current situation. Will it be enough to change Christopher’s life also? Will Lucy be the winner?

I enjoyed the contest hosted by Jack. It wasn’t a one chance winner but multiple chances so everyone who was invited got a chance to win points and be the winner at the end of the contest. This was a page-turner and one that touched my heart as I was drawn into the contest and the lives of Lucy and Christopher.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book to me.

The Birthday Girl by Melissa De La Cruz

3 stars Fiction

The party of all parties. A party to prove something but to whom? Ellie was throwing her own 40^th birthday party and she was sparing no expense. It was the best of the best for everyone and anyone she has ever had contact with. It was a show, another show that would dig into their wallet, a wallet that was already stretched thin.

Ellie bought the house anticipating that her 40^th birthday party would be held inside its massive walls. Ellie contempt’s and analyzes every aspect of her life, making sure that everything is refine and perfect, a task that sounds exhausting to me. She was such a nervous wreck before her party, I was hoping that when her party started, she would start to chill.

Welcome to the party. It was exhausting trying to keep track of who was having an affair with who, or who has had an affair with who, and who thought someone was having an affair with someone. Was anyone at this party married and not having an affair? It was never enough for someone to be happy; they were always striving for something better. Ellie never calmed down as her guests arrived, her adrenaline escalated as her thoughts raced. I thought she might have a breakdown and never be able to enjoy any aspect of her birthday. She was constantly watching and listening, searching for something. This 40^th birthday party is not a fun and happy birthday for Ellie but something that happens tonight tells me that Ellie’s birthdays were not always a pleasurable experience.

Let’s flashback to when Ellie turns 16 as she’s been keeping this birthday a secret for years. It should be a night of hanging out with friends and having a great time but as the night continues Ellie is getting frustrated. It’s her birthday and nothing is going as planned. Ellie tries to change things throughout the night but it’s exhausting and where is the fun in all of this? Before her birthday is officially over, Ellie is going to wish it hadn’t started.

I was annoyed with the birthday party aspect of the book as Ellie’s anxiety and busyness were over the top. There was nothing about her party that she enjoyed, nothing! The guests, the food, the gifts, the music, the effort…..nothing was ever enough. It annoyed me. Flashing back to her childhood, this part of the story was more appealing as Ellie moves between being satisfied with whatever happens to trying to change the situation, she’s in to make it more appealing to her. Ellie knows that she can create change. I thought the book was okay, it wasn’t a memorable read for me. 3 stars.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and Melissa De La Cruz for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

5 stars Fiction

One year. Cassie had finally found her groove and now this. Her mother was asking Cassie to put her life on hold for one year so that she could help her out. This is the same mother who walked out on Cassie and her father when she was 16. After having just received a valor award for her outstanding job performance, Cassie packs up her bags to attend to her mother.

There was so much to love about Cassie, especially her attitude and energy. After the incident at the award ceremony and her initial meeting with her new boss at Lillian, I knew that Cassie would be a fireball. She can handle herself; that’s for sure but I started to wonder just how long she’d be able to control herself.

Cassie doesn’t want to standout at the firehouse, she wants to be accepted as one of them. She feels that she needs to prove to them that she’s not a girly-girl but someone who can handle anything that’s tossed her way. Cassie proves to the team that she tough and a few of the men are even intimated by her. With some laugh out loud moments, the firefighters welcome Cassie and initiate her into their firehouse with the traditional pranks. Cassie is feeling better about the move that she has made to help her mother because now she has a job, a job where she can be successful and feel good about herself.

Hello Rookie. Hello, Rookie! Not now…she doesn’t need this now especially after what her new boss told her. Since they’re the newest recruits, they’re always together so there’s no way she can ignore him. They start to share personal information while they’re together and all is lost…..what did the boss say? LOL. Cassie begins to accept her new life for what it is while a stalker has his eyes on Cassie.

This was the reality of life, tucked away secrets are brough to light as individuals adjusted to life in an ever-changing world. A book packed full of emotions, from laughter to tears and anything in-between, Cassie’s and those around her, lived a full life. 5 stars.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Katherine Center for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. #thingsyousavebook #tysiaf