The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner : 

An Eclipse Novella (The Twilight Saga)

by Stephanie Meyer

Availble on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘
Genre - Teen, Young Adult, Werewolf, Fiction, Vampire, Paranormal Romance
Format - Hardcover
Length - 178 pages

*Amazon Blurb*

Bree Tanner, a self-described "vampire nerd" first introduced in Eclipse, lives in terror in a coven of newborn vampires. She is a member of Victoria's vampire army, and as that army closes in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, she finds her first friend and discovers a truth about daylight.


*My Review* 

If you've watched any of The Twilight movies or read any of the books, then this short side story might be something to read. Though it's quite sort and a bit unnecessary, it does provide a bit of insight of how Carlisle was able to figure out what was going on with Victoria. Honestly, it's been so long since I've watched the movie (yes I watched the movies instead of reading the books), maybe it does show how Carlisle figured it out and this book is not useful at all.

Athena's Choice by Adam Boostrom

Athena's Choice

by Adam Boostrom

Availble on Amazon

ARR

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘
Genre - Dystopian, Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction
Format - Paperback
Length - 272 pages

*Amazon Blurb*

Athena Vosh lives just like any other teenager from the year 2099. She watches reality shows with her friends, eats well, and occasionally wonders to herself: what would life be like if men were still alive?

It has been almost 50 years since an experimental virus accidentally killed all the men on earth. However, a controversial project is currently underway to bring men back. There's just one catch. The project has been sabotaged.

So begins the award-winning novel, Athena's Choice. When the police of 2099 are tasked with finding the saboteur, they receive a mysterious command to investigate the otherwise innocuous Athena Vosh. After it becomes clear that the young girl might know more than she lets on, Athena is brought in to participate in the official investigation. Simultaneously, the girl begins to experience a series of cryptic dreams featuring a ruined library and an old book containing the saboteur’s true identity. As the police close in on their prize, Athena finds herself on a journey of her own. Her clue-filled dreams and incorruptible spirit bring her face-to-face with a pair of forgotten truths about happiness and gender. The world waits to see if men will return as Athena fights a separate battle, culminating in the choice that will define her and others' lives forever.


*My Review* 

Can you imagine living in a world without men? That's what has happened in Athena's Choice. There was a man made virus that was created to slowly kill off the "bad" men, but it accidentally rid the world of all men (and even some women).
Athena is called upon to help solve the crime, though no one is sure how she even fits into all this. She's not a detective or even a scientist, but rather a struggling artist. I was definitely kept wondering why her, until close to the end when pieces started falling into place.
Though I enjoyed the book, there were a few things I didn't care for. The first is the ads that were in the book. I know some people thought they gave more insight into the story, but for me it was like scrolling through my Facebook and seeing ads in my timeline (sorry Adam). The second was the ending. I am not sure why, but it just didn't satisfy me.

Cross Kill by James Patterson

Cross Kill : An Alex Cross Story

by James Patterson

Availble on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘📘📘
Genre - Crime Thriller, Psychological Thriller
Format - Paperback
Length - 113 pages

*Amazon Blurb*

Alex Cross, I'm coming for you-even from the grave if I have to.

Along Came a Spider killer Gary Soneji has been dead for over ten years. Alex Cross watched him die. But today, Cross saw him gun down his partner. Is Soneji alive? A ghost? Or something even more sinister?

Nothing will prepare you for the wicked truth.


*My Review* 

I grabbed this book for 2 reasons. 1 - it was by and author I usually enjoy. 2 - it was short. Although it was a short book I thought it was well written and fit a lot of action into a short amount of pages. I enjoyed the entire thing, until I got to the end. It wasn't the book that I didn't enjoy, but the fact that I didn't check to see if it was part of a series before I started. I was rushing to finish to see how it ended only to find out that it didn't end because it was part of a series....seriously!?!
I don't start a series until I have all the books in it to make sure I can just continue the story when I am ready....and to make sure that I am able to get all the books. I also won't start a series if it has more than just a couple books. This one turned out to be a side story, number 24.4 to be exact. How do you even get a .4? Now I have my OCD wanting me to read the first 24 books, but my non OCD is telling me that there are way too many books out there to get caught up in a long series....decisions are real.

Sleep Martyrs by C. A. Wittman

Sleep Martyrs

by C. A. Wittman

Availble on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘📘📘
Genre - Technothriller, Psychological Thriller
Format - E-book
Length -495 pages

*Amazon Blurb*

Tori and her sister, Laila have recently moved to Santomon Village in Calabasas California to live with their mom’s new husband and his two children. But navigating around their controlling stepfather and their aloof new siblings becomes the least of their worries.


There is a vague sense of menace in their state of the art lavish smart home with its cutting edge calm technology. And something is not quite right with the bright, cheerful kids at Santomon's private school where the girls are enrolled.

Undergrads from prestigious universities and ivy-league colleges are vying for the coveted internships within Santomon Village. The mega-corporation is the darling of the tech world. But not everyone is singing Santomon praises. A growing number of parents are voicing concerns that at first seem vague.

As Tori and Laila's mother begins to have doubts about her marriage, there is talk of divorce. Tori yearns to return to Inglewood and the simple life they had. But Laila's not so sure leaving the village will be easy because what she has discovered is a treacherous web of lies unfathomable in their scope. What Laila wonders is if they can escape from Santomon before it's too late.

How can you discover the truth when you may be the lie?


*My Review* 

This book had me hanging on the edge....until the end. This was a fast paced thriller that kept me guessing every step of the way. I wasn't sure if I should be mad at the mom for putting her daughters into the situation she did, the new husband (it was his fault, right?) or the housekeeper (maybe she was behind it all).
Imagine being a child and noticing that all the children around you are different. Not the way the dressed or acted, but different as in their personality. Also, not different from each other, just you.
How would you like to live in a place that was so technologically advanced that it "knew" your preferences. The temperature of your shower, the firmness of your bed, the type of smell you loved most? Is there a point where technology becomes intrusive? Do you think living in a super advanced house would make your life easier? It didn't for Tori and Laila.
I really enjoyed the book, until the ending. For some reason I have not cared for the ending in a few of the books I have recently finished. This one was ok, but just got way too involved for my liking.

Cryptic Kingdom : The Civilands Series Book 4 by N.B. Austin

Cryptic Kingdom : The Civilands Series Book 4

by N. B. Austin

Availble on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘📘📘
Genre - Fantasy
Format - Paperback
Length - 259 pages

*Amazon Blurb*

The battle of the Riverlands has been fought. Its consequences must now be faced.
And nowhere in Duresia is safe. Even to the east in the city of New Berkeley, the seeds of resentment and turmoil are long past sown. Which structures will hold? What secrets will be unearthed?
In the Southern Murrieta a shocking capture sees the tables turn. What will it mean for the futures of the V'ahani clan, Tokali clan, and Keagan Gang? Calls for unity continue. But with so many changes and new discoveries in this cryptic kingdom, can each group hold even their own people together?
The fourth and penultimate book of the Civilands series, Cryptic Kingdom is a climax for the ages. The threads coming together will satisfy and surprise.


*My Review* 

As with the first 3 in the Cryptic Kingdom series, N.B. Austin was able to keep my attention throughout the book. I love how much the characters have grown throughout and became so mature. I never expected to see the unity of certain groups when I first started reading. I just wonder if they will be able to continue and if the people will be able to rebuild the lives that fell apart due to the Keegan Gang. So much was lost for such a long time. Will the trust be rebuilt?
Things start falling in place, but the story isn't finished yet. I can't wait to find out how the end in the final book.....2020 needs to get here quickly.

Falling Behind

Who knew that trying to keep up with book reviews could be so hard at times? Well, apparently not me. I honestly didn't realize how far behind I had fallen and that it'd been so long since I had posted on the blog at all (ooops). I am currently playing catch up with all of these books. Since school started (and my 2 new jobs) I find that I don't have much time to read (but obviously I'm finding time somewhere) and even less time to get on my laptop to post reviews.
I just finished one review and will start the next after I have some lunch. I'd like to get them all done today. Pretty sure that's not going to happen, but you never know.

Finished review -
Careful What You Wish For by Hallie Ephron

Coming soon -
Cryptic Kingdom by N.B. Austin
Cross Kill by James Patterson
Athena's Choice by Adam Boostrom
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer

A side note....are you following my Instagram? You should check out the post I just made for Careful What You Wish For by Hallie Ephron. You've heard of the "Traveling Pants", but what about a "Traveling Book"?

Careful What You Wish For by Hallie Ephron

Careful What You Wish For

by Hallie Ephron

Available on Amazon

ARC

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘📘📘
Genre - Psychological Thrillers, Fiction, Murder Thrillers
Format - Paperback
Pages - 285


*Amazon Blurb*

Emily Harlow is a professional organizer who helps people declutter their lives; she’s married to man who can’t drive past a yard sale without stopping. He’s filled their basement, attic, and garage with his finds.
Like other professionals who make a living decluttering peoples’ lives, Emily has devised a set of ironclad rules. When working with couples, she makes clear that the client is only allowed to declutter his or her own stuff. That stipulation has kept Emily’s own marriage together these past few years. She’d love nothing better than to toss out all her husband’s crap. He says he’s a collector. Emily knows better—he’s a hoarder. The larger his “collection” becomes, the deeper the distance grows between Emily and the man she married.
Luckily, Emily’s got two new clients to distract herself: an elderly widow whose husband left behind a storage unit she didn’t know existed, and a young wife whose husband won’t allow her stuff into their house. Emily’s initial meeting with the young wife takes a detour when, after too much wine, the women end up fantasizing about how much more pleasant life would be without their collecting spouses.
But the next day Emily finds herself in a mess that might be too big for her to clean up. Careful what you wish for, the old adage says . . . now Emily might lose her freedom, her marriage . . . and possibly her life.

*My Review* 

Who would've thought that being a simple organizational person could make your life a mess. For Emily it's harder than you'd think. She is married to a hoarder who lives for garage sales. Emily is just trying to get her new business off the ground and be successful. Unfortunately, you never know who your client will be or what it is that they need help with. That's why you meet up with your possible clients though, right? Even once the ground rules are set, sometimes you get in over your head before you realize what's happened.
It seems the more Emily tries to help her two new clients the more messy her life becomes. Instead of just trying to help people get more organized, she is trying to help herself stay out of jail.
I had my suspicions early on in the book for the who did what. I was pretty much right, but at the end I was still shocked when all the cards were laid out.

Check out my Instagram for a chance to turn this into a "Traveling Book".

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

The Diary of a Young Girl

by Anne Frank

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘📘📘
Genre - Historical Germany Biographies, Jewish Holocaust History, Jewish Biographies
Format - Paperback
Pages -337

"I don't believe the war is simply the work of politicians and capitalists. Oh no, the common man is every bit as guilty; otherwise. people and nations would have rebelled long ago! There's a destructive urge in people, the urge to rage, murder and kill. And until all of humanity, without exception, undergoes a metamorphosis, wars will continue to be waged, and everything that has been carefully built up, cultivated and drown will be cut down and destroyed, only to start all over." - Anne Frank Wednesday, May 3, 1944

*Amazon Blurb*

In 1942, with the Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, the Franks and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annexe” of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and surprisingly humorous, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.

*My Review* 

This book is just amazing. As you read you can actually see the change in Anne. She becomes so mature in such a short amount of time. The fact that a young child was able to not go crazy in the years they spent in hiding is simply shocking to me. No going outside, not knowing day by day if you're going to be captured, if you will have enough food to eat and everything else they had to worry about. I don't know any kids today that would have been able to follow such strict rules for so long.
I posted an excerpt from the book that really hit me. The fact that a child so young and in the year 1944 basically described what is still going on today made me sad.
The worse part of this book for me was the sudden ending. I realize that they believe she died in February or March of 1945, but I feel like her life really ended on August 1, 1944 when she wrote her last diary entry. I would prefer to think of it this way, instead of thinking about the horrible conditions she live in during the period in between.

Letters From The Apocalypse by Blake Pitcher

Letters From The Apocalypse

by Blake Pitcher

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘
Genre - Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction
Format - Paperback
Pages -157

*Amazon Blurb*

The sun is strange, and the lights in the sky have shut down the world. Technical writer Roger was on a work trip to Texas when it all happened. Trapped between chaos and the rise of a mysterious, fanatical rancher known as the White Texan, Roger seeks to find his way north, and home to his wife. Except it’s even harder than it seems. And he doesn’t even know if she’s alive. Letters from the Apocalypse is the story of two people separated by the end of the world, and the letters that could bring them together again.

*My Review* 
 
I always love getting books from local authors to read, but it's sad when they don't reach my expectation. This was unfortunately one of those.

Possible Spoilers in my Review

The name of the book, Letters From The Apocalypse, had me under the assumption that there would be letters going back and forth. There were 2 letters that were sent. The first one took 5 years to write and the response apparently just minutes.

I don't know why, but this book really aggravated me. Roger is so heartbroken about being away from his wife, but spends years writing pages to a letter instead of working his way back to her. Instead of just walking and hiding from people so he isn't killed, he stays and goes along with the Freedom Republic. Seriously, even walking, it would've took less than 5 years to go from Texas to New York.

Even in the beginning before the Freedom Republic gets ahold of him, he find a deserted house to stay in. I'm sorry, but if something like this happens I would scavenge up all the supplies I could possibly carry and head home.

There is a second book in this series, Return from the Apocalypse, that I'm not sure yet if I will read.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale

by Margaret Atwood

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘
Genre - Dystopian Fiction, Censorship & Politics
Format - Paperback
Pages - 311

*Amazon Blurb*

In Margaret Atwood’s dystopian future, environmental disasters and declining birthrates have led to a Second American Civil War. The result is the rise of the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian regime that enforces rigid social roles and enslaves the few remaining fertile women. Offred is one of these, a Handmaid bound to produce children for one of Gilead’s commanders. Deprived of her husband, her child, her freedom, and even her own name, Offred clings to her memories and her will to survive. At once a scathing satire, an ominous warning, and a tour de force of narrative suspense, The Handmaid’s Tale is a modern classic.

*My Review* 

This book....ugh. There was so much hype about the book and the shows. I was so excited when I got this book that I didn't even set it IN my TBR pile, but rather on top to be the next book I read. I think that the shows might be better than the book (don't shoot). I can't believe I actually just typed that. It all just seemed like everything was in slow motion. They walked here, they walked there and always moving at the same pace and not looking around. Each class of women wore the same outfits and spoke the same lines......zzzzzz.

Can someone who has read this tell me I am just in a reading funk and it was a really good book??

Not sure if I'll check out the next in the series, The Testaments, but I guess if I want to find out what happens with Offred I will have to.....or I can google spoilers (but what fun would that be?).

Asylum by Madeleine Roux

Asylum

by Madeleine Roux

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘📘
Genre - Teen & Young Adult, Fantasy, Supernatural, Mystery, Thrillers, Horror
Format - Hardcover
Pages - 310

*Amazon Blurb*

For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, the New Hampshire College Prep program is the chance of a lifetime. Except that when Dan arrives, he finds that the usual summer housing has been closed, forcing students to stay in the crumbling Brookline Dorm—formerly a psychiatric hospital. As Dan and his new friends Abby and Jordan start exploring Brookline's twisty halls and hidden basement, they uncover disturbing secrets about what really went on here . . . secrets that link Dan and his friends to the asylum's dark past. Because Brookline was no ordinary mental hospital, and there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

*My Review* 

I think this was a good horror book for young adults. I did enjoy the book, right up until the end. The fact that an old asylum was turned into a college was a great story-line itself. It screams haunted. I mean what teenager wouldn't want to go and stay at an old asylum?
The story flows nicely with the kids meeting up and the trouble they get into. To me it just seemed that with all the secrets hidden beneath the dorms it should have led to more. I was really expecting more "excitement".
The ending seemed a bit rushed too. Maybe it has to do with the fact that this is the first in the series of 3. Overall a good book and I might look into the rest of the series.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

To Kill A Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘
Genre - Classic Literature, Fiction
Format - Audio-book

*Amazon Blurb*

One of the most cherished stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than forty million copies worldwide, served as the basis for an enormously popular motion picture, and was voted one of the best novels of the twentieth century by librarians across the country. A gripping, heart-wrenching, and wholly remarkable tale of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, it views a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, as her father—a crusading local lawyer—risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime.

*My Review* 

I borrowed this Audio-book 3 times. I don't know why it was so hard for me to listen to, other than the fact that I couldn't do it with my 5 year old around because of the language.

I thought the book was going to have a lot about the trial of someone wrongly accused, but instead it just seemed to have a lot about the kids doing and saying whatever they want. I really feel as if I missed something with this and maybe I would do better with re-reading a printed copy in the future.

Gringo: My Life on the Edge as an International Fugitive by Peter Conti

Gringo: My Life on the Edge as an International Fugitive

by Peter Conti

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘
Genre - Memoirs
Format - E-book

*Amazon Blurb*

Dan "Tito" Davis comes from a town in South Dakota that's so small everyone knows their neighbor's cat's name. But once he got out, he made some noise. While at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, he started manufacturing White Crosses, aka speed, and soon had the Banditos Motorcycle Club distributing ten million pills a week. After serving a nickel, he got into the weed game, but just when he got going, he was set up by a childhood friend. Facing thirty years, Davis slipped into Mexico, not knowing a word of Spanish, which began a thirteen-year odyssey that led him to an underground hideout for a Medellín cartel, through the jungles of the Darien Gap, the middle of Mumbai's madness, and much more.

*My Review* 

Where would you go if you needed to hide? Would you be able to leave your former life in the past and create a new one? Imagine never speaking to your family again. I thought the book started out a bit slow, but it picks up quickly and takes you on a ride all over South America. Tito is forced to not only leave his life in the past, but to create a new one that is believable enough to not make anyone suspicious of him. I had to keep reminding myself this story was based on real life events. I kept thinking that I would've probably given up many times, yet Tito pushes on. Not only does he stay out of trouble, but manages to be a law abiding citizen, a successful one at that. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I read the book on my Kindle or if the same would hold true in a printed format, but I did get a bit annoyed at all the footnotes. I don't see why most of them couldn't have just been in English instead of me having to constantly click on the footnote to understand what was being said.

Reviewers & Authors.....you'll want to read this.

https://www.thieme.com/resources/87-resources-for-authors

I'd love to be able to pair up reviewers and authors. This will be a work in progress, but for now it will be done as follows -

Reviewers - Fill out the form with as much detail as possible to help connect you with an author. By submitting your information, you are agreeing to allow me to share your name, email and other information with authors seeking reviewers. I will only share your information with authors that have books in the genre that you select.

Click here if you are a reviewer.

Authors - Fill out the form and I will work to pair you up with a reviewer that is interested in the genre that you have. Please make sure to let me know if the book is an ARC/BETA and the deadline for reviews.

Click here if you are an author.

If you experience any issues with the links/forms please contact me here. (Including any suggestions you have to make this better.)

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Bird Box

by Josh Malerman

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘📘📘
Genre - Horror, Suspense, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction
Format - Audio-book

*Amazon Blurb*

Something is out there . . . Something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from. Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remain, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now, that the boy and girl are four, it is time to go. But the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat—blindfolded—with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. And something is following them. But is it man, animal, or monster? Engulfed in darkness, surrounded by sounds both familiar and frightening, Malorie embarks on a harrowing odyssey—a trip that takes her into an unseen world and back into the past, to the companions who once saved her. Under the guidance of the stalwart Tom, a motely group of strangers banded together against the unseen terror, creating order from the chaos. But when supplies ran low, they were forced to venture outside—and confront the ultimate question: in a world gone mad, who can really be trusted?

*My Review* 

I didn't watch the show on Netflix and I think it made the book even better. Since the characters in the book are unable to look at anything, they rely on other senses. That means that everything they can't see is described to you. For me, this made it easy to picture everything without having to think about it. The layout of the house, the path to the well, the ride down the river....everything was so vivid in my mind. I also enjoyed how the book alternates between the past and present. It kept things moving nicely. The author has them switching at the perfect point.

There was only part of the story that I wished was elaborated on a little more and that was where Malorie got the food to survive for 4 years. Did she leave the babies home while she went out and got more food? How was she able to find that much to last for so long? Regardless, she did and they survived.

Looking for your next book haul?

Have you checked out Read N' Reviews on eBay yet? 

I have over 100 books listed and will be added more starting today.

I have authors such as Agatha Christie, Anne Perry and Catherine Coulter already listed. 

Lee Child, Nevada Barr, Lisa Black, Jeffrey Deaver and more coming soon.

Not on eBay, or don't want to shop through eBay? No worries. Just send me an e-mail letting me know which book(s) you are interested in and I'll send you an invoice via PayPal.

Pratts Hollow by Christina Kelley

Pratts Hollow

by Christina Kelley

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘
Genre - Horror, Suspense
Format - Paperback
Pages - 301

*Amazon Blurb*

A disturbing Tale of Horror and Suspense set in the Hamlet of Pratts Hollow, NY located in the Mohawk Valley. This novel isn't coated in sugar for the meek, because real life rarely is frosted. With the good, comes the bad, the stagnant, and the unimaginable. A story about the horrors of small town living; real and perceived; hidden and apparent. When Maurice Adam Downey arrives in Pratts Hollow, the air gets heavy, stomachs sour, surrounding woods turn putrid, neighbors' doors close extra tight, and the uncontrollable madness begins... Maurice Adam Downey, a supernatural cult leader migrates from the deep woods of Canada to arrive in the hamlet of Pratts Hollow in the 1990's. His presence creates mayhem as horrific events plague the citizens within the rural farming communities of Pratts Hollow and Madison. Five Madison Central School students and long time friends, Tommy Tremaine, Sarah Jensen, Lane Collins, Samantha Peate, and Bobby Frye form a club called the Country Club Five in which its members encounter Maurice Downey on a daily basis. The children recognize the evil within this new stranger and the unusual happenings that have occurred in their towns since his arrival. With the help of a wise old woman, divine intervention, a New York City detective, a Utica Police sergeant, and the impenetrable friendship between each other, the friends battle this cruel being to save a missing five year old girl, and their hometowns. "This novel isn't coated in sugar for the meek, because real life rarely is frosted."--Christina Kelley. Christina incorporates her fictional characters into real locations and settings in Oneida, and Madison County, including the City of Utica. .

*My Review* 

I always enjoy reading books that are set in an area that is local to me. Pratts Hollow, as well as Utica, are both located very close to me. Utica is a 15 to 20 minute drive.

First, let me start of by saying that poor editing can take away from a good book...as was the case here. I found the beginning of the book to be quite interesting, but the author would go off on side stories that didn't quite fit in or were just distracting from the main story-line.

A group of kids that are best friends get tattoos which someone give them super powers that they aren't really aware of. Then they graduate school and move away. Events in their hometown bring them all back together and they find out how strong their powers really are.

The ending of the book was a disappointment. The buildup of how horrible the Downey's were made me think that the ending would be full of action. Instead it was all over in the matter of a couple pages.

Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs

Tales of the Peculiar

(Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #.05)

by Ransom Riggs

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘📘📘
Genre - Young Adult, Time Travel
Format - Audio-book

*Amazon Blurb*

Before Miss Peregrine gave them a home, the story of peculiars was written in the Tales. Wealthy cannibals who dine on the discarded limbs of peculiars. A fork-tongued princess. These are but a few of the truly brilliant stories in Tales of the Peculiar—the collection of fairy tales known to hide information about the peculiar world, including clues to the locations of time loops—first introduced by Ransom Riggs in his #1 bestselling Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series. Riggs now invites you to share his secrets of peculiar history, with a collection of original stories in this deluxe volume of Tales of the Peculiar, as collected and annotated by Millard Nullings, ward of Miss Peregrine and scholar of all things peculiar. Featuring stunning illustrations from world-renowned woodcut artist Andrew Davidson this compelling and truly peculiar anthology is the perfect gift for not only fans, but for all booklovers.

*My Review* 

This is such a cute book for those who have read the Miss Peregrine's books. I love how it is a mini book of stories of the Peculiars and even more how it ties in with Millard. I definitely recommend reading this after the others. 

Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson

Before She Knew Him

by Peter Swanson

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘📘📘
Genre - Psychological Thrillers, Psychological Fiction, Murder, Thrillers
Format - Hard Cover
Pages -

*Amazon Blurb*

Hen and her husband Lloyd have settled into a quiet life in a new house outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Hen (short for Henrietta) is an illustrator and works out of a studio nearby, and has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder. Finally, she’s found some stability and peace.
But when they meet the neighbors next door, that calm begins to erode as she spots a familiar object displayed on the husband’s office shelf. The sports trophy looks exactly like one that went missing from the home of a young man who was killed two years ago. Hen knows because she’s long had a fascination with this unsolved murder—an obsession she doesn’t talk about anymore, but can’t fully shake either.
Could her neighbor, Matthew, be a killer? Or is this the beginning of another psychotic episode like the one she suffered back in college, when she became so consumed with proving a fellow student guilty that she ended up hurting a classmate?
The more Hen observes Matthew, the more she suspects he’s planning something truly terrifying. Yet no one will believe her. Then one night, when she comes face to face with Matthew in a dark parking lot, she realizes that he knows she’s been watching him, that she’s really on to him. And that this is the beginning of a horrifying nightmare she may not live to escape. . .

*My Review* 

This book...WOW!! Normally you spend at least half the book trying to figure out who the killer is. This book starts off by telling you who did it right away. Well, if you know who did it, then what's the point of reading any further? Trust me, you'll want too.

Hen and her neighbor, Matthew, end up having a deep relationship that is unlike any other. Is she really crazy or is Matthew telling her the truth about all the horrible things he's done. Is Matthew the bad guy, or is he a good guy helping rid the world of bad people?

Since I already knew who the killer was, I figured it was only a matter of time before the police were able to figure it out and then the book would end. Well, that's kind of what happens, but there's such a major twist that I had not expected. It made me think back about everything I'd just read and wondering how it was possible.

If you're looking for a a really suspenseful book, look no further.

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

The Last Time I Lied

by Riley Sager

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘📘📘
Genre - Psychological Thrillers, Murder Thrillers, Contemporary Women Fiction
Format - Audio-book

*Amazon Blurb*
Two Truths and a Lie. The girls played it all the time in their cabin at Camp Nightingale. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and first-time camper Emma Davis, the youngest of the group. But the games ended the night Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out of the cabin into the darkness. The last she--or anyone--saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips.

Now a rising star in the New York art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings--massive canvases filled with dark leaves and gnarled branches that cover ghostly shapes in white dresses. When the paintings catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the wealthy owner of Camp Nightingale, she implores Emma to return to the newly reopened camp as a painting instructor. Seeing an opportunity to find out what really happened to her friends all those years ago, Emma agrees.

Familiar faces, unchanged cabins, and the same dark lake haunt Nightingale, even though the camp is opening its doors for the first time since the disappearances. Emma is even assigned to the same cabin she slept in as a teenager, but soon discovers a security camera--the only one on the property--pointed directly at its door. Then cryptic clues that Vivian left behind about the camp's twisted origins begin surfacing. As she digs deeper, Emma finds herself sorting through lies from the past while facing mysterious threats in the present. And the closer she gets to the truth about Camp Nightingale and what really happened to those girls, the more she realizes that closure could come at a deadly price.

*My Review* 

This book keeps you on the edge of your seat. How can three girls just disappear without a trace? Emma spends her life wondering this very questions and blames herself for the girls disappearance, but who is responsible?
The story goes back and forth between when Emma attended camp as a young girl and now, as an adult. She is hoping to be able to get some closure about what happened to the girls so long ago. Instead, she finds herself right back in the same situation.
I kept trying to figure out who could've taken the girls, but every time I thought I knew, I'd end up changing my mind. Can you figure it out before the end?

Library Of Lost Souls by Ransom Riggs

Library Of Lost Souls 

(Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #3)

by Ransom Riggs

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘📘📘
Genre - Teen & Young Adult, Time Travel, Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult Horror
Format - Audio-book

*Amazon Blurb*
A boy with extraordinary powers. An army of deadly monsters. An epic battle for the future of peculiardom.

The adventure that began with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and continued in Hollow City comes to a thrilling conclusion with Library of Souls. As the story opens, sixteen-year-old Jacob discovers a powerful new ability, and soon he’s diving through history to rescue his peculiar companions from a heavily guarded fortress. Accompanying Jacob on his journey are Emma Bloom, a girl with fire at her fingertips, and Addison MacHenry, a dog with a nose for sniffing out lost children.

They’ll travel from modern-day London to the labyrinthine alleys of Devil’s Acre, the most wretched slum in all of Victorian England. It’s a place where the fate of peculiar children everywhere will be decided once and for all.

*My Review* 

As with the previous book in this series, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I honestly can't wait for my daughter to get older so that I can read them to her.

Jacob and the rest of the peculiar children have come a long way to save their embryms, but they aren't done yet. Now they must save all the Peculiars everywhere, in every loop. The Library of Souls is as stake. It's the most sacred place for Peculiars. Find out if they are able to save everyone and if Jacob decides to stay with the Peculiars or return home to his ordinary life.

Firestarter by Stephen King

Firestarter

by Stephen King

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘 📘📘
Genre - Psychic Thrillers, Witch & Wizard Thrillers
Format - Paperback
Pages - 401

*Amazon Blurb*

Andy McGee and Vicky Tomlinson were once college students looking to make some extra cash, volunteering as test subjects for an experiment orchestrated by the clandestine government organization known as The Shop. But the outcome unlocked exceptional latent psychic talents for the two of them—manifesting in even more terrifying ways when they fell in love and had a child. Their daughter, Charlie, has been gifted with the most extraordinary and uncontrollable power ever seen—pyrokinesis, the ability to create fire with her mind. Now the merciless agents of The Shop are in hot pursuit to apprehend this unexpected genetic anomaly for their own diabolical ends by any means necessary...including violent actions that may well ignite the entire world around them as Charlie retaliates with a fury of her own....

*My Review* 

For some reason I found myself unable to really stay interested in this book. I knew before reading it that the girl, Charlie had a pyrokinesis and a general idea of how the story would go. I had not seen the movie, though, so I didn't know how it would end. This book starts out with lots of action and it never seems to slow down. Usually that will hold my attention, so I honestly don't know what happened.

Andy and Charlie are on the run from the "Shop" who want to capture and test both Andy and Charlie because of their unique abilities. The Shop will stop at nothing to get what they want. Once they capture Andy and Charlie they set to work on trying to get Charlie to start fires. Little do they know, she made a promise to her Dad that she would never make another fire. What will the shop do to this little girl if she doesn't cooperate? Will they torture her? Punish her? Will she make them their fires? Lots of questions that you can get answered by reading the book (or watching the movie if that's your thing).

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

Hallow City

The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children

by Ransom Riggs

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘 📘📘 📘📘
Genre - Teen & Young Adult, Time Travel, Fiction, Horror, Fantasy
Format - Audiobook

*Amazon Blurb*

Like its predecessor, this second novel in the Peculiar Children series blends thrilling fantasy with vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience.

September 3, 1940. Ten peculiar children flee an army of deadly monsters. And only one person can help them—but she’s trapped in the body of a bird. The extraordinary journey that began in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. There, they hope to find a cure for their beloved headmistress, Miss Peregrine. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner. And before Jacob can deliver the peculiar children to safety, he must make an important decision about his love for Emma Bloom.

*My Review* 

I haven't even had a chance to write my review and I've already downloaded Library of Souls: The Third Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children.

This is such a fun series. Reading about the adventures these children (are they actually children?) go on. They come across the most unusual things and wonder how they can possibly be real, while they themselves are unusual.

In this book the unusual children are trying to save Miss Peregrine as she's stuck in her bird form and if not changed back she will remain. The children fight through all sorts of obstacles to try and save their beloved Miss Peregrine.

The ending did come as quite a surprise and I can't wait to dive into the next book and find out what is going to happen.

Mother's Day & Birthday Weekend

That's right. Not only is it Mother's Day 👩 this weekend, but also my birthday 🎂 My daughter stayed with my mom Friday night so that my husband could take me to dinner. Instead of going out to dinner I opted to get Apple-bee's carry out and rent a movie. A night relaxing night at home is a wonderful gift.

Sorry to everyone who is afraid of clowns, just pretend this picture isn't here. Oh, you already saw it huh? Ooops.

Now I wanted to read It by Stephen King for a long time, but was overwhelmed at the length of the book. I finally read it last year (click here to check out my review) and since have wanted to watch the original It and then the new It movies. We did watch them, but not in that order. My husband wanted to watch the new one so we rented that one. I really enjoyed it until the end when I realized it was just Part 1 and not the whole book. So then it was on to the original movie. I preferred this layout of the movie, but wish I hadn't just watched the first part of the new movie with all the super special effects that weren't available in 1990. If they'd just kept the original movie and added all the special effects it would've been perfect.

Also, I did a thing today....

Yes, Read N' Reviews is now on Etsy. I've made some bookmarks that I'm working on getting uploaded and will work on getting making other "bookish" stuff. Please stop by and check it out, mark as a favorite and share....basically just show me some love. I mean it is Mother's Day and my Birthday after all.

TO ALL THE MOMS OUT THERE

(including pet moms...ya'll count too)!!!

Control Freakz by Michael Evans

Control Freakz 

by Michael Evans

Available on Amazon

ARR

Rating (1-5) 📘 📘
Genre - Teen, Young Adult, Politics & Government, Fiction, Depression & Mental Illness, Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic
Pages - 354

*Amazon Blurb*

Natalie had always known her dad's disappearance was connected to something much more sinister inside Area 51, but she never guessed that finding answers would require her to sacrifice everything. After the Great Crash and the election of President Ash, Natalie's dad disappears and her grandpa soon after ends his own life. But these tragic events shrouded in mystery pale in comparison to the horrors that ensue with the onslaught of Protocol 00.

After Protocol 00 is enacted, Natalie’s entire family is taken by the Protection Services Agency, along with the families of her two best friends, Hunter and Ethan. With nothing to lose and the threat of government hitmen kidnapping them at any moment, the three must battle to survive in a horrid, post-apocalyptic world run by President Ash and his invasive government. Risking ruthless leaders, attempted mind control, and her very existence on the planet, Natalie, along with Hunter and Ethan, will stop at nothing in their quest to learn the secrets that destroyed their lives. But there are unrivaled powers working against them, and with impending doom looming at any moment, there is no one to trust and nowhere to hide. In a life devoid of hope, happiness, and safety, Natalie must battle both the darkness lurking inside and out of her in order to regain one fleeting memory of her past that has all but fallen away for good, but it might already be too late.

*My Review* 

Where to begin....

The main character of the book, Natalie, is very unlikable. She is so negative and depressing. She is always complaining about how things have gotten as bad as they can get. Then a few chapters later she says the same thing. There was a lot of repetition in this book which drove me crazy. The work anxiety seemed to be mentioned on every page, sometimes more than one. I really just couldn't take Natalie's lack of anything throughout the book. She didn't try to make anything better, she didn't try to help anyone and constantly needed to be helped.

The author does do a wonderful job at writing a description of how something feels or looks, but I feel like the book was extremely OVER descriptive. The first 3/4 or more of the book was just all description and nothing else. Natalie and her two friends went from their home to a camp. That was all that happened until the very end. I wish the book was more like the ending with the characters actually moving and doing something.

All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

All The Missing Girls 

by Megan Miranda

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘 📘
Genre - Coming of Age, Suspense, Literary Fiction
Format - Audio-book

*Amazon Blurb*

It's been 10 years since Nicolette Farrell left her rural hometown after her best friend, Corinne, disappeared from Cooley Ridge without a trace. Back again to tie up loose ends and care for her ailing father, Nic is soon plunged into a shocking drama that reawakens Corinne's case and breaks open old wounds long since stitched.

The decade-old investigation focused on Nic; her brother, Daniel; her boyfriend, Tyler; and Corinne's boyfriend, Jackson. Since then only Nic has left Cooley Ridge. Daniel and his wife, Laura, are expecting a baby; Jackson works at the town bar; and Tyler is dating Annaleise Carter, Nic's younger neighbor and the group's alibi the night Corinne disappeared. Then, within days of Nic's return, Annaleise goes missing.

Told backward - day 15 to day 1 - from the time Annaleise goes missing, Nic works to unravel the truth about her younger neighbor's disappearance, revealing shocking truths about her friends, her family, and what really happened to Corinne that night 10 years ago.

*My Review* 

I'll start off saying that maybe this is one of those books that would be better to read instead of listen to. The whole story was sort of off to me. It worked it's way backwards, but also jumped from the then and now...I think. I was never sure where I was in the story. The entire time I was listening I couldn't wait for the end to see if I could figure it all out. By the time the ending came, I was able to understand the who, what and why of it. 

The First Mistake by Sandie Jones

The First Mistake 

by Sandie Jones

ARC - Available 6/11/19

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘 📘📘📘📘
Genre - Domestic Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers, Suspense Thrillers
Format - Softcover
Pages -

*Amazon Blurb*

THE WIFE: For Alice, life has never been better. With her second husband, she has a successful business, two children, and a beautiful house.

HER HUSBAND: Alice knows that life could have been different if her first husband had lived, but Nathan’s arrival into her life gave her back the happiness she craved.

HER BEST FRIEND: Through the ups and downs of life, from celebratory nights out to comforting each other through loss, Alice knows that with her best friend Beth by her side, they can survive anything together. So when Nathan starts acting strangely, Alice turns to Beth for help. But soon, Alice begins to wonder whether her trust has been misplaced . . . The first mistake could be her last.

*My Review* 

This is an author that doesn't disappoint. Right from the beginning, this book will pull you in and not let you go. It drops bombshell after bombshell leaving you wondering who did what and how it couldn't happened. I never couldn't predicted the ending.

Though I absolutely loved this book, there were a few things that I couldn't stop thinking about and think that they should have been a bit differently or left out. I will discuss these after a spoiler warning. I have ever posted a spoiler before and have actually wrote really short reviews as to avoid them, but I am making an exception here. If you have read this book (or like spoilers) then scroll down.......

SPOILER APPROACHING 

Here it is.......


Ok, so when Alice comes across her dead husbands photo on Facebook showing current activity, why didn't she go to the police? Seriously...if the love of your life suddenly appears on social media you wouldn't contact Facebook to see if the account was accurate. You'd go to the police. My immediate thoughts were that maybe he wasn't killed in the skiing accident and that he'd been hurt suffering amnesia.
Also. towards the end when everyone's parts are revealed....it started to get a bit sloppy. Again, I really did enjoy the book so I'm not trying to make it seem bad. But 2 people wait 10 long years for revenge. That just seems like an awfully long time to pretend you like, or in Nathans case love, a person. If it was 5 years....maybe, but not 10.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children 

by Ransom Riggs

Book #1

Available on Amazon

You can also buy the entire box set of all 3 books by clicking here.

Rating (1-5) 📘 📘📘📘📘
Genre - Teen & Young Adult, Historical Mysteries & Thrillers, Time Travel Fiction , Mystery & Thriller, Action & Adventure
Format - Hardcover
Pages - 348

*Amazon Blurb*

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

*My Review* 

What a fun book this was!!! Imagine being a young child and listening to your grandfather tell you amazing stories of when he was younger. Only the stories he's telling couldn't possibly be real.....could they?
Follow Jacob on a journey as he discovers that all the tall tales his grandfather told WERE real and not only are they real, but they will need Jacob's help to save them.
What's more amazing is not only are the people and the places real, but still as he'd left them. How? You'll have to read the book to find out.

Camino Island by John Grisham

Camino Island by John Grisham

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘 📘
Genre - Amateur Sleuths, Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Format - Hardcover
Pages - 304

*Amazon Blurb*

A gang of thieves stage a daring heist from a vault deep below Princeton University’s Firestone Library. Their loot is priceless, impossible to resist.

Bruce Cable owns a popular bookstore in the sleepy resort town of Santa Rosa on Camino Island in Florida. He makes his real money, though, as a prominent dealer in rare books. Very few people know that he occasionally dabbles in unsavory ventures.

Mercer Mann is a young novelist with a severe case of writer’s block who has recently been laid off from her teaching position. She is approached by an elegant, mysterious woman working for an even more mysterious company. A generous monetary offer convinces Mercer to go undercover and infiltrate Cable’s circle of literary friends, to get close to the ringleader, to discover his secrets.

But soon Mercer learns far too much, and there’s trouble in paradise—as only John Grisham can deliver it.

*My Review* 

I was surprised to find this book pretty disappointing. It has an amazing beginning that just kind of leads into a boring story that drags. To make matters worse, the ending (in my opinion) was awful.

I thought that it was going to be suspenseful with the way things begin. Very important and expensive valuables are stolen from a library vault. It is not a clean getaway and the FBI immediately has a suspect. From there things get, well, not as interesting. It feels as if you are then jumping all over trying to keep track of the characters, only to end up with Mercer and Bruce. The story then seems to revolve around just them and looses interest. The ending was the worst part for me as. I was a "happy ending" that a fairy tale would have, not a suspense book.

Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris

Behind Closed Doors

by B.A. Paris

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘 📘📘📘📘
Genre - Domestic Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers, Suspense
Format - Audio-book

*Amazon Blurb*

Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth; she has charm and elegance. He’s a dedicated attorney who has never lost a case; she is a flawless homemaker, a masterful gardener and cook, and dotes on her disabled younger sister. Though they are still newlyweds, they seem to have it all. You might not want to like them, but you do. You’re hopelessly charmed by the ease and comfort of their home, by the graciousness of the dinner parties they throw. You’d like to get to know Grace better.
But it’s difficult, because you realize Jack and Grace are inseparable.
Some might call this true love. Others might wonder why Grace never answers the phone. Or why she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. Or why she never seems to take anything with her when she leaves the house, not even a pen. Or why there are such high-security metal shutters on all the downstairs windows.
Some might wonder what’s really going on once the dinner party is over, and the front door has closed.

*My Review* 

Jack and Grace are the perfect couple or are they.... are things really what they appear to be?
The book shifts easily between the past and the present. You learn how they met, about Grace's sister with down syndrome, the quick engagement, the wedding and then who Jack and Grace really are.
From the outside they seem like the perfect couple with the perfect house, but as you read you learn that the perfect life that was dreamed up couldn't be farther from the life that they are living.
I knew right from the beginning of the book that there was something not right with the marriage. What I couldn't tell was if it was Jack or if it was Grace. It didn't take long to figure it out and then I just kept trying to figure out how it would all end.

I was kept on the edge of my seat as I listened to this book and more than once I caught my self saying "What!". You'll find lots of twists and turns with an epic ending.