Book Review - The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

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In 1946, Grace Healey is trying to move on from her husband's sudden death. On her way to work one morning, Grace stumbles across an abandoned suitcase tucked under a bench. Determined to find the owner, she opens the suitcase and discovers a dozen photographs of different women. On a whim, Grace takes the photographs and leaves the station. 

Grace starts to investigate the women in the photographs. She learns that the suitcase belongs to Eleanor Trigg. Trigg was the leader of a network of female spies who worked during the war. These women were sent to Europe as couriers and radio operators to help the resistance. However, they never returned and their fates a mystery. Grace is determined to find out the truth of the behind the photographs as she feels herself drawn to one of the photographs; a young mother, named Marie. Will Grace be able to determine the truth?

I have read "Ophran's Tale" by the author and loved the book. I thought this book was also good but, I felt like it was missing something. The book was an emotional read and the characters were rendered beautifully. I like that the narration was split between Grace, Eleanor, and Marie. We were able to feel what each character was experiencing. However, the plot was of espionage inside the department, was bland. I thought it would have been much more plot twist and betrayal involved. Overall, a great read for fans of the author. 

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.** 

Book Review - Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer

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Hazel DeFord has a deep and dark secret that continues to haunt her. In 1943, a young ten year old Hazel was picking blackberries with her younger three year old sister, Maggie.  Hazel momentarily leaves Maggie alone to discover Maggie has disappeared upon her return. 

More than seventy years later, Hazel is still haunted by the guilt while the mystery remains unsolved. Hazel's secret has strained her relationship with her daughter, Diane, who is frustrated by her mother's paranoia and being overly overprotective. Diane's daughter, Meghan, on the other hand, loves her grandmother's affection and attention. When Meghan is hurt in an accident, she decides to use her recovery time to visit her grandmother. However, when she arrives, she finds out her mother has also planned to tag along as well.  Diane and Meghan uncover Hazel's dark secret while visiting. Meghan is a cold case detective and volunteers to help her grandmother uncover the truth behind Maggie's disappearance. Will the three generations of DeFord women be able to survive each other? Will Meghan be able to solve the mystery behind Maggie's disappearance?

The novel had an interesting premise, but it failed to deliver. I felt like the story dragged on and on until the last few chapters and I felt like the book could have detailed some characters better. For example, Hazel and her late husband's relationship; did he know about Hazel's secret? I also felt that Meghan didn't really help much with solving the mystery behind Maggie's disappearance. Her partner had a bigger role in solving it and than she did while the "mystery" was quite obvious from the beginning. I like the author's writing style so I might be open to reading more of her novels.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Book Review - The Tea Planter's Wife: A Novel by Dinah Jefferies

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The international bestselling historical fiction novel takes place in 1920s Ceylon. Gwen is a young Englishwoman who is smitten by Laurence, an older tea plantation owner and widower. As the two of them settle down in Ceylon, Gwen discovers Laurence is keeping deep secrets about his past including what happened to his first wife. Will Gwen find out the truth before it is is to late?

The novel is an interesting and vividly detailed read. You can't help but root for Gwen and Laurence to find their happy ever after. A great read for a rainy day but can be a bit slow at times.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book**

Book Review - The Girls by Emma Cline

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 During the summer of 1960 in Norther California, Evie Boyd sees a group of older girls in a park and  is immediately taken by them. She longs to have their freedom, lack of rules, their carefree air and the way the demand attention without asking for it. When their worlds collide, the older girl, Suzanne takes Evie to the cult to meet the rest of the members. Among the decay, Evie is mesmerized by the exotic, carefree environment along with the Russell, the charismatic leader while longing to be in the presence of Suzanne. While, Evie is desperate for attention from Suzanne, she doesn't realize the darkness surrounding the group. Will Evie be able to make it out alive? 

This was Emma Cline's debut novel and it was a bit interesting. Personally, I wanted to like the book especially since it was appearing everywhere.  The story started off strong but slowly tapered off into boredom and unnecessary violence and sexual content. The ending of the book is  purely disappointing and quite frankly, makes no sense. Granted, the whole entire book had no purpose and you would not be missing anything if you skip this book.

**Disclosure - I received a free uncorrected pdf version of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Book Review - Freedom's Child: A Novel by Jax Miller

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**May Contain Spoilers**

Freedom Oliver lives in a small town, keeps to herself, works at the local biker bar, and is known to get arrested for public drunkenness on a daily basis. However, what her friends don't know is Freedom is on the run from her secrets which is finally catching up to her. She was arrested for killing her NYPD husband, putting her two kids up for adoption, served time in prison, she is in Witness Protection, and has her husband's family is out for revenge against her. While keeping tabs on her family from afar, she learns her daughter has gone missing. Determined to rescue the daughter she never knew, she risks everything to find Rebekah. On her mission to save her daughter, she comes to realize she isn't the only one with dangerous secrets.

The fast pace novel is written from multiple point of views. It has a lot of twists and turns but towards the end it becomes unmemorable.  It went from being unpredictable and having the reader at the edge of their seats to saying "Oh, I saw that coming". It might seem like a book about revenge but it is actually a book about forgiveness and making amends.  Just because you made a mistake many years ago and it still haunts you, doesn't mean you can't try to right a wrong.

**Disclosure : I received a free copy of this book for my honest opinion**