Book Review - Shades of Mercy: A Porter Beck Mystery (Porter Beck, 2) by Bruce Borgos

 

Shades of Mercy: A Porter Beck Mystery (Porter Beck, 2) by Bruce Borgos is about Sheriff Porter Beck investigating the recent surge of drug overdose deaths. Beck has returned to his home town after being away for a few decades. He recently has taken the sheriff position that his father once had. The area that Beck and his twelve-person team usually cover has been quiet until recently.

Beck received a late-night call that one of his childhood friends had overdosed on an illegal opioid.  Then another one of his childhood friends, who is a successful rancher, is targeted by a military drone that was hacked. The drone blows up the rancher’s prized bull. To complicate matters, the hacker seems local as they called out Beck by name. This motivates Beck even more to find who is behind the hack.

As Beck investigates the drone hacking, the trail leads him to Mercy Vaughn, a known hacker in the area. However, Beck is unsure how she could pull off the hacking since she is in a secure juvenile detention center with no computer access. But Beck feels that something isn’t right about Mercy and when Mercy disappears, he realizes that she is in danger. Will Beck be able to find Mercy and find out who is behind the hacking before it’s too late?

The book is part of a series, but I was able to read and follow the book without reading the previous book. The book was a straightforward and interesting read. The book did have a few twists but nothing unexpected that blew my socks off. I did think towards the end of the book, the writing got a bit muddied and confusing. It was hard to keep track of what was going on.   I did like reading about Beck and his team's investigation. I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Book Review - What Happened to the McCrays?: A Novel by Tracey Lange

 

What Happened to the McCrays?: A Novel by Tracey Lange is about Kyle McCray returning home to care for his father and to deal with the fallout of him leaving unexpectedly two and half years ago. Kyle wasn’t expecting to return home to Potsdam, New York, after leaving without telling anyone. He wasn’t expecting a warm welcome from the people he abandoned, especially his father and his beloved ex-wife of sixteen years, Casey. However, he knew that he had to be there for his father after he had a stroke.

Kyle planned to lie low and help his dad heal and recuperate before he could leave again, especially after Casey made it clear that she didn’t want him there.  As Kyle helps his father heal, he realizes the impact he made when he left abruptly.  He decides to redeem himself when he is offered a coaching position for a middle school hockey team. As he teaches the children to believe in themselves, he finds compassion and hope in unexpected places. Kyle even contemplates staying in Potsdam, and repairing the bond he and Casey had. Will Casey and Kyle be able to move forward and find peace with each other?

The book was an okay read. I had a feeling about what drove Casey and Kyle apart even though the book took a while to get there. I thought the book had a lot of unnecessary details that made the book feel like a chore. The book is narrated by both past and present Casey and Kyle. It was interesting because we could see the beginning of their relationship and how it began to unravel. I have read the author’s book “We Are the Brennans”, and I feel like both of her books are focused on family dynamics, grief, and forgiveness. For both books, I found the “twists” to be predictable and the book to be long-winded. I might read more books by the author in the future, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get their next release.

Book Review - When Cicadas Cry: A Novel by Caroline Cleveland

 

When Cicadas Cry: A Novel by Caroline Cleveland is about Zach Stander, an attorney from South Carolina, who is trying to find the truth behind a murder. In Walterboro, South Carolina, a young white woman is found bludgeoned to death with an altar cross in a rural church on Cicada Road. A young black man, Sam Jenkins, is found covered in her blood and is kneeling over the body. The county is already filled with racial tension, and with the murder case involving two different racial groups, it is bound to explode with more violence.

Zach Stander is a lawyer with a past. He currently lives with his girlfriend, Addie Stone, who is a private detective. Together the two of them try to prove that Sam is innocent but not before they find themselves tangled in a web of lies and deception.  

Thirty-four years earlier, two young women were found murdered on quiet Edisto Beach, an hour southeast of Walterboro. The killer was able to disappear without a trace and the police have no leads. As Zach and Addie dig into Ben’s case, they start to see some similarities, and they wonder if there is any connection between the two cases.

The book was filled with twists and turns. I didn’t expect the murderer and thought it was a clever twist. There were a few clues given that made me question every connection especially since we also got to read sections narrated by the murderer.  I did like that the book had multiple narrations and storylines. However, sometimes, I do think that the second story line of Addie investigating the cold cases took away from Ben’s case. The book was an entertaining read and I would read more books by the author.

Book Review - Guardians of Dawn: Zhara (Guardians of Dawn, 1) by S. Jae-Jones

 

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara (Guardians of Dawn, 1)  by S. Jae-Jones is about a young woman, Jin Zhara, who is trying to come to terms with her magical powers in a world where magic is banned. Magic is forbidden in the world of Morning Realms. Magicians are called abominations and put to death when they are discovered. This was because the ruler blames magicians for transforming into monsters that had destroyed and dominated the land twenty years earlier.

Zhara lives with a cruel stepmother and her blind younger sister. Zhara has to keep her stepmother happy otherwise, her stepmother might turn Zhara in to the Kestrels. The Kestrels keep the Morning Realms free of magicians and kill anyone who is against them. The last thing Zhara needs is anyone finding out that she has magical powers.

On a chance encounter, Zhara crosses paths with a young man, Han, who brings her into contact with a secret magical group called the Guardians of Dawn. Zhara heard rumors of the Guardians and thought they were just rumors. Together with Han, Zhara investigates more into the Guardians and realizes that there is more to these rumors than she thought.  As if Zhara doesn’t have enough on her plate, a mysterious plague is corrupting the magicians of Morning Realms and turning them into monsters. The Guardians believe that it is a demon that is responsible for the destruction. Will Zhara and Han be able to figure out who is behind the corruption before all is lost forever?

I thought the book was an okay read. I did like some aspects of the world-building, but I found some parts confusing. For example, they mention that there is a ruler in the city where Zhara and Han live but then there is another leader in another land that had put martial law against magicians into effect. That allowed one of the ruler’s wives to be killed against her husband’s wishes.  I wish the hierarchy of the rulers and some parts of the worldbuilding were either fleshed out more or included in an index.

The book was engaging at times, but it felt that it moved very slowly. There were pages where nothing happened, and it felt boring. There were a lot of characters and past storylines that were hard to keep track of. Like the worldbuilding aspect, I wish there was an index, or that it was fleshed out more. I did think some parts were a bit juvenile in how young the characters acted. It felt like every “main” character had the “good looks giggles” at some point. I thought the book was an okay read. I would be open to reading more books from the series, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for them.

Book Review - Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

 

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera is about a woman, Lucy Chase, who returns to her hometown, where everyone thought she murdered her best friend, Savvy. Lucy and Savvy were best friends in their small Texas hometown, Plumpton. They were smart, pretty, and was the envy of many people. Lucy was married to a wealthy attractive man, who had bought her a huge ring and a sizable home in Plumpton. Her husband was popular and well-liked by their neighbors. Savvy was a social butterfly and was beloved. She was known to be kind and well-liked, and if the rumors are true, very popular with the men in town. However, when Lucy is found wandering the streets in a daze covered with Savvy’s blood, everyone believes that she murdered her best friend.

Years have passed since that fateful night, but Lucy still can’t remember anything. After that day, she picked up and moved to LA to start a new under-the-radar life. The police didn’t have enough evidence to charge Lucy with anything. That all changed when a huge hit true-crime podcast, “Listen for the Lie”, and its host, Ben Owens, began to dig into Lucy and the murder of Savvy.  Lucy finds her life turned upside down and she is forced to return to her hometown again. She had promised that she would never return but, after meeting Ben, she feels that maybe she owes it to Savvy to figure out what happened that night.

The book was a quick and funny read. I found Lucy’s narration to be funny and well-written. The book kept me guessing until the very end as there weren’t many clues to lead us to the suspect. Many of the twists and surprises were revealed through the podcast format of the book. I did like reading the podcast interviews but at times, I lost track of the different characters and how they were related to the murder. There were a few parts of the book that I didn’t like such as the ending and a confrontation Lucy had with her ex-husband and her parents. I found those scenes to be a bit weird and far-fetched, especially on how trusting some characters were of others.  I found the book to be an enjoyable read. I would read more books by the author.

Book Review - The Sherlock Society by James Ponti

 

The Sherlock Society by James Ponti is about a pair of siblings, Alex and Zoe Sherlock, who decide to open a detective agency during their summer break. Zoe wants to attend a cheerleading camp with her best friends, but her parents refuse to let her go. Now, Zoe is now stuck spending the summer with Alex and his two lame friends: Lina, an avid reader and new to the area, and Yadi, an aspiring cinematographer and rabid conspiracy theorist.

Alex, Lina, and Yadi are members of the Sherlock Society at school. They focus on solving puzzles and all things Sherlock. One day, Zoe reluctantly participates in a locked room puzzle with the Sherlock Society members, and she unexpectedly has fun and enjoys herself. Zoe has so much fun that she proposes to the group that they spend their summer solving mysteries and getting paid for it as detectives.

As the quartet tries to devise ways to get business, the siblings’ retired grandfather, a reporter, decides to show the kids his storage unit filled with his cold case files. He allows them to pick which case they want to try and solve first. They decided to find Al Capone’s hidden treasure which is supposedly located in their hometown of Miami. Their investigation leads them to the Everglades where they discover that someone has been illegally dumping waste in Native and protected areas.  

I have read the author’s other middle school series, City Spies, and liked it. I was really excited to start reading this series as I love Sherlock and mysteries in general. The book is an entertaining read and filled with humor.  I like that the author sprinkled in facts about journalism and Al Capone, however, I would have liked to see an appendix letting readers know which facts are true and which are made up about Al Capone or even ways on how children can get involved in volunteering or helping to clean up the environment.  I feel like that would add an extra layer to the book for kids to connect to the characters. The book does leave off on a cliffhanger and I am interested in seeing what new adventures the Sherlock Society will have next.

 

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

Book Review - Beyond Real: The Complete Series by Zack Kaplan

 

Beyond Real: The Complete Series by Zack Kaplan is a graphic novel about a woman, June, whose boyfriend is left in a coma after a car accident. After the car accident, June starts to experience strange visual phenomena. She tries to figure out what is causing the images to appear. She discovers that her world which she considers “reality”, is a computer simulation.  June will have to journey through the simulation to find the world’s creator and save her true love from death.

The graphic novel was beautifully drawn and very colorful. The story was easy to follow but it was predictable. I thought it was an okay read but a bit boring at times. That said, I wouldn’t go out of my way to read more graphic novels by the author.

Book Review - Beneath the Bending Skies by Jane Kirkpatrick

 

Beneath the Bending Skies by Jane Kirkpatrick is about a woman, Mollie Sheehan, who wants to obey her father’s wishes even though it means having one heartbreak after another. In 1860s Montana, Mollie has spent her entire life following and listening to what her father wants. She tries to be a dutiful daughter even if this goes against her heart.

Mollie finds herself attracted to Peter Ronan, her father’s friend. Their young romance blooms and Mollie hopes that they can spend their future together. However, her hopes are dashed when Mollie’s father disapproves of the match and feels that Peter betrayed him by courting his daughter. Her daughter moves the entire family to California to discourage the match and to help Mollie move on from Peter. Mollie tries to move on but she still feels attracted to Peter and she fears that she can no longer follow her father’s desires while ignoring her own.

I found this book to be dull. There would be page after page where nothing would happen. It feels like I am reading a textbook or a daily journal of boring life events. There was nothing that held my interest and the story was filled with tedious details. The author introduced a lot of characters that didn’t have an impact on the story, and it was confusing to keep track of them all. I found the whole Honor Thy Father storyline to be a bit creepy and unsettling. I wasn’t a fan of the book, I don’t think I would go out of my way to read more books by the author.

Book Review -Artifice by Sharon Cameron

Artifice by Sharon Cameron is about a young woman, Isa de Smit, who sells forged artwork to the Nazis in order to help evacuate Jewish children out of Amsterdam.  Isa has been raised in her parents’ small art gallery. She was surrounded by art, beauty, and creativity until the Nazi occupation deemed art to be degenerate.  It caused artists to go into hiding or risk being deported. Isa’s friend, Truus, joined the Dutch resistance against the Nazis to help protect the most vulnerable.

When unpaid taxes threaten her beloved art gallery, Isa decides to make the Nazis pay. All of the art her family kept was taken by the Nazis either by stealing or buying from illegitimate sources. She decides to sell them a fake Rembrandt that was drawn by her talented father.  After selling the fake, Isa wants to sell more to get more money for the resistance groups that are evacuating children.

Isa feels that one more forgery, a copy of a Vermeer piece, that her father was working on will help generate enough to get more children out of harm’s way. However, she needs help from a master forger to make her new painting look like it was painted in the proper time period. Isa is desperate to find help before the children get deported to Nazi camps or that Isa becomes outed as a collaborator.  The only thing the Dutch people hate more than the Nazis are the people who help them. Isa discovers that she has an unlikely ally from an unexpected person. Will Isa be able to help Truus rescue the children?

The novel is based on true events, and I found it to be an okay read. I wasn’t familiar with the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam. The book started interestingly, but it was a slow and boring read for me. I felt like nothing happened for a while and then towards the end, it picked up again. I also had a hard time connecting with Isa. I didn’t feel anything toward Isa and her journey. I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Book Review - American Royals by Katharine McGee

 

American Royals by Katharine McGee is about Princess Beatrice learning to become the first queen regnant and learning all the processes and protocols about being a royal.  When America won the Revolutionary War, the people crowned General George Washington as their new leader. Two and half centuries later, his kin still sit on the throne. Like many of the royal families of America, each family has an heir and a spare. Every child of the royal family knows what is expected of them and how they should behave.

Princess Beatrice has been prepping to become America’s first queen regnant since the day she was born. She welcomes the duty except lately, her entire life and the strict rules feel stifling. She feels that her sister, Samantha, and her twin, Jefferson, can do whatever they want without getting in trouble or criticism. When Princess Beatrice crosses paths with a commoner, she feels herself drawn to him. However, royals are prohibited from dating and marrying commoners. Princess Beatrice feels torn between fulfilling her duty to her country and following her heart.

The novel was an okay read. I felt that the book should have focused solely on Princess Beatrice instead of her siblings and their love interests. It felt like there were too many characters to keep track of. I also didn’t like that the book ended on a cliffhanger.  I felt like the story was dragging and at times, very predictable. I don’t think I would continue reading the rest of the series as the first book barely held my interest.