Book Review - Shadow Girl by Gerry Schmitt

 

Leland Odin is rich and has made his fortune off of a home shopping network. However, his money can't help him save his life. Leland is on the donor list for a transplant and he loses all hope when the helicopter carrying his donor heart is shot out of the sky.

The two pilots from the helicopter are dead and many are injured. Afton Tangler is a family liaison officer with the Minneapolis Police Department and has been called on to assist. She and her partner, Max, will investigate family members, business associates of Leland and anyone else who may hold a grudge against him. As the team looks into the clues, someone sneaks into the hospital to finish off Leland. It seems Leland has crossed the wrong person and she will stop at nothing to get her revenge. Will the duo be able to stop her before they get caught in her cross hairs?

This was my first book by the author and it seems like it could be read as a standalone. However, I felt like there were some character and story nuances I may have missed. I found the book to be a boring read. The characters were dull and the story barely held my attention. The book was lackluster and had no excitement or surprise twists.

Book Review - Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

 

Amy Whey is happy with her easy going life and the simple things that come with it. She enjoys teaching people how to dive, helping her best friend, Charlotte, run a local book club, and even baking cookies for her neighbors. She adores her family. She has a husband who is a professor, a fifteen year stepdaughter, and an infant son. She lives near her most trusted and reliable friend, Charlotte. However, Amy's perfect life might unravel when a new neighbor, Angelica Roux, arrives on her doorstep.

Roux has a magnetic charm that cause all the neighbor women to surround her. She plies the woman with wine to lure them into a game of spilling secrets to each other. They all think its a game for fun but Amy knows that Roux is up to something.  Roux seems to know a secret that Amy has kept buried in her past.

Roux has a proposition for Amy. She wants Amy to pay her to keep her mouth shut, otherwise, Roux will make Amy pay for her sins. Amy is desperate to keep her secret safe and she is willing to do anything. She decides that the best thing she can do is to beat Roux at her own game.

This book was recommended by someone in my book club. I was excited to read it but, I quickly realized this may not be the book for me. The book starts off okay but, then quickly dissolved into a hot mess. I didn't really care for any of the characters as some of them felt over the top. I had hard time believing Roux and the plot even felt far-fetched. I felt like a few times Amy could have ended this whole cat and mouse thing sooner. The book did have a few surprise twists but, I am not even sure they were worth it.

Book Review - The Lying Room by Nicci French

 

Neve Connolly is having an affair with her boss, Saul. She thought it was just a fling and something she could have just weathered. It was an escape from her marriage of twenty years. She is tired of the same married routine with her husband and her distant children. One morning, Neve receives a text and decides to visit Saul. When she enters the apartment, she sees Saul has been brutally murdered. She realizes that the apartment is filled of traces of their affair and all the lies she carefully constructed is about to come apart.

Neve decides to scrub every trace of her existence from the apartment. She feels everything can return to normal. However, she feels that she is missing something.

An investigation into Saul's death is opened. This brings Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Hitching to Neve's doorstep. Neve tries to stay on step ahead of the police but, she finds herself caught in her own web of deception and going down a darker path.  As Neve tries to stay ahead of Hitching, she realizes that he isn't the only one watching her.

I had really high hopes for this book but, it was dreadfully boring. It was so slow and didn't really care for any of the characters, especially, her annoying daughter. I didn't like they included so many mundane details that it just made the book boring. They included all these details but, important details appeared out of nowhere. It made me feel like I was missing something. I had hard time believing in the cops, it felt like they were always one step behind. The story didn't feel believable at all. I think I might skip their books the next time.

Book Review - The Haunting of Rookward House by Darcy Coates

 

 

Guy is going through a tough time and had to move back home with his mother. He decides to thank his mother for taking him back in by cleaning up her attic. While cleaning her attic, he finds a deed for a house. He decides that he will clean and update the house and he will be able to sell it for a profit. He figured it would be a great opportunity for him and his mother.

When Guy visits Rookward House, he feels like he is being watched. However, Rookward House doesn't have any neighbors within its vicinity. The locals claim that the house is haunted but, Guy doesn't believe in ghost stories. He decides to spend a week at the crumbling estate to do repairs.  He figured nothing can go wrong during his weeklong stay. However, there is a reason why the mansion has stayed empty for years. There is something buried deep within the walls that's yearning to be free. Almost forty years ago, a woman tormented the family that lived in Rookward house. Her ghost clings to the house and now that Guy moved into her house, she has no intention of letting him go.

I enjoyed reading this story but, I felt like the ghost story was very predictable. This book along with her other works follows the same basic format. I didn't feel like there was a lot of spookiness to this book but, maybe shock/creepy factor. I did feel like the novel was a bit lackluster compared to the other books I read from her. Overall, I am still a fan of her novels and look forward to reading her other books.

  **Disclosure -  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 extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - Nemesis and the Swan by Lindsay K. Bandy

 

Photo Credit - Amazon

 

Helene d'Aubign is accused of being a spy and is thrown in jail in revolutionary Paris. The nineteen-year-old aristocrat recalls the events that led to her predicament. She must decide if she will follow the path of her parents or will she abandon the man she loves.

While Helene grew up in a world of privilege and surplus, her progressive governess has instilled radical ideas of a revolution in her early years. Her family tries to prevent her to follow the dangerous path of the revolution but, she has her own ideas. This includes falling in love with a young apprentice. Helene is determined to be with him even though the revolution threatens to tear their family apart.

When violence erupts in Paris, Helene is forced into hiding with her family. She discovers that her family is keeping a deadly secret from her. As Helene tries to find the truth behind the murder, she travels back to Paris to find her beloved. In Paris, she realizes that everything has changed and she can no longer trust anyone. Helene must choose between her family's past or betraying her heart.

I enjoyed reading the book even though it was very slow and predictable. I liked that Helene followed her heart and followed the path of forgiveness of her accuser. There were some parts of the story that wasn't resolved but, the ending was satisfying. Helene is portrayed as wanting the revolution to happen but, she doesn't really express any ideas about it or question her family's priviledge. Instead, she gets annoyed when the artist follows certain progranada of the revolution because the citizens are after her blood. I feel like at times she was pretending to be in favor of the revolution. Overall, I enjoyed the book and I look forward to reading other books by 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 extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

 

Nemesis and the Swan

by Lindsay K. Bandy
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release Date: October 27th 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Fiction, France

 

Synopsis:

 

From her prison cell in revolutionary Paris, nineteen-year-old aristocrat Hélène d'Aubign recalls the events that led her to choose between following in her parents' unforgivable footsteps or abandoning the man she loves.

 

Despite her world of privilege, Hélène is inspired early on by the radical ideas of her progressive governess. Though her family tries to intervene, the seeds of revolution have already been planted in Hélène's heart, as are the seeds of love from an unlikely friendship with a young jeweler's apprentice. Hélène's determination to find true love is as revolutionary as her attempt to unravel the truth behind a chilling set of eye-shaped brooches and the concealed murder that tore her family apart.

 

As violence erupts in Paris, Hélène is forced into hiding with her estranged family, where the tangled secrets of their past become entwined with her own. When she finally returns to the blood-stained streets of Paris, she finds everything-and everyone-very much changed. In a city where alliances shift overnight, no one knows who to trust.

 

Faced with looming war, the mystery of her family's past, and the man she loves near death, Hélène will soon will find out if doing one wrong thing will make everything right, or if it will simply push her closer to the guillotine.

 

BOOK LINKS

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository | Kobo | Google Books

 

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Lindsay Bandy writes historical and contemporary young adult fiction as well as poetry. She lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with her husband, two daughters, and two cats, and currently serves as the co–regional advisor of the Eastern Pennsylvania region of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

 

TOUR SCHEDULE

https://favouritepagesbookclub.blogspot.com/2020/09/tour-schedule-nemesis-and-swan-by.html

 

 

Book Review - Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly + Giveaway

 

 

 

Once upon a time, in a land far away, a girl named Sophie went into the forest with the Queen's huntsman. Her lips were the color of cherries, her skin is soft as fresh snow, and her hair is midnight dark. When they stopped to take a break, the huntsman took Sophie's heart.

She wasn't surprised by the turn of events. She knew what everyone at the palace thought of her. They believed that she was too kind and foolish to rule. She wasn't a good candidate to rule the kingdom. Sophie believes all the harsh and unkind things people said about her. The spoken poisonous words were used to keep Sophie from realizing her true potential.

Sophie laid abandoned on the forest floor when seven strangers come across her body. They help nourish and protect her. However, Sophie wants to regain her kingdom and punish her jealous stepmother. As she begins to find the courage for her mission, she realizes that someone else might be pulling strings and their magic might be too strong for Sophie. Will Sophie be able to recognize that her kindness is her true form of strength?

The story was a wonderful retelling of a classic fairy tale. It encourages girls and young women (or grown adult women in my case) in believing themselves. I liked that it showed the different sides of each character and that not everything is black and white. I can't wait to read more books by 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 extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

 

About the Book:

Title: POISONED

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Pub. Date: October 20, 2020

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 320

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

 

From Jennifer Donnelly, author of the acclaimed New York Times bestseller Stepsister, comes a fairytale retelling that'll forever change the way you think about strength, power, and the real meaning of "happily ever after."

Once upon a time, a girl named Sophie rode into the forest with the queen's huntsman. Her lips were the color of ripe cherries, her skin as soft as new-fallen snow, her hair as dark as midnight. When they stopped to rest, the huntsman took out his knife . . . and took Sophie's heart.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise. Sophie had heard the rumors, the whispers. They said she was too kind and foolish to rule -- a waste of a princess. A disaster of a future queen. And Sophie believed them. She believed everything she'd heard about herself, the poisonous words people use to keep girls like Sophie from becoming too powerful, too strong . . .

With the help of seven mysterious strangers, Sophie manages to survive. But when she realizes that the jealous queen might not be to blame, Sophie must find the courage to face an even more terrifying enemy, proving that even the darkest magic can't extinguish the fire burning inside every girl, and that kindness is the ultimate form of strength. 

 

 

About Jennifer:

Jennifer Donnelly is the author of A Northern Light, which was awarded a Printz Honor and a Carnegie Medal; Revolution (named a Best Book by Amazon, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and the Chicago Public Library, and nominated for a Carnegie Medal); the Deep Blue series; and many other books for young readers, including Lost in a Book, which spent more than 20 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. She lives in New York's Hudson Valley.

 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 

 

Giveaway Details:

 

3 winners will receive a finished copy of POISONED, US Only.

 

Rafflecopter link:

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba21161/?

 

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

10/1/2020	The Book Nut : A Book Lovers Guide	Review
10/2/2020	oddandbookish	Review
10/3/2020	popthebutterfly	Review

 

Week Two:

10/4/2020	A Backwards Story	Review
10/5/2020	Fictitiouswonderland	Review
10/6/2020	Kait Plus Books	Interview
10/7/2020	The Book Rookery	Review
10/8/2020	History from a Woman’s Perspective	Review
10/9/2020	Momfluenster	Review
10/10/2020	Thindbooks Blog	Review

 

Week Three:

10/11/2020	The Momma Spot	Review
10/12/2020	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review
10/13/2020	Bookhounds YA	Review
10/14/2020	Seeing Double In Neverland	Review
10/15/2020	Book-Keeping	Review
10/16/2020	Nays Pink Bookshelf	Review
10/17/2020	Lisa Loves Literature	Review

 

Week Four:

10/18/2020	Two Chicks on Books	Interview
10/19/2020	The Pages In-Between	Review
10/20/2020	Two Points of Interest	Review