Book Review - Mercury by Amy Jo Burns

 

 

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is about seventeen year old Marley West, who is trying to find a place to belong. In 1990, Marley and her mother arrived in the small river valley town of Mercury, Pennsylvania. Marley and her mother are constantly moving city to city looking for work. Marley felt like a loner and is looking for a community and a place to belong.

When Marley arrives at Mercury, she sees three men on top of a roof. She isn’t able to make out who the men were as only their silhouettes were visible from the sun. Later, when Marley decides to watch a local baseball game, she runs into one of the Joseph brothers and is later introduced to the rest of the family.

Marley receives an invitation to join the Joseph family for dinner and eventually leads to a standing invite. It started as a simple dinner but it led Marley to be intertwined with the entire Joseph family and eventually she married into the family. Marley finds the connection and family that she has been searching for but, she realizes that it comes at a steep cost.

I thought the book was a dull read. I thought there was going to be a mystery around the dead body but it wasn’t until almost halfway into the book that it was even mentioned. I felt like there wasn’t much going on in the book and a lot of the drama was just drummed up or exaggerated to make it seem like more was going on. I didn’t understand what the point of the book was. Was it to show how consuming a small business is? Or should we be careful about what we wish for? 

While the plot was moving as slow as molasses, I didn’t find any of the characters to be enjoyable. I found it weird that Marley wants a family of her own, when she is barely an adult and has a very supportive mother. Instead, she jumps headfirst into building connections with a highly dysfunctional family and continues to stay with them even though she has her reservations about them.  No one from the Joseph family seemed remotely interesting. Elise Joseph, the mother, seemed to be welcoming, but then cold at times. I wish we were given more information on her behaviors along with the other members of the family. The entire family just seemed selfish and unbalanced. Readers who enjoy reading about people’s everyday lives and family drama, might find this more entertaining than I did.

 

Book Review - Keeping Her Close: A Clean Romance by Carol Ross

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Former Navy Seal Kyle Frasier is hired to keep a businessman's daughter safe by teaching her self defense skills to protect herself. Harper Jansen is also his late best friend's fiancée. His loyalty towards his best friend is guiding him to ensure Harper is safe.  As the two become closer but, Kyle knows Harper is off-limits. However, will he follow his heart and be with Harper?

The book was an enjoyable read for fans who like clean cozy romances. I like how each character viewed loyalty differently. It was a nice story of finding someone who knows your true worth without taking you for granted.

**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.**

BOOK SUMMARY:

Hired to protect her

…unable to resist her

The job sounds simple: teach a businessman’s daughter how to stay safe. But former navy SEAL turned bodyguard Kyle Frasier has a personal motive, too. Harper Jansen is his late best friend’s fiancée. Loyalty demands he protect her, not that Harper looks in need of rescuing. In fact, it’s Kyle who needs help—balancing duty with his desire to build a life with the one woman he shouldn’t want…

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Book Review - The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

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Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all from the outside. They have a loving relationship, a beautiful home, and their adoring baby, Cora. The couple decides to leave Cora at home while they attend a dinner party next door. They arrive home, they realize something is wrong and their daughter is missing. When the cops are called in, the detectives are suspicious of the couple. The pair realizes that they both have deadly secrets that they have been keeping from each for years.



I found the novel to be a very interesting read but, halfway through the novel, I figured out the basic premise of the ending. A few things were a surprise but, not enough to say this book was a suspenseful or a thrilling read. I wish some of the characters and the side stories were more detailed. For example, the detectives felt that something was off by the whole kidnapping but, they never really went into much detail on why they felt that way. Overall, it was a decent read and I look forward to reading other books by the author.

**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 - The First Mistake by Sandie Jones

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Alice has a perfect life. She has a loving and doting husband, two wonderful kids, a successful business, a spacious home, and a best friend, Beth. Alice knows her life could have ended up completely different after her first husband died. With her second husband, Nathan, Alice feels happy and is in love again. She thought that she would never be able to love again after her husband died. Alice's best friend, Beth has been with her through thick and thin. Beth has always been willing to lend a sympathetic ear. However, when Nathan starts acting strange, Alice turns to Beth for help. She soon discovers her trust might have been misplaced.

After reading 'The Other Woman", I couldn't wait to read this book as well. The novel was a quick and entertaining with a few twists thrown in. I didn't like is that it took too long for Alice to take hold of her life and put herself first.  I do understand that when your life is thrown into confusion that, you need some time to think but, I felt like Alice mostly tried to run away from her situation or bury it than face it head-on. I would have liked to see her more in charge. Overall, it was a good read and look forward to reading more books from 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.**