So Many Books, So Little Time

I, Eliza Hamilton by Susan Holloway Scott I so badly wanted to love this book but it just didn't do it for me.  I was expecting to get to know Eliza Hamilton in this story: her life before, during and after her marriage to Alexander Hamilton but that's not what this story was really about.  This was a more a story Alexander through Eliza's eyes and it got boring after a while to see her gush over Alexander non-stop for the whole book.  I did learn a lot about Alexander from the story but I don't think I really knew Eliza.  It was all completely focused on Alexander and I think the story made Eliza into a lovesick puppy.  Also, Eliza lived for 50 years after his death and there was nothing about that part of her life.   I feel bad for not loving the story but it really didn't work for me. 2 stars.   Sugar Pine Trail by RaeAnne Thayne   Sugar Pine Trail is the 7th book in RaeAnne Thayne's Haven Point series and I'm pretty...

  Not a Sound by Heather Gudenkauf I love Gudenkauf's books!  Not a Sound was an excellent mystery made even more compelling by the fact that the main character is deaf.  I did figure out who the killer was before the end but I thought the story as a whole was so good that I didn't mind.  It was as much a mystery story as it was a story of the main character dealing with being deaf and growing from that experience.  Excellent read! 4 stars . After Anatevka by Alexandra Silber Fiddler on the Roof is one of my favorite musicals so when I saw this book, I had to read it.  I've always wondered what happened after the movie ended and this book tried to do that.  After Anatevka tells the story of Hodel as she traveled to, and lived in, Siberia while her husband was in prison.  I thought the story was pretty slow and at times I honestly had no idea what was going on.  The ending was really rushed and overall, I just wasn't a f...

Synopsis: When Liam reluctantly returns to Northern Ireland he learns that not only was his uncle shot to death, but he’d anticipated his own murder. In an astonishing last will and testament, Uncle Fergus has left his entire estate to a secret trust, directing that no distributions be made to any person until the killer is found. Did Fergus know, but refuse to name his killer? Was this a crime of revenge, a vendetta left over from Northern Ireland’s bloody sectarian war? Or is it possible that the killer is a family member seeking Fergus’s estate? Otherwise, why postpone distribution to the heirs? Most menacingly, does the killer now have his sights on other family members? As his investigation draws Liam further and further into the past he had abandoned, he is forced to reopen doors long ago shut. Now accepting the appointment as sole trustee of the Fergus Taggart Trust, Liam realizes he has stepped into the center of a firestorm. My Thoughts:  I LOVE Ronald...

Please join author Candace Robb as her Kate Clifford Mystery Series is featured around the blogosphere, from May 9-24. The Service of the Dead by Candace Robb Paperback Publication Date: May 9, 2017 Pegasus Books Paperback; 256 Pages Series: Kate Clifford Mysteries, Book One Genre: Historical/Mystery/Thriller Expertly recreating the social and political upheavals of late medieval Europe, Candace Robb introduces a new series starring Kate Clifford, a woman forged on the warring northern marches of fourteenth century England. Political unrest permeates York at the cusp of the fifteenth century, as warring factions take sides on who should be the rightful king--Richard II or his estranged, powerful cousin in exile, Henry Bolingbroke. Independent minded twenty-year-old Kate Clifford is struggling to dig out from beneath the debt left by her late husband. Determined to find a way to be secure in her own wealth and establish her independence in a male dominated society...

  Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf I have to say that I really enjoy Heather Gudenkauf's books and have read them all.  I was pleased to find that this one was just as good as the rest of her books.  It was super creepy and I spent most of the book unsure of who to trust because everyone was suspicious.  I felt bad for the main character, Sarah, because she had to deal with so much new information about her husband while also trying to figure out who the killer was.  I, for one, had no clue until it was revealed at the end and I loved that it was such a surprise.  Definitely a page turner!  3 stars. I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier   I have really loved Tracy Chevalier's books and was really excited to read this one.  It was totally different that what I expected but still so good.  I will say that the beginning of the bo...

I really need to catch up on NetGalley reviews so all of the mini-reviews this week are from NetGalley. Medici's Daughter by Sophie Perinot I really wanted to love this one but I just ended up feeling disappointed. It wasn't a bad story but I just didn't love the characters.  I actually liked Henry of Navarre the best out of everyone.  Margot was supposed to be really tough (and at times she was) but other times she was just kind of pathetic.  She let the Duc de Guise use her and just fell all over herself to make him happy when he was a self-centered jerk.  It was just kind of painful to watch.  It wasn't a bad book (I enjoyed the historical aspects of it) but it could have been so much better. 3 stars. The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian   This was an interesting read.  I really liked how it was split into different characters' perspectives so you can get a little more background about each person in the story.  I found ...

  The Three by Sarah Lotz This was the strangest book I have read in a long time.  I'm still not one hundred percent sure I understood the whole thing.  I expected it to be a lot scarier and while there were creepy parts, it really wasn't scary at all.  It was just really weird!  I feel like I'm still trying to process what happened.  I will say that it was well-written and was a quite the page turner; it just ended very strangely and I didn't feel like I had all my questions answered.  I'm giving this 3 stars as a neutral rating because I can't decide if I liked or disliked this book. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica I'll start by saying that I didn't dislike this book but I was disappointed in it.  It seemed like there was a lot of hype surrounding it and I just thought it fell flat.  The story did suck me in and keep me interested but most of the characters were not likable at all so it was hard to relate to anyone or feel...

From Goodreads:  With the dead of a bitter Vermont winter closing in, evil is alive and well … Frank Rath thought he was done with murder when he turned in his detective's badge to become a private investigator and raise a daughter alone. Then the police in his remote rural community of Canaan find an '89 Monte Carlo abandoned by the side of the road, and the beautiful teenage girl who owned the car seems to have disappeared without a trace. Soon Rath's investigation brings him face-to-face with the darkest abominations of the human soul. With the consequences of his violent and painful past plaguing him, and young women with secrets vanishing one by one, he discovers once again that even in the smallest towns on the map, evil lurks everywhere-and no one is safe. My Thoughts:  The first chapter of this book is crazy scary and got my attention right away.  However, after that chapter, the story slowed down for a bit and it was hard to get into.  I also s...

Synopsis:  On a hill overlooking the Aegean Sea in Turkey, an international team of archeologists discovers a stone box that first-century Jews used to rebury their dead. The box’s Aramaic inscription: Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. Sophia Altay, the beautiful French-Turkish archeologist who heads the team, tries to keep the discovery secret until she can authenticate the ossuary. She knows that people will kill to obtain the relics—and to suppress the box’s other contents, documents that could alter Western history. Joseph Travers, an American sent to Turkey to evaluate the archeological dig, soon finds himself pulled into the web of betrayal, reprisal, and violence. In his journey through Istanbul’s mosques and palaces, the archeological sites around ancient Ephesus, and, ultimately, the strange and mystical terrain of Cappadocia, he comes to understand the epochal meaning of the bone box. My Thoughts:  Bone Box is a great thriller with a uniqu...

Season of Storms by Susanna Kearsley This is an older Susanna Kearsley book that was recently re-released.  It has both historical and mystery aspects to the story and was a pretty fun read.  Some of the twists were obvious but I still found it to be an enjoyable and engaging story.  I loved the author's description of the workings of a play as well as her descriptions of Venice.  She truly brought the city to life.  Celia, the main character, was young but well-developed and I enjoyed watching her grow as a character throughout the story.  3 1/2 stars. The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian This book was so odd.  I really loved it in the beginning, the story was super creepy and I could not wait to see what would happen next.  However, it eventually seemed to take a strange turn and the completely diverged from the original story.  This new 'turn' was still interesting and kind of creepy so I kept reading....but the end...

Synopsis:  David Morrell’s MURDER AS A FINE ART was a publishing event. Acclaimed by critics, it made readers feel that they were actually on the fogbound streets of Victorian London. Now the harrowing journey continues in INSPECTOR OF THE DEAD. Thomas De Quincey, infamous for his Confessions of an Opium-Eater,confronts London’s harrowing streets to thwart the assassination of Queen Victoria. The year is 1855. The Crimean War is raging. The incompetence of British commanders causes the fall of the English government. The Empire teeters. Amid this crisis comes opium-eater Thomas De Quincey, one of the most notorious and brilliant personalities of Victorian England. Along with his irrepressible daughter, Emily, and their Scotland Yard companions, Ryan and Becker, De Quincey finds himself confronted by an adversary who threatens the heart of the nation. This killer targets members of the upper echelons of British society, leaving with each corpse the name of some...

Synopsis:  Sam Thomas takes readers back to Puritan England with midwife Bridget Hodgson, hailed by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as “one of the most fascinating detectives in contemporary mystery fiction.” Winter has come to the city of York, and with it the threat of witchcraft. As women and children sicken and die, midwife Bridget Hodgson is pulled against her will into a full-scale witch-hunt that threatens to devour all in its path, guilty and innocent alike. Bridget—accompanied once again by her deputy Martha Hawkins and her nephew Will Hodgson—finds herself playing a lethal game of cat and mouse against the most dangerous men in York, as well as her sworn enemy Rebecca Hooke. As the trials begin, and the noose begins to tighten around her neck, Bridget must answer the question: How far will she go to protect the people she loves?   My Thoughts:  The Witch Hunter's Tale is the third book in Sam Thomas' Midwife Mystery series and so far it is my favo...

I'm excited to share a fascinating new thriller with you! Synopsis When Ali Hussein, suspected terrorist and alleged banker for Al Qaeda, is finally transported from Guantanamo Bay to the US mainland to stand trial, many are stunned when Byron Carlos Johnson, a pre-eminent lawyer and son of a high-profile diplomat, volunteers to represent him.  On principle, Johnson thought he was merely defending a man unjustly captured through Rendition and water-boarded illegally. But Johnson soon learns that there is much more at stake than one man’s civil rights. Hussein’s intimate knowledge of key financial transactions could lead to the capture of—or the unabated funding of —the world’s most dangerous terror cells.  This makes Hussein the target of corrupt US intelligence forces on one side, and ruthless international terrorists on the other.  And, it puts Byron Carlos Johnson squarely in the crosshairs of both. Pulled irresistibly by force...

The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva I love a good spy story!  The Kill Artist is the first book in the Silva's Gabriel Allon series and it is really good.  I had picked up book 9 and 10 in the series and really enjoyed them so I decided that i needed to start from the very beginning.  Gabriel Allon is a fascinating character; an art restorer by day, an Israeli spy by night.  He's a killer with a conscious which makes for good reading.  There was a lot of detail in this book which was boring at times but I think was probably necessary to set the scene for future books.  3 stars. Anastasia's Secret by Susanne Dunlap I know I've said this before but I will read anything that is about Russian history.  This story is told from Anastasia's point of view as her family's world collapses.  I really enjoyed it even though I knew how it was all going to end.  I liked that the author gave Anastasia a love interest and some happiness in her ...

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon This book is awesome.  I just happened upon it at the library and was immediately intrigued.  It is one of the creepiest books I've read in a long time.  There were points where I had to stop reading it because it was I was home alone and getting freaked out.  I love when a book can really freak me out! The story kept me interested from page one and I never saw the end coming.  There was one character, Katherine, who I didn't like and I thought she really didn't add much to the story as a whole.  Otherwise, it was a great read. 4 stars. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon If you haven't read any of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's books, you should do so ASAP!  I read The Shadow of the Wind several years ago and loved it and have been meaning to read this one for a long time.  The Angel's Game is the second book in the Cemetary of Forgotten Books series and I really enjoyed it.  It's definitely w...

From Goodreads:  Past midnight, Chyna Shepard, twenty-six, gazes out a moonlit window, unable to sleep on her first night in the Napa Valley home of her best friend's family. Instinct proves reliable. A murderous sociopath, Edgler Foreman Vess, has entered the house, intent on killing everyone inside. A self-proclaimed "homicidal adventurer," Vess lives only to satisfy all appetites as they arise, to immerse himself in sensation, to live without fear, remorse or limits, to live with "intensity." Chyna is trapped in his deadly orbit.  Chyna is a survivor, toughened by a lifelong struggle for safety and self-respect. Now she will be tested as never before. At first her sole aim is to get out alive--until, by chance, she learns the identity of Vess's next intended victim, a faraway innocent only she can save. Driven by a newly discovered thirst for meaning beyond mere self-preservation, Chyna musters every inner resource she has to save an enda...

From Goodreads:  WICKED above her hipbone, GIRL across her heart Words are like a road map to reporter Camille Preaker’s troubled past. Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, Camille’s first assignment from the second-rate daily paper where she works brings her reluctantly back to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. NASTY on her kneecap, BABYDOLL on her leg Since she left town eight years ago, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed again in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille is haunted by the childhood tragedy she has spent her whole life trying to cut from her memory. HARMFUL on her wrist, WHORE on her ankle As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing ...

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn Gillian Flynn is such a good writer!  Her books are seriously messed up but still so good.   The mystery sucked me in pretty quick and wouldn't let go until the end.  There was kind of a twist at the end and honestly, I never saw it coming.  I had a total 'wait, what?' moment.  The main character was difficult to like at first and kind of prickly but I grew to like her.  I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good mystery.  4 stars. Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich I have thoroughly enjoyed this series but I think it's time to end it.  This latest installment was definitely better than the 18th book but there's only so many times Stephanie's car can get blown up before it stops being funny.  I have loved all of the characters in this series but I'm hoping that Evanovich doesn't continue to drag this out too much longer.  It did have some laugh out loud moments and was a much nee...