"The One" by John Marrs

In The One by John Marrs, five people take a DNA test hoping they will be matched with the perfect person for them.  They are all notified that the perfect match for them has been made--let the fun begin!  I thought this book was really good.  Loved all the characters and the five storylines to keep things interesting.  There is always something going on!  I LOVED IT!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Insomnia" by Sarah Pinborough

In Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough, Emma's 40th birthday is coming soon.  She has been dreading this day for a long time.  Why? you ask.  You will have to read the book to find out!  I thought this book was very good.  Emma is a great character and I never knew what was going to happen next!  I loved the ending too!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)  

Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough left me in a fog sort of.  The story line was so far out that I felt I wasted my time reading it.  The whole plot is about whether Emma is crazy and paranoid or not.  This book has an elaborate storyline that I felt moved too slowly.  I felt sorry for Emma but didn't think much of her husband.  There is some good action near the end and things do pick up so I didn't hate it.  I didn't really like the ending all that much, but was okay with it and glad everything was explained.  I do think it would make for an interesting book club discussion.  (Karen's review, 3 stars)

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Loved "Nine Lives" by Peter Swanson

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson is about nine people who receive a note in their mailbox.  It had nine names on it including their own!  They all do not think much about it.  Some call it junk mail, are they right or are they dead wrong???

I thought this was really good!  The author did a great job with the storyline with a very interesting ending.  I LOVED IT!  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"The Maid" by Nita Prose is a Good One!

In The Maid by Nita Prose, Molly works as a maid at a grand hotel.  She loves her job and does it very well.  One day while doing her cleaning, she comes across a dead body of a man in one of the suites.  The police investigate, but Molly knows more than she lets on.  Is she in danger?  I loved Molly the Maid!  She is a great character with a good storyline and a very good ending.  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Karen's review:

The Maid by Nita Prose is a good story about Molly the maid who finds a dead body in one of the hotel rooms she is assigned to clean.  She is a very good maid but has trouble in social settings and discerning people's intentions.  It's hard not to root for Molly when she becomes a suspect in the murder of Mr. Black.  I enjoyed this book because I liked Molly, the nuggets of advice from her grandmother and the storyline.  I loved the ending!  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"The Island" by Adrian McKinty is Going to be a Series on Hulu

I cannot say too much about The Island by Adrian McKinty without giving too much away.  I can tell you it is about a family vacation gone very badly!  This is full of action which I liked!  The story line is good and I enjoyed all of the characters.  It is going to be a series on Hulu so that should tell you how good this book is!  Highly recommended!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:

The Island by Adrian McKinty is a thriller right from the start!  This is about a family vacation to Australia that turns into a nightmare!  This is about how the stepmom, Heather, fights for her life and tries to protect Owen and Olivia, her children.  This is a wild one that kept my interest.  Besides the adventure and fight to survive, I also enjoyed how Heather's relationship with her children improved along the way.  At times, it was hard to put down!  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"The Children on the Hill" by Jennifer McMahon

In The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon, in 1978 a young boy and girl are introduced to a young girl who does not talk.  They are told to get along with this girl.  They start a monster club to hunt them down.  When it's 2019, a monster has been sighted.  Lizzy, who hosts a popular show about monsters, is coming to hunt this one down.  This was a great book!  I loved the characters and story line as well as the great ending!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Golden Couple" by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

In The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, Marissa and Michael are having problems in their marriage.  Marissa decides that a therapist will solve their troubles.  The therapist has problems of her own.  Will these three be able to come up with a solution or will matters get worse?  All three are keeping secrets.  

This book is really good!  I loved the characters and the story line.  I highly recommend it!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"My Wife is Missing" by D. J. Palmer is a MUST Read!

My Wife Is Missing by D. J. Palmer is about a secret past and the effect it has on Michael's marriage to Natalie.  This is an intriguing story that kept my interest throughout.  While on vacation in New York, when Michael gets back from picking up a pizza, he finds his wife and his two kids gone including their luggage.  The only thing left behind was his son's teddy bear!  He is frantic trying to find her and a detective offers his help.  

I liked Michael and felt sorry for him most of the time.  Natalie suffered from insomnia and suspected Michael was cheating on her.  This book had a wild chase, interesting characters, and a surprise ending!  It's quite a good mystery!  (Karen's review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review 6/7/22:

In My Wife is Missing by D. J. Palmer, a family vacation in New York City sounds good, but for Michael and Natalie, not so much!  Soon after they get to New York, while Michael is out getting pizza he comes back to find his wife and two kids gone!  Did someone take them?  or did they go sightseeing?

This book is so good!!!  You need to think while reading it.  Natalie is a great character and one of the best endings to a book ever.  This is a must read!  (5++ stars)

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"The Starter Wife" by Nina Laurin

In The Starter Wife by Nina Laurin, Claire marries a man 20 years older.  People say it is a mistake, but Claire is in love and life is good!  Later though, she and her husband are not on the same page anymore.  Claire will have to fight to save her marriage and find out if she knows what her husband is up to.  This novel starts out slow, but when it picks up it makes up for it and then some.  There are plenty twists and turns.  Put your thinking cap on for this one and do not believe everything you think you know!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"For Your Own Good" by Samantha Downing is Really Good (if you like Creepy, Twisted Characters)!

For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing is about deaths of two headmasters, three teachers, and a parent of a student at a private high school.  Mr. Crutcher, the teacher of the year, teaches English but is a creep as well as the main character!  This is not a very happy book, but rather quite sinister.  I must say, I flew through it because the story line was so compelling.  The reader knows from the start that Mr. Crutcher is behind the murders but I had to keep reading to find out if he gets found out.  This was quite the story with the twist of much of it being written from the murder's view.  (Karen's review, 4 stars)

In For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing, Teddy Crutcher is a good teacher.  In fact, he got the teacher of the Year award!  He tries to get the most out of all of his students.  Now if only the rest of the faculty will stay out of his way he can get on with doing his job.  If they do not, he has ways to handle that too.  I thought this book was really good.  I flew through it!  The writing and story line are very good!  I also loved all the characters and the great ending.  I loved it!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Younger Wife" by Sally Hepworth

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth is told by three women:  Heather, who is going to marry a man in his 60s and Jully and Rachel, the daughters of the 60-yr.-old man.  I thought this book was really good.  The pacing is great!  You do not know what is going to happen next.  I loved how the women tell this story that has a very good ending!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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We Both Loved "The Overnight Guest" by Heather Gudenkauf

Wow!  The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf is action packed from beginning to end!  True crime writer, Wylie Lark, finds a farmhouse out in the woods where she can finish her new book in peace and quiet, so she thinks.  When she finds a child buried in the snow near her farmhouse, she has her hands full!  

I Loved this book because it had non-stop action and the characters were true to life.  It was really good!  I highly recommend it!  (Gerard's review 3/29/22, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:

I agree with my husband's review on The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf.  Although I was confused and a bit frustrated with the first half of the book because three story lines were going on at once, I stuck with it and am glad I did.  The three story lines are:  (1) Wylie returning home to write a true-crime novel about her life and finding a child and a woman out in a blizzard who she helps, (2) Josie, a girl who lives with her grandparents after her family is murdered, and (3) a woman and child who are held captive in a basement for years.   I actually felt like reading all the chapters that were dated August 2000 first and then going back to read the ones from the present.  I was relieved when I finally reached the point where everything was connected and it made sense.  This is a murder mystery full of action.  There are even discussion questions in the back for book clubs to use.  (5 stars) 

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"Funny Farm--Life with 600 Rescue Animals" by Laurie Zaleski

Funny Farm by Lauri Zaleski is the true story of her childhood and her mom who had a love for animals.  Throughout the book we learn about some of the animals she had on her farm.  I really enjoyed reading this one very much.  What a story Laurie tells so well.  If you are looking for a "feel good" story, this is it!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Here is a funny video of animals at Funny Farm (guaranteed to make you laugh!):

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"Coach K--The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski" by Ian O'Connor

I thought Coach K by Ian O'Connor is really good because it includes lots of inside stuff about Coach K and the players who played for him.  I think anyone who likes college basketball would enjoy this book.  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Rock Paper Scissors" by Alice Feeney

In Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney, Adam and Amelia win a weekend get-a-way in Scotland which makes them very happy!  They both need it.    I enjoyed this book a lot but the less you know about it, the better.  I don't want to spoil it for you.  The story line is great.  What I thought I knew, I really didn't!  I LOVED it and highly recommend this one!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)  

Karen's review:

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney was just annoying to me.  First off, it was very slow moving and although it did create suspense and was somewhat creepy, I didn't care for any of the characters except the dog, Bob.  Half of the story was in the form of letters.  It was definitely full of secrets and had an unpredictable ending.  (2 stars)  

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"The Collective" by Alison Gaylin

The Collective by Alison Gaylin centers on a woman named Camille whose daughter was killed.  The boy who killed her got away scot free!  Camille finds it hard to go on until she goes online and finds a group of women going through the same thing.  She joins their club and feels better.  She is asked to do some things which she does, but when people start dying, she wants out.  Is it too late for that?  

This book is very good!  The story line builds up as it goes along and the second part of the book is non-stop action which I loved!  You won't see the ending coming at all.  I highly recommend this one.  I LOVED IT!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review, 12/25/21:

The Collective by Alison Gaylin is about vigilante justice.  A group of women band together to seek "justice" for murderers of their children.  Camille believes her daughter was raped and killed by a wealthy boy who went on with his life.  This soon turns into a thriller that drew me in.  I kept reading to find out who the administrator of the collective was and if they would get caught.  I kept pulling for Camille to get out of it and do the right thing.  It was pretty creepy but couldn't quit on it.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)  

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"The Home for Unwanted Girls" by Joanna Goodman is inspired by true events

The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman is inspired by true events and is told by Maggie and Elodie.  Maggie loves working at her father's sled store.  She loves her dad.  She gets pregnant at an early age and named her daughter Elodie.  Maggie's dad tells her to give her daughter to an orphanage run by nuns, so she does.  Elodie is mistreated and escapes.  Years later, Maggie wants to find her daughter.

I thought this book was really good!  Maggie was a great character and so was Elodie.  Loved it!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer (the first of a series)

Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer is told by two people--Tessa and Corrick.  Tessa is a young girl who wants her kingdom to take better care of the poor people.  She wants things to change.  Corrick is a young man who rules his kingdom with his brother.  They have a bond between them and both have a desire to improve things for their people.

This book is really good!  I loved both of the main characters and it has good action as well with a great story line including an early surprise that my wife nor I saw coming!  I look forward to book 2 in this series.  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)  

Karen's review, Oct. 27, 2021:

Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer was an enjoyable read for me.  It is a fictional read about Prince Corrick and his brother who rule over the land of Kandara.  People are dying from an illness that is throughout the land and medicine is scarce and hoarded by the elite.  Tessa mixes the ingredients that Wes brings to her to make medicine and together they deliver it to the poor in need during the night.  Wes saved her life once and she loves him.  When a revolution breaks out, everyone is in danger!

I liked this book because although it is primarily character driven, there was enough action to keep it interesting.  I really liked the two main characters, Corrick and Tessa.  Corrick is the king's justice who is fighting his own personal battle.  (4 stars)

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Steelstriker by Marie Lu is Great!

Steelstriker by Marie Lu is the sequel to Skyhunter (which I have not read).  This story is told by Talin and Red who are trying to free their land that is ruled by the Premier  Talen better obey the Premier because her mother's life depends on it.  

I liked both Red and Talin, but it is Talin that really drives this book.  Marie Lu's books are always good and this is no exception.  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)  

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"The Four Winds" by Kristin Hannah is One We Both Liked a Lot!

You can count on Kristin Hannah books being good and The Four Winds is one of them!  In this one, she highlights the Great Depression and Dust Bowl era.  Elsa is kicked out by her family after she got knocked up by a farmer boy.  They got married and lived with his parents on their farm.  Elsa learned farming and loved her husband, but when the drought came with the dust storms, he couldn't handle it and left her and their two young children to try to find work in California.  

This book is really good!  I loved the character interaction all the way through.  Elsa was a great character who carried the book.  She had low self-esteem but turned out to be very brave for her children.  I would have liked a different ending, but still loved the book.  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review 7/7/21:

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is historical fiction about the struggle of farmers in America during the Great Depression and the big dust storms in the plains.  Many farmers left their land to try to find jobs in California where they thought they could find work.  Elsa, Rafe and her two kids Loreida and Anthony work on a farm in Texas with Rafe's parents.  When a long drought comes causing the crops and animals to die, Rafe leaves on his own for California.  When circumstances get even worse, Elsa has no choice but to leave with her kids as well.  Will Elsa find work?  Will she and her kids make it to California?  Will she find Rafe one day?  Will Rafe's parents be able to save the farm?  

This is a good book that made me appreciate all I have and how easy my life is compared to what people had to deal with during the Great depression.  I felt the characters were real people and cared about them.  This is a sad story about what love is and its importance.  I couldn't help but wonder how this book would end and was satisfied with the ending.  This book certainly opened my eyes and heart to the poor people who live in poverty.  I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction dealing with survival. 

This book reminded me of The Children's Blizzard because both dealt with children trying to survive the elements, but I liked this one better because of the writing and because there is more action in it.  (5 stars)

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