"I Will Ruin You" by Linwood Barclay

In I Will Ruin You by Linwood Barclay, English teacher, Richard Boyle, becomes a hero when he is able to stop a school shooter from causing real damage.  However, he soon finds out that being a hero comes with a price.  This is really good with lots of action and characters that I cared about.  I liked the storyline because I wasn't able to figure out how it would end.  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Becoming" (Dragon Heart Legacy Book 2) by Nora Roberts

I liked The Becoming (Dragon Heart Legacy Book 2) by Nora Roberts better than the first book in this series because it has a lot more action, the dog has a big role in it and Marco proves to be a very good friend--so much so that I like him in spite of his being gay.  There is also some romance in this one and actual battles! I hated to put this one down because it has lots of very cool scenes including when Breen actually gets her own dragon!  Riding on a dragon just sounds very cool!  The only downside to this book for me was the few sex scenes and gay guys kissing that I could do without.  Nevertheless, I look forward to reading the last book in this series and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to escape to another world for a while!  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 3/23/24:
The Becoming (Dragon Heart Legacy Book 2) by Nora Roberts finds Breen in the homeland training for the battle that is coming.  She brought her friend, Marco, and her faithful dog, Bollocks.  I thought this was even better than the first book of this series!  It has lots more action and the storyline kept me turning pages quickly.  I look forward to Book 3!  This is a GREAT series!!  I highly recommend it!!!  (5++ stars)

Book 1 review--The Awakening

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"Everyone Is Watching" by Heather Gudenkauf

Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf is a page turner thriller!  I was hooked right from the start and found it hard to put down.  It is about a reality TV show with a prize of $10,000,000 and five contestants got an email invitation saying they were nominated to be on the show.  Similar to the TV show Survivor, but the challenges are brutal and the audience decides who must leave, not the players.  As contestant's private secrets are revealed, it becomes clear that this is much more than just a show.  The background of the characters is gradually revealed as the book goes on.  

This was wild and entertaining.  I enjoyed the challenges best, and really couldn't figure out the connection to all the characters.  This was an entertaining and enjoyable read for me since I like Survivor and competition.  I never knew what was going to happen next since this is packed with surprises all along the way!  I recommend you read this one and see if you can guess who wins.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)  

Gerard's review 4/9/24:
If you like reality shows, Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf is the book for you!  Five people are playing for a chance to win ten million dollars!  You can pick a person and see if they win.  What do they have to do?  You will have to read the book to find out!  This book was pretty much action filled.  I LOVED IT!  It is wild from start to finish!  I highly recommend this one!  Even if you aren't big on reality TV shows (like me), you may still like this since I did!  (5++ stars)    

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"Inheritance" by Nora Roberts (Book 1--Lost Bride Trilogy)

In Inheritance by Nora Roberts, Sonya has been going through a rough time.  Her marriage plans fell apart when she had to leave her job because her soon-to-be husband, who she caught cheating on her, works at the same job.  Now things are looking up though.  She is left a mansion on a huge piece of land valued at $8 million.  She is going to be rich!  The only catch is that she has to live in the mansion for three years.  There must be something strange about the house, but what?  You will have to read the book to find out!  

I thought this book was really good and was disappointed when I realized it is the first book in a series.  Sonya is a great character with a good storyline and action.  LOVED IT!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Destroy the Day" by Brigid Kemmerer (Defy the Night #3)

Destroy the Day by Brigid Kemmerer is the third and final book of the Defy the Night series.  The second book was Defend the Dawn.  This is a great ending to a great series.  I absolutely loved most of the characters and all the adventure and action that was in this one.  I enjoyed following the romance between Corrick and Tessa and how Corrick matured and changed along the way.  The characters in this series were so well developed and I loved the interactions among them all (except for Harristan and Quint--I could do without the gay storyline).  This is one I had a hard time putting down and loved the ending and how everything was explained and brought to an end.  I highly recommend this series!  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

In this book, Harristan is trying to regain his leadership as King, but he will need help!  Can he get it in time?  This book is narrated by Harristan, Corrick and Tessa.  I enjoyed the parts by Corrick and Tessa most.  This one was okay but needed a bit more action for my taste.  I liked the first two books in this series better, although this one does have a good ending.  (Gerard's review 2/5/24, 4 stars)

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"Blood Sworn" by Scott Reintgen (Book 2)

Blood Sworn by Scott Reintgen is the follow-up book to Ashlords.  The race is over and now the war has begun.  The three main characters are back:  Pippa, Adrian and Imelda must now work together for the better good of the country.  Can they and will they save their country?  This book was better than the first with fast action and lots of twists and turns.  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"You Shouldn't Have Come Here" by Jeneva Rose

In You Shouldn't Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose, Grace needs to get away for awhile.  A ranch in the middle of Wyoming seems like the spot; but after a bit, things do not seem right.  The owner of the ranch is getting a little too friendly so it's time to leave if she can!  This book was really good!  It has great action and a good storyline. It wasn't hard to follow at all and what an ending!!! (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Drift" by C. J. Tudor

In The Drift by C. J. Tudor is about survival.  Hannah, Meg and Carter are all in a tough spot at different locations.  They will have to work with other people to get out alive.  What all three do not know is that a bigger danger awaits them!  This has a good storyline with lots of action and I enjoyed the characters too!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"What Happened to the Bennets" by Lisa Scottoline

What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline is the story of a family whose daughter is fatally shot when two thugs hijack their car.  The family is put into the FBI's witness protection program because Milo, the thug is after the father, who is a court reporter.  The family grieves and two FBI agents live in a house next to where they are staying.  Their friends and co-workers all wonder what happened to them and rumors begin to fly.  The father, Jason, makes a shocking discovery and chooses to go get justice for his daughter on his own.  

I liked this book a lot because it centered on a normal family who had their lives uprooted.  A lot went on in this book which is filled with action and suspense.  It even had a family dog in it which I thought was a nice touch.   (Karen'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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"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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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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"Orphan X" by Gregg Hurwitz has Twists and Turns

In Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz, Orphan X aka Evan has been trained and helps people who have no one else to turn to.  He does his job very well, but now someone is on his trail who wants to stop Evan for good!  I loved all the action in this book and the twists and turns leading up to a very good ending.  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)   

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"HUSH" by James Patterson and Candace Fox

HUSH by James Patterson has lots of twists, the first being that two crimes are being solved by three suspended officers.  Harriet Blue aka Harry is even serving time in prison but the commissioner got her out early to help him solve a personal case.  The deal is that if she cannot find his daughter and grandchild who are missing, she'll be going right back to prison.   The other case is her proving her friend from prison is innocent in the murder of the prison doctor whom she liked as well. 

I got into this book right away and didn't have a clue in either case.  This book has colorful characters and quite a bit of action.  (Karen's review 1/1/2021, 4 stars)

Gerard's review:  

HUSH by James Patterson and Candice Fox deals with Harriet Blue who is in prison.  Joe Woods, who put her in prison now needs her help.  I thought this was pretty good.  Had good action and I enjoyed all the various characters.  I also liked the ending!  (4.5 stars)  

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"The Passengers" by John Marrs was a Page Turner for Me

Imagine being in a car that you have no control of.  That is what happens in The Passengers by John Marrs!  This is what a few people in this novel face and they are told that the end of their ride will probably end very badly for them.  The mystery is Who is doing this and why were these people chosen?

I greatly enjoyed this book and had trouble putting it down.  There is plenty of good action and enough twists that I did not know what bombshell was going to drop!  I enjoyed all the characters and the writing made this book fly by!  This is my first "Must Read" recommendation of 2020.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:
The Passengers by John Marrs is about automated driverless cars and six hostages in cars that took over control. This is one thriller I did not care for at all.  I read it because my husband enjoyed it so much and said it was a "must read" but we do not agree on this one.  I did not like the writing style nor the way the story was told. It dragged along for me and I was glad when I finally finished it. I was caught by surprised at the ending, but even that wasn’t enough to make me recommend this to someone. I plowed through it, but did not enjoy it. This is one my husband and I had opposite views on. (2 stars)

Teaser from page 9:  "Neither of those things matter right now," the voice replied.  "The only thing you need to know at this point is that two hours and thirty minutes from now, it is highly likely that you will be dead."

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"The Institute" by Stephen King (Husband and Wife Both Liked This One!)

The Institute by Stephen King got my attention and kept it throughout the book.  There are no boring parts in this!  I normally do not like Stephen King books; however, this one involving kids peaked my curiosity.  It is horror because of the emotional and physical pain the children endure.  It is about a bunch of kids who were kidnapped for experimentation on developing their special telekinesis and telepathy abilities for the good of the world.  I liked the group dynamics among the kids and how they became friends and worked together to escape the Institute.  It is not all horrific.  There are some funny lines and lots of adventure.  The ending didn't really make sense to me, but I liked the book anyway.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 10/24/19:
The Institute by Stephen King is about children who are really smart and have a special ability to do something are taken and put into a large building.  They are held there and are experimented on and they better behave, or else!  Who is doing this and why?  What about the families of these children?

This is very good!  It flows well and is action packed to be sure!  The ending was amazing!  Good stuff!  (5++ stars) 

Teaser from page 63:  Something began to flutter in his chest, and he took several deep breaths to try and quiet it.  He went to the door and grasped the knob, sure he would find himself locked in.

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"The String" by Caleb Breakey

The String by Caleb Breakey is about a very creepy, mean guy who calls himself  "The Conductor" who creates a string of people he controls to do bad things through manipulation and threats.  I almost gave up right at the start when he abused a dog, but kept reading and he didn't do it anymore after that.  People do not have any choice if they are chosen to be on his "string" although Haas, one of the Trenton University cops is determined to break the string.  Can he do it?

I was eager to see how this dark thriller would end but did not like the ending.  It has quite a bit of action, suspense and mystery.  It is written so the reader does not find out who the conductor is until almost the very end!  In some ways this reminded me of The Chain.  I thought The String was even creepier, a bit too much for my taste.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review:
The String is about a man who gets people to do things they would not normally do because he has something on them that makes them have to do it or their loved one will have something bad happen to them.  He calls himself "the Conductor."  I could never really get into this book.  I never had the moment that would get me caught up in it!  The premise was good enough, but I  do not think the writer brought out as much as he could have and I did not like the ending.  (3 stars)

Teaser from page 23:  "You catch on fast, you officer, SWAT team, professional, you.  One moment you're ready to unwind and let all that stress melt away.  Then the next you're making a deal with the devil, yes?  That is the power of the will." 

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"The Rising" by Heather Graham and Jon Land - Science Fiction

The rising by Heather Graham and Jon Land has two main characters:  Alex, a star high school quarterback who looks forward to being a QB in college and the pros; and Samantha who has big future plans, but for now is a tutor to Alex.  She would love to have a future with Alex.  Alex gets hurt in a game and is rushed to the hospital.  The test results are like nothing the doctors have ever seen and a secret that has been hidden for many years will come out!

This thriller is pretty good.  I loved Alex and Samantha and the story line was good too!  This is well worth reading.
(Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)

Karen's review:
Well, I disagree with my husband's review on this and his rating.   The Rising by Heather Graham and Jon Land is the first in a science fiction series about Alex who is human, but al from some other planet far, far away which he remembers nothing about since he came to earth when just a baby. He was the star of his high school football team, but when he got clobbered in the head breaking up a tackle, his life changed! He and is tutor, Samantha, find themselves on the run.

 I did not care of this book and was very happy when I finally reached the end. No way will I continue with this series. Absolutely nothing made any sense to me. I just thought the story line was very dumb and the characters were just okay, not very well developed. The only reason I continued reading to the end was because I thought things might make sense if I read it all, but I was wrong. I didn’t enjoy this at all and certainly would not recommend it to anyone! (2 stars)

Teaser from page 37:  Then Alex realized it wasn't just that he couldn't get up, he couldn't even move.  Started to suck in a deep breath when he realized he couldn't breathe, either.

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"The Fall of Crazy House" by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

The Fall of Crazy House by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet is the sequel to Crazy House that continues on with Becca, Cassie, Tim, and Nate being trained as soldiers in the resistance. It’s a pretty wild book that contains some humor, lots of adventure and action. The ending though left me a bit confused about who Helen Strepp actually is. It also was very hard to believe many death defying feats of the main characters. All in all though, it was an interesting read that kept me turning pages and wanting more. I think this was as good as the first book, if not better!
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 68: “MCDONALD’S FRENCH FRIES,” I typed into the log. The small white box was flattened and oil-stained. There was no way to tell what year it was from, or where. Or who McDonald was.

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"Crazy House" by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

Crazy House by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet is teen fiction with a slight similarity in theme to The Hunger Games. Twin sisters, Cassie and Becca, live in an agriculture cell alone. Their mom was sent away for an attitude adjustment and their father is in a hospital because his suicide attempt failed. His girls have not yet granted the hospital permission to end his life in spite of the fact the doctors say he won’t recover. One day, Becca just disappears and Cassie’s truck is missing! Other teens have gone missing too and never returned. Cassie goes to find her on her sister’s moped which is now the only transportation she has. Cassie finds her at The Crazy House when she gets “taken” too!

This book got my interest from page one and never let go. I almost finished it in one day! It is about how these sisters overcome obstacles and work together to escape from The Crazy House. There is quite a bit of action with some mystery and romance too. I liked both sisters and look forward to continuing on with the sequel, The Fall of Crazy House. There is a lot of swearing in this book that I did not like.
 (Karen’s review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 15: “No, she didn’t!” I shrieked, wanting to hurl my coffee cup right out the window. It would have hit my truck if my truck had been there. Which it wasn’t!


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