"The Flight Attendant" by Bhris Bohjalian

Imagine waking up in a bed hungover in a foreign country, naked next to a dead man that bled out!  Did you do it?  and, if not, why were you not killed?  That is the dilemma Cassandra faces in The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian.

I would have enjoyed more action and fewer dull parts.  That being said, I thought Cass was a good character and I was interested to see how it would all play out.  Well worth reading.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 9:  Had she ever seen so much blood?  Not from a human.

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"Evermore" by Sara Holland

Evermore by Sara Holland is the sequel to Everless.  Both are good.  Evermore focuses on the Alchemist's (snake) quest to kill the Sorceress (fox) with lots of adventure, close calls, and unexpected romance.  Jules super power of controlling time becomes stronger in this book and she gets back some memories from her past lives.  Liam has a much bigger part in this book.

This went pretty fast because there was so much action.  I raced through it and liked the ending.  The magic was a bit confusing to me, but still, a good read.
(Karen's review 2/9/19, 4 stars)

Gerard's review 2/16/19:
Evermore by Sara Holland is the follow-up to Everless.  Jules finds out who she really is and Caro wants what Jules has and will do anything to get it back!  I thought this book was better than the first because it had lots more action and did not really know what to expect next!  I liked the ending.  (5 stars)

Teaser from page 5:  Word of my crimes has spread to every corner of Sempera.  That I seduced Roan Gerling while a servant at Everless and used him to gain access to the visiting Queen's chambers.  Then cut Roan's throat and stabbed the Queen through the heart.

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"For Better and Worse" by Margot Hunt - Great Read!

In Better and Worse by Margot Hunt, Natalie and Will have a young son named Charlie.  Life is good until one day there is big news at Charlie's school!  When Natalie finds out Charlie is involved, she goes into "Mama Bear" mode to protect her son.  How far will she go?  Will Will come along, or does he have other things to worry about that are better left alone?

This book is told in three parts and each part tops the other!  Nat and Will are great characters and I thought this rings true to life.  Had a surprise ending for me too!  Put this on your TBR list!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)   

Teaser from page 43:  "I don't know anything more than you do," I said, extracting my hand from her surprisingly strong grip.  "I saw the police cars in the parking lot at drop-off this morning, but that's all the information I have."

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"Reckless Disregard" by Robert Rotstein

Reckless Disregard by Robert Rotstein is a complex Hollywood mystery with lots of crazy characters. Basically, William Bishop, a pillar of the community sues Poniard, a video game designer, for defamation of character because in his video game, Abduction, Poniard implies that Bishop is responsible for the kidnapping and disappearance of Paul Felicity McGrath. The purpose of the game is to find out what actually happened. Poniard is a mystery too because no one actually knows who he is and he is intent on keeping his identity a secret, even to the point of refusing to appear for a deposition or make a court appearance! Parker Stern is a mediator who is drawn into this case as Poniard’s attorney and who has secrets of his own. This book has secret identities, betrayal and death.

This book is written in a very unique way, using the “game” to reflect what Poniard thinks really happened. There are a lot of surprises and twists and turns in the book which kept making it more puzzling. I felt that it was beyond believable though and was glad when I finished it. I did like the lawyer and the trial part. (Karen's review, 3 stars)

Teaser from page 35: I’ve spent the last twenty-five years trying to keep this secret. My celebrity almost ruined me, and I don’t want it back, not even a vestige of it. I’m a lawyer, not an actor.

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"The Stranger Game" by Peter Gadol

In The Stranger Game by Peter Gadol, Rebecca's boyfriend has gone missing, but the police do not seem to be fazed by this.  He probably is playing the "Stranger Game."  What is that?  You will need to read the book to find the answer to that!  This book was pretty good.  The pacing was good and I enjoyed how all the characters were developed.  A twist at the end surprised me and I liked how it all played out!  (Gerard's review, 4.5 stars) 

Teaser from page 15:  I would never see them again.  The third rule of the game was never follow the same stranger twice, and so I drove away.

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"Becoming" by Michelle Obama by Michelle Obama

I heard that Becoming by Michelle Obama was a good book and was curious to learn more about her and what it was like living at the White House and what it would be like being a First Lady.  This book did not disappoint.  It satisfied my curiosity and also was very inspirational.  My favorite character in this book was Michelle Obama's mother.  The first part of the book is about her childhood, the middle about her career and developing her relationship with Barack, the last third about the Presidential campaign and her time at the White House.  She is very open about sharing her story.  Living in the White House has some perks, but the inability to go anywhere when you wanted or even just outside on the balcony without notifying the secret service and getting their permission would be a deal breaker for me right there!  (Karen's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 12:  When I thought I had a good idea about something, I didn't like being told no.  Which is how my great-aunt and I ended up in each other's faces, both of us hot and unyielding.  

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"The Dream Daughter" by Diane Chamberlain was a Big Hit for Both of Us!

In The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain, Carly is going to give birth, but the doctor tells her it does not look good for the long run.  Her brother-in-law comes up with a wild solution, but will Carly go for it?  If she does, will it work?  This is a wild book to say the least!  Carly is a great character and you have to pull for her.  Some good twists and turns that I did not see coming kept me involved!  I especially loved the last part of the book!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars) 

Karen's review, 11-30-18:
In The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain, shortly after Carly gets news that her husband was killed in Vietnam only weeks after he left in 1970, she learn she is pregnant.  Early in her pregnancy, she receives bad news that there is something wrong with her baby's heart and that it is fatal!  Carly is so devastated by the news, that she is willing to do anything to save her child--including time travel to the year 2001 so she can try fetal surgery!  Her brother-in-law, Hunter, who she met when she was his physical therapist was a time traveler from 2013 and talks her into giving it a try.

I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it to women.  It's a combination of contemporary and science fiction.  I don't think men would enjoy it as much.  It certainly has adventure but centers around Carly's fight to save and get to know her child, Johanna.  It has touching scenes and lots of unexpected twists along the way.  I was a little disappointed when it ended.  It even has two dogs in it and some funny parts as well.  I found it to be thought-provoking too and had trouble putting this down.  I really looked forward to getting back to it!
(5 stars)

Teaser from page 25:  "It doesn't matter.  What matters is that during her studies, she discovered it's possible to travel forward and backward in time."

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"One of Us is Lying" by Karen M. McManus

In One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus, five high school kids are in detention in a classroom.  One of them does not make it out alive!  It was no accident.  Who did it?  I almost gave up on this one, but I'm glad I did not!  Once the story picked up, it was kind of hard to put down!  The other four characters were really brought out very well.  It has some good twists and turns also.  If you love a good who done it mystery, this book is for you.  This is well worth reading!
(Gerard's review, 4.5 stars) 

Teaser from page 15:  He runs a shaking hand through his think white hair as one of the paramedics stabs Simon with a syringe and the other two lift him onto the stretcher.  "God help that boy," he whispers.

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"A Dog's Way Home" by W. Bruce Cameron

A Dog's Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron is about Bella, a very good dog who is taken from her home in Denver until her owner, Lucas, can find a new place to live that allows pit bulls.  Unfortunately, Bella sees her opportunity to break out of that yard and head on home to her Lucas the day before he was coming to get her!  It takes her two years to find her way home!  Along the way, she runs into lots of adventures and has several different people who she lives with including doggie foster parents, two gay men, an alcoholic woman, a homeless vet, and a cougar!

I had a hard time getting through this book because it was just so heartbreaking.  I felt so bad for this poor dog and very angry at the animal control guy who was just part of a plot to harass Lucas and Bella.  The only reason I finished it was because the title implies that she does make it home. I liked how there were lots of cats in this story and some parts were pretty funny, such as when Bella discovered what a great place a grocery store is.  I also liked how the VA hospital patients enjoyed Bella which reminded me of how those in the nursing home enjoyed our dog, Abby's, visits when we used to take her every week.  The unfairness of the breed discriminatory law was very upsetting to me.  Anyone could see by her behavior that Bella was not a dangerous dog, nor was she a pure pit bull, but was viewed as one by one guy in animal control.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

A Dog's Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron is told by Bella, who is a very good dog!  She is pronounced a pit bull by three animal control officers (in spite of being a mix and many others saying she is not a pit bull) and the state she lives in has laws that will not allow her to be a house pet.  She gets separated from her owner and makes it her goal to get back to her person somehow.  I enjoyed this book very much.  Bella tells the story quite well and it has a great ending!
(Gerard's review 8/6/17, 5 stars)

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"Everless" by Sara Holland--We Both Gave This 4 Stars

Everless by Sara Holland is her debut novel. It is a fantasy about mystery, magic, betrayal as Jules goes searching for an answer to why her father told her to never let the queen see her and to run if she ever saw Liam Gerling, once a childhood friend who banished her and her father from Everless. I liked Jules, but it didn’t make sense to me that she wouldn’t listen to her father and not go back to Everless, a dangerous place for her. She discovers her papa kept lots of secrets from her which leads to her searching for even more answers!

As with any fantasy, some things didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but I enjoyed this book anyway. It has a lot of interesting characters and an angle I haven’t come across before with the blood iron—stealing people’s years of life by draining some blood from them. This was a hard concept for me to really understand. The character interaction is what kept my interest. I didn’t like that one of my favorite characters was killed.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review:
Everless by Sara Holland is fantasy and this author's first novel.  The concept was a new one that I have never read before.  It deals with blood and you can store it up to live longer.  The main character is a young girl named Jules who I liked.  I was engaged for the most part.  The ending was wild to say the least, but I liked it enough that I will read book 2--Evermore!  (4 stars)

Teaser from page 16: If I hadn’t pulled Roan out before the flames could catch, he would have been burned alive. And as my reward, we had to flee the only home I had ever known, because Papa was afraid of what Liam would do to me if we stayed at Everless, knowing what I had seen.


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"Good Me Bad Me" by Ali Land

In Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land, Annie lives with her mom who does things she should not do!  Annie goes to the police and tells on her mom, then into witness protection.  Ready to start a new life with a new name and family while waiting for the trial to begin.  Unfortunately, her new family and her do not seem to connect.  She will be good, won't she?

This is the author's first book and I must say I am impressed!  There is good pace to the book and the characters are very believable.    The trial was the best part with a surprise ending!  This is well worth reading.
(Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)

Teaser from page 6:  You turned your had to the side.  Faced me.  Your eyes never left mine, I read them with ease.  You said nothing to them, yet everything to me.

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"The Sun Dog" by Stephen King

The Sun Dog by Stephen King is vintage King! Kevin gets the birthday present he wanted for his 15th birthday—a camera! The first picture he takes shows something it should not! The more pictures he takes, the thing is still in there and is scares Kevin really bad! The pace of this book is really good and the ending had me turning pages as quick as I could!
(Gerard’s review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 9:  But it was not practical good Kevin was thinking about.  In fact, he was not thinking at all.  He was feeling . . . and remembering.  

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"Once a King" by Erin Summerill

Once a King by Erin Summerill is the third book in the "Clash of Kingdom" fantasy series.  The first was Ever the Hunted and the second was Ever the Brave.  King Aodren wants the best for his kingdom and that means making peace with the channelers.  Lirra has every reason to not trust the king, but when he reaches out to her, she decides to help.  Will it be enough?

I thought this book was really good, just as good as the first two!  The book had a good flow to it and good action as well.  King Aodren and Lirra are good characters.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 20:  I press my fist to the sudden bloom of ache in my belly.  I want to forget this request and finish my glider.

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"We, the Jury" by Robert Rotstein

We the Jury by Robert Rotstein is about a trial where a husband killed his wife. The question is, was it premeditated or was he a battered spouse who killed in self-defense? We hear from everyone involved in the trial, especially the jury! I enjoyed this book very much! The characters were really good and I liked the judge and the fore person the most. If you can figure out how this one ends, you are smarter than me. This is my book of the month so far!
Gerard’s review, 5++ stars)

Karen’s review:
We the Jury by Robert Rotstein reminded me of the play, 12 Angry Men because instead of taking us through the trial, the entire book centers upon the 8-member jury and its deliberations. I think anyone who has been called for jury duty would find this book interesting. We find out about the trial through transcripts that the jury requests read back to them. My favorite characters were the messenger/”actor”, the student, the grandma and the jury consultant who was part of this jury! I felt sorry for the judge and was surprised by the ending. I really liked the unique way this book was written. Each new chapter was really commentary by one of the many different characters. I loved it! (5 stars)

Teaser from page 22: The jurors look at each other and shake their heads. The Clergyman doesn’t look at anyone. He just keeps his head bowed, as if in prayer.


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"BREACH" by W. L. Goodwater

Breach by W. L. Goodwater is a fantasy about a hole in the Berlin Wall that grows. The wall is held together by magic and hides a very dangerous magical book. Ehle, the creator of the breach wants to make sure the book gets destroyed Karen, a USA magician is chosen to assist the CIA in their mission to fix the wall. She finds herself mixed up in magic she never knew before.

This is a wild book that I liked because of Karen, the main character, and the various relationships she developed. There were several groups that was a bit of a challenge to keep straight and the writing style was difficult to follow at times because it was told from different points of view with poor transitioning. One just stopped and another began. There definitely was a lot of action and adventure in this book which made me want to keep reading.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 23: It was always the same with men like George. “You only ever think about using your magic to smash something,” she said. “You might be surprised to learn it has other, less destructive uses.”


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"The Other Wife" by Michael Robotham

In The Other Wife by Michael Robotham, Joe O'Loughlin is mourning his dead wife.  At least he has his mom and dad to lean on.  One day he gets a call his dad is in ICU and in a coma.  When he gets to the hospital, he sees a woman by his dad's bedside but not his mom.  When he inquires, the woman tells him she is his dad's other wife!  Say what?  This is an adult novel. 

If you are looking for an action book, this is not it.  This is a psychological thriller that you need your thinking cap for!  There are several story lines that all lead to the main story!  I enjoyed the twists and the different characters were true to life.  Also, you never knew what was really going to happen next!  Some parts are slow, but I though the overall story made up for that.  It had a good ending and is well worth reading!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 10:  'But I was told . . .'  'I asked the hospital to call you.'  'I'm sorry, but who are you?'  'I'm his other wife.'

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"Fire & Ice" (Book 3 of Wild at Heart series) by Mary Connealy

Fire & Ice by Mary Connealy is the third and final book in the Wild Heart series. This book focuses on Bailey and Gage. Bailey prides herself on being able to take care of herself and be as good a rancher as any man and Gage is determined to get his cattle to graze in the canyon that Bailey blocked with her cabin. While Gage starts blasting away the mountain to give him another way into the canyon, he and some of his men nearly get killed when a trap someone set for them results in an avalanche! He accuses Bailey but she sets him straight and convinces him it wasn’t her that set that trap. After making it through a lonely winter, she is actually happy when Gage Coulter comes to her door, but is floored at what he wants.

This third book continued to be entertaining and is a great ending to this series. I loved how Bailey and Gage gradually grew to love each other. I really liked all three sisters in this series and was sorry to see it end. Once again, this book had adventure, mystery, romance and humor. I loved this series and flew through all three books once I started it.  I highly recommend this series for light reading.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 14:  "This is why you've been as good as hiding from me ever since the first time I came across you in your sister's cabin, all the way back before Kylie married Aaron.  You didn't want me to know you were a woman."

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"Now & Forever" by Mary Connealy (Book 2 of Wild at Heart series)

Now & Forever by Mary Connealy is the second book in the Wild at Heart series that focuses on Shannon and the mountain man, Tucker, who sometimes works for Gage Coulter. After tucker gets clawed by a bear and Shannon and he fall off a cliff into the river to get away, they rely on each other to find a way out. They spend five days and nights in an underground cave before they are rescued, at which time they get married! Most of the story is the mystery and adventure of someone trying to chase them off their homestead by getting their sheep killed and burning their barn. Although Shannon is a tough woman, she cries a lot in this book.

I liked this book as much as the first in this series, but was a bit disappointed in the ending. (5 stars)

Teaser from page 28: She’d go find her sister, who would turn out to be the first woman ever to survive this rattlesnake of a river. And if anyone could do it, it was Shannon. And no one was more apt to help her than Matthew Tucker.


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"My Sister, The Serial Killer" by Oyinkan Braithwaite

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite centers on two sisters.  The older sister is Korede and the younger sister is Ayoola.  Ayoola is the killer of some men that she has a relationship with.  Korede cleans up the mess.  Now a man Korede is in love with is going out with her sister.  All bets are off now!  This book had a lot of hype so I wanted to read it.  I found it to be okay.  The story line kept me involved and the sisters were good characters.  This is the author's first book.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 6:  "It's not my fault, you know."  But I don't know.  I don't know what she is referring to. 

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