"Forging Silver Into Stars" by Brigid Kemmerer

Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer is a fantasy book about two kingdoms, loyalty and magic.  Emberfall is led by Rhen and Harper, Syhl Shallow led by Grey and Lia Mara.  Rhen and Grey are brothers, Grey is a magesmith and the people of Syhl Shallow are afraid of his magic so a faction called the Truthbringers is plotting to kill him.  Most of the story is about Jax and Callyn, friends from childhood, who live near woods in Briarlock which is part of Syhl Shallow but a good distance from the palace.  Callyn and her younger sister run a bakery and Jax, a cripple, is a blacksmith who works for his father in a forge near the bakery.  They both owe lots of taxes and are pretty delighted to find an easy way to earn more silvers.  Are they committing treason though?  Can they trust Alek, the one who pays silvers.  Is Tycho, the king's courier, telling the truth?  Does Tycho really care about Jax and does Alek really care about Callyn?  

This seemed slow to me at the start because I was just finished Defend the Dawn which I loved so much I hated to see it end.  This is a story about trust as was Defend the Dawn.  Decisions must be made about which side to take.  Can Jax and Callyn maintain their friendship if they take different sides?  Most of this book is about inner struggles and choosing sides, determining who to trust.  The characters are all interesting and I loved the action in the last quarter of the book.  It was fast-paced and fun seeing how everything was coming to a head.  I could have done without the gay relationship, but enjoyed the book other than that.  I also loved the ending!  I recommend this one to any Brigid Kemmerer fan.  I'm sure there will be more in this series and look forward to them.  (Karen's review, 4 stars)  

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"Before and After" by Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate

Before and After by Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate is the sequel to Before We Were Yours.  From 1920 to 1950 Georgia Tann ran a black market baby business at the Tennessee Children's Home Society in Memphis.  This book tells the true stories of some of those people who want to have a reunion of sorts and get connected to their real birth parents and siblings.  The stories these people tell are heart breaking and very interesting.  If you read Before We Were Yours, you have to read this one as well!  It is so good and full of hope!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Winter of the Witch" by Katherine Arden (Book 3 of Winternight Trilogy)

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden is the last book in the Winternight trilogy.  This is a fantastic series!  Vasya must use all her power to save Russia from the wicked Demon.  Vasya is a great character and so was the Bear in this book with good action.  I LOVED it!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Look Closer" by David Ellis

In Look Closer by David Ellis, Simon and Vicky’s secrets start to emerge when a woman is found dead on Halloween in a gated community. The thing is, they are both very good lying con artists! I thought this book was really good! Simon and Vicky were great and I never knew what was going to happen next. Loved the ending! (Gerard’s review, 5+ stars)

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Loved "Defend the Dawn" by Brigid Kemmerer -- Full of Adventure

1.    

In Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer, Tessa and Corrick set out on a journey to get much needed medicine for their kingdom.  This story is told by Corrick and Tessa.  I like them both.  The author does a great job of character development!  The interaction among the characters if fantastic!  The action comes near the end and is really good.  I would have liked more action earlier on as well.  All in all, I give this one 5 stars.  (Gerard's review) 

Karen's review 3/9/23:
Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer is Book 2 in the Defy the Night series and I LOVED it!  It has adventure, lots of fighting, great banter among the characters, politics, and some romance.  This one focuses on both King Harriston and his chief justice, Corrick.  About half way through, each gets their own storyline and both are very good.  Tessa and Quint are both great supporting characters too.  This one is hard to put down and I hated that it ended with two cliffhangers.  It definitely makes me anxious to read the next book in this series, Destroy the Day.  (5 stars)

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"The Finalists" by David Bell

In The Finalists by David Bell, six college students show up to try to win a scholarship to Hyde.  They must stay in the building for eight hours.  If they leave, they cannot win.  When one of the six is found dead , is anyone safe?  People are also protesting outside and tension is real high.  This was pretty good though I would have liked more character development.  The storyline was just okay but the ending was good!  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Notes on an Execution" by Danya Kukafka

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka was not an easy read but was interesting.  This book covers the last 12 hours before a serial killer is to be put to death.  The author takes us through some of the women in the killer's life.  The author does a good job of telling the story.  This unique storyline makes the book go fast.  I never read a book like this one before!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)  

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"Then She Was Gone" by Lisa Jewell

1.    

In Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell, Ellie is 15, pretty, smart, the youngest of three and her mom’s favorite.  Then one day she was gone!  Her mother, Laurel, sees her life fall apart.  Ten years later, she meets a man and he has a daughter who looks just like Ellie!  Could it be?  This was really good.  Liked the storyline and the characters but the ending was just okay.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Hidden Pictures" by Jason Rekulak is a Creepy Thriller!

In Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak, Mallory really needs a job.  So when a job comes up to look after a 5-yr.-old boy for a nice couple in a real nice neighborhood, she jumps at the chance to take it.  How hard could it be to look after a 5-yr.-old boy?  You'll have to read it to find out.  This thriller is very good!  I had a hard time putting it down.  It has a great storyline and the characters were developed really well too with a heck of an ending!  I highly recommend this one!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Wife Upstairs" by Rachel Hawkins Is One We Both Liked

In The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins, Jane is trying to make her life better so she takes a job as a dog walker in a rich neighborhood.  By chance she meets Eddie who is rich, charming and good looking.  Things are looking up for Jane and when they decide to get married, Jane is on Easy Street, or is she?  This is a wild read with a good storyline that kept me interested.  The characters were good too with a make-up-your-own ending.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Karen's review 2/22/23:
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins is a strange murder mystery/romance.  Jane, a broke dog walker with wealthy clients steals from them and falls for Eddie, a rich widower who expresses interest in her as well.  His wife was presumed dead but he has his wife stashed away in an upstairs hidden panic room!  Jane works to be accepted by the bored housewives in the neighborhood and finally is once she gets engaged to Eddie. 

This one is a crazy read, with a strange storyline and deceptive characters.  I enjoyed this book because it had an unusual storyline that kept my interest with no idea how it would end.  The people were pretty creepy.  As usual with these mysteries, the police don't do a very good job.  This book did make me want to keep reading and get back to it.  The only thing I didn't care for was the ending--I would have liked some more details.  (4 stars)     

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"The Lies I Tell" by Julie Clark

The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark centers around Meg and Kat.  Ten years ago, Meg just about destroyed Kat's life.  Kat wants to even the score and now, ten years later, Meg is back.  Does Kat even the score or does Meg win Round 2?  This is a great read!  Meg and Kat were both great characters and the storyline is very good too!  It was better than I expected and liked the ending.  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"The Swell" by Allie Reynolds

In The Swell by Allie Reynolds, Kenna and Mikki are childhood friends.  Fast forward the years and Mikki is going to get married.  Kenna shows up and finds the Mikki she knew has changed.  Kenna is with a bunch of people and will not leave an Australian beach they have found to be the best for surfing and want to keep secret.  Odd thing is, people go missing.  Can Kenna get Mikki to leave for her own good?  

I didn't care for any of the characters in this book; however, the storyline and action were good enough to keep my interest.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Dog Friendly" by Victoria Schade

In Dog Friendly by Victoria Schade, Morgan is a veterinarian who really needs a vacation.  She gets a chance to go to Nantucket and become a dog sitter for a special-needs senior dog.  When she meets a guy, she is torn between going back to her old job or staying put where she is.  This book reminded me of a Hallmark movie--happy and predictable which provided me with a nice change of pace from my usual thriller mysteries.  The characters were okay and I enjoyed the dogs in the book.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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Not Impressed With "Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are" by Kathryn Foxfield

In Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are by Kathryn Foxfield, five teens go on a reality show.  They need to survive a night in haunted caves, but should they be afraid of each other?  This book was okay.  The storyline was pretty good, but not great.  I never connected with the characters and wasn't impressed with the ending.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars) 

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"Five Survive" by Holly Jackson is so Good It's a Must Read!

Five Survive by Holly Jackson is a teen thriller than kept my interest.  Six friends head to spring break in an RV and end up in a deserted area with a shooter shooting out their tires and gas tank!  He says one of them has a secret and he'll only let them go if they tell him what he wants to know.  What does he want to know?  He doesn't say!  He just says they know who they are.  They can't call for help because there is no cell service.  How will they get out?    

This has lots of suspense in it as the friends try to figure out ways to escape and send for help.  This is a really good book because all through it, I was trying to figure out who was the one going to die (based on the title), how they would get out of this predicament and what the secret was and who had it.  I agree with my husband about this one--it's a page-turner and a must read if you enjoy mysteries and thrillers.  Even the ending is a shocker!    (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 1/23/23:
In Five Survive by Holly Jackson, six friends pile into an RV for a fun weekend at a camp.  They get lost in the dark and go into the woods where their RV breaks down!  Just when they are about to go, someone makes sure that they are not going anywhere until they give him what he wants.

This was SO GOOD from the writing, to lots of action, the storyline, the believable characters, and a great ending!  This went really fast because I couldn't stop turning the pages!  Do not miss this one!  (5++ stars)

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"Curfew" by Jayne Cowie

In Curfew, by Jayne Cowie, men and young boys have a curfew.  They cannot be outside after 7:00 p.m. to protect the women.  But does everyone agree that this is the best way?  And, as they say, "rules are meant to be broken."  I thought this book was very good!  It has a great storyline and the author did a great job of developing the characters!  I loved it!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)  

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"Stay Awake" by Megan Goldin

In Stay Awake by Megan Goldin, Liv wakes up in the back of a cab with no memory of where she is or how she got there.  Every time Liv falls asleep and wakes up, her head is a blank.  Someone wants to make sure she does not remember committing a crime.  This is a very good thriller.  The last 20 or so pages are just fantastic!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Prisoner" by B. A. Paris

In The Prisoner by B. A. Paris, Amelie, wife of billionaire Jed, is kidnapped and held in a dark room.  She does not know why or by whom.  What she does know is that she feels safer than being with her husband.  You will have to read the book to find out why.  

B. A. Paris's books always have good storylines and good characters; this is no exception.  This book goes back and forth in time, but I didn't mind that.  The ending is unbelievable!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Nine Liars" by Maureen Johnson--A YA Contemporary Thriller

In Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson, nine friends are on a sightseeing trip to London.  They decide to play a night time game of hide and seek at an England country home.  The next morning, two of the nine are found dead, killed by an axe.  The other seven say they know nothing about it.  See if you can figure out who killed the two people.  I thought this was really good because of the characters and storyline.  It kept me turning pages.  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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