"My Brother's Keeper" by Donna Malana - Mystery

In My Brother's Keeper by Donna Malana, Karen hires Diane, a missing person expert, to track down her 14-yr-old daughter, Sonny, who she lost contact with while serving seven years in prison for killing her son and attempting to kill her daughter.  Karen wants to make sure Sonny is all right.  Diane tracks down Sonny and even sets up a meeting for her to meet her mother, but her mother doesn't show!

This is a dark, twisted mystery that I finished in one day.  It takes place in New Zealand and moved along quickly.  I thought this was a good mystery and felt bad for Sonny and the mother.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page10:  'That's what I went away for.  I tried to kill my daughter.'

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"His Risk" by Shelley Shepard Gray

His Risk by Shelley Shepard Gray is part of The Amish of Hart County series.  When Cal goes back to his Amish home to help with his brother who was diagnosed with Cancer, he falls for, Alice, the pretty Amish preschool teacher who is living across the street.  He is afraid of bringing danger though along with him so tries to keep his distance, but finds it impossible.  He is in a tough spot because of some bad choices he made in his past.  Can he become the man he would like to be?  Could he and Alice have a future together?

This was pretty good because Cal was an interesting character.  None of the characters were very well developed though, so I really didn't feel like I knew them.  This did have an interesting plot line besides just the romance between Cal and Alice.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

Teaser from page 4:  "You hope not?"  Her voice rose.  "Calvin, if your being here is going to bring your gun-toting, drug-running friends, too, then you need to stay away," she hissed.

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"Have Dog, Will Travel--A Poet's Journey" by Stephen Kuusisto

Have Dog , Will Travel by Stephen Kuusisto is his true story about being born legally blind but trying to pass as sighted.  He rode a bike, went to public school and even read.  He became a professor, but when he got laid off at a young age, he had to do something.  That is how he came upon getting a guide dog and a whole new way of living!

I thought this book was pretty good.  I learned a lot about guide dog training and how people react to seeing someone with a guide dog.  It is a very short book, only 232 pages.  I loved Corky, his guide dog!

Teaser from page 43:  I wasn't sure what I thought about walking around with a "pretend" guide dog.  Somehow it seemed embarrassing, oddly performative, but my comfort wasn't as important as my safety, and ultimately getting the right dog.
 
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)  

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"Children of Blood and Bone" by Tomi Adeyemi

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi is fantasy that received a lot of hype.  The land where Zelie lives once was a happy place.  But the king has banished magic and people are without power,  without hope. Zelie has a chance to bring magic back, and with the help of a rogue princess, can she give her people hope again?  or will the king reign forever?  I heard so much about this book I just had to read it and am glad I did!!  Zelie is a great character.  The story line is such that you never know what will happen next!  The ending is great and makes me look forward to book 2.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 29:  They broke him that night, battered his heart and shattered his soul.  Maybe he would've recovered if he hadn't woken to find Mama's corpse bound in lack chains.

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"Child of the State" by Catherine Lea

Image from Amazon

Child of the State by Catherine Lea got my attention right from the start!  It is fast-paced about a young mother getting out of prison early through a new state program initiated by Elizabeth McClaine, a socialite.  Stacy is the first prisoner to get chosen for this program; however, she runs as soon as she gets a chance, wanting to make sure her son is okay.  She was threatened in prison because she believes her friend was murdered by someone connected to a drug operation in the prison.  Elizabeth believes in Stacy and wants to help her, believing she must have had a good reason to run.

I liked this book, it was interesting, exciting, suspenseful and moved along well.  The only part I really didn't understand completely was the drug operation with the prison.  I liked the ending.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)   

Teaser from prologue page 1:  Amy knew she should have gone to Stacy the second she'd opened the box.  All night she'd lain there in her cot, listening to every sound, frightened they'd come after her, and wondering who else knew.

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"The Wolves of Winter" by Tyrell Johnson

In The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson, the world has been ravaged by war and an incurable disease.  The population keeps going down.  Lynn lives with her family and they try to make do; however, when a young man named Jax enters into their world, their lives change in a way they did not see coming.

I liked Lynn and Jax the most of all the characters.  This book starts kind of slow but picks up when Jax enters.  The story was good enough that if there is a book 2, I will probably read it.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 26:  I almost grabbed my bow anyway because to hell with him.  But I didn't.

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"Ever the Brave" by Erin Summerill is Way Better Than the First Book of This Series

Ever the Brave is the the follow up to Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill.  Britta faces new challenges.  Now she has a strong bond with Aopren, the king.  But, is that something she wants?  What about Cohen?  She also faces danger because the kingdom is under attack.  Can Britta stop that?  This story is told by those three characters.

I thought this book was WAY BETTER than the first.  The writing and the interaction between the characters is very good!  The action with twists and turns made me keep turning pages quickly!  The ending is very good to say the least!  I look forward to book 3 of this series.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:
Ever the Brave by Erin Summerill continues where Ever the Hunted left off. Britta and King Aodren have a special connection since she saved his life. Britta learns more about her channeling powers and joins with Cohen in fighting Lord Jamis and Phelia/Rozen, a strong spirit Channeler. Britta sees Aodren as a good man and a love triangle forms.

The first half of this book dragged along for me, but the second half really picked up! I liked how Britta kept trying to learn more about her gift without giving in to Phelia’s wishes and crossing to the dark side. This book deals with how people with evil parents can choose their own path and not be like them. The ending was very good! I will probably continue on with this series. (4 stars)


Teaser from page 13:  Knowing it is the king makes me feel guilty.  It makes me think I should take her advice.

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"If I LIve" by Terri Blackstock

If I Live by Terri Blackstock is the third and final book in the “If I run” series. Casey is still on the run, but the police are closing in. Her time is running out! Will she be able to get the truth out? Will anyone believe her? Dylan is trying to do what he can to keep Casey safe, but danger lurks! This book was WAY BETTER than book two! I suggesting skipping book 2 and going right to this one instead. There is more action for one and I enjoyed the interaction between the different characters. This is a good series!

(Gerard’s review, 5 stars)

Teaser from pg. 27:  God is on the case with me, fighting this battle.  As I cling to the image of his sword slashing the evil around me--and around Casey--I fall back to sleep and, this time, dream of victory. 

Karen's review, 4 stars:
If I Live by Terri Blackstock is the last book in the If I Run series. It is about Casey, a fugitive who was framed for murder by dirty cops, and detective Dylan who is hired by the victim’s family to work with the police to find Casey and bring her back. Instead, he believes Casey was set up and helps her prove it, aiding her along the way. Casey comes to look for God being at work and finds lots to be thankful for even as she is on the run. Dylan keeps trusting in Romans 8:28 which says all things work together for good to them who love God and are called according to his purpose.

This was pretty good. I skipped the second book and jumped right to this one and felt I didn’t miss much. It had some Christian overtones and some far-fetched incidents. When Dylan unscrewed the light plate with his fingernail while his hands were tied, I found that very hard to believe. At least he wasn’t able to unscrew the screws in the door hinges at the cabin! SPOILER ALERT—STOP READING NOW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK: I thought the ending was very rushed with Dylan and Casey jumping right into marriage and odd that he did not have Dex as his best man or any of his family at the wedding.


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"Winter Sisters" by Robin Oliveira

Winter Sisters by Robin Oliveira is a historical fiction novel.   A blizzard hits the town of Albany and when it finally stops, two little sisters are missing.  The search is on!  After awhile, the police give up and declare them dead.  When they reappear, the questions start:  Where were they?  Was someone holding them?  Are they okay? 

I thought this book was really good.  The pacing of the book is very well done.  There are also some other stories that are brought out as well.  The last part of the book, when a trial takes place, was very, very, good!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Teaser from page 17:  "Then a friend might have taken them in when no one came for them.  A thousand things could have happened."

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"Shoeless Child" by J. A. Schneider is a Murder Mystery with a Child Hero!

Shoeless Child by Joyce Schneider is a thriller about a serial killer whose only eye witness is Charlie, a 5-yr-old boy. Charlie manages to get away from the killer after he saw his mom get shot in their apartment and her mom’s best friend killed. The detectives, Kerri and Alex both connect with Charlie and get him to talk again as he recovers in the hospital with his mom.


This is a good murder mystery I recommend. Charlie is a brave, adorable little boy that is a hero. This one kept my interest right from the start and is a fast read.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from Loc. 75 on Kindle:  He kept seeing Mommy, lying there.  He wanted so much to scream into the night, but knew it would give him away.  The man with the gun was after him.

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"A War of Gifts" by Orson Scott Card

A War of Gifts by Orson Scott Card is a very short story about Zech who gets drafted to battle school against his will. He has an extraordinary memory, has the whole King James version of the bible memorized. He is the son of a minister who abuses him. At battle school, he just wants to go home and refuses to do any practice fighting at all. This was disappointing; was not interesting to me at all because it put Christians in a bad light. There was a big issue made about whether Santa Claus was a custom or some kind of religious practice and I didn’t care for this one at all. Ender Wiggin had a very small part in this. (Karen's review, 1 star)

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"Ever the Hunted" by Erin Summerill

In Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill, Britta is alone and hungry. She gets caught poaching on the King’s land which carries a death sentence. However, the King gives her a deal—capture the person who killed her father and bring him to the King, and she will be set free and get to keep her cottage. The only problem is the killer is her one and only friend!

This book starts out slow but gets better so stick with it. Britta is a real good lead character that knows what she wants and hot to get it! The action is good with some twists to add to your reading pleasure, leading to a very strong ending! I look forward to reading book 2 in this series!
(Gerard’s review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 17:  It takes a beat for his warning to hit me.  I jerk out of his grip, mumble thanks, and race toward home.

Karen's review:
Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill is the first book of the Clash of Kingdoms series. In this fantasy, 17-yr.-old Britta is in love with Cohen, her father’s former apprentice. Her father was a bounty hunter for the King of Malam until he was killed and Cohen has been accused of his murder. Britta agrees to hunt him down for Lord Jamis when she is charged with poaching on the King’s land and faces being hanged unless she agrees. Britta has a special gift for telling if one is lying or not, so when Cohen captures her from the royal guards, he convinces her he is innocent and together they try to track down her father’s killer. Then royal guard keeps after them both! Secrets come out along the way that keeps things interesting.

I thought the pace of this book was pretty slow, but it did pick up near the end. I really liked Enat and felt bad when she was killed. I like both Britta and Cohen alright so will probably continue on with this series. (4 stars)


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"Grist Mill Road" by Christopher J. Yates

It is hard to write a review of Grist Mill Road by Christopher J. Yates without giving something away, but I will try. Patrick, Matthew and Hannah were involved in an incident when they were in their teens.  Now, years later, their paths cross again.  Will there be a resolution to that incident?  Although this book goes back and forth in time, I did not have a problem with it.  I thought the three main characters were well developed.  Some parts of the book dragged along, but there is more good than bad.  The ending was just okay but still worth the read.

Teaser from page 15:  Mornings after, she remembers only the screaming, not the words.  But even so he can't lie to her.
(Gerard's review, 3.5 stars)

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"I Am Watching You" by Teresa Driscoll is a Good Mystery

In I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll, when Ella is on a train, she overhears a conversation between two young girls and two young men just out of prison.  It sounds like they plan to hook-up?  Ella debates if she should warn the girls that maybe this is not such a good idea, but says nothing!  The next day, she finds out one of the girls has gone missing!

Teaser from page 26:  So that I see it even more clearly now.  This is my fault.

I really enjoyed this book a lot!  It is told by various people who have a connection to the girls which only adds to the mystery of what did happen to this girl and why!  If you know the answer before you finish, you are way smarter than me!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:
I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll is a mystery of a missing person with a surprise ending. I did not figure out what happened, but there were a couple things that I did not care for about this book. One was that there was so little action and the second was that the chapters ended on cliff hangers and then jumped to another person’s view. The changing of views was distracting to me and seemed to slow down the pace of this book None of the characters were very well developed, which made me not care about them much at all. I would not recommend this one. (2 stars)

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"Bruiser" by Neal Schusterman

Bruiser by Neal Schusterman is a contemporary fiction novel but with one special boy, named Bruiser. Somehow, he has an unusual power to take on himself the pain of those he cares about, like his younger brother and his Uncle. His uncle tries to protect him as best he can be keeping him home so he doesn’t make friends. He just goes to school and comes home, until Bronte decides to be nice to him. Her brother, Tennyson, doesn’t like her seeing Bruiser at first, but then also becomes his friend, realizing he’s not really so bad after all. Bruiser is wired to only receive pain, not give it.

Teaser from page 14:  I hate him.  I hate the concept of him.  He's a freight train of bad news barreling at my sister.

I thought this book was just okay because Bruiser was so unbelievable in what was an otherwise modern-day contemporary fiction book. The story was pretty good and it kept my interest but it wasn’t near as good as the other books I read by this author.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)


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"Everfound" by Neal Shusterman (Fantastic Book 3 of the Skinjacker Series)

Everfound by Neal Shusterman is the amazing third book in the Skinjacker trilogy. Will Allie, Mikey, Nick, Jix and Jill be able to stop Mary, Milos, Rotsie and Speedo from destroying the real world? Will Nick and Mikey get out of the Wraith’s trap? Will Jix bring Mary back to the City of Souls? Will Johnnie O and Choo Choo Charlie ever be able to get off the Heidenberg? Will Allie every get back to her parents? Teaser from page 41: Allie didn’t want to believe it. “No! Milos didn’t! He couldn’t have . . he wouldn’t dare!”

Everfound is fantastic! What a great finish to a great series! I LOVED IT! This had lots of adventure as well as relationship building, humor, supernatural abilities and lots of plot twists. Certain parts were so captivating that I couldn’t turn pages fast enough and other parts were so funny, I laughed out loud! I was always eager to see what would happen next and really came to care about certain characters. At some points, I felt so bad that I had to put it down for what happened to sink in, I couldn’t believe it! This series was wild and quite a ride! Unlike Scythe and Unwind, this series mostly takes place in Everlost, a ghost world between the real world and the light at the end of the tunnel into eternity. The ending was perfect! I highly recommend this series if you want an entertaining fantasy read! Neal Shusterman is becoming my favorite YA fantasy author very quickly with his well-developed characters and extremely original plot lines.
(Karen’s review, 5 stars)

Links to my reviews of previous books in this series:  Everlost and Everwild

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"The Perfect Nanny" by Leila Slimani

In The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani, Myriam decides that she wants to go back to work as a lawyer. She and her husband, Paul, decide to hire a nanny. It does not take them long to decide to hire Louise, she seems perfect! This book starts out a bit flat, but stick with it! When it picked up for me, I had a hard time putting it down. At less than 250 pages, it will not take you long to finish it. Like everybody else, I did not care for the ending.

Teaser from page 19:  "It was heartbreaking when we had to let her go.  To be perfectly honest, I even thought of having a third child at the time, just so we could keep her."
(Gerard’s review, 4 stars)

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"The Woman in the Window" by A. J. Finn

In The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn, Anna lives alone.  She loves to watch old movies, drink, remember old times and spy on her neighbors!  One day she sees something terrible, but is an old lady who mixes booze and pills to be believed?

Teaser from page 70:  And suddenly I'm rushing down the stairs; suddenly I'm back in the dark of the hall, my bare feet on the tiles, my hand on the knob.  Anger grips me by the throat; my sight is swimming.

This book is on the New York Times Bestseller List and now I know why!  Anna is an enjoyable main character and as you read along, you are not sure if Anna is in her right mind or not.  I enjoyed it a lot!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"Only Child" by Rhiannon Navin (School Shooting told by a child) UPDATED

In Only Child by Rhiannon Navin, there has been a school shooting at the school that Zach attends.  He is going to tell you all about it!  Zach is 6 years old.  This book centers around the shooting mostly; however, there is a whole lot more to this book than that.  The aftermath of the shooting and how it affects Zach's mom, dad and other people connected to the school. 

Here is the teaser from page 7 I'd like to share with you:  She pulled the door closed again and told me to hold the metal piece this time.  I did, even though it hurt my fingers and the door was heavy to keep closed.

 I was into this book from page 1 and I thought the pacing of it was very well done.  I really enjoyed Zach's perspective of the events going on.  Only Child is the author's first book and I will be looking forward to her next one after reading this!  With all the school shootings going on this year, this is one book you definitely should read! 
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review 2/21/18:
Only Child by Rhiannon Navin is a contemporary fiction novel about Zach, a first grader whose fifth-grade brother was killed in a school shooting. Zach narrates the story of what happened and how his family sort of fell apart afterwards, his mixed feelings and how he spent time in his secret hideout in his brother’s closet. Zach is a cute little kid I couldn’t help but feel sorry for throughout the book.

Only Child is a touching novel that leads to healing for the family of a victim. This is an emotional read that kept my interest. I liked the ending and the child narration. Overall, it is a sad story but has some good advice for dealing with sadness. (4 stars)


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"Everwild" by Neal Shusterman (Skinjacker series book 2)

Everwild by Neal Shusterman is the 2nd book in the Skinjacker series.  In this book, a lot of new characters are introduced.  I enjoyed Moose and Squirrel the best!  This book started out good with Allie the Outcast and Mikey as the main story line; however, then it got into a bunch of story lines and I did not know who was good and who was bad.  I thought the ending was okay.  I am in no hurry to read book 3 though!
(Gerard's review, 3.5 stars) 

Karen's review, 5 stars:
Everwild by Neal Shusterman, book 2 of the Skinjacker trilogy, is as good as the first.  Ally finds her parents in the real world and skinjacks a 7-yr-old boy that was pretty funny.  Milos leaves Ally and sides with Mary Hightower who also has Jackin Jill with her.  Mikey continues to stew about losing Ally, but is reunited with her temporarily when she is on her way to warn Nick about Mary's plans.  Poor Nick runs into a major problem of his own!  There is lots of action in this book and the plots thicken.  I loved it and laughed out loud at some parts!  Can't wait to move on to book 3 and see how it all turns out!  I highly recommend this series, but read Everlost first or this book won't make much sense to you.

Teaser from page 8:  "I'd still rather be alive," Speedo would say whenever she spoke of how blessed they were to be here in Everlost.
"If I had lived," Mary would remind him, "I'd be long dead by now . . . and you'd probably be a fat, bald accountant." 

STOP READING HERE UNLESS YOU HAVE READ THIS BOOK--SPOILER ALERT!

IF YOU READ THIS BOOK, PERHAPS YOU COULD EXPLAIN A FEW THINGS TO ME:

• When Ally was trying to get into her parents house, why didn't she just walk through the wall or the door, staying in Everlost but being able to see them?  OR 
• Why didn't she skinjack her parents so she could talk directly to them?
• I didn't get why Mary turned back to alive just because she went into the real world.  Was it only skinjackers that could go into both worlds?  Maybe I missed something.
• Why did Nick keep getting more chocolatey?  Was it just because he was made more aware of it when other afterlights started referring to him as the Chocolate Ogre?
• I wondered why Mikey didn't go with Allie to help her save Nick.

Maybe we could get some discussion going on this in the comments?  Please let me know your thoughts on these questions.


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