"The Dog That Whispered" by Jim Kraus

The Dog That Whispered by Jim Kraus centers on Wilson Steele who is a professor who likes living alone.  One day he has to take in his mother's black Lab rescue dog because of a "no pets" policy at her retirement center.  little does he know how much the dog will change his life!

I got a free copy in exchange for an honest review and was pleasantly surprised when this book was so much better than I thought it would be!  This is a people book, but the dog does play a role in it too.  I enjoyed all the characters and it has a very realistic story line.
(Gerard 6/11/16, 5+ stars)

Karen's review:

The Dog That Whispered by Jim Kraus is a heartwarming story about Wilson, a Vietnam vet who is filled with guilt and loneliness.  His mother, Gretna Steele, is feisty and lives nearby in a retirement community.  Gretna is worried about him and has been praying for him for years, but he refuses to listen to anything she has to say about God.  When Gretna discovers she can’t keep Thurman, the black lab she adopted, she takes him to Wilson who reluctantly agrees to temporarily take care of him until she can find him a good home.  Of course, Thurman and Wilson develop a very special bond.  This is actually a talking dog who helps Wilson find peace.

This story moved along very slow but was entertaining.  It deals with guilt, family, forgiveness, pets and faith.  I liked Thurman and Gretna best!  If you like dogs, or stories about veterans, I would recommend this one. (3 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Hounded" by David Rosenfelt

The dogs in this book should have had a bigger part, woof!  woof!

Hounded by David Rosenfelt is a murder mystery involving a good cop named Pete charged with murder of a former convict who became an informer for the cops and informed on Pete. The convict was Diaz with an 8-yr-old son, Ricky. Diaz’s wife, Juanita, left. Pete was the cop who called in Diaz’s death and who arranged for his friend, Andy Carpenter and his live-in girlfriend to take in Ricky temporarily. Once Pete was arrested, he hired Andy to be his lawyer. They came to the conclusion that it was a setup, and the majority of the story is figuring out who and why.

The cover with the dog on it is misleading. Andy had a dog and Ricky had a dog, but that is about the extent of the dog’s involvement in the story until the very end. I kept thinking the dog was going to be instrumental in helping Andy solve the case, but no. That never happened. This went pretty fast and is okay. I liked Andy as the lead character; however, the main plot seemed a bit far-fetched.  I enjoyed the subplot with Andy developing a relationship with Ricky but that was only a small part of the book.  I was surprised by the ending but had a hard time keeping track of all the different characters. The actual trial went very fast.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday

Gerard's:
The hand in her hair jerked again, hard.  Ruby choked back a cry.  The light that the man was holding went out.

From page 28 of Ruby, Between the Cracks by P.D. Workman

I smile, equally saddened and confused by this guy.  I'm not sure that I've ever spent time with someone like him before--someone of a completely different lifestyle and tax bracket.

From page 26 of It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover.
Karen's:

 "Guys," my mom calls from the front seat.  she hates it when we do this.  

From page 6 of Harmony by Carolyn Parkhurst.

As we pull up at home, Laurie is arriving as well.  She gets out, and I can see by her face that she knows what's happening.

From page 28 of Hounded  by David Rosenfelt.


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. 
Happy Reading!

"It Ends With Us" by Colleen Hoover

In It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, Lily has not had an easy life, but now things are looking up.  She is finally on her own and ready to start her own business.  When she meets Ryle, she is not sure if the relationship is going to work.  Then she meets her old flame from the past and all that she has with Ryle might all be for nothing.

WOW!  I thought this book was really, really good!  The characters of Lily and Ryle were great.  The book flew by for me and I was stunned at the ending!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" - a Play by John Tiffany & Jack Thorne - Blah!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by John Tiffany & Jack Thorne, based on the original story by J. K. Rowling is actually a script for theatre. This is the story of an adult Harry Potter and primarily his son, Albus and his best friend, Scorpius (Draco's son). It deals with parenting, expectations and time travel. In my mind, this one was nowhere near as good as any of the others in the Harry Potter series.   It was mostly nostalgic in that it revisits the Triwizard Tournament from Goblet of Fire and some old characters make an appearance.

I did not like:

• The plot with Delphi was completely out of the blue and really didn't seem possible, so the book seemed corny.  

• I'm not big on time travel so that was pretty much a big turnoff for me. 

• I really missed J. K. Rowling's writing!

• The grown versions of Harry, Hermione and Ron were dull and seemed like totally different people. (Harry ordering Prof. McGonagall around seemed very out of character and that's just one example of many.)

• Harry had three children, but James and Lily are barely even mentioned.  Same with Ron and Hermione's son, barely mentioned.

• It lacks the humor the other Harry Potter books had and just didn’t make enough sense to be good.  (This one only had a couple funny parts--Hermione's daughter Rose was a bright spot and Ron was still kind of funny but it seemed forced.)

I liked:

• Draco and his son, Scorpius. 

• That it is a quick read and wasn't bored with it or felt I was plowing through.

•  Harry and his son Albus coming to understand each other--heartwarming.

• Ron and Hermione's daughter, Rose, because she takes after Hermione.

If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be blah. I would not recommend buying this book and wish I had used the money I spent on it for something else.  Get it from the library and save your money.  If you read it not expecting it to be good like the others, then you probably will enjoy it, somewhat.
(Karen's review, 2 stars)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one! What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!