"The Remaining: After the Rapture, There are Fates Worse Than Death"

The Remaining:  After the Rapture, There are Fates Worse Than Death by Travis Thrasher is a thriller.  The first part of the book sets the scene--a picture perfect day with an outside wedding that goes according to plan, but . . . then a trumpet sounds, the sky goes black and people begin to die.  Is it the rapture as predicted in the Bible or something else?  Soon only a few members of the wedding party are left.  Will they find a way out?  Do they have long kept secrets to tell before the world ends?  Once that trumpet sounds, this book gets very good! 

I loved the ending and the message it sends.  This book is a movie too!  So do both or just one but give it a chance.
(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. Happy Reading!

"Big Little Lies" by Liane Moriarty is GREAT! (UPDATED)

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty is realistic contemporary fiction about school politics, parenting, bullying, secrets, friendship, and domestic violence.  The novel primarily focuses on four couples and one single mother who all have children starting kindergarten at Pirriwee Public School.  The mothers are all very involved at the school and have a lots of interesting interaction.   The whole book leads up to the climax at the School’s annual Parent Trivia Night when one of the parents is killed.  Here is a teaser from pg. 637 that really sums up this whole book spoken by one of the mothers:

It occurred to her that there were so many levels of evil in the world.  Small evils like her own malicious words.  Like not inviting a child to a party.  Bigger evils like walking out on your wife and newborn baby or sleeping with your child’s nanny.  And then there was the sort of evil of which Madeline had no experience:  cruelty in hotel rooms and violence in suburban homes and little girls being sold like merchandise, shattering innocent hearts.

Right from the start the reader finds out there is a murder investigation and interspersed throughout the book are snippets of different people telling the detective what happened.  The writing is outstanding and cleverly done with a surprise ending, at least for me.  This is a page turner that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys family drama and a good mystery.  I think this would be a great book for a book club!

If you have read this one, who were your favorite characters?  Gerard liked all the mothers in the book.  I liked Ed most and Celeste second.  I loved how generous she was with her husband’s money!

(Karen's review-10/24/14, 5 stars)

Gerard's review, 5++ stars:
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty is told by three women:  Madeline, Celeste and Jane.  They all have children attending the same grade school.  This is a fantastic read!  I loved all the women and their different story lines along with plenty of action!  This novel builds up to one night when all the story lines finally come together.  I LOVED the ending!  Do not miss this one--it's a must read!  It does not get any better than this.  This is my new book of the month without a doubt!

We both liked The Husband's Secret by this author, but this one is way better than that even!

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. Happy Reading!

Tuesday Teasers

Gerard's:

And as I closed the door and returned to my bed, I heard a low creaking sound, somewhere deep in the joists of the house, as if the house itself were calling to me.

From page 16 of A Sudden Light by Garth Stein. (Just finished this yesterday, click link to see my review)

"There's something about that man that doesn't set right.  Why would he be driving down our way when he lives clear across town, especially at this time of night?"

From page 11 of Above by Isla Morley.

Karen's:

I interrupt him right there.  "Mrs. Kushel!" I cry.  "Mrs. Kushel, Josh broke a rule.

From page 41 of Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin. (Just finished this children's book yesterday, click link for my review.)

"Blame my ankle.  Quite seriously, it's a very lovely school and everyone is very lovely and we're all going to have a lovely, lovely time and make lovely, lovely new friends."

From page 62 of Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.

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

Happy Reading!

"A Sudden Light" by Garth Stein gets Exciting

A Sudden Light by Garth Stein is told by a 14-yr- old boy named Trevor and what a story he has to tell!  He comes to his family's mansion for the first time to help his father to sell the house and property because they need money.  But, there are plenty of secrets in that house and things do not go as planned.

This is a real good story for around Halloween.  I would have liked more action, but it does pick up near the end and gets really exciting!  Well worth your time.
(Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)

We both also enjoyed Garth Stein's other book, The Art of Racing in the Rain.

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. Happy Reading!

"Remembered" by Tamera Alexander is a Funny Historical Western Romance

Remembered by Tamera Alexander is the third book in the Fountain Creek Chronicles Series.  I really loved the first two books in this series so was excited to read this one as well which proved to be good too!  It is about Veronique's journey from Paris, France to Willow Springs in Colorado territory to try to find her father to fulfill her mother's dying wish.  Her father was a good man who left her and her mother behind when he came to America when she was just a little girl.  Veronique had quite the culture shock when she first arrived and quickly became known by everyone in the small town with her pretty fancy dresses and her French words.  She learns about herself and finds romance she did not expect on her journey. 

I liked this book because of the humor in it and I enjoyed reading about the funny and sometimes scary things that happened to Veronique.  It was also nice reading about some of the characters from the previous books in this series, but this book can also stand alone.  If you like Christian historical romance and western fiction, I highly recommend it.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Rekindled and Revealed are the first two books of this Fountain Creek Chronicles series.

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. Happy Reading!