"Behind Closed Doors" by B. A. Paris (The Perfect Marriage or the Perfect Lie?)

Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris was a psychological thriller that was better than I expected.  I certainly felt sorry for Grace because of the monster she married.  He completely had her fooled to get at her sister, Millie who has Down Syndrome. 

I enjoyed this book and was eager to see how Grace was going to manage to get away from her husband, Jack and save her sister.   There are a lot of mind games going on in this book and liked that there was no graphic violence or sex scenes.  The only thing I didn't care for was the organization of the book because it jumped back and forth between the present and the past all the way through which I found annoying. 
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review 8/20/16, 5 stars:
In Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris, Grace is in the park with her sister, Millie.  Millie is a special needs person and Grace takes to caring for her after their parents reject her.  In the park one day, Jack befriends Millie and begins to romance Grace.  When Jack asks Grace to marry him, she knows better days are coming for her and Millie.

I found this thriller to be a real page turner.  The story goes back and forth in time but that only builds up the suspense.  As the author's first book, I say it is very well done!


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!

"You Will Know Me" by Megan Abbott

In You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott, Katie and Eric Knox have a daughter, Devon, who is a gymnastics prodigy.  For Katie and Eric, they will do anything they can to make sure Devon can follow her dream.  However, when a death happens and rumors begin, will Katie be able to keep it all together?  I thought this book was pretty good.  The story was good enough with a surprise ending and the characters were very believable.
(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!

Tuesday Teasers

Gerard's:
"It's all over.  My life's over," Devon said, looking up at Katie, her hand shaking slightly as she pushed back a stray strand from her ponytail.

From page 33 of You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott.


'Do I detect a renewal of your fighting spirit?  I'm so glad.  To tell the truth, I've been getting quite bored.' 

From page 66 of Behind Close Doors by B. A. Paris.
Karen's:

Sometimes I told my boyfriends about her from the beginning, sometimes--if I liked them a lot--I said that I had a younger sister who was away at school but only mentioned that she had Down's syndrome a few weeks into the relationship.  Some, when I told them, didn't know what to say and didn't stay around long enough to say anything much at all.

From Page 21 of Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris.

 Yvette was twenty-four, teaching college composition, alone in the world until she met Devin a few months later.  She supposes she never had to grow a backbone, because she went from living in the start shadow of her mother's tyranny to the easy, pampered wife of a successful businessman--that is, until they had children and her life became a whirlwind, a spinning hamster wheel.  

From page 37 (Loc. 498) of The Mystery Box:  The Mystery Book Collection by Eva Pohler.  (reading on Kindle)

For two thousand years most people haven't quite been able to figure out the answer.  But the whole world is intrigued.

From page Loc. 104 of Jesus, an Obedient Son by Michael Phillips. (read on Kindle)


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!

Jesus, an Obedient Son by Michael Phillips

Jesus, an Obedient Son by Michael Phillips focuses on realizing and appreciating the humanity of Jesus and surrendering our will to God’s as Jesus surrendered his will to the Father. Michael Phillips rapidly gives the reader an overview of the life of Christ through the unique perspective of putting himself into the gospels and viewing the events as another disciple. Then he continues in a more preachy mode to emphasize the need to deny oneself and follow God’s will every day. He lists specific things Jesus told his disciples to do and also talks how Jesus came to be an example of how we should live our lives. It emphasized that we are to be obedient children of God by submitting our will to His, asking what He wants us to do and then doing it.

The first part of the book was written in an interesting way. This is a quick read that is very thought provoking and challenges the reader to search his own heart in regards to following Jesus. (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!

"Ruby--Between the Cracks" by P.D. Workman

In Ruby--Between the Cracks by P.D. Workman, you will meet a young girl named Ruby.  From a very young age, she had to make choices; unfortunately, most of them were wrong ones.  We follow her as she grows up and there is never a dull moment with this girl!  I also found the people in her life interesting.  Some tried to help while others tried to take advantage of her.

I enjoyed this book because the story moved along well and the characters were very believable!
(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!

"Harmony" by Carolyn Parkhurst is About Living in Harmony With Special Needs Kids

Harmony by Carolyn Parkhurst is about the Hammond family, Josh, Alexandria and their two daughters, Iris and Tilly. Tilly is a 13-yr-old somewhere on the autism spectrum whose “special interest” is statues and who has a quick temper, no filter and is fairly smart with a good imagination. When the mother is near wits end from daily episodes with Tilly, she attends a workshop by Scott Bean for help. She starts listening to his tapes and even arranges a personal consultation. When Tilly gets kicked out of the school for special needs children, the mother suggests to Josh that they consider helping Scott Bean run Camp Harmony – a new endeavor for families with a special needs child. Scott is an educator who gives parents advice and through the summer, different families can attend the camp for a week. Three families agreed to help Scott run it and help with all the chores that need to be done.

This is an interesting and sometimes funny read. I liked it overall and was able to overlook the foul language which was part of Tilly’s problem. Most of the book is told from Iris’s perspective with some chapters interspersed showing Tilly’s thoughts and some that give the background on their family, particularly the mother’s dealings with Tilly, before leaving DC for the camp in New Hampshire. This gives insight into some struggles families with special needs kids may have, but also shows the tender moments too. The ending was sad and quite a shock—not what I expected. My favorite part was the interaction among the kids at the camp and between Tilly and Iris.
(Karen's review, 4 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!

"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!

"Sticks & Stones" by Abby Cooper

Sticks and Stones by Abby Cooper is about a young teen girl named Elyse. She has a rare disease that shows up when people label her with words. When someone calls her a dork for example, the word “dork” appears on her arm like a temporary tattoo. I really enjoyed this teen book that teaches a valuable lesson. I was impressed that this is the author’s first book—well done!
(Gerard's review, 4 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!

"Ugly Love" by Colleen Hoover

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover has two stories in it. The first one is that Kate moves into her brother’s apartment complex for a while. She meets a friend of her brother’s named Miles who also lives in the same complex. They strike up a relationship with some guidelines. The second story goes back six years when Miles meets Rachel in his senior year of high school and knows that she is the one for him!

I enjoyed both stories. Going back and forth in time was no problem for me. Kate and Miles are really good characters; however, I especially enjoyed the character of Cap. I liked the ending too but could have done without all the sex scenes. That being said, I am glad I read it. I think November 9 is better though.
(Gerard's review4 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!

"Lawyer for the Cat" by Lee Robinson

Spunky Doodle highly recommends this one!

In Lawyer for the Cat by Lee Robinson, the story centers around Sally Baynard, an attorney who is appointed enforcer of a trust which makes it her duty to choose the best caretaker for the dead lady’s cat, Beatrice. According to the trust Lila set up, she named three people who she would like to see take care of her beautiful black cat, Beatrice. The stipulations were that the caretaker would have to live in her house with the cat until it died, and allow the cat to maintain its routines. When the cat dies, then the grown son will inherit the plantation but not before. The story also includes Sally’s other responsibilities, including her job, her mother who has Alzheimer’s and lives with her, and her relationship with Tony the vet who she met when she previously worked on a divorce case involving a dog.

This is a quirky quick read that I enjoyed. Beatrice had only a small part in the book which was a bit disappointing to me. I was happy with who the lawyer picked to be the caretaker for the cat though and enjoyed Sally’s mother and their relationship. This is a book I happened to see while browsing at the library and the title and cover called out to me! I found it to be a light, entertaining read and would recommend it for anyone interested in animal's rights or family court law.
(Karen's review, 4 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:
"What kind of apartment complex are you living in?  Do I need to prepare to be groped by drunk people every time I come home?"

From page 21 of Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover.

Normally that wouldn't be a bad thing, but when they saw BEAUTIFUL appear on my little baby arm moments after he said it in the delivery room, everybody was pretty freaked out.  After all, babies are just supposed to be beautiful, not have the word plastered on their arms like a weird baby tattoo.

From page 19 of Sticks & Stones by Abby Cooper.

August swallowed hard, knowing what came next.
"Sunai, Sunai, eyes like coal,
Sing you a song and steal your soul."
The little girl's smile grew even wider.
"Monsters, monsters, big and small,
They're gonna come and eat you all!"

From page 23 of This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab.

Karen's:

Mrs. Mackay is writing as if she's Beatrice, the cat.  Maybe she was crazy after all.

From page 42 of Lawyer for the Cat  by Lee Robinson.


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!

"This Savage Song" by Victoria Schwab

In This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab, V-City is split in half.  One side is the human side and the other is the monster side.  There is a truce for the time being.  Now meet Kate Harker and August Flynn, a monster who wants to be human.  They cannot be any more different but form a relationship.  The truce is falling apart.  Can Kate and August remain friends and can they survive?

This book started slow for me, but once the story sorted itself out, I thought it was great!  I really enjoyed the two main characters and the writing was good too.  Sign me up for book two!
(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!

"November 9" by Colleen Hoover--a WOW Romance (We Both Liked This One!)

November 9 by Colleen Hoover I really a captivating romance novel.  From the beginning, I figured Fallon and Ben would get together but what a journey they have!  They meet when they are 18 on November 9 at a restaurant when Ben pretends to be her boyfriend, slides in next to her and joins in the conversation she is having with her father about her going to New York.  Her father is trying to discourage her from going back to acting and Ben defends her and encourages her to go for it in spite of the scars she has from being in a fire.  Ben and Fallon agree to meet again on November 9, same time, same place for the next 5 years and see where things go.  However, they also do not exchange phone numbers and block each other on all the social media sites so they cannot have any contact except on November 9. 

The witty dialogue and the alternate points of view allowing the reader to know what each of the main characters is thinking makes November 9 a very fun read!  I enjoyed the book very much and liked both Fallon and Ben, but I liked Ben better (Fallon seemed kind of slutty and mean to me).  I thought Fallon had a tendency to over react and was a bit mean at times by not giving Ben a chance to explain himself.  As I read, something seemed off with Ben which provided some mystery and the surprise twist in the book!   I was so glad that this book moved along to all their November 9 meetings rather than showed us what they were both up to all year long.  I also liked their book discussions and how the author developed and organized this novel in such a cool way.  For me, the swearing throughout was a big turn off to me and I also did not care for the premarital sex scenes and how quickly Fallon allowed Ben to paw her up.  Because of that, I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

November 9 starts off with Fallon Having an argument with her father in a restaurant. Ben over hears and takes it upon himself to enter and sit with Fallon and aid her in the discussion.  If I say anything else, it would spoil it for you.  What I can say is that this book is FANTASTIC!  In my opinion, it is Colleen Hoover's best book!  The characters of Ben and Fallon are so good!  The writing is easy to follow and flows along nicely leading to the twists and turns near the end.  WOW!  I felt a lot of emotion in this book for both Ben and Fallon.  This is absolutely a "Must Read" I highly recommend!  There is so much to discuss about this one too!
(Gerard's review 8/3/16, 5++ stars)

We also liked SLAMMED and CONFESS by Colleen Hoover.

Here is my favorite Booktuber's review of this that really got me interested in it:

So, if you read this book, who did you like better and why--Fallon or Ben?

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!

"The Lost and Found" by Katrina Leno

The Lost and Found by Katrina Leno is a story about Frannie and Louis. They met at a very young age in an online support group for trauma survivors. They have never met face-to-face; but due to a set of circumstances, they do just that. This was a nice story that flowed very well. I enjoyed both of the main characters and the good ending! I was bothered though, that I had to hold the book upside down to read it and it went from the back to the front—very strange!  The library put the book jacket on upside down!
(Gerard's review, 4 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:
He releases my father's hand and settles against the booth.  He gives me a quick wink and leans toward me, bringing his mouth close enough to my ear to warrant being punched.

From page 16 of November 9 by Colleen Hoover.


Karen's:

This was the first time I really saw him, the guy he didn't reveal to anyone.  His mask was gone, and there was heaviness in his voice and darkness in his eyes.

From page 69 of Until Friday Night  by Abbi Glines.


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!

"BRAIN--The Complete Mind by Michael S. Sweeney (National Geographic)

I got BRAIN--THE COMPLETE MIND (How It Develops, How It Works, and How to Keep It Sharp) by Michael S. Sweeney for Christmas two years ago in 2014 and finally finished it!  It is a very in-depth book so I felt like I was reading a text book.  The other reason it took so long for me to read it was because of it being so big and heavy.  I do most of my reading on the bus and on breaks at work, but with this book, I just read it in short spurts at a time at home.  It photographs and art work is really good!  It is a very high quality glossy paper with a super layout and several features I liked which were the glossaries at the end of every chapter and the side notes on how to keep your mind sharp and "Fast Facts."  The only thing I didn't like was often there are sentences that are incomplete.  They just break off mid-sentence!  Other than that, it is a very interesting science book.  I would recommend it for anyone who is interested in the brain. 
(Karen's review, 4 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!

"Signs of You" by Emily France

Signs of You by Emily France is about four young teens.  They have a bond between them--they all have family members who have recently died and are grieving.

I thought this book was pretty good because it shows how people have various ways of dealing with grief.  The ending was well done!
(Gerard's review, 4 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!

"The Wolf Road" by Beth Lewis is a Wild Adventure! UPDATED

In The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis, Elka was just 7 years old, in the woods alone, lost and hungry.  Her parents left her and her nana died.  A trapper took her into his cabin and taught her the way of the woods including trapping and how to survive.  Elka was happy with him until when she got to be 17 and discovered what awful things he had done.  Then she took off on her own using everything he taught her to stay alive.

This book has the whole package:  action, humor, relationship issues, twists and turns with good writing putting it all together.  I enjoyed this first book by this author a lot!
(Gerard's review 7/27/16, 5++ stars)

Karen read this too--here's her review, 3 stars:
The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis is a creepy novel about survival.  A little girl of 7 gets lost in the woods alone and is befriended by a man who traps and lives alone in the woods.  He raised her and taught her how to make a fire, how to hunt and set snares, and used her to help him around the cabin and skinning animals.  Then when she is 17, she finds out bad things about him and leaves to set out to find her parents who left her to go mining for gold.  Does she find her parents?  Does she become like Trapper?  Will she learn to be a better judge of character?  Will she get arrested?

This book is about Elka's journey, not only in the physical sense but also about coming to accept who she is and being able to face reality.  I felt sad for Elka throughout the book and was happy when she finally made a friend who she could trust.  I thought the ending was quite sad too and because of the extent of gruesome things and the sadness of killing children and the fact that the ending was given away in the first chapter this did not come close to 5 stars for me.  I liked it okay but some of it just didn't make sense to me.  I thought Elka's relationship with her wolf friend was very cool though. 

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!

"The Last One" by Alexandra Oliva

In The Last One by Alexandra Oliva, twelve people are sent into the woods to compete in a reality show.  They know that the winner gets a big cash prize but know little else.  Soon they must decide if it is a game or has something gone horribly wrong!

If you like reality TV shows, this book is for you!  I like how the author followed all the twelve and also the TV production crew thinking.  Had a real good ending and although parts were kind of slow, overall I enjoyed it!
(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!

Teaser Tuesday

Gerard's:
I scooped him up and took a quiet side street home.  No way was I getting caught carrying around a girly little dog like that.  It would have been worse than being caught with a book.

From page 15 of When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin.

It hadn't been those things that made me stand there, though, after he warned me to go.  It had been his eyes.

From page 20 of Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines.

No one knows precisely what went wrong.  But before he dies, the producer will know this much:  Something went wrong.

From page 6 of The Last One by Alexandra Oliva.

Karen's:

Soon as I touched that white bone handle I realized quick I chose right.  I didn't much want to go back to Nana's shack; she never let me eat jerky and play with knives. 

From page 17of The Wolf Road  by Beth Lewis.


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!

"Until Friday Night" by Abbi Glines--Two Differing Views About This One

Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines is told by West Ashby, a very popular guy and Maggie Carlton who has a lot going for her.  West is well-liked and a key player on the high school football team.  He is also hurting inside and is keeping it all bottled up.  Maggie is very pretty, smart and popular as well, but is traumatized by a family tragedy and refuses to talk to anybody.  She is also starting in a new school.

I enjoyed this book very much.  to me it went fast and I always looked forward to picking it up again.  West and Maggie were both great and I enjoyed the ending too!
(Gerard's review 7/24/16, 5++ stars)

Karen's review (2 stars) 8/2/16:
Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines is about two older teens who start out as friends because they understand each other’s pain caused by the death of a parent, but fall in love during the process of comforting each other. Maggie had a tragedy so awful that she refuses to talk until she sees West hurting and wants to help him. Maggie moves in with her aunt and uncle who have a son, Brady who attends her school and is on the football team with West.

This novel is about teen relationships, friendship, grief and high school drama. I was disappointed there wasn’t more about football based on the book cover. Furthermore, the swearing and premarital sex scenes in this book were big turn offs for me. I never really liked West much, and thought Maggie would have been better off keeping him as only a friend. The fact that Maggie let West kiss her the first time they met and that she let him stay overnight in her room did not make me think very highly of her either. I would have preferred her and Nash winding up together instead.

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!

"When Friendship Followed Me Home" by Paul Griffin

When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin is about Ben Griffin who is not big on friendships.  Being a foster kid, he has had to experience a lot of pain in his young life by people leaving him.  However, that all change when he befriends a homeless dog who leads him to meeting a young girl!

I liked this book a lot.  The story moved along well and I thought all the characters were very believable.  I never really had it figured out, which is very good!
(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!

"The Trap" by Melanie Raabe

The Trap by Melanie Raabe is about how Linda Conrads, an author, seeks to bring her sister's killer to justice by getting him to confess.  The murder happened 12 years ago and went unsolved.  Linda is the only eyewitness who actually saw the murderer, at least she thinks she saw him.  When she sets a trap for him by writing a novel including the specific details of the murder, some doubts arise. 

This is a unique mystery and psychological thriller with a novel within a novel which gives background information to the reader.  There is very little action in this book but quite a bit of suspense.  The author kept my interest by keeping me guessing if Linda was crazy and if she would actually get the confession she wanted.  She was as much interested in why her sister was murdered and so wanted to have a little chat with the killer face to face which was the best part of the book.  I really liked that the killer had a little trap of his own but didn't care for the excerpts from the novel Linda wrote!  I found them distracting after a while.
(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 Tuesdays

Gerard's:
Off-script in a rare emotional moment, Jeremy suddenly said:  "I mean, if I ran out of money, I'd lose my house before I'd give up this dog.  I'd move into a cardboard box under a bridge before I'd give up this dog."

From page 50 of The Underdogs by Melissa Fay Greene. (non-fiction, wonderful book!)

If not for his sister, Frank would have signed the farm over to Emmet, wished him well, and left the day Pa was laid to rest.  If not for Annie. 

From page 20 of Messenger by Moonlight  by Stephanie Grace Whitson.

Karen's:

I looked across at our opponents and wondered who they were.  And I looked out at the crowd, and that's when I realized we were in the middle of Nationals, and I was supposed to be doing something.

From page 95 of The Memory Book  by Lara Avery.

I'll write a new book.  The events from back then in the form of a crime novel.  Bait for the murderer and therapy for me.

From page 20 of The Trap by Melanie Raabe.

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!

"Messenger by Moonlight" by Stephanie Grace Whitson is fiction about The Pony Express

Messenger by Moonlight by Stephanie Grace Whitson tells the story of a young girl named Annie and her two brothers, Frank and Emmett.  When their dad dies, they are left broke and lose the farm.  The brothers decide to join the Pony Express and Annie comes along and becomes a cook at one of the stations.

I liked Annie, the main character, but this book had little action and there was nothing that took me by surprise.  It's an okay read that I read only because Karen recommended it.
(Gerard's review 7/18/16, 3.5 stars) 

Karen's review 7/13/16, 4 stars:
Messenger by Moonlight by Stephanie Grace Whitson is a very enjoyable read about two brothers (Frank and Emmett) who join up as pony express riders and sign up their sister as a cook for Clearwater, one of the remote home stations in Nebraska territory without even asking first!  Annie is at first put out by that, but doesn't want to be alone so agrees to go with them on this new money-making adventure. Emmett trusts in the Lord for courage and guidance and encourages Annie to as well, like their ma but Frank doesn't want anything to do with God and just complains about his rotten luck.  Annie tries to stay positive and look for the good things.  Annie has a dream of having her own nice white house with flower boxes and blue trim one day and Frank aims to make sure that happens for her.  When they get to the Clearwater station and meet the owner, George Morgan, he is not what any of them expected.

I enjoyed this historical western romance very much and liked all the characters.  The story line moved along and gave insight in what the pony express riders faced and the part women played during this time.  I loved the ending and recommend this for anyone who likes novels about the west around the time of the Civil War.  It had some funny parts that I actually laughed out loud at!


I also liked Key on the Quilt by this author.

Joining in Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop this week responding to the book review prompt.

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!

"The Underdogs" by Melissa Fay Greene is Wonderful!

The Underdogs by Melissa Fay Greene tells the story of Karen Shirk, who was so disabled that she was not even allowed a dog.  Some nurses encouraged her to raise her own service dog though and she did!  Now, 1,000 dogs later, she runs 4 Paws for Ability, placing dogs with children and their families.

This is a WONDERFUL book that tells the stories of kids and their dogs.  The stories are so good and heartwarming!  Look up 4 Paws for Ability  and you will see the great work they do.  God bless you, Karen, for the work you do and thanks so much for sharing the stories!
(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!