"A Borrowing of Bones" by Paula Munier

In A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier, Mercy got shot and her fiance got killed.  His last words to Mercy were to take care of his dog, Elvis, who also got sent home.  Mercy will do anything to make sure Elvis is safe.  But when events happen, Mercy and Elvis know they cannot stay on the sidelines.  They are befriended by a game warden, Troy and his dog, Susie Bear.

I thought this book was way better than I expected it would be.  Mercy and Troy are both good characters and Elvis and Susie Bear are major players in this mystery.  This is going to be a series--yay!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 23:  She crossed her arms, whether out of annoyance or aggression, he wasn't sure.  The Belgian shepherd growled softly, sensing her change in mood.

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"The Bartered Bride Romance Collection" by Various Authors

The Bartered Bride Romance Collection is a collection of nine historical stories of arranged marriages during the 1800s.  The short, clean romance stories are written by a variety of authors:  Cathy Marie Hake, Kelly Eileen Hake, JoAnn A. Grote, Amy Rognlie, Lynette Sowell, Janell Burnham Schneider and Pamela Kaye Tracy.  Many have a flavor of Christian fiction mixed in as well.  I enjoyed this book very much but did not read it all at once.  I read some stories and then read something else and came back to it a couple times just to give me some variety.  These were all light, fun reads though and I enjoyed the humor in most.  

My favorites were the stories about the four sisters, Maddy, Corrie, Bess, and Bertie, who were sent to Lindwick (fictional western town) by their brother-in-law in response to an ad for brides.  Below is the teaser from Halter to Altar, page 155:

"We're just what you asked for on the bridal order.  Sturdy, dependable, plain--"
It was too outrageous to believe.  Jim shook his head.  "Ladies, something has gone terribly wrong.  I ordered plain, ordinary bridles for my horses--not brides!" 

I recommend this book if you want an enjoyable, entertaining historical fiction read.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"Let Me Lie" by Clare Mackintosh -- Don't Miss This!

In Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh, Anna does not think that the police reports of her parents' suicide is right!  The more people tell her to drop it, the more resolve she has to find out what really happened.  I thought this book was awesome!  It has great pacing and great character development, plus lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing.  Part 1 was so good but part 2 was even better!  Part 3 adds the finishing touch!  Do not miss this one!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Here's Karen's review:
Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh is one crazy read! Anna, a young single mother, discovers that her parents’ suicides were not suicides after all! What really happened? Were they killed or was there an accident? When the truth comes out, it is a shock to say the least! Not only that, but Anna wonders if she can even trust her live-in boyfriend, Mark. Murray, a retired detective is the one who finally solves the mystery.

The main lesson in this story is not to marry just because a baby is involved. This book is sad and addresses several issues such as alcoholism, deceit, marrying without love, domestic violence, mental illness and grief. The main plot is mind boggling and captivating. This book has a few surprises and both mystery and suspense that mounts as it progresses. It’s a good read that will keep you guessing and draws you in. (Karen’s review, 4 stars)



Karen's Teaser from page 17: I have to stop Anna going to the police. I have to stop her finding out the truth about what happened, before she gets hurt.

Gerard's Teaser from page 15:  I recoil as if I've been punched.  Is this some kind of sick joke?

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"a spark of light" by Jodi Picoult

In a spark of light by Jodi Picoult, Hugh McElroy is a police hostage negotiator.  When he gets a call to go to the Center to talk to a gunman who is holding multiple hostages.  He soon finds out that his daughter, Wren, is one of the hostages.  The Center is a health service clinic.  This book tells the story backwards in time which is different for sure, but not that bad.

I enjoyed how the author told the story of all the characters in the book.  The background material brought it home to me!  This is not my favorite book of hers, but it's good enough to get 5 stars!
(Gerard's review)

Teaser from page 6:  The others held their breath with her.  They had, in the past few hours, become a single organism.

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"DRY" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

DRY by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman is teen fiction about a drought, or Tap-Out in southern California and the story of how teens Kelton, Jacqui, Alyssa and her younger brother Garrett evacuated on their own in search of a place with water. They pick up another teen, Henry, on the way who decided he couldn’t stay where he was. The group dynamics was both interesting and fascinating. Kelton and Alyssa were neighbors. Kelton’s dad was one who was a firm believer in being prepared to protect his family. Kelton was a bit weird and had a crush on Alyssa. Jacqui was a tough chick who helped save Kelton’s life and he offered to help her by giving her some antibiotics for her cut. Henry was an opportunist.  Alyssa and Garret even have a pet dog which I liked.

This book shows how quickly people can lose their humanity when they get desperate. This is a modern-day horror book. I enjoyed this book because of the adventure the teens went through to just survive and also the interaction and vying for leadership among them. I liked how the story is told from the different perspectives of the main five characters. It was easy to follow because the name of the person telling each part was at the beginning of the section. This made me realize how valuable water is and how much we take it for granted.
 (Karen’s review, 5 stars)

Here's my husband's thoughts, very different from mine:
Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman is about a group of teens who are dealing with a tap out, which means there is no water to be had!  This book fell flat for me.  There were some exciting parts that made me think, "Okay, here we go," but no!  The story line was okay.  I had no trouble with that, but I only enjoyed a few of the characters and others I found annoying.  I give this book 3.5 because I just really never got into it at all.

Teaser from page 12: As I look around the stacks of drinks, I find a single case of water that someone abandoned there maybe yesterday, when it wasn’t such a precious commodity. I reach for it, only to find it pulled away at the last second by a thin woman with a beak of a nose.

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"Guess Who" by Chris McGeorge

Guess Who (One room.  Five Suspects. Three hours to find a killer.) by Chris McGeorge is this author's first book which is pretty good.  Morgan Sheppard, an 11-yr.-old, solved the murder of a teacher when everyone thought it was suicide.  But now he has a new case to solve!  Five strangers and Morgan are locked in a room and he has three hours to figure out who killed the corpse that is also in the room.  One of the five did it, but who? 

I enjoyed trying to figure out who the killer was along with Morgan, but would have liked more action.  The best part of the book for me was Morgan's interaction with the other people in the room.  Some parts fell flat, but for a first-time author, not too bad at all!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 16:  What?  He didn't have to time to think about the words because there came a terrible sound.  The dull tone of a dead phone line.

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"Pieces of Her" by Karin Slaughter

Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter is a dark thriller that focuses on a mother and daughter who are in danger. The mother has had a very adventurous life but never shared about it with her daughter. The daughter is sort of in limbo, trying to find her purpose and also trying to figure out who her mother really is. The mother is a complex person who loves her daughter very much, but makes her leave and go out on her own when her mother’s past seems to be coming back to haunt her.

As with most conspiracies, this book has a complex story line and lots of characters to keep straight. It is slow moving and drags in places, but if you can stick with it, everything falls into place in the Epilogue. All my questions got answered. I can’t really say much about the details of the story line without giving spoilers, but I can say I’m glad a read to the end and finished it. The writing did not appeal to me though because it alternated throughout the book between the past (1986) and the present (2018). The chunks it time were quite long and it was a bit challenging to remember where the events left off before the time switched. How Nick was so charismatic and able to manipulate people was sort of interesting. I thought the daughter was pretty stupid so didn’t care for her.
(Karen’s review, 3 stars)

Teaser from page 61: “They’re going to take you down harder than him, Laura. You did that kid a favor. This is all going to be about what you did, not what he did.”

SPOILER ALERT--STOP HERE IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS YET:

I was confused because some characters have the same name and I didn’t realize they were different people until much later in the book when it came out the mother was in the witness protection program and had changed her name. I liked the surprise twist that Andrea’s “stalker” was a U.S. Marshall.


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"Another Good Dog" by Cara Sue Achterberg

Another Good Dog--One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs by Cara Sue Achterberg is heartwarming non-fiction. Cara really misses her companion of 17 years--her wonderful dog, Lucy!  Her husband got her a "back-up" dog, but it is not the same!  Cara needs something to ease the pain.  She decides to tackle a new adventure of fostering dogs.

If you are a dog lover, you will love this book!  She has her ups and downs in this new adventure, some funny, some sad.  She writes about her experiences very well.  I think maybe even a non-dog lover would enjoy this.  Keep up the good work, Cara!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 7:  I'd thought I would wait to adopt another dog, wait until I didn't miss Lucy so much and wouldn't compare every potential dog to her.  But months had passed, and I only missed Lucy more.

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"The Death of Mrs. Westaway" by Ruth Ware

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware is a chilling thriller.  Things are not looking up for Hal--bills are starting to pile up and money is scarce.  Then comes a letter that could solve all her problems or make things worse!

I really enjoyed this book a lot!  Hal is a great character and the story line is very well done.  If you can solve this one, you are way better than me.  This is another winner from Ruth, the author of The Woman in Cabin 10.  
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 50:  She would not cry.  She refused to.  But she felt something huge and bitter and wild with grief rise up inside her.

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"Alive and Killing" by Jeff Carson (David Wolf Book 3)

Alive and Killing by Jeff Carson is about a Colorado Sheriff and his 12-yr.-old son, Jack, who happened to be in the right place at the wrong time.  While going on a camping trip in the mountains, they have a run in with some armed men who are set on killing them!   Four men who fought in Afghanistan were assumed dead, but turns out they are alive and killing! 

I liked this book because it was full of adventure and suspense with mystery and interest characters.  The love interest I thought would develop for the Sheriff did not.  I was always eager to come back and read more of this one.  It just seemed a bit odd how the Sheriff was so adept at avoiding fire from military personnel. 
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Teaser at Kindle Loc. 308-10:  Wolf's pulse accelerated as he watched the guy scramble toward them with out-of-control speed.  When he saw what was dangling on the guy's backpack strap--a wood-handled .357 revolver in a leather holster--his body tensed for action.

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The Maid, The Eighth Day (The 12 Days of Christmas Mail-Order Brides Book 8) by Rachel Wesson

The Maid, The Eighth Day (The 12 Days of Christmas Mail-Order Brides Book 8) by Rachel Wesson is about a mail-order bride who finds out the man she came to marry is no stranger after all. He was engaged to her older sister before the war and is now a doctor. This book is all about her finding out the truth of Colin’s past. It is a heartwarming story about two kind, compassionate people that I enjoyed and that is a quick read. Although this is part of a series, it can also be read as a stand-alone.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)

Teaser at Kindle Loc. 65 She couldn’t stop herself from looking out the window. He couldn’t have followed her, changing her name had made sure of that.

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The Hidden Village by Imogen Matthews

The Hidden Village: A Story of Survival in WW2 Holland by Imogen Matthews is takes place during WWII in Holland. A whole village was built deep in some woods for the sole purpose of providing a safe place for Jews and German deserters to hide from the Nazis. Although this is an historical fiction novel, it gives the reader a look into what life was like for those helping the Jews. This book is about families and the underground. 
To learn more about the author, please visit www.imogenmatthewsbooks.com

Until reading this book, I never realized the Nazis reached into Holland. I really liked the characters and it is filled with adventure. It follows a boy, Jan, throughout his life and into adulthood. His father was working in the underground and Jan was eager to help others as well. He aided two pilots that were shot down. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in this time period.
(Karen’s review, 5 stars)

Teaser from Kindle Loc. 139-40: “In the meantime, we need to prepare for difficult times ahead. We may need to provide shelter to people unable to defend themselves.”


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"The Unclaimed Victim" by D. M. Pulley

The Unclaimed Victim by D. M. Pulley is historical fiction based on true crime.  In 1938, a madman is going through the hobo jungles of Cleveland killing people and chopping them up!  Ethel needs to take refuge but winds up in a situation that she never thought she would be.  Sixty years later, Kris learns that her father was possibly killed and chopped up!  Can it really be her dad?  Can this killer still be alive?

This book had some really good parts, but about a quarter of it dragged along for me.  Ethel and Kris were good characters, but the others not so much with a so-so ending.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars) 

Teaser from page 9:  "I don't know," she whispered and pressed her forehead to her knees.  A severed arm floated through a dark stream of thought.  A tattoo blurred in the water.

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