"City of Champions" by Hank Gola

I was not surprised that I enjoyed City of Champions by Hank Gola because it is a true story that I knew little or nothing about.  It is about a high school world championship football game in 1939.  Who knew?  Not me!  I liked reading about both teams and the coaches.  It shares good insights into both teams.  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Where the Forest Meets the Stars" by Glendy Vanderah

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah, is an interesting story about love.  A very smart little girl claiming to be an alien shows up at Jo's cottage with a wild story, no shoes and dirty clothes.  Jo tries to find out her name, but the girl refuses to say.  After searching missing person websites with no success, she grows attached to the child.  Gabe, a neighbor, allows the girl to visit his farm animals and she also becomes attached to Gabe.

This is a good story but moved a bit slow for my taste.  I liked the girl though and it kept my interest because I wanted to see how things would turn out.  I liked the ending.  It's more than just the mystery about the girl though.  It's also about walls people put up and how even adults are sometimes afraid to let people in.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

In Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah, Joanna is doing graduate research in the forest alone, the way she likes it!  One day a young girl shows up.  Who is she?  Joanna goes to the police, but gets no help.  Looks at missing children files and finds nothing!  Joanna lets her stay until she finds out who she is.

I thought this book was very good!  I was into it the whole way and really cared about the characters.  It moved right along.  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Teaser from page 3:  Jo could see her eyes now.  The intelligent glint in her gaze was oddly shrewd for her baby face, and Jo took that as a sign that she knew it was all in fun.  "If you're an alien, why do you look human?"

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"the night Olivia fell" by Christina McDonald

the night olivia fell by Christina McDonald is about a mom's worst nightmare--A call in the middle of the night saying her pregnant daughter was found lying under a bridge--brain dead!  Was she pushed or did she jump on her own?  Who is the father?

I thought this book was really good!  It is told by Olivia, the daughter and Abi, the mom, who wants to find out what happened, and why.  Try to get your own answers.  I am guessing you will be wrong like I was!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)  

Karen's review:
the night olivia fell by Christina McDonald is about a teen girl, Olivia, who met an early death before her mother even knew she was pregnant. This novel is told from alternating perspectives of the mother, Abi, and the daughter, Olivia The mother hid a secret from Olivia for years and when Olivia discovered what it was, she was on a personal secret mission. Although the police said her death was accidental, the mother went on a personal mission of her own to find out details and exactly what happened. Olivia was declared brain dead but was kept on life support in the hopes of saving her baby. Was it an accident or did someone push her off that bridge? Will the baby survive? Who is the father?

I thought the story was pretty good but I did not really care much for Olivia because of the way she treated her mother and her boyfriend, Tyler. This was written in a way that I found sort of annoying, the book jumping back and forth from the present to the past. I was a bit surprised at the ending of who her death actually happened. I liked the mother, Abi, and give her credit for pursuing the truth about her daughter’s death. (4 stars)


Teaser from page 46:  I remember looking at Olivia in the fading evening light and feeling like I didn't know her anymore.  I knew then that something had been shaken loose, something I had no power to put back together. . . .

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!

"Night Blood" by Elly Blake

Night Blood is the third, and sad to say, the final book of the Frost Blood series by Elly Blake.   It was a fantastic series!  Ruby must bring the Frost Blood and the Fire Bloods together to hold back the beasts that will take over the world! 

I liked that this was action packed from start to finish.  Ruby was a great character and had good interaction with the other people in the book.  It has a very good ending too!  I LOVED this series!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 33:  The cold of Arcus's fingers on my wrist did more to penetrate the angry haze than that single pleading word.  I lowered my hands but kept them molten hot.

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"I'll Be Gone In The Dark" by Michelle McNamara

In I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara, some person is going around killing people.  The police label him "The Golden State Killer."  Michelle wants him stopped and goes all in on doing just that!

This book was like a book version of the TV show, "Dateline."  Michelle was a consultant for that show.  I found it very interesting how she put the pieces of the murders together to try to find the killer.  The book has been on the New York Times  Best Seller list for a long time.  I see why!  It's very good.  Sadly, Michelle passed away.  May she rest in peace.  She sure put together a great book!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 6:  My husband was on his side, sleeping.  I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at him until he opened his eyes. 
     "I think I found him," I said.  My husband didn't have to ask who "him" was.

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Debut Novel: "Remember Mia" by Alexander Burt is a Real Page Turner! (Updated)

Remember Mia by Alexandra Burt is about Estelle Paradise who wakes in a hospital with amnesia, but realizes her 7-month-old daughter, Mia, is missing. She cannot remember the events that led up to her being admitted to the hospital quite far from her home. Her husband has no idea where their daughter is either, and the mother is the primary suspect, who suffered with postpartum depression that had progressed into psychosis. Estelle insists that someone took her baby and at her husband’s suggestion, admits herself into a psych ward to work with a doctor who helps her get her memory back.  

I couldn't help but feel sympathy for Estelle and admire her courage as she pursued the truth.  I liked this book and thought the premise was quite interesting.  I didn't care for the husband because he didn't seem very supportive of his wife at all!  I liked the ending, although it was pretty far-fetched wrapped up so neat that it seemed unbelievable.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)   

Remember Mia by Alexandra Burt is a thriller about Estelle Paradise who wakes up in a hospital.  She was found just about dead inside of a car that was in a ravine and totally wrecked.  Her memory is pretty much gone but she does know one thing--her newborn baby girl, Mia, and anything connected to Mia is gone!  Someone took her and Estelle needs to find her, but who will help when everyone thinks she did it?

WOW!  This book poses lots of questions:  Does she ever remember?  Where is Mia now?  What has her husband done to help her?  Books do not get much better than this!  It is a real page turner.  This is a must read if you enjoy thrillers.  The tension in this book mounts so well that I read it in only two days!  It was hard to put down.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars) 

We received an advanced copy of this debut novel and am so glad I did!  However, that did not influence our review.  It went on sale July 7, 2015.

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"The Bullet" by Mary Louise Kelly--Differing Opinions on This One

The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly is told by Caroline Cashion, a professor at Georgetown University.  Her wrist is giving her a lot of pain, but when she goes for a MRI, she discovers that she has a bullet in her neck!  When she asks her parents about it, the shocking truth comes out.  Here is a teaser from the jacket cover:

You think you know someone.  But then one day you find yourself running.  Really running, lungs burning, legs churning.  Too frightened to stop and look back.  It turns out I have been running my whole life.  I just never knew it.

This story is told very well.  I think it is a real page turner and the last part of the book has a twist that you will not see coming.  I LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review (3 stars):
The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly is a contemporary mystery about a 37-yr-old woman, Caroline, who just learns that she has a bullet lodged in her neck near her spinal cord and that she was adopted. She has no recollection of her birth parents or of being shot. She grew up with a nice couple that she thought of as her parents all her life with a couple brothers. She is a professor at Georgetown University but her life is turned upside down when she receives this news. The story focuses on her search for the truth about what happened to her birth parents in Atlanta, how the bullet got in her neck, and the choices she makes based on the information she digs up. I found this pretty slow moving although the premise was intriguing. This mystery sort of plods along but the surprise ending makes the read worth it.

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Linking up with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop for writing a book review.

Another Great Dog Book--"Travels with Casey" by Benoit Denizet-Lewis

Abby (our dog) dreams of traveling like this.

Travels With Casey by Benoit Denizet-Lewis tells the true story of the author who takes his dog, Casey, around the country in a RV for four months!  I enjoyed the parts with Casey, a great dog, but I really appreciated all the people that he met and their dogs as well.  This is very interesting.  If you own a dog, you can easily relate to this book.  I enjoyed it a lot and was sort of bummed that it had to end.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Our friend Sugar liked this one too--see Sugar's Review. You even get a chance to win a copy!

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!

"Identity" by Ingrid Thoft

Identity by Ingrid Thoft is another in a series of Fina Ludlow books.  Fina is a private investigator.  In this book a very powerful rich man is identified as a sperm donor.  A few days later, he is found dead!  Fina sets out to find who and why this man was killed.  There is good action in this book with lots of suspects.  I tried to figure out along the way along with Fina who the killer was which kept me turning pages.  LOVED IT!  Well worth reading because Fina is a great character.
(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!

"Safe Keeping" by Barbara Taylor Sissel

Safe Keeping by Barbara Taylor Sissel concerns a family where the boy in the family is being charged with the murder of a young lady.  This is a very good page turner.  I especially enjoyed the interaction between the wife and husband and the sister and the brother.  All the family members have problems that add to the story.  I think this would make a real good lifetime movie!
(Gerard's review, 5++)

Now see what Karen thought about it:

Safe Keeping by Barbara Taylor Sissel is about a family whose 34-yr.-old son, Tucker, is charged with murder.  His father, Joe, is a disabled Vietnam vet with PTSD who constantly lives with regret of holding a gun on Tucker when he was only 4-yrs-old and locking him in the closet.  His mother, Emily and older sister, Lissa have always been protective of Tucker and want to believe in his innocence.  When Lissa finds out she is pregnant, she is afraid of becoming a mother because of all the pain her parents went through with Tucker and considers having an abortion, which causes friction between her and her husband, Evan.  The question is, is Emily and Joe’s son really a murderer?

This book is all about the family and the effects of that horrible day when Joe flipped out with Tucker.  Tucker claims he is innocent of murder but there is a lot of circumstantial evidence against him.  I liked this book and thought the ending was great!  It also has discussions questions that could be used for a book club. (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. Happy Reading!