"Before She Disappeared" by Lisa Gardner

In Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner, Frankie Elkin, a white middle-aged recovering alcoholic, makes it her personal mission to find missing persons that the police and media have given up on.  Her 15th missing person is a smart, teenage Haitian girl who goes missing in Mattapan, a rough neighborhood in Boston named Angelique.  Frankie supports herself by being a bartender.  

I liked this novel and was anxious to get back to it.  Frankie is a witty character and was very brave and determined.  Although I thought the story a bit hard to believe, it still was interesting to me.  I liked how she was able to win people over and most of the characters were very likable.  I thought adding the "attack" cat to this story was a nice touch.     (Karen's review, 4 stars) 

Gerard's review:

Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner centers on a woman named Frankie who goes around trying to find missing persons that the police were unable to locate.  Frankie is a good character, but this book has little to no action in it!  I did enjoy the cat in this book though, but do not think the other characters were very well developed.  The ending was predictable too.  I was not very impressed with this one, thus I give it only 3 stars. 

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"The Playground" by Jane Shemilt Lives up to the Hype

The Playground by Jane Shemilt takes place in London and is about three families, one with three children, one with two kids and one with an only child.  They all meet and socialize through having one of their kids being tutored by Eve.  The parents have no clue what their kids are up to.  Each family has some sort of problem, some worse than others!  

Several different issues are packaged in this book:  marital abuse, mental illness, alcoholism, friendship and rape.  The interaction among the characters is what moves this book along.  I would have enjoyed it more if I actually liked more of the characters.  As it is, I only really liked three, Eric, Grace and Charley.
(Karen's review3 stars) 

Gerard's review7/6/20:
The Playground by Jane Shemilt centers on three women, Eve, Melissa and Grace.  They all have children and over time, they become close and socialize along with their husbands.  The children go off to play on their own.  What could possibly go wrong with that?  I flew through this book because I enjoyed the interactions between the adults and the children so much.  The ending was the best!  This is a great read!  (5++ stars)

Teaser from page 30:  She wishes she had some of those earphones that cancel out noise.  She'd cancel out her whole family if she could.

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Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult

Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult deals with the issue of what to do when the "right" thing is illegal.   Charles is married to an alcoholic and has a 4-yr.-old girl.  Not only that, but he discovers his wife is cheating on him with Victor and they get divorced.  Charles "rescues" his little girl by taking her from Arizona to live with him in New Hampshire under new names (Andrew and Delia) instead of returning her home after his day with her.  Delia grows up happy but doesn't remember much of her mother.  Ironically, she grows up and helps detectives and police search and rescue missing people with her dog, Greta.  Thirty years later, he is arrested for kidnapping.  Will he be found guilty and spend 20 years in prison?  What will Delia think of him for lying to her practically her whole life?  He told her that her mother died in a car accident.   Will she marry her long-time friend, Eric, a recovering alcoholic and lawyer, or choose her other long-time friend Fritz, a journalist.

This book was pretty good because it had a surprise ending and I liked the tension between liking Andrew even though he did technically kidnap his daughter.  I felt a little bad for the mother and Delia.  There were some parts that I did not care about, but they didn't last long.  I did not like the way the book jumped around between the past and present, but the story line was good and I did like Delia and her father, Andrew, the main characters.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 75:  On the one hand, I was his child, and he must have been doing what he felt he needed to do.  On the other hand, I'm a mother now, and he committed my worst nightmare.

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"The Flight Attendant" by Bhris Bohjalian

Imagine waking up in a bed hungover in a foreign country, naked next to a dead man that bled out!  Did you do it?  and, if not, why were you not killed?  That is the dilemma Cassandra faces in The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian.

I would have enjoyed more action and fewer dull parts.  That being said, I thought Cass was a good character and I was interested to see how it would all play out.  Well worth reading.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 9:  Had she ever seen so much blood?  Not from a human.

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"The Darkest Corners" by Kara Thomas - A Mother/Daughter Mystery (Updated)

The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas is quite the mystery! Actually there are several mysteries in this one: (1) Who really is the serial killer?  (2)  Where is Tessa's sister and how did she find out their father died?  (3)  Will Callie and Tessa renew their friendship? and (4)  Will Tessa find her mother?   

This book is good, but I must admit, at one point I got pretty confused with all the different things going on.  However, the author soon cleared things up and it was a very good mystery.  I liked Tessa because she really wanted to make things right when she had doubts about her testimony she gave when she was 9 years old that contributed to a man being convicted of murder.  If you like stories about dysfunctional families and a good mystery with a surprise ending, this is it!    
(Karen's reviewed 5/6/16, 4 stars)

Gerard's review 4/30/16, 5+ stars:
The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas is about a young girl named Tessa and her friend, Callie. They have never really talked about a night that they both saw something that changed their lives. Tessa moved away but now she is back looking for answers, but some people want the past to stay hidden. I thought this book was pretty good. I enjoyed the two main characters very much and the book had a good flow to it. The ending completely surprised me!

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"Under the Influence" by Joyce Maynard

Under the Influence by Joyce Maynard is about Helen, a woman down on her luck who needs help.  When a rich couple befriend her, soon they become the center of Helen's world and good times are had.  But, when a bad time comes, Helen must decide if she will stay with her friends or go it alone.

People Magazine had this as their book of the week a while back and I can see why!  The story is very good.  At no time was I bored or skipping pages.  The characters were very good and believable.  The writing was outstanding!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"Those Girls" by Chevy Stevens is a Thriller About 3 Sisters We Both Liked!

Those Girls by Chevy Stevens is a gripping novel that is about three sisters (Dani, 17, Courtney-16 and Jess-14) who are abused by an alcoholic father and later raped and how each is affected by their experience and deals with it differently.  These sisters are very close and support each other and start a new life with help from an unlikely source, an ex-con who got a break and is plays it forward.

The girls do pretty good at putting their past behind them until Jess discovers she is pregnant by the guy who raped her and brings everything back. 

I LOVED this book in spite of some very graphic and horrifying parts which worked to get the reader to really root for those girls to succeed.  The bond between the sisters was very interesting to me and how Jess's daughter became the "best part of them."  I liked the people who helped the girls along their way with the "playing if forward" theme worked in and the way they chose their new names for the new identities. The ending had a lot of suspense and action which made me to keep reading and not put this down!
(Karen's review, 5 stars) 

Gerard's review (5++ stars):
Those Girls by Chevy Stevens is about three sisters.  One of the sisters shoots their dad to save the other one from him and they all go on the run!  They soon find more trouble.  This books is told in three parts from various points of view.  I really enjoyed the first part of the book as the girls were in big trouble with non-stop action.  The second part was pretty much rehashing what happened in the first part but part 3 when everything came together more than made up for part 2 and I got caught up in it!

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"Stuck Together-Trouble in Texas Book 3" by Mary Connealy

For Valentine's Day, I am reviewing the historical romance novel I just finished.

Stuck Together—Trouble in Texas, book 3 by Mary Connealy Is about the romance between Vince and Tina, Jonas’ sister. When Vince’s parents and half-sister arrive in town, he gets all shook up and fears that he will become like his tyrannical father or his mother who has dementia. He gets stuck at being sheriff of the town (with no pay) and has to deal with tracking down some drunk who shot at Luke, an escaped prisoner, taking care of his mother and falling in love with Tina, the most beautiful woman he ever saw.

I enjoyed this quick western romance because the women were pretty feisty and it was cute how the Jonas and Vince both liked each other’s sister. Vince’s mother, Mrs. Yates, was a sweet old lady who kept trying to go out when no one was paying attention to her and was quite successful. I thought it was really nice how the townspeople all joined together to take turns keeping watch over Mrs. Yates. This book had more romance than the first two which I liked better, but still had a little action and excitement at the end.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)


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"Baby Please Don't Go" by Frank Freudberg

Image from Amazon

Baby Please Don’t Go by Frank Freudberg is about Lock, a recovering alcoholic who gets a job as a social worker but made a huge mistake when he got personally involved with Natalie, a mother under investigation in one of his cases. Lock is a decent guy that wants his own family and really likes kids. Natalie is a greedy liar, a slut and master manipulator who got Lock to help her frame her husband Witt so that she could keep full custody of her two little girls.

I liked Lock for the most part but Natalie really was a piece of work. I was really disappointed when Lock’s friend died because he was my favorite character. Witt, Natalie and her sleezy attorney, Jeremy Freel were unbelievable! This was just a heartbreaking story because Lock really was trying so hard to go straight and be a good family man, but Natalie didn’t want any part of that. I did not understand why Natalie didn’t love her little boy and why she treated Lock so cruelly. The ending was just slapped on with no logical build up to it at all so I felt a bit cheated. The people in this book were so different from anyone I know that I couldn’t relate to them at all.
(Karen's review, 2 stars)

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"Lost No More" by CeeCee James

Lost No More (Ghost no More series) by CeeCee James is based on her husband’s true story about a boy growing up with an alcoholic father and how their relationship changed over the years. It is a touching story about the complicated feelings between a father and son. This was an interesting read that I enjoyed. I really liked the ending.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins is about a young lady named Rachel.  She takes a train to work every day, the same way back and forth.  She sees a couple most days and watches them.  Then one day she sees something from the train that changes her whole outlook on them.

WOW!  This book is so good!  I got into all the characters really fast.  It is great writing and the twists in the story are very good with a fantastic ending!  I LOVED IT!  Once I got into this, it was hard to put down.  It will be hard to find a better book than this one.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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Unbroken: An Olympian’s Journey From Airman to Castaway to Captive by Laura Hillenbrand

Unbroken:  An Olympian’s Journey From Airman to Castaway to Captive (The Young Adult Adaptation of Unbroken) by Laura Hillenbrand is an amazing and fascinating non-fiction novel.  With never a dull moment, Louie Zamperini’s adventurous story kept my attention from beginning to end.  Just when you think things couldn’t possibly get any worse for him, they do!  It’s hard to believe he actually survived drifting on a life raft in the Pacific ocean for 47 days and then being tortured and humiliated as a POW. 

I highly recommend this to anyone!  It is well researched and very informative, giving me insight into a life of a POW that I had no clue about.  Unimaginable horrific things actually happened to our POW’s during World War II.  I was afraid this was going to read like a history book, but it really doesn’t.  It is very well written and stayed on my mind long after I put it down.   I found it astonishing that Louie lived to be 97 after all he went through. 

(Karen's review, 5 stars)

 

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"The Impossible Knife of Memory" by Laurie Halse Anderson

This book is about a young girl who has to deal with her dad who is suffering from PTSD.  Then she gets a boyfriend to complicate matters more.  I really enjoyed this because the main characters are really good and the plot line is true to life.  Kept me turning the pages--LOVED it!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Sure Signs of Crazy" by Karen Harrington

In Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington, you will meet 12-yr.-old Sarah Nelson. She collects troubled words and her best friend is a plant! This girl is something else, but no wonder!

I loved this book. The writing is really good and I got so caught up in it that the pages flew by. It has a very good ending too! This is the author's first book, can't wait for her next one!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Barefoot Summer" by Denise Hunter

Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter is a delightful Christian romance novel. Madison is a vet with a close family, but is still grieving over the death of her twin brother who died suddenly as a teenager. His dream was to win the Ragatta (annual sailing race) before his 27th birthday. Madison suffers from nightmares related to his death and thinks that if she wins the race with his boat, it will put an end to them. Beckett teaches her how to swim and how to sail and they both experience chemistry between them. Beckett doesn’t feel he’s good enough for Madison because he had a lot of family issues. Madison tries to deny her attraction to him because of his reputation from high school and the incident between him and her sister for starters.

This is a light, enjoyable read with some exciting parts. I could easily identify with Madison’s feelings when she was learning to swim and although the ending is predictable, it did have a surprise along the way. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys Christian romance novels or sailing.
(Karen's review)

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"Sweet Mercy" by Ann Tatlock

Sweet Mercy by Ann Tatlock is an historical fiction book set during the great depression, notorious criminals and prohibition.  The main theme is that no one is all bad or all good and that we all need mercy.   Eve tells her grandson about her memories at the lodge which is about to be torn down that was owned by her family and that is the whole story of the book.  When she moves from St. Paul Minnesota where many criminals reside, she is thrilled to live with her Uncle Cy at his lodge in Mercy, Ohio.  She learns that not everything is as it seems and Love covers a multitude of sins (I Peter 4:8), as her father always taught her. 

The story is both interesting and sweet.  It’s a coming-of-age story with a bit of romance weaved into it and is an enjoyable read.  Although Eve is self-righteous and judgmental at the beginning, she learns a surprising truth about herself as she learns of a certain bootlegging operation.  It has lots of varied characters and I loved the ending!  I recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction! 

(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Other books I also liked by this author:  Promises to Keep and The Returning

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"The Ninth Step" by Grant Jerkins

The Ninth Step by Grant Jerkins is a quick read about Helen, an alcoholic who vows to stop drinking after being involved in a hit-and-run accident. What makes this book so good is that just when you think you have it figured out, you don't. There are lots of "wows" in this book; well worth your time.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"Alone" by Lisa Gardner

Alone by Lisa Gardner is a page turner that had my attention from the first page all the way to the end. It's about Bobby, a police sniper who responded to a domestic violence hostage situation and killed the husband who had his finger on the trigger of a gun pointed at his wife, Catherine, and 4-yr-old son, Nathan. Afterwards, he felt terrible about killing a man. His life got complicated when the man turned out to be a high court judge's son and learned he may be charged with murder! The judge files for custody of his grandson, claiming Catherine is a bad mother who is out to kill him by starving him to death. Catherine feels alone as she tries to protect her son, Bobby feels alone as he deals with his career problems and chooses to help Catherine when she tells him there was an intruder in her house.

This book psychological thriller is filled with suspense, manipulation, murder, family secrets, domestic violence and interesting characters. I had a hard time putting this one down and recommend it. (Karen's review) 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! We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Cat Daddy" by Jackson Galaxy

His cat Benny looks like Spunky Doodle so Spunky liked it.

Cat Daddy--What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me about Life, Love, and Coming Clean by Jackson Galaxy was both eye-opening and disappointing to me. It is about Jackson Galaxy more than it is about cats, although it does have some suggestions for relating to cats and has a touching story about the cat he rescued, Benny. Jackson is a cat consultant who seeks to help people solve problems they have with their cats instead of having them euthanized. I was surprised to learn about all of Jackson's addictions. I thought it would be more like his TV show, “My Cat From Hell,” telling about the different cat owners he consulted with about their cats but it's not that at all.  The bad language in this book really was a turn off for me.
(Karen's review)

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We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Hand Me Down" by Melanie Thorne

Hand Me Down by Melanie Thorne is a pretty good book told by Liz, a young teen girl.  Her mom lives with an ex-con who treats the whole family pretty bad.  Her dad is a drunk who lives with a woman and Liz's younger sister who still believes in her dad.  This leaves Liz pretty much in no-man's land when it comes to living arrangements.

This book goes quick and does have a happy ending for Liz which I am glad about.  All in all, I enjoyed it.
(Gerard's review)

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We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during April to Paralyzed Veterans of America.