"Fourth Wing" (the Empyrian #1) by Rebecca Yarros

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros got my attention right from the start and kept it all the way to the end!  What a fantastic read if you like fantasy with dragons mixed with relationships.  Violet is a great character, the youngest in her family who finds herself in war college for dragon riders when she had her heart set on being scribe like her father.  Her mother, the commanding general, ordered her to go in the dragon rider quadrant against her wishes.  This book is all about her first year at the war college.  Violet is small, weak, doesn't want to fight but is also smart and clever.  

I loved this book because of the characters, the action, and the dragons.  Violet is an underdog who tries to overcome her weaknesses and beat the odds stacked against her.  She soon finds a target on her back because of who her mother is.  Violet is so nice and vulnerable that it was easy to root for her.  At some points, I cheered out loud and laughed out loud.  It had a lot of humor too!  I really enjoyed the connection with the dragons and Xaden is awesome!  So glad I can jump right into the second book in this series.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review:
In Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, Violet wants to be a scribe, but her mom has other plans for her and is running the show.  Consequently, Violet goes to school to be a dragon rider and help defend her country.  Her sister and friends tell her not to do this.  Violet goes anyway because she does not want to live with wondering what if she had made it.  

This book is very good from early on.  It has a great storyline and plenty of action.  I'll have to wait a few months for book 2, but looking forward to it!  (5++ stars)

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"What Happened to Nina?" by Dervla McTiernan

WOW!  In What Happened to Nina by Dervla McTiernan, Nina and Simon are in love and everyone knows it!  That is why when they go away for a weekend and Monday Simon comes back alone, people wonder where is Nina?  I thought this was really good.  It is told by various people which added to the suspense.  This is a page-turning thriller I enjoyed very much and am sure you would too!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Housemaid's Secret" by Freida McFadden

The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden is a good mystery with twists and a great ending!  I enjoyed this book and liked the short chapters that flew by.  It's about a housekeeper who gets mixed up in trying to help a woman escape from her abusive husband, but finds out what she thought was all wrong.  This book is filled with deceit, relationships, and vengeance.  At one point, nothing made sense but as I kept on reading, it all became clear.    (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 1/5/24:
In The Housemaid's Secret by Frieda McFadden, Millie needs a job in the worst way.  When a very rich man offers her a job as a housekeeper, she takes it.  The only thing is that she cannot open the door of the room that his wife is in.  Will she open that door?  What would she find?  Millie has secrets of her own that better not get out.  This book is really, really good with a fantastic storyline!  It kept me turning pages right to the end.  Must read this one!  I loved it!  What a great book to start off the new year.  (5++ stars)

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"Too Late" by Colleen Hoover is Fantastic!

In Too Late by Colleen Hoover, Sloan, a drug dealer, lives with Asa and protects her.  He is all she has and Asa develops an obsession with her.  The FBI is closing in.  Sloan is attracted to an undercover FBI agent, but Asa will not go down easily.  Will Sloan and the agent be able to survive?  Colleen Hover's books are always good; however, this book is fantastic!  It has great characters involved in a good storyline with lots of action!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"You Shouldn't Have Come Here" by Jeneva Rose

In You Shouldn't Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose, Grace needs to get away for awhile.  A ranch in the middle of Wyoming seems like the spot; but after a bit, things do not seem right.  The owner of the ranch is getting a little too friendly so it's time to leave if she can!  This book was really good!  It has great action and a good storyline. It wasn't hard to follow at all and what an ending!!! (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Book Your Pastor Wishes You Would Read" by Christopher Ash

The Book Your Pastor Wishes You Would Read by Christopher Ash is a quick read about how to be an encouragement to your pastor.  The main point is to remember that your pastor is human, not perfect.  I thought it was okay and that it gave some interesting insights.  I liked that it was short and went quick!  (Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"Anxious People" by Fredrik Backman

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman is a very strangely written book that kept my attention throughout.  It is filled with humor and yet deals with suicide, love, a bank robber, a hostage situation, two policemen who are father and son and a group of strangers who become friends through a crazy situation.  According to the author, this book is about idiots! 

It reminded me of a Seinfeld-type episode.  The writing was unusual.  It jumped around a lot, there are lots of characters each with their own storylines and often the reader is first exposed to new facts and then followed by an explanation about how it came to be.  I think this is a book I won't soon forget.  I loved the ending!  (Karen's review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review 4/8/23:
In Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, a bank robbery turns into a hostage situation.  What I liked most in this book was the interaction among all the characters.  I actually laughed out loud at some parts, it was that funny!  The storyline is good and so is the ending.  I love this one!  (5++ stars)

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"Fairy Tale" by Stephen King

In Fairy Tale by Stephen King, Charlie, a young teen boy, becomes the caretaker to an old man when he falls from a ladder.  Charlie and the man's dog, Radar, get along great.  Before the old man dies, he tells Charlie to listen to a tape under his bed.  What is on the tape is what this book is about.  I thought this book was really good--vintage King.  It has great characters and a good storyline.  I also loved Radar and the ending!  The dog was in it a lot!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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Loved "Defend the Dawn" by Brigid Kemmerer -- Full of Adventure

1.    

In Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer, Tessa and Corrick set out on a journey to get much needed medicine for their kingdom.  This story is told by Corrick and Tessa.  I like them both.  The author does a great job of character development!  The interaction among the characters if fantastic!  The action comes near the end and is really good.  I would have liked more action earlier on as well.  All in all, I give this one 5 stars.  (Gerard's review) 

Karen's review 3/9/23:
Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer is Book 2 in the Defy the Night series and I LOVED it!  It has adventure, lots of fighting, great banter among the characters, politics, and some romance.  This one focuses on both King Harriston and his chief justice, Corrick.  About half way through, each gets their own storyline and both are very good.  Tessa and Quint are both great supporting characters too.  This one is hard to put down and I hated that it ended with two cliffhangers.  It definitely makes me anxious to read the next book in this series, Destroy the Day.  (5 stars)

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"The Christmas Spirit" by Debbie Macomber is An Enjoyable Read!

The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber is a wonderful story any time of the year, but especially at Christmas.  I wish I had managed to read this last month, but am very glad I did not skip it just because it's no longer Christmas.  It's the story about a pastor of a small church exchanging places with his bartender friend the week before Christmas.  They were debating who had the harder job and they both learned some things.  This was such an enjoyable, fun read with humor and a great message.  I loved it and finished it quickly.  I highly recommend this one to anyone who wants to read something uplifting and light.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)  

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"The Game Can't Love You Back" by Karole Cozzo is a Fun Read!

1.    

The Game Can’t Love You Back by Karole Cozzo is a fun read about a high school girl, Eve, pitching on a boys’ baseball team, where Jaimie is the Ace pitcher.  They start out on very rocky ground, but Eve gets Jaimie’s respect which develops into deeper feelings.  I enjoyed it very much.  I think girls, especially tom boys, would like this one more than guys.  It’s more about relationships than it is baseball.  (Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"Back to School, Weird Kids Rule!" by Dan Gutman (Weird School Special)

Back to School, Weird Kids Rule! by Dan Gutman is a bit different from other books I read in this series because instead of AJ being the narrator, it's Andrea!  Andrea explains why she loves school so much and focuses on the week before school starts.  She and AJ are thrown together by their parents (the mothers are best friends), and spend their time arguing.  It includes some history of school supplies and some puzzles in the back.  I liked this one all right.  The interaction between Andrea and AJ was funny.   (Karen's review, 3 stars)

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"Wish You Were Gone" by Kieran Scott

In Wish You Were Gone by Kieran Scott, Emma's husband, James, died in an accident.  This novel goes into the time before and after James' death.  This book is very good!  It is told by many people which I enjoyed very much.  The ending was just fantastic!  I highly recommend this one!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The One" by John Marrs

In The One by John Marrs, five people take a DNA test hoping they will be matched with the perfect person for them.  They are all notified that the perfect match for them has been made--let the fun begin!  I thought this book was really good.  Loved all the characters and the five storylines to keep things interesting.  There is always something going on!  I LOVED IT!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Book of Night" by Holly Black

In Book of Night by Holly Black, Charlie has made a lot of bad decisions but is trying to turn her life around.  When she finds out that her boyfriend has been keeping things from her, things get worse.  Charlie has one shot to turn things around, but can she?  This book was pretty good.  Carlie was a good character but it needed more action.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"The Wives" by Tarryn Fisher is a Wild One!

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher is about a woman who only sees her husband one day a week.  Why?  Because he has two other women to whom he is married.  This book is told by Thursday because that is the day her husband shares with her.  I liked the main character and the story line that kept me engaged and guessing what would happen next.  I also liked the ending of this wild story!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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Must Read "The Red Address Book" by Sophia Lundberg

The Red Address Book by Sophia Lundberg is about Doris, a 96-yr.-old woman.  When Doris was a little girl, her father gave her an address book to write down the names of the people that came into her life.  As Doris tells her story, you find out about the people who were a part of her life.  Doris led quite a life including being a maid in Sweden, a model in Paris, and fleeing to Manhattan at the beginning of WWII!  This book was so good that I found it hard to put down.  Doris is a great character and the story is told very well!  Do not miss this one!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"In Five Years" by Rebecca Serle is Wild!

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle, Dannie is a numbers person and the numbers are working for her.  She works at a well-respected law firm and has a great boyfriend.  On her engagement night, it seems she fell asleep and is with another man and it's five years later.  How can this be?  When she wakes up, things are back to normal so she thinks it must have been a dream.  The man she dreamed about shows up in her life  4 1/2 years later.  What's going on?  

I think a woman would enjoy this book more than a guy; however, I give it 5 stars!  I loved the main character.  The book had good flow and kept me engaged throughout with a wild ending!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"A Life Without Water" by Marci Bolden

In A Life Without Water by Marci Bolden, Carol has had a rough life but now she at least has a pattern to it.  However, 24 years after walking out on her husband, he returns.  Why now?  What does he want?  What made this book for me was the by-play between Carol and her ex-husband, John.  The story had a good flow to it and I was into it from the beginning.  I think it would make a good movie.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"A Heart So Fierce and Broken" by Brigid Kemmerer

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer is the second book of this series about Rhen, Grey and Harper.  In this book, the main characters are Grey, Lila Mara and Hunter's brother and friend--Jacob and Noah.  The focus is on Grey's secret and the efforts of Lila Mara's country to form an alliance with Rhen.  Will there be war or can a peace agreement be reached?  Will Grey and Lila fall in love, perhaps rule together?  How will Rhen protect his people?

I enjoyed this book as well, especially since I like Grey and this was all about him.  There was fighting, new relationships formed and a cliff hanging ending.  Can't wait to read the next book in the series!  I was somewhat disappointed in the small part Harper had in this book; however, I did like Lila Mara and found myself routing for her and Grey.  I also liked the scarver, Iisak who brought another facet to the story.  There was not a lot of magic in this one, just a little here and there.  I enjoyed Jacob's brother in this and the banter between him and Grey.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review:
A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmererfocuses on Grey, the former captain of the guards protecting Rhen.  Lia Mara is the new character in this book that plays a main role along with Grey.  She tries to make a peaceful alliance with Rhen, but appears to have failed.  I thought this book was very, very good!  I enjoyed the interaction among all the characters.  The pacing of the book is very good also so I am looking forward to book 3!  (5++ stars)

See our review of the first book in this series, A Curse So Dark and Lonely.

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