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Thursday, April 12, 2018




THE NEW NEIGHBORS by Simon Lelic
(Berkley Trade Paperback; April 10, 2018; $16.00)

The Girl Before meets The Couple Next Door in an utterly satisfying Hitchcockian story about a couple who moves into their dream neighborhood only to discover nothing is as it seems...

The perfect couple. The perfect house. The perfect crime.

Londoners Jack and Syd found their dream home: lots of space, a great location, and a friendly owner who wanted a young couple to have it. 

Everything is exactly what they hoped for when they move in—except Jack makes a disturbing discovery in the attic, and Syd begins to wonder about the girl next door. And they each keep the other in the dark.

A mistake.

Because someone has just been killed outside their back door, and now the police are watching them. 

This is their chance to prove they're innocent—or to get away with murder. 

Whose story do you believe?

 REVIEW

I got the opportunity to read this book ahead of its publication date thanks to Berkeley Press. 

This was a good thriller. It started off with weird things happening in this couples new house, that I was sure it was going to be a ghost story. It was creepy and suspenseful. The telling by both characters separately added to the suspense. 

I was hooked early and was eager to read in until finished and had learned what was really going on. There is a bit of a twist at the end, that I won’t mention, but it did surprise me. 

If you like suspense with a some twisted family drama thrown in, you will enjoy this one by Lelic. 



Happy Reading!

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh


The next pulse-pounding psychological thriller from the #1 international and New York Times bestselling author and “master of surprises” (Washington Post)

Praise for I SEE YOU and I LET YOU GO:

An intense psychological thriller…[that] revels in surprises and twists…outstanding.”—The Associated Press

Genuinely shocking…[a] cunning psychological thriller.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

"A deliciously creepy tale of urban paranoia." — Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in Cabin 10

Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh
Berkeley Hardcover; March 13, 2018

Source: Received for review from publisher through NetGalley

ABOUT THE BOOK: 

Last year, Tom and Caroline Johnson chose to end their lives, one seemingly unable to live without the other. Their daughter, Anna, is struggling to come to terms with her parents' deaths, unwilling to accept the verdict of suicide. Now with a baby herself, Anna feels her mother's absence keenly and is determined to find out what really happened to her parents. But as she digs up the past, someone is trying to stop her.

Sometimes it's safer to let things lie....

MY REVIEW:

This was an interesting story. The premise was very different than books I had read before. A mom and dad, within a year, both commit suicide and leave their daughter confused and heartbroken over why they would do such a thing. I wasn't surprised to learn there was more to these suicides, but the way the reality is even harder to grasp.

I thought I knew where the story was going from the beginning, I thought I knew the twist. I did, sort of, but still ended up surprised with where the story went. There were a few twists and turns that threw me off and kept me reading to the end. This review is very vague. I know. Too much info will ruin it, though. Sorry.

I read I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh awhile back and absolutely loved it. I was thrilled to get a chance to read Let Me Lie. I wouldn't say it was as good, but it didn't disappoint. I am a sucker for a good mystery/thriller and this definitely delivered. I missed reading I See You, but will be sure to grab myself a copy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Clare Mackintosh spent twelve years in the police force, including time on CID, and as a public order commander. She left the police in 2011 to work as a freelance journalist and social media consultant now writes full time. She lives in North Wales with her husband and their three children.

Clare's debut novel, I Let You Go, is a Sunday Times bestseller and was the fastest-selling title by a new crime writer in 2015. It was selected for both the Richard and Judy Book Club, and was the winning title of the readers' vote for the summer 2015 selection, and ITV's Loose Women's Loose Books. Her second novel, I See You, is a number 1 Sunday Times bestseller, and a Richard and Judy Book Club pick. Clare's books are translated into more than 30 languages.

Clare is the patron of the Silver Star Society, an Oxford-based charity which supports the work carried out in the John Radcliffe Hospital's Silver Star unit, providing special care for mothers with medical complications during pregnancy.


Happy Reading!

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Current Read: The Power by Naomi Alderman


Currently reading The Power for book group. Really enjoying it. Have you read it? 

Happy Reading!

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Review: The Pearl Sister by Lucinda Riley


The Pearl Sister by Lucinda Riley

ABOUT:
CeCe D’Aplièse has always felt like an outcast. But following the death of her father—the reclusive billionaire affectionately called Pa Salt by the six daughters he adopted from around the globe—she finds herself more alone than ever. With nothing left to lose, CeCe gathers the courage to explore the mystery of her origins. The only clues she holds are a black and white photograph and the name of a female pioneer who once lived in Australia.

One hundred years earlier, Kitty McBride, a Scottish clergyman's daughter, abandons her conservative upbringing to serve as the companion to a wealthy woman traveling from Edinburgh to Adelaide. Her ticket to a new land brings the adventure she has dreamed of… and a love that she never imagined.


When CeCe herself finally reaches the searing heat and dusty plains of the Red Centre of Australia, something deep within her responds to the energy of the area and the ancient culture of the Aboriginal people. As she comes closer to finding the truth of her ancestry, CeCe begins to believe that this untamed, vast continent could offer her something she never thought possible: a sense of belonging, and a home…

REVIEW :
I absolutely love this series. 

I have been reading it since the first book came out. I think it is such an interesting concept. The mystery of the sisters' origins and their Pa Salt is just intriguing. Always happy to read anything by Lucinda Riley when I am in the mood for good historical fiction. 

The Pearl Sister continues to shed light on the sisters and their adoptive father. More information is leaked to the reader and an understanding of who CeCe is is achieved. She was hard to figure out in the previous books, with the little info on her and her demeanor towards her sisters. After reading this one, I completely understand why she has been portrayed the way she has. I was left a little confused with her time spent Thailand and how it had to do with her story, however. Her time with Ace didn't feel necessary. I enjoyed reading more of her time in Australia and about the people she meets there.

One thing I really enjoyed is how the sisters' "origin stories" and how they are linked to historical figures. In this case, I had no knowledge of Kitty McBride. I am lacking in Australian history, but enjoyed learning about her and her life in the outback. I did a little research on Google to learn more, as well. 

I cannot wait for the next installment. Still have a few more sisters to learn about!




Praise for The Shadow Sister
Lucinda Riley is one of the strongest authors in this genre of historical fiction. Her ability to weave stories together, using modern-day and historical settings, is top-notch… excellent detail, heart-wrenching romance, and an engaging mystery.”
– Historical Novel Society

Riley’s engaging and mesmerizing story of self-discovery and love, while making the complex tale of the Seven Sisters sufficiently clear, can be perfectly read as a stand-alone… This book will appeal to readers of Edwardian novels and Jane Austen-style fiction. Fans of the series will undoubtedly be pleased with this latest installment in the ‘Seven Sisters’ saga.”
– Library Journal (Starred Review)

Set in the bucolic English countryside, this will appeal to fans of Kristin Hannah, Kate Morton, and Riley’s earlier novels.”
– Booklist

“Engaging… the stakes heighten as Star discovers her true heritage and destiny. Another pleasant jaunt down a genealogical rabbit hole.”
– Kirkus Reviews

“I’ve loved the Seven Sisters series from the start and this is my favorite so far. Riley’s trademark lavish detail, glamorous settings and wonderful characters are all present in this treat of a novel. The perfect curl-up-in-an-armchair read.”
– Daily Mail (UK)

The Shadow Sister really is Lucinda’s best yet. The scope of this series is breathtaking and each book is more captivating than the last.”
 Iona Grey, author of Letters to the Lost

“Wonderful! Absolutely impossible to put down! The Seven Sisters books just keep getting better and better.”
– Tracy Rees, author of Amy Snow

“A deliciously twisting plot with clues cleverly paced along the way. I could hardly wait to solve the mystery of Star's origins. Thoroughly addictive storytelling with a moving, emotional heart.”
– Dinah Jefferies, author of The Tea Planter’s Wife


Praise for The Storm Sister

“The second installment of Riley’s sweeping series doesn’t disappoint, jumping from present-day Europe to nineteenth-century Norway and back again. Riley’s talent for blending current events with detailed backstories will intrigue historical-fiction readers, while fans of Kristin Hannah and Paulette Giles will appreciate the engrossing and introspective story of belonging, heartache, and acceptance.”
– Booklist

“This is the second in a series about glamorous adopted sisters brought up in a castle on Lake Geneva.… A great page-turner, full of drama and romance.”
– Daily Mail (UK)


TELEVISION SERIES
The Seven Sisters series has been optioned to be adapted for television by Raffaella de Laurentiis’s company Raffaella Productions. Daughter of legendary filmmaker Dino de Laurentiis, Raffaella has worked as a producer and studio executive in film and television for decades, including well-known projects such as  Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Forbidden Kingdom starring Jackie Chan, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and Dragonheart and its sequels.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lucinda Riley is the #1 internationally bestselling author of sixteen novels, including Hothouse Flower and The Seven Sisters. Her books have sold more than ten million copies in over 30 languages. Lucinda divides her time between West Cork, Ireland, and Norfolk, England with her husband and four children. Visit her at LucindaRiley.com.



THE PEARL SISTER: Book Four by Lucinda Riley
Atria Hardcover | ISBN: 9781501180033 | On sale: January 23, 2018 | 528 pages | $27.00
eBook: Atria | ISBN: 9781501180057 | On sale: January 23, 2018 | 528 pages | $12.99


FIND LUCINDA RILEY ONLINE:
Twitter: @lucindariley

ORDER:


Happy Reading!