What She Left Behind by Ellen Wiseman - 5 Stars

What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman

5 Stars & a Heart

Izzy is about to turn 18 and 10 years ago her mother shot her father while he was sleeping. Izzy refuses to visit her mom in prison. Now her step parents have enlisted her help in sorting through old luggage from a local mental hospital. Izzy is tasked with sorting through old belongings when she discovers unopened letters and a journal.

Clara is an 18 year old girl who lives with her overbearing parents in a well to do neighborhood. When Clara declares she loves someone else and refuses to go through with her parent's arranged marriage, she gets shipped off to the insane asylum.

The story weaves the two girls' past together wonderfully. What happens to Clara when she is forced into a life she doesn't deserve and what lies ahead for Izzy as her 18th birthday approaches?

I loved this story. The story of the two girls was woven together brilliantly and I couldn't read fast enough to find out what was going to happen to each one of them. There were several parts where I teared up and the end was really heartwarming.

Here Today, Gone Tamale by Rebecca Adler - 4 Stars

Josie has just moved back home from living in Austin, Texas, to the dusty western town of Broken Boot, Texas when she finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery. The town's annual Wild Wild West Festival has just kicked off and one of the town's own has been found out back of Josie's aunt & uncle's restaurant. Josie, who is a former newspaper reporter feels the need to investigate. Who killed the local jewelry designer and why?

This was your typical cozy mystery. I enjoyed the Tex-Mex flare that it had to it and am looking forward to the 2nd in the series.