Saturday, December 30, 2023

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney - 5 Stars

 Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife.

Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts--paper, cotton, pottery, tin--and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.
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I devoured this book! It was so good! It was a fast read and really kept me wanting more. Stayed up too late 2 nights in a row to get it finished. I love the idea that the author gave the characters the last name of Wright, when everything was "wrong". It's the 2nd book by Feeney that I've read and I've loved both of them.

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Kittenfish by Brenda Lowder - 3.75 Stars

  Catfish - [cat·fish;ˈkatˌfiSH] noun – a person using social media to create a false identity, especially to engage in deceptive online romances


Kittenfish - [ˈkit-nˌfiSH] noun – a person using social media to create a false identity, especially to engage in deceptive online romances, but since she’s not a bad person and is only doing it because someone did something really bad to her and he deserves all this and more, then it’s kittenfishing. Barely fishing at all. Not reprehensible like catfishing but fully, defensibly, a court of law would uphold it, deserved by the guy getting kittenfished

When Marissa Ryan’s fiancé dumps her the night before her wedding, Marissa decides to get even. Not with her ex-fiancé—who’s obviously a hapless pawn—but with her greatest nemesis, Tarek Oliver. He’s the bane of her existence, the scourge of her city, the pee in the dating pool—and the very man who used both hands to shove her fiancé out of her life.

Marissa is determined that Tarek—the slick player who claims to have no feelings—will discover what it is to truly love and then suffer the blistering pain of loss. She’ll tear the love of Tarek’s life away from him just like he did to her. She just needs to create his true love first.
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This was a quick, fun read. It's an enemies to lovers story and for the most part, the characters are enjoyable. I did find that there were several things that were repeated in the book (worded differently, though). Sometimes it was feeling a bit redundant. 

Saturday, December 23, 2023

The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda - 3 1/2 Stars

 "Kate Nelson had it all. A flourishing company founded with her husband, John; a happy marriage; and a daughter, Ashlyn. The picture-perfect family. Until John left for another woman. Tish is half his age. Ambitious. She’s cultivated a friendship with Ashlyn. Tish believes she’s won.

She’s wrong.

Tish Nelson has it all. Youth, influence, a life of luxury, and a new husband. But the truth is, there’s a lot of baggage. Namely, his first wife—and suspicions of his infidelity. After all, that’s how she got John. Maybe it’s time for a romantic getaway, far from his vindictive ex. If Kate plans on getting John back, Tish is one step ahead of her.

She thinks.

But what happens next is something neither Kate nor Tish saw coming. As best-laid plans come undone, there’s no telling what a woman will do in the name of love—and revenge."
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Overall, this was a pretty good read. I figured out the twist about 3/4 of the way through the book, though. I was honestly expecting the ending to be a bit more shocking, but it wasn't. That part let me down. But it was a fast read. 

Thursday, December 21, 2023

Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey - 3 Stars

 Inspired by a terrifying true story from the author’s hometown, a heart-pounding novel of suspense about a small Minnesota community where nothing is as quiet—or as safe—as it seems.

Cassie McDowell’s life in 1980s Minnesota seems perfectly wholesome. She lives on a farm, loves school, and has a crush on the nicest boy in class. Yes, there are her parents’ strange parties and their parade of deviant guests, but she’s grown accustomed to them.

All that changes when someone comes hunting in Lilydale.

One by one, local boys go missing. One by one, they return changed—violent, moody, and withdrawn. What happened to them becomes the stuff of shocking rumors. The accusations of who’s responsible grow just as wild, and dangerous town secrets start to surface. Then Cassie’s own sister undergoes the dark change. If she is to survive, Cassie must find her way in an adult world where every sin is justified, and only the truth is unforgivable.
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I ended up being really disappointed in this book. It was interesting enough that I was able to push through and finish it, but the ending was such a disappointment. I kept reading because I was expecting something shocking, but never got that. And to top it off, the epilogue wasn't even in the book. You have to go to the author's website to read it. And guess what? It's just as disappointing as the ending of the actual book. 

Saturday, December 16, 2023

Mystery Maid by Hazel Smith - 4 Stars

 "A posh hotel, guests with secrets to hide and a mysterious dead body.

Ivy Stone is excited to begin her first day as a maid at London’s Hotel LaFontaine, but from the moment she arrives, nothing goes as planned. She insults a guest, is snubbed by the other maids, and finds a dead body, all before lunch.

With help from new friends on staff, Ivy’s amateur sleuthing uncovers clues to a thickening plot of revenge among the glamorous guests.

While preparing for a prestigious fashion show, sampling gourmet dishes and falling deeper in love with Monty the pup, Ivy suspects the killer is among them and will strike again.

In a race against time, Ivy must unmask the true culprit and save her friends before it’s too late."
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This was a quick, fun read. I like that the characters were diverse and entertaining. 

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Catching Moondrops by Jennifer Erin Valent - 4 Stars

"Jessilyn Lassiter no longer has to convince people she’s not a child. Having just turned 19 in the summer of 1938, her love for Luke Talley has never been more real. And Luke is finally beginning to care for her in the way she’s always dreamed of. But their budding romance is interrupted when Tal Pritchett—a young, black doctor—comes to Calloway, stealing the heart of Jessilyn’s best friend, Gemma, and stirring up the racial prejudice that has been simmering just beneath the town’s surface. The tension starts to bubble over when Jessie’s elderly neighbor Miss Cleta becomes the first white townsperson to accept Tal’s treatment. And when a young black man is lynched, Calloway is brought to its knees once again as Jessilyn realizes that her anger can make her heart as full of hate as the klan members who have terrorized her town and her family."

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I really enjoyed the (mostly) last book in this series. It was a bit more religious than what I normally read, which was a bit off putting, but I still enjoyed it. It's been a while since I read the others, but this one also seemed a bit dramatic.