Behind Closed Door by B.A. Paris - 4 Stars

 "Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth; she has charm and elegance. He’s a dedicated attorney who has never lost a case; she is a flawless homemaker, a masterful gardener and cook, and dotes on her disabled younger sister. Though they are still newlyweds, they seem to have it all. You might not want to like them, but you do. You’re hopelessly charmed by the ease and comfort of their home, by the graciousness of the dinner parties they throw. You’d like to get to know Grace better.

But it’s difficult, because you realize Jack and Grace are inseparable.

Some might call this true love. Others might wonder why Grace never answers the phone. Or why she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. Or why she never seems to take anything with her when she leaves the house, not even a pen. Or why there are such high-security metal shutters on all the downstairs windows.

Some might wonder what’s really going on once the dinner party is over, and the front door has closed."

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I really enjoyed this one, but was so disappointed in the ending. It literally felt like the author went off to cook dinner and forgot to finish the book! It had been a solid 5 star rating until the ending. 

Don't Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino - 5 Stars

 "When Marilyn Kleinman is caught making out with the rabbi’s son in front of the whole congregation, her parents ship her off to her great-aunt Ada for the summer. If anyone can save their daughter’s reputation, it’s Philadelphia’s strict premier matchmaker. Either that or Marilyn can kiss college goodbye.

To Marilyn’s surprise, Ada’s not the humorless septuagenarian her mother described. Not with that platinum-blonde hair, Hermès scarf, and Cadillac convertible. She’s sharp, straight-talking, takes her job very seriously, and abides by her own rules…mostly. As the summer unfolds, Ada and Marilyn head for the Jersey shore, where Marilyn helps Ada scope out eligible matches—for anyone but Marilyn, that is.

Because if there’s one thing Marilyn’s learned from Ada, it’s that she doesn’t have to settle. With the school year quickly approaching and her father threatening to disinherit her, Marilyn must make her choice for her future: return to the comfortable life she knows or embrace a risky, unknown path on her own."

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I enjoyed the storyline throughout this book. When I could manage to not get distracted and actually sit down and read, it was a fast read. The chapters weren't too long, which was a bonus since the last one I read had super long chapters, which I hate.

I was a good 95% done with the book and had given it a solid 4 stars. Then I got to the last chapter and OH MY GOODNESS! So, the one twist I sort of felt throughout the book, but the bomb that was dropped at the very end was TOTALLY unexpected. The end was so emotional compared to the rest of the book. The author really left the outcome of the major twist up to your imagination, though. I was a little distraught at not knowing 100% of the truth about the ending, but that last twist is what bumped it up to a 5 star rating for me. 

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman - 4 Stars

 "Sage Winters always knew her sister was a little different even though they were identical twins. They loved the same things and shared a deep understanding, but Rosemary—awake to every emotion, easily moved to joy or tears—seemed to need more protection from the world.

Six years after Rosemary's death from pneumonia, Sage, now sixteen, still misses her deeply. Their mother perished in a car crash, and Sage's stepfather, Alan, resents being burdened by a responsibility he never wanted. Yet despite living as near strangers in their Staten Island apartment, Sage is stunned to discover that Alan has kept a shocking secret: Rosemary didn't die. She was committed to Willowbrook State School and has lingered there until just a few days ago, when she went missing.

Sage knows little about Willowbrook. It's always been a place shrouded by rumor and mystery. A place local parents threaten to send misbehaving kids. With no idea what to expect, Sage secretly sets out for Willowbrook, determined to find Rosemary. What she learns, once she steps through its doors and is mistakenly believed to be her sister, will change her life in ways she never could imagined..."

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I really enjoyed reading about Willowbrook. Being a psych major, things/places like this fascinate me. I'm not sure what I was expecting for the duration of the book, but it went from a historical fiction to more of a suspense story. I was expecting a twist at the end, but there wasn't one. This is what deducted a star for me.

The Asylum Confessions by Jack Steen - 3 Stars

 "They arrive alive. They always leave dead.

But first, they give me their confessions.

My name is Jack Steen, and for those who arrive on my 'death' ward at the Asylum, I'm the last face many will see before they die. I am the night nurse at an Asylum for the Criminally Insane, and most of my patients know me as their Angel of Death. I know them as mass murderers, rapists, and serial killers - among other things.

Here's what happens: they come on my floor, they give me their deathbed confession, and I help to make their death less painful. There's a catch, though: I want the real story, the one they haven't told anyone else.

The majority of these killers are expert manipulators. They could be playing their final game with me by messing with my head.

Now, maybe they're messing with yours too.

Inside this book are 4 DeathBed Confessions:

Patient 1024 has an interesting 'appetite'.

Patient 974 is the Ken to his Barbie, and he would do anything to keep her happy.

Patient 871 is a Nanny, but not one you want watching your kids.

Patient 1203 is the sweetest, broken soul you'll ever meet but her confession is a hard read."

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So, this book really intrigued me, especially being so close to Halloween. I love horror movies and thought this would be a good read. Also, having a psych degree, things like asylums interest me. 

Turned out it was just 'ok'. It wasn't nearly as gruesome as the synopsis made it sound. It was horribly written, too. The editor did a really bad job, as well. Grammar mistakes, punctuation mistakes....

I knew about half way through the 2nd story that I wouldn't be continuing the series. 

The Forgetting by Hannah Beckerman - 4 Stars

 "When Anna Bradshaw wakes up in a hospital bed in London, she remembers nothing, not even her loving husband, Stephen. The doctors say her amnesia is to be expected, but Anna feels cut adrift from her entire life.

In Bristol, Livvy Nicholson is newly married to Dominic and eager to get back to work after six months’ maternity leave. But when Dominic’s estranged mother appears, making a series of unnerving claims, Livvy is sucked into a version of herself she doesn’t recognise.

A hundred miles apart, both women feel trapped and disorientated, and their stories are about to collide. Can they uncover the secret that connects them and reconstruct their fractured lives?"

So I FINALLY finished this one late last night. I will say that I really enjoyed the twist and actually didn't figure it out. The last 20% of the book had me pushing through and I didn't care that it was after midnight. LOL! But with that said, it was SUCH a slow burn for me. It took me 30% to get into it and I almost gave up a couple of times. This is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.

Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich - 5 Stars

 "New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum knows better than to mess with family. But when powerful mobster Salvatore “Uncle Sunny” Sunucchi goes on the lam in Trenton, it’s up to Stephanie to find him. Uncle Sunny is charged with murder for running over a guy (twice), and nobody wants to turn him in—not his poker buddies, not his bimbo girlfriend, not his two right-hand men, Shorty and Moe. Even Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, has skin in the game, because—just Stephanie’s luck—the godfather is his actual godfather. And while Morelli understands that the law is the law, his old-world grandmother, Bella, is doing everything she can to throw Stephanie off the trail.

It’s not just Uncle Sunny giving Stephanie the run-around. Security specialist Ranger needs her help to solve the bizarre death of a top client’s mother, a woman who happened to play bingo with Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur. Before Stephanie knows it, she’s working side by side with Ranger and Grandma at the senior center, trying to catch a killer on the loose—and the bingo balls are not rolling in their favor.

With bullet holes in her car, henchmen on her tail, and a giraffe named Kevin running wild in the streets of Trenton, Stephanie will have to up her game for the ultimate takedown."

I thought this was one of the better Stephanie Plum books. You know it's going to be funny when it starts off with a giraffe running down the middle of the street while Lula is trying to buy a knockoff of an expensive handbag. 

The Inmate by Freida McFadden - 4 Stars

 "There are three rules Brooke Sullivan must follow as a new nurse practitioner at a men’s maximum-security prison:

1) Treat all prisoners with respect.

2) Never reveal any personal information.

3) Never EVER become too friendly with the inmates.

But none of the staff at the prison knows Brooke has already broken the rules. Nobody knows about her intimate connection to Shane Nelson, one of the penitentiary’s most notorious and dangerous inmates.

And they certainly don’t know that Shane was Brooke’s high school sweetheart—the star quarterback who is now spending the rest of his life in prison for a series of grisly murders. Or that Brooke's testimony was what put him there.

But Shane knows. And he will never forget."

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So I've seen a lot of people reading this author's books, so I thought I'd give one a try. 

The book pulled me in from the beginning and was a really quick read. Not too far in I started trying to guess the outcome. My mind was all over the place. For a bit I was like, maybe it's this, then for a bit, maybe it's that. I actually did not guess the plot twist, which was good. With this type of book, you can pretty much expect a plot twist at the end. What really got me was the really unexpected twist in the epilogue. Sometimes I don't read these because they really don't add a lot to the story, but something told me to read this one and I'm glad I did. It was a short epilogue, but added a bit more whoa to the story. I'll probably give another one of hers a try.