Contemporary · Mystery/Crime · Romance · Suspense

Dirty laundry – Liliana Hart

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| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: A new novel in the New York Times bestselling series: Coroner JJ Graves and her husband Sheriff Jack Lawson are back on the job when the body of an elderly woman is found in Bloody Mary.

Rosalyn McGowen is everyone’s favorite great-grandmother. She always has baked treats in her bag, she smells of roses, and she takes in stray cats. No one knows who could hurt a sweet old lady. But Rosalyn isn’t exactly as she seems. Every Thursday at noon Rosalyn secretly posts The Bloody Mary Tattler on social media, and it has everyone in town both captivated and horrified.

When Rosalyn’s secret is discovered along with her body, it’s not easy for JJ to determine her death as a homicide. But it’s not long before they discover the list of suspects is endless and Rosalyn didn’t exactly take all of her secrets to the grave.

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My thoughts:

“There relationship is so well written, it feels natural and realistic and it is easy to connect with.”

Another brilliant J.J Graves story from Liliana Hart. I read book 4.5 in the series several years ago and then I quite forgot about the series while waiting for book five. It was nice to pick up the thread again. I really like Harts writing where you get this warm, fuzzy feeling and even though the book about murder, death and human eating cats, there is also an aura of a feel good book at the same time. Mostly because I love JJ and Jack. Their relationship is so well written, it feels natural and realistic and it is easy to connect with. This time the book also has the feel of a mix between “desperate housewives” and “Midsomer Murders”. Such a fun story and plot to follow.

The conclusion in the end was however somewhat rushed and rich in details. It was a little hard to keep up with it to understand who the killer was and the why’s. It also ended on a major cliffhanger and we still haven’t received the whole truth around JJ’s dead parents. There is just so many loose threads floats around and it is time to knot some of them and be done with it. It is time to reveal those secrets.

Mystery/Crime · Suspense · Thriller/Horror

The girl with a clock for a heart – Peter Swanson

17841564| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: George Foss never thought he’d see her again, but on a late-August night in Boston, there she is, in his local bar, Jack’s Tavern.

When George first met her, she was an eighteen-year-old college freshman from Sweetgum, Florida. She and George became inseparable in their first fall semester, so George was devastated when he got the news that she had committed suicide over Christmas break. But, as he stood in the living room of the girl’s grieving parents, he realized the girl in the photo on their mantelpiece – the one who had committed suicide – was not his girlfriend. Later, he discovered the true identity of the girl he had loved – and of the things she may have done to escape her past.

Now, twenty years later, she’s back, and she’s telling George that he’s the only one who can help her…

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My thoughts:

“It has not put me off reading more written by Swanson but this is not the one I would recommend to my fellow readers.”

This is the second book by Peter Swanson I have read. The first one “The kind worth killing” totally blew me away with both story, plot and writing. It is one of my top five read so far this year and it was great. This one however was not as great in my opinion.

The writing is still as good and capturing as I found it from TKWK. It was the story and main plot I had issues with this time. Even the ending is terrible, just terrible in comparison with the line of the story. The first half of the book was fascinating, where we jump back and forth between today George and George 20 years ago at college. The history with him and Liana is a sticky web of love, lies and secrets which was really captivating at first.

The other half however just got to be too much for me. I started to annoy me on how stupid George was and how an unbelievable turn the story took. It got repetitive, the pace slowed down and I started to lose interest and it made me detached from the story.

It is a decent story overall and I did like it. It has not put me off reading more written by Swanson but this is not the one I would recommend to my fellow readers.

Adult fiction/Erotica · Fantasy/Paranormal · Fiction/Science Fiction

The priory of the orange tree – Samantha Shannon

29774026| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: A world divided.
A queendom without an heir.
An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

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My thoughts:

“This was certainly an epic journey and overall I really enjoyed it.”

Wow. It feels like someone have stolen my breath away and taken a piece of my body and soul. This was certainly an epic journey and overall I really enjoyed it. The world is so complex, extremely rich, colourful and truly a work of art. Then we have the characters. And they are many, who together weaves a story of love, hate, good and evil. Thanks Shannon for the character overview in the end of the book. Without it I would have had even bigger challenges with keeping track over who was who and who did what. Even with the help it was quite overwhelming at times and that is one of my two negative feelings toward the book. Thankfully there is mostly four point of views you are following which makes it easier.

The other negative thought I have about the book is that it is too damn long. I wouldn’t say it bored me per say, but it made me indifferent. At sometimes I read it mostly automatically because I knew if I stopped, I would have it hard to pick it up again. At other times I devoured it and could not put it down. It was somewhat inconsistent and that made me somewhat detached.

In the end I am happy. I would probably not reread it anytime soon, but I may read it again sometime in the distant future. And I do agree with the hype around the book. It is worth reading for everyone who wants or need an epic journey through the lands in this epic adult fantasy.

 

 

 

 

Adult fiction/Erotica · Contemporary · Fiction/Science Fiction

The storied life of A.J Fikry – Gabrielle Zevin

18293427| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.

We are not quite novels.
We are not quite short stories.
In the end, we are collected works.

A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died; his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history; and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island—from Chief Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s always felt kindly toward him; from Ismay, his sister-in-law, who is hell-bent on saving A.J. from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who persists in taking the ferry to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.’s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, he can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.

And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It’s a small package, though large in weight—an unexpected arrival that gives A.J. the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn’t take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J., for the determined sales rep Amelia to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light, for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.’s world. Or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn’t see coming.

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My thoughts:

“Heartwarming.”

What a lovely book. Took me by total surprise. I started it because I had it on my list after seeing one of the book tubers I follow talking about it. I just wanted something easy to read during the days before the holiday where I planned to start a real brick of a book, and oh my what a wonderful story. So captivating, sad but jet happy at the same time. It is by far, one of the best books I have read this year.

This is a short story with only 260 pages but it is enough to capture both my heart and soul. It is charming, funny and an easy read with some deep thoughts and emotions. How I have missed it for so long I have no idea. I love this kind of books. Heartwarming. I read a review on Goodreads written by a person who do not like heartwarming books. *Dramatic gasps* That is like the best thing ever. And I love when I find those like The Storied Life och A.J. Fikry who are not only heartwarming but also captivating on the brink to life changing. I cannot rave enough about this one without giving away spoilers. You just have to read it.

This is a definite reread for me.

Contemporary · Romance

The General – Jessica Gadziala

42527241| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Everyone in Navesink Bank knows about Senator Ericsson’s son, his wife, and the story that hit headlines that eventually led to one of the Mallick boys going to jail for assault.

What became of that woman after being coerced into lying on the stand was unknown.

That was until late one night when a phone rang in the offices of Quinton Baird & Associates.

And her voice was on the other end of the line.

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My thoughts:

“It is a great story in a somewhat passive pace and an easy read.”

A sweet story about a woman who finally has had enough and taking her own life in her own hands. With a story that didn’t disappoint and a romantic twist that feels natural and compelling we finally get to know the whole truth and nothing but the truth about Jenny and Eli. Why she lied and destroyed the life of her savior. In the book about Eli I disliked Jenny and in The General, you do get to know the whole truth and see that in the end, she pretty much saved his and somewhat her own life right there and then. But in Jenny’s case it is Smith who is the real savior. The man who not only saves her from a life in prison but also from a life she didn’t want.

Jenny is a really sweet character and a deep one with a lot of layers. Smith is a typical good guy characters who I feel is missing a couple of layers but in the end is just as perfect as he can be. It is a great story in a somewhat passive pace and an easy read.

There is however two thinks that bothers me.

  1. If Quinton Baird & Associates goes under the cover of security, how the heck could she do a simple Google search and find “fixers” when they are not supposed to exist and be that easy to find. If for an example Maren had leave a card or something for Jenny way back, since she knew the truth, I would totally understand. But not just a simple Google search to find this cloak and dagger company.
  2. What was on the laptop? Why even bring it up in the story if not saying what was or not was on it and not even mentioning it later on.
Everyday things

Happy Easter!

Today my Easter holiday starts which means a couple of extra days of work. Yay! And I will spend it blissfully with books. And maybe my partner and some friends to. 😉 The weather is suppose to be fantastic so who knows. But yeah, Books, would love to just lay on the sofa and read the holiday away.

What are you planing to do this weekend? Do you celebrate Easter? Do you have another holiday? What do you plane on reading? Happy weekend dear readers. 😀

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Fiction/Science Fiction · Thriller/Horror

Pet Sematary – Stephen King

51YOjBvyolL| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis:

The house looked right, felt right, to Dr Louis Creed. Rambling, old, unsmart and comfortable. A place where the family could settle; the children grow and play and explore. The rolling hills and meadows of Maine seemed a world away from the fume-choked dangers of Chicago. Only the occasional big truck out on the two-lane highway, grinding up through the gears, hammering down the long gradients, growled out an intrusive threat.
But behind the house and far away from the road: that was safe. Just a carefully cleared path up into the woods where generations of local children have processed with the solemn innocence of the young, taking with them their dear departed pets for burial. A sad place maybe, but safe. Surely a safe place. Not a place to seep into your dreams, to wake you, sweating with fear and foreboding…

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My thoughts:

“This was actually a lot better than I expected but that ending though. Come on!!”

I’m not easily frightened! Specially not by books but this was really one of those few who made my skin crawl right from the beginning. And it is all due to this skill with taking something real, something you know or could imagine experience and twist it to this ugly, supernatural, frightening thing of reality that just hooks you deep in your soul. And Stephen King has that skill and in The Pet Sematary he excelled.

But however, I have said it before and will say it again, that ramble is my biggest problem with books written by King. He can go on and on about a thing in a middle of a conversation or a suspense filled moment and sometimes it is so extensive that I loose where in the conversation I was or what was happening. It made the suspense simmer down and me come back to reality, which changed the amount of impact it had on me. It doesn’t defined the book and make it a bad one per say and I can honestly say that this is one of the best I have read so far this year. That is just one of the things with King I have a problem with and it takes some of the experience away and in this case, also one star.

Other than that, I enjoyed this immensely and I’m now looking forward to see the new movie who had premier now in April. This was actually a lot better than I expected but that ending though. Come on!!

Everyday things

I bought myself a car!

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Here come a not so bookish post because I’m just so happy. I have bought my very first car. I no longer have to take the bus to or from work. I do not have to take the train, bus or/and a airplane to be able to visit my family back home in Sweden. Now I can just drive and save +8 hours of the total travelling time. It usually takes between 17 to 24 hours to travel home and I always had to take two extra days off work only for traveling. That sucked. In a car it takes around 9 hours. I’m all for public transportation and environmental thinking, but at the same time I have the money to do it more comfortable now and until the public transportation gets more flexible for long distant traveling, I will now drive. And I’m so happy.

Unfortunately it also has a negative impact. It effects my reading time. Before car I read a lot while waiting for buses and while traveling back and forth between work and home. That reading time is now gone. I can already see it affect my reading speed and how many books I will read in a month. I’m sorry for that for it will also effect the number of reviews I will publish here. My solution is that I will try to prioritize reading more at home, unfortunately the snow is finally gone, the sun is here hand spring is just around the corner. It means more time outside and a more social life = less reading. But what are you gonna do?

Fiction/Science Fiction · Mystery/Crime · Thriller/Horror

Ritual – Mo Hayder

39784787| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Nine feet under water, police diver Flea Marley closes her gloved fingers around a human hand. The fact that there’s no body attached is disturbing enough—until the discovery of the matching appendage a day later. Both hands have been freshly amputated, and there are indications that the victim was still alive when they were removed.

Newly seconded to the Major Crime Investigation Unit in Bristol, DI Jack Caffery soon establishes that the hands belong to a young man who has recently disappeared. As Caffery and Marley search for the rest of the victim—and for his abductor—they journey into the darkest recesses of Bristol’s underworld, where drug addiction is rife, street kids sell themselves for a hit, and a disturbing occult ritual may be making an unexpected appearance.

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My thoughts:

“… you have lost the touch with Caffery. He is a numb and stiff character, I no longer feel the love toward.”

I’m sorry to say that this is not what you would expect after reading the two home runs before this one. I expected more and not start off with the feeling that I have missed something. The third book about Caffery, did not pick up where the second book ended and that was quite confusing because I did not understand what was going on. And it does take some time before you get to the part which explained it all. Specially since Caffery is the main character but he is written like a sidekick and you follow Flea more or less the whole book.

It is supposed to be a series about Jack Caffery, haunted detective, who tries not to break the rules but still find out the answer on a 30 year old “mystery” while still trying to solve the more fresh today “whodunit” cases. But in reality we are following Flea, a socially awkward, grieving woman who is depressed and keeps focusing on the wrong things which has nothing to do with the main plot. The main story and plot is pretty bland and boring. There is no excitement or the need to find out who did it and why. It started of pretty good with the introduction of Flea, but it never delivered in the end.

What happened, Mo? The pace is slow and in comparison to the two other books, you have lost the touch with Caffery. He is a numb and stiff character, I no longer feel the love toward. I feel disconnected, sad and I missed the page turning feeling.

Contemporary · Romance

Breathe – Kristen Ashley

18773967| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: There’s nothing like the first time . . . 

In Carnal, Colorado, Faye Goodknight is the town’s quiet, shy librarian. She may also be Carnal’s last remaining virgin. For years, Faye has had a crush on Chace Keaton, but the gorgeous cop has always been unattainable. She’s resigned to live contentedly with only her books for company-until Faye suddenly meets Chace alone in the woods . . .

Chace doesn’t think he’s the good guy everyone believes him to be. He’s made a lot of choices he regrets, including denying his feelings for Faye. Through his choices, he’s come to believe the pretty librarian is too good for him, but after their time in the woods, Chace realizes that she may be his last chance for redemption. Soon, their long simmering desires grow to a burning passion. Yet always casting a shadow over their happiness is Chace’s dark past . . .

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My thoughts:

“KA is so good at what she does that even she may not be able to maintain the expectations she has created.”

“I’m so bored.” That was my main thought throughout the whole thing. I don’t know what it was, but it never fell right with me. Didn’t find the characters as good as I know Ashley usually writes them, the story was mostly repetitive information from the earlier books and the romantic part of the plot was just overrated. KA is so good at what she does that even she may not be able to maintain the expectations she has created. I’m disappointed to be honest and it was not what I expected.

I struggled so much, I feel exhausted and broken. I really wanted to DNF it but couldn’t do that to her since KA is one of my favorite authors. But I tried, Oh lord did I try and maybe it would have been more humane to end it in the middle and not knowing what I know now.

I’m tired and I need a break. No romance for a while now. I need to read some other stuff and hopefully find my reader self again.