Contemporary · Romance · Suspense

The ghost – Jessica Gadziala

39313789.jpg| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Sloane has everything she thought she ever wanted- a great career, a great apartment, great clothes, a life she had worked hard for.

Until one night, one chance encounter, one decision that changed everything.

With no options left, she enlists the help of Quinton Baird & Associates, who promptly inform her that she has to leave it all – the career, the apartment, the life she had worked so hard to build for herself – behind.

If all that wasn’t enough, her entire future – and life in general – was in the hands of a man whose coworkers called ‘The Ghost.’ Because that was what he did; he ghosted people, hid them, gave them new lives, made them impossible to find.

With no other choice, she agrees to his terms, climbs in a car with him, and travels almost clear across the country toward her new life. But the long hours on the road – and even longer hours in cabins and hotel rooms – together start to show her things. Like how unhappy she had actually been, how hollow her life was, how much she had denied herself in the name of superficial success.

And maybe, just maybe, how much she was starting to see how wrong first impressions can be, and how much a person can begin to mean to you when you decided to let them in…

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My thoughts: Such a sweet story. You mostly knows what to expect while starting a Jessica Gadziala book. Sweet, funny, sexy, sometimes a little angst filled, exciting and a lot of hot. And this is certainly not an exception. But I did miss a little more suspense. I know I’m always say that about her books and I do know she is not that type of author. But I’m that type of reader and little more suspense either in the case or in the relationship would have done it for me. But it is still not in any way a bad book. I really loved it. I loved Gunner and Sloane. How due to preconceptions, their relationship started off on the wrong foot and when they finally realized that not everything i s what it seems, it really started to hit it off.

There is a lot of tension in this one. Tension in the case, the situations and between the characters. But still it is easy and fun to read. Maybe because you already know how it will end but that doesn’t bother me. You get to know some of the other characters and oh my, my heart is breaking for Kai. He has his own book next in line in the series so I do someday in the near future get to know what will happen.

Mystery/Crime · Suspense · Thriller/Horror

Brimstone – Preston & Child

136637.jpg| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Behind the gates of a fabulous Hamptons estate, FBI Special Agent Pendergast comes upon the carnage of a gruesome crime: one that recalls the legendary horrors that befall those who make a Faustian pact with the devil. Surrounded by the choking stench of brimstone, the smoldering remains of art critic Jeremy Grove are found in a locked, barricaded attic next to a hoofprint singed into the floorboards.

Unable to resist a case that defies all but supernatural logic, Pendergast reunites with police officers Vincent D’Agosta (Relic) and Laura Hayward (Reliquary) to search for a more earthly explanation. But their investigation soon takes them from the luxury estates of Long Island and penthouses of New York City to the crumbling, legend-shrouded castles of the Italian countryside, where thirty years ago four men conjured up something unspeakable. . .

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My thoughts: I had such problems connecting with this book. It felt like it took me forever to read it. In reality it only took me 12 days but for someone like me, it does feel like an eternity. I did like the beginning and the end, but there is all that in the middle that didn’t do it for me. It was slow, cold and to detailed to be honest. But the story is yet really interesting. The murder case is quite mysterious and the urge to get all the answers was the only thing that kept me going. I did like the ending but at the same time I did not. There is some things that you do not get the answer to and I really do not like “cliffhangers”.

But in any case, I freaking LOVE Pendergast. He is such an interesting character. After “The Cabinet of Curiosities”, where you got to know him better, he is one of the best characters I know of. He is interesting, mystic, funny, so freaking smart and with a moral compass going haywire but still points in the right direction. In this one you also get to meet D’Agosta again and some other characters you briefly meet in the earlier books. And I love it. I love how the story is weave together with the earlier books and still lay ground for the future ones. I feel that there is some details not explained or released and I do hope the answer to it will be released in the next book.

In comparison I did like the “Still Life With Crows” more than this one even though I gave that one a three star rating to. The books are so different form each other and should not really be compared. But it is hard not to.

So to summery it up, I’m happy that I finished it, even though it was not a favorite. I still love the series as an whole and I do need to read the next book in the future to see what will happen. There is some other details released in this book that I’m really looking forward to dive deeper in to.

Contemporary · Romance · Suspense

At Peace – Kristen Ashley

11665750.jpg| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Violet Winters once had it all but lost it when her husband was murdered by a criminal madman. During a cold winter night Violet has to leave her warm bed to tell her neighbor to turn the music down. And that’s when she meets sinister, scarred, scarily attractive security specialist, Joe Callahan.

She wants to deny it, but Violet can’t beat back the hunger she feels for Joe so she gives in again and again. Feeling it himself, Joe feeds Vi’s hunger, breaking his own rules to keep her in his bed.

Even though Violet had only one man in her life, she’s sure Joe is giving her the signals and Vi decides she’s ready to take a second chance at life and, maybe, love. But Violet doesn’t know the dark secrets in Joe’s past, secrets so soul-wrenching, they’ve drained him dry. With nothing left to give, Joe’s determined to live his life alone and he breaks Violet’s heart.

Crushed by Joe’s betrayal, Violet comes to terms with the fact that, no matter what signals he gave, Joe was not theirs to win. But Violet’s husband’s murderer is obsessed with her and heartbreak again haunts the door of the Winters home. When it does Joe is forced to face the knowledge that he can’t fight Violet’s pull, she’s under his skin and filled him full to bursting.

Joe needs to win her back and put his life on the line to keep Violet safe. But, having had it all once, can Violet endure losing Joe?

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My thoughts:What a piece of crap. Utterly worthless and I’m so disappointed. But I guess it was about time I read a book by KA that I did not like. She is such an awesome author but even the best can’t be best all the time. So far I have read 14 books written by her and this is the first time I read one that I can’t stand. Not even a little bit. I hate the characters. I hate the story. I literally hate everything about it. It bored me to hell and Violet kept driving me nuts. Come on, you are a grown woman, stop acting worse than your own 14 year old daughter. Honest to god I think her 16 year old daughter was more of an adult than her. And to think about all the shit she has been through. No. Just No!

And Cal or Joe or what the hell everyone is calling him. Yeah I understand his situation and I do think, most of the time he was the grown up in the situations. But still, when a woman says no, it means no. He was constantly on the border between okay and not okay and if this was true and real it would have been a very unhealthy relationship. I’m open for a lot in this world but one girl playing two guys and one guy acting like he can take what he want and be a douche and suddenly not be a douche anymore just makes me cringe. Especially when the other guy is so nice and wonderful. Talk about playing the stereotypes. I have had enough and I will not spend more time ranting over this book. I know KA is a great author and I know she can do better than this. Like everyone you sometimes have a bad day. Well this time she just had a bad book.

Monthly summary

October Summary

monthlysummery2

Horror month is over and even though I did set out to read mostly horror, I did get in some other genres as well. The month have been very up and down but did read some new favorites and several that I can put on my “will read again” list which I like.

I’m glad I got as much reading in as I did because now November is here. The one month of the year I pretty much work nonstop and don’t have a life. Will get some reading in but impossible to say how much and what.

Favorite book this month: Lady Luck by Kristen Ashley.
Least favorite book this month:
Survive the night by Katie Ruggle.

Number of physical books:
6
Number of e-books:
 5
Number of audiobooks:
3
Total pages: 5624.
Female authors: 7
Male authors: 6

715834The Apprentice – Tess Gerritsen
Settings: Boston, Massachusetts, USA Pages: 376 Published: 2002
Genres: Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense.
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
Book 2 in The Rizzoli & Isles series.
34466922Sleeping beauties – S. King & O. King
Settings: USA Pages: 702 Published: 2017
Genres: Horror, fiction, thriller, fantasy.
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
27504442Crystal whisperer – Camilla Monk
Settings: All over the world Pages: 330 Published: 2016
Genres: Romance, suspense, mystery, contemporary.
My rating: 3/5
Links: Review
Book 3 in The Spottless series.
34453613Butterfly in amber – Camilla Monk
Settings: All over the world Pages: 454 Published: 2017
Genres: Romance, suspense, mystery, contemporary.
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
Book 4 in The Spotless series.
25445622Färjan (Blood Cruise) – Mats Strandberg
Settings: Baltic Sea Pages: 479 Published: 2015
Genres: Horror, thriller, paranormal, fantasy, swedish.
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
25526965End of watch – Stephen King
Settings:
 Midwest, USA Pages: 432 Published: 2016
Genres:
 Horror, fiction, thriller, mystery, crime.
My rating:
 2/5
Links:
Review
Book 3 in 
The Bill Hodges series.
42187371Lullaby – Jonathan Maberry
Settings: USA Pages: – Published: 2018
Genres: Horror, fiction, short story, Audiobook.
My rating: 3/5
Links: Review. Short story. Review only at Goodreads.
12542561.jpgCooper – Liliana Hart
Settings: USA Pages: 54 Published: 2018
Genres: Contemporary, romance.
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review. Short story. Review only at Goodreads.
Book 4 in The MacKenzie Family series.
34747260The woman left behind – Linda Howard
Settings: USA Pages: 368 Published: 2018
Genres: Contemporary, romance, suspense, thriller, military.
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
Book 2 in The GO-team series.
17837762Uzumaki – Junji Ito
Settings: Japan Pages: 648 Published: 2000
Genres: Horror, fiction, manga, graphic novels.
My rating: 3/5
Links: Review
Book 1-3 in The Uzumaki series.
9460487Miss Peregrine’s home for peculiar children – Ransom Riggs
Settings:  Florida,USA, Wales, UK Pages: 352 Published: 2011
Genres: Fantasy, young adult, fiction, paranormal.
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
Book 1 in The Miss Peregrine’s peculiar children series.
35023951Survive the night – Katie Ruggle
Settings: Colorado, USA Pages: 373 Published: 2018
Genres: Romantic suspense, contemporary.
My rating: 1/5
Links: Review
Book 3 in The Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series.
36244389Hocus Pocus and the all-new sequel – A.W Jantha
Settings: Salem, USA Pages: 521 Published: 2018
Genres: Young adult, fantasy, paranormal.
My rating: 2/5
Links: Review
18869204Lady Luck – Kristen Ashley
Settings: Colorado, USA Pages: 535 Published: 2011
Genres: Romance, contemporary.
My rating: 5/5
Links: Review
Book 3 in The Colorado Mountain series.
Contemporary · Romance · Suspense

Survive the night – Katie Ruggle

35023951| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: He’s always been a haven:
For the lost. The sick. The injured.
But when a hunted woman takes shelter in his arms, this gentle giant swears he’ll do more than heal her battered spirit―he’ll defend her with his life.

K9 Officer Otto Gunnersen always had a soft spot for anyone in need. As Monroe’s very own Dr. Doolittle, he dedicates himself to rehabilitating the injured souls that cross his path―but for all his big heart, he’s never been in love.

Until he meets Sarah Clifton’s haunted eyes. Until he realizes he’ll do anything to save her.

All Sarah wants is to escape a life caught between ambitious crime families, but there’s no outrunning her past. Her power-mad brother would hunt her to the ends of the earth…but he’d never expect Sarah to fight back. With Otto and the whole of Monroe, Colorado by her side, Sarah’s finally ready to face whatever comes her way.

It’s time to take a stand.

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My thoughts: I’m so disappointed. I had looked forward to this one and get to know Ottos story for so long. I even saved it to be read when I didn’t work or had other obligations, just so I didn’t have to stop reading. Unfortunately that made it even harder and I was so close to DNF it.

Otto was the most interesting, awkward, lovable and warm character among the guys in the K9 unit and I actually thought this was going to be a great ride. But it was not. It is predictable, excessive and has all the clichés you can imagine. Everything is just so overrated and used up. We are still chewing the same thing over and over again. It was boring and no action or interesting stuff. Just the same thing in different clothes.

Perhaps it would have been great if I was not an avid reader in the Romantic Suspense genre and have read “it all”. But I have loved Ruggles books before and I know she can write a hot and surprising book with deep characters. This one was just not one of those and it makes me sad.

To be honest this whole series has been very up and down. But I will not yet give up. I love Ruggles way of writing and I know she can produce really good books. This was just not one of them in my opinion.

Everyday things

Faire un voyage

bonvoyageI’m going on a vacation and will not be able to write any reviews in that period. But I will still read and when I’m back, hopefully I have lots and lots of books to review. (Probably not but hey, I can dream.)

A fun thing however is that I’m going book shopping while there, so I probably will have a little book haul to share with you. Wish to follow me on my travel? Take a look at my Instagram.

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

End of watch – Stephen King

25526965.jpg| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: In Room 217 of the Lakes Region Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic, something has awakened. Something evil. Brady Hartsfield, perpetrator of the Mercedes Massacre, where eight people were killed and many more were badly injured, has been in the clinic for five years, in a vegetative state. According to his doctors, anything approaching a complete recovery is unlikely. But behind the drool and stare, Brady is awake, and in possession of deadly new powers that allow him to wreak unimaginable havoc without ever leaving his hospital room.

Retired police detective Bill Hodges, the unlikely hero of Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers, now runs an investigation agency with his partner, Holly Gibney—the woman who delivered the blow to Hartsfield’s head that put him on the brain injury ward. When Bill and Holly are called to a suicide scene with ties to the Mercedes Massacre, they find themselves pulled into their most dangerous case yet, one that will put their lives at risk, as well as those of Bill’s heroic young friend Jerome Robinson and his teenage sister, Barbara. Brady Hartsfield is back, and planning revenge not just on Hodges and his friends, but on an entire city.

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My thoughts: Naah! In my opinion I could have skipped this book. Make my own ending and be good with it. Because this was boring. I think the idea was great and the plot was sufficient, but it was never captivating, interesting or exciting. Halfway through I wanted to DNF but I made a commitment to finish the series. (I’m horrible bad on finish series.) Besides, I do like the characters Bill and Holly so it was nice to follow them for a while more.

This one in the series is absolutely a lot more like the Stephen King we know and love. And I think it is that who wrecked it for me. The first two books are so painstakingly normal that going in the third book with that type of fantasy twist, made it disconnect from the first two books. It was only the characters who made it clear it still was the same series since it was so, so different. Others probably loves that type of thing. I however do not.

King is such a hit and miss type of author for me. Some books I love, others I don’t. It is funny how similar it can be even in a series. I loved the first book, the second was okay and the third I could have done without.

Mystery/Crime · Romance · Suspense

Butterfly in amber – Camilla Monk

34453613.jpg| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: He’s waiting for you…

Under a blanket of snow, surrounded by dark woods and a frozen sea, lies an ogre’s castle. There lives a little princess, trapped in the maze of her own mind.
On a battlefield where the past meets the present stand a fairy godmother and a pirate, an old ice cream man and a knight in shining clean armor…
The clock is ticking fast, and to pierce the ogre’s secrets and defeat him, Island Chaptal will have to fight to remember…and stay alive.

Can the Lions and the Roomba cats be stopped before it’s too late?Untitled

My thoughts: I was pretty angry with Monk when I ended the third book in the series. I was not yet ready to read the fourth book and had actually other plans for my next TBR. But she pretty much forced me to continue with that ending of the third book. I do not like to be forced to do things and it is not a good thing to have me go into a book a lot frustrated, a little angry and hoping for something more satisfying this time. Thank you for not disappointing me.

I was a little confused at the beginning of the book. I did not read it since I was at work but could not wait so ended up listening on it. The audiobook is wonderful and the narrator Amy McFadden is fantastic. Spectacular! The story started of really weird and it took me a while before I understood what was really going on. It is different from the first three books. It is even more darker and serious. I miss the ironic humor and *give a shit* attitudes but I see what Monk was going for here. It is also a lot more action filled than the third book and it is certainly quite a ride. It did get little excessive in the end but if it is something Monk is good at, it is surprises. And it was certainly quite a surprise.

I’m happy that I did get answers on all my questions *whew* but I do want more. Just a little more. To settle it all down. And I’m not the only one apparently since Monk have written a fifth book in the series due to the popular demand.

The series as a whole is great, so fun and wonderful. It is hard to not fall in love with the characters and just, oh I wish they were real. That is how fantastic it is.

Contemporary · Mystery/Crime · Romance · Suspense

Crystal Whisperer – Camilla Monk

27504442.jpg| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Sweet Jesus, this is it! Or maybe not.

Perpetually foiled romance heroine Island Chaptal and reformed cleaning expert March —or is it Mr. November?— are enjoying a pleasant break in South-Africa, after brushing death in the inhospitable and platypus-infested mountains of Liechtenstein…

That is, until a commercial flight disintegrates over the Atlantic, killing hundreds, and Island’s supervillain dad makes the news as the mastermind behind the attack. Old Lion Dries is now on the run, and he calls upon his last ally —and favorite disciple— March.

From the streets of Venice to the turquoise waters of French Polynesia, March and Island embark on a deadly race against the clock to find out what secrets lie behind Dries’s downfall, and stop the mysterious “Crystal Whisperer” before it’s too late. This time, though, there might just be no winning against futuristic weapons, CIA agents, Roomba cats, (reluctantly) evil henchmen, and dads who won’t let you get your groove on, dammit!

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My thoughts:*Rant warning* No, no no no NO! You are not supposed to end these books on that kind of cliffhanger. NO! I’m not ready to read the forth book right away but when you end it like that I just have to. I just must! So now you, my dear readers, know that this third book in the Spotless series ends on major cliffhanger. Not a small and acceptable one no, butt pretty much mid-sentence type of cliffhanger. GAH! Okay Rant over.

This is frustrating. First of I have to say that I really didn’t need a third, yes a THIRD book with the same theme “I’m going to die a virgin.” That plot you have bled dry now Monk. It’s time to move on. Get the speed up. Especially the romantic part of the book is so slow that we are pretty much moving backwards. It starting to be excessive and I need more and I need it know.

Other than that Monk is also still playing on the same string with the action and history. There is so much going on that at the same time you feel like it never goes anywhere. To be honest I actually started skimming the few last chapters because it did not give me anything. It was just the same, again. Other aspects of the book is a lot darker than the first two books. I love to follow the struggle and emotionally development and it is that who saved it for me. It made it real, interesting and easy to connect with, but still, it could have moved on a little further than that.

I enjoy the series as a whole but this one is the least of my favorite to be honest. I do hope the fourth one is better.

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

The Apprentice – Tess Gerritsen

715834| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: It is a boiling hot Boston summer. Adding to the city’s woes is a series of shocking crimes, in which wealthy men are made to watch while their wives are brutalized. A sadistic demand that ends in abduction and death.

The pattern suggests one man: serial killer Warren Hoyt, recently removed from the city’s streets. Police can only assume an acolyte is at large, a maniac basing his attacks on the twisted medical techniques of the madman he so admires. At least that’s what Detective Jane Rizzoli thinks. Forced again to confront the killer who scarred her – literally and figuratively – she is determined to finally end Hoyt’s awful influence . . . even if it means receiving more resistance from her all-male homicide squad.

But Rizzoli isn’t counting on the U.S. government’s sudden interest. Or on meeting Special Agent Gabriel Dean, who knows more than he will tell. Most of all, she isn’t counting on becoming a target herself, once Hoyt is suddenly free, joining his mysterious blood brother in a vicious vendetta. . . .

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My thoughts: I enjoy Tess Gerritsens writing and find her a terrific storyteller. That Jane Rizzoli gets on my nerves all the time and that I sometimes just want to scream, is a testimony for how great her writing really is. I had no trouble with keeping the speed up and there were few slow parts. It is action packed and suspense filled all the way from the first page to the last. Such a great ride. We did pick it up more or less from the end of the first book and we are following the same track with Hoyt and all that, just several months later. I thought it would be excessive and underwhelming, maybe even a little boring to go with the same story plot once again but it was never anything like that and I loved it.

Another thing I love is how great Gerritsen are with the medical explanations. They are never tedious or hard to understand for someone like me who is not that knowledgeable in those subjects. And even though I have seen the TV series several times over and there is not that many differences between the book and the series, I was never bored. I did know the ending before starting the book and I thought that was going to be hard for me but it never was. It was nice to meet some of the other characters that has a big part in the TV series and I was a little surprised because they are a little different. But I do think it will be some changes further on in the book series that I’m exciting to follow.