Review of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE STREET by Diane Chamberlain * * * * *

Title: The Last House on the Street 

Author: Diane Chamberlain

Genre: Mystery/Suspense 

Rating: 5*

Publishers: St. Martin's Press

(Jan 11, 2022)

Hardback: 352 pages

ISBN:  978-1250267962

FTC Disclosure: Book provided by my local library

A small town divided by prejudice. A family torn apart. A secret that won't remain silent.

Read the magnificent new novel from the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author.

'Compelling, important, devastating: you have to read this one' Sunday Times bestseller Clare Mackintosh

'Both powerful and page-turning' Sunday Times bestseller Cathy Kelly

'Sensitively written yet unflinching... Taut, compelling and moving' Sunday Times bestseller Adele Parks, Platinum magazine

1965. A young white female student becomes involved in the fight for civil rights in North Carolina, falling in love with one of her fellow activists, a Black man, in a time and place where an interracial relationship must be hidden from family, friends and especially the reemerging Ku Klux Klan. As tensions rise in the town, she realises not everyone is who they appear to be.

2010. A recently widowed architect moves into the home she and her late husband designed, heartbroken that he will never cross the threshold. But when disturbing things begin to happen, it's clear that someone is sending her a warning. Who is trying to frighten her away, and why?

Decades later, past and present are set to collide in the last house on the street...

This book was a wonderful blending of the past and the present and the captivating mystery kept me reading late into the night.

I grew up in a town very like the one in this story in the foothills of North Carolina and though I'd have only been 10 at the time this happened, I am both fascinated and horrified to realize that events that happened in this book could and did take place in my lifetime and possibily in my community. 

It took awhile to see the connection in what was going on in 1965 to the events in 2010 but when they connected wow! I must say I had very little of it figured out and what a surprise ending. It was perfect. If you want a read that will keep you thinking about it long after you've finished it then read THE LAST HOUSE ON THE STREET.

Diane Chamberlain is the RITA Award winning author of sixteen novels, published in over twelve languages. A former hospital social worker and psychotherapist, Diane writes complex stories about relationships, redemption and forgiveness with a touch of mystery and suspense. She lives in North Carolina with her significant other, John, and her shelties, Keeper and Jet.

Review of AFRAID- An omnibus of novels by Lisa Childs, Alexandra Ivy and Lisa Jackson-* * * * *

  

Title:AFRAID

Author: Lisa Childs, Alexandra Ivy and Lisa Jackson

Genre: Murder Mystery

Rating: 5*

Publishers: Zebra

(Feb 22, 2022)

Paperback: 368 pages

ISBN: 978-1420153637

FTC Disclosure: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Copy provided for the purpose of providing an honest review.

 This does not affect my opinion of this book.

A thrilling new book featuring the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Third Grave, that fans of Allison Brennan and Lisa Gardner won’t want to miss! Dark secrets and revenge converge as former students from an elite boarding school, which is also a haven for the daughters of the rich and famous, come face to face with the crimes of the past…
 
LUCY
Lucy Champagne was sent to St. Cecilia’s after her movie-star mother was brutally attacked by her sleazy boyfriend, Ray Watkins. Lucy’s damning testimony landed Ray a twenty-five-year sentence. But now, Ray is free. And he’s going to find Lucy and make her pay, no matter how far and how fast she runs . . .
 
RAYNE
Rayne Taylor found unexpected happiness at St. Cecilia’s, until her roommate, Natalie, committed suicide. Only when Rayne finds a box of mementoes from that time does she realize how wrong she may have been about Natalie’s death—and how far someone will go to keep the truth hidden . . .
ERIN
Erin MacDonald remembers little about the long-ago night she and her sister, Anna Beth, were kidnapped. While Erin was found safe, Anna Beth vanished forever. Now Erin has reluctantly come back to the family estate, where Detective Rafe Montego hopes to finally crack the case. But as flashes of Erin’s memory reemerge, she learns how deep the danger goes . . .

As all of these three authors are familiar and loved by me, this book was an automatic choice for me. While normally I don't read a lot of novellas, they were just the right size for a quick read late at night when I didn't want to be up till 4 AM finishing a suspense novel that would not let me sleep until resolving "who dun it" before being able to sleep. I loved the fact that these books were loosely connected yet stood alone. The only fault was that they ended way to quick. Each novella would have been a fabulous full length novel as they kept me quessing up until the end.

Lisa Jackson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over ninety-five novels, including Liar, Liar, You Will Pay, After She's Gone, Deserves to Die, Running Scared, and Shiver. She is also the co-author of One Last Breath, Last Girl Standing and the Colony Series, written with her sister and bestselling author Nancy Bush, as well as the collaborative novels Sinister and Ominous, written with Nancy Bush and Rosalind Noonan. There are over thirty million copies of her novels in print and her writing has been translated into twenty languages. She lives with her family and rambunctious dogs in the Pacific Northwest. Readers can visit her online at LisaJackson.com and find her on Facebook.

 

Alexandra Ivy is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal

bestselling author of romantic suspense, paranormal and erotic romance. She has also written Regency historicals under the name Deborah Raleigh. A five-time RT Book Award Finalist, Ivy has received much acclaim for her Guardians of Eternity, ARES Security, Immortal Rogues and Sentinels series. She lives with her family in Missouri and can be found online AlexandraIvy.com.

 

Lisa Childs is an award-winning and international bestselling author of more than seventy novels.  She was born on Halloween, which may have fated her predilection for spinning dark and twisty stories. In addition to romantic suspense, she also writes women’s fiction, paranormal and contemporary romance. Lisa loves to hear from readers who can contact her on Facebook, and through her Website LisaChilds.com.

Review of FREE FROM SIN by Karen Ann Hopkins * * * * *

 

                                      Title: FREE FROM SIN

Series: Possum Gap #1

Author: Karen Ann Hopkins

Genre: Crime Mystery

Rating: 5*

Publishers: Independently published

(Feb 9, 2022)

Paperback: 280 pages

ISBN: 979-8799900489

FTC Disclosure: Free copy provided by the publisher via Goodreads

Copy provided for the purpose of providing an honest review.

 This does not affect my opinion of this book.

FREE FROM SIN is a gripping psychological crime thriller/mystery story about the intertwining lives of three unlikely women in the hills of Kentucky, and the explosive results when a troubled teenager has her day of reckoning.

Sheriff Sadie Mills navigates the challenges of single motherhood while solving crimes in the rural community of Possum Gap, Kentucky. The recent trailer shootings in her jurisdiction have her on edge, and the new coroner, a Yankee transplant from the east coast, is still adjusting to life in the wilderness when all hell breaks loose. Cases stemming from an out-of-control hillbilly clan, sex trafficking, and a murder in the nearby Amish community collide, and Sheriff Mills finds herself in a race to stop a serial killer before they strike again.

Lucinda Coblentz is a devoted wife, mother, and member of a strict religious order. Her kind and generous ways make her the perfect target of a master manipulator and has put her beloved family in grave danger. Can she make matters right before it’s too late?

Charlie Baker endured years of torment by a wicked stepfather and a coldhearted mother before she finally escaped her suffering. Now eighteen, her powerful journey takes her between two worlds, one good and the other evil. Struggling to cope with buried secrets and the demons from her past, she’ll stop at nothing in her search for the one thing that has always eluded her—happiness.

When I first started this book, I thought it was going to be a bust as I hate books told from different points of view. In fact, I often avoid a book written in this manner. However, the story managed to drag me in. I loved the location, the hills of Kentucky, and was surprised to realize there were Amish communities in Kentucky. Being from the foothills of North Carolina, I can't believe I hadn't run across this fact before. In fact, there are nearly 8000 Amish in the state of Kentucky.

I loved the pacing of the story and was back and forth about my feelings for Charlie. The story was so compeling that I managed to complete it in several hours and I'm already looking forward to the next story in this series and checking out her Serenity's Plain Secrets series.

You can visit Karen Ann Hopkins at her website: www.karenannhopkinsfiction.com.

Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, sheep, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, pigs, dogs, and cats. Karen rescues and fosters a variety of pets and farm animals, but she also finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lives in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.

Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first horse at the age of eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, Karen found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Karen is currently working on her Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets, along with several new projects.

Review for -IN FIVE YEARS by Rebecca Serle * * * * *

 

Title: In Five Years

Author: Rebecca Serle

Genre: Women's Fiction

Rating: * * * * *

Publishers: Atria Books

(March 10, 2020)

Hardback: 272 pages

ISBN: 978-1982137441

A Good Morning America, FabFitFun, and Marie Claire Book Club Pick

“In Five Years is as clever as it is moving, the rare read-in-one-sitting novel you won’t forget.” —Chloe Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Immortalists

Perfect for fans of Me Before You and One Day—a striking, powerful, and moving love story following an ambitious lawyer who experiences an astonishing vision that could change her life forever.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Dannie Kohan lives her life by the numbers.

She is nothing like her lifelong best friend—the wild, whimsical, believes-in-fate Bella. Her meticulous planning seems to have paid off after she nails the most important job interview of her career and accepts her boyfriend’s marriage proposal in one fell swoop, falling asleep completely content.

But when she awakens, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. Dannie spends one hour exactly five years in the future before she wakes again in her own home on the brink of midnight—but it is one hour she cannot shake. In Five Years is an unforgettable love story, but it is not the one you’re expecting.

This book was as close to perfect as it gets. I won't go into any specifics but whatever book you thought was the best, that made you almost suffocate with emotion, and made you stop and wipe your eyes and blow your nose---double it and it still may not come close to this book. I read it in less than a day and expect it will be with me for a good long time. This is what friendship and love should be for everyone!

The Pout-Pout Fish Board book – by Deborah Diesen

 

A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER

Deep in the water,

Mr. Fish swims about

With his fish face stuck

In a permanent pout.

Can his pals cheer him up?

Will his pout ever end?

Is there something he can learn

From an unexpected friend?

Swim along with the pout-pout fish as he discovers that being glum and spreading "dreary wearies" isn't really his destiny. Bright ocean colors and playful rhyme come together in this fun fish story that's sure to turn even the poutiest of frowns upside down.The Pout-Pout Fish is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year. 

Undoubtably the cutest book, I've read to my grandchildren.  I can't believe that anyone found it offensive. It's not for school aged kids but little kids that will love the bright pics and rhyming sing songy story. I doubt the 1 year olds that are being read to are going to remember this and just pop up and kiss a stranger or think that everyone should smile and never have a down day. Get a grip people and give your little kids a chance to laugh when you go "blub, blub, blup " and give a more age appropriate book to your kids that might be inclined to kiss a stranger! Geeze!

Review of HIDDEN HEARTS by Marci Bolden 5*

Title: Hidden Hearts

Series: Hearts #1

Author: Marci Bolden

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Rating: *****

Publishers: Pink Sand Press (10-15-19)

Paperback: 308  pages

ISBN: 978-1950348237

FTC Disclosure: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Copy provided for the purpose of providing an honest review.

 This does not affect my opinion of this book.
Former Army Sergeant Holly Austin and her team at the HEARTS agency don’t normally find the police at their door. But it’s been weeks since a local woman vanished into thin air...and now there’s a second victim.

Police Detective Jack Tarek wasn’t officially working the Julia Frederickson case until a second victim made the matter personal. Holly is willing to cooperate with Jack “unofficially,” but she quickly becomes a distraction he can’t resist. The leads on their cases might be running cold, but the attraction between the investigators is sizzling hot.


With every lead a dead end, those close to the investigation grow increasingly impatient for answers. Just as hidden secrets come to light, one of the investigators vanishes without a trace. The HEARTS team has just hours to solve the case—or risk losing one of their own.

This is a great start to a new for me series. I just saw that books two and three for the series are out in Kindle so definitely checking out the rest of the crew from HEARTS stories. 
While I found Holly more than a bit prickly, she grew on me and I loved her with Jack. There was a perfect mixture of romance and suspense that had me staying up all night devouring this book. While I don't want to say anything that will ruin the story for you, the layers of the characters and crime will keep you reading long after you should have turned off the light.

Go HERE to read an excerpt!

As a teen, Marci Bolden skipped over young adult books and jumped right into reading romance novels. She never left.

Marci lives in the Midwest with her husband, two teenaged kiddos, and numerous rescue pets. If she had an ounce of will power, Marci would embrace healthy living but until cupcakes and wine are no longer available at the local grocery store, she'll put that ambition on hold and appease her guilt by reading self-help books and promising to join a gym "soon."

Review For UNDER CURRENTS By Nora Roberts 5*

Title: Under Currents
Author: Nora Roberts
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Rating: * * * * *

Publishers: St. Martin's Press (Jul 7, 2019)

Hardback: 436  pages

ISBN: 9781250207098 

FTC Disclosure: Book from local public library

Within the walls of a tasteful, perfectly kept house in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, young Zane Bigelow feels like a prisoner of war. Strangers - and even Zane's own aunt across the lake - see his parents as a successful surgeon and his stylish wife, making appearances at their children's ballet recitals and baseball games. Zane and his sister know the truth: There is something terribly wrong.
As his father's violent, controlling rages - and his mother's complicity - become more and more oppressive, Zane counts the years, months, days until he can escape. He looks out for little Britt, warning her Be smart. Be careful. In fear for his very life, he plays along with the insidious lie that everything is fine, while scribbling his real thoughts in a secret journal he must carefully hide away.

When one brutal, shattering night finally reveals cracks in the facade, Zane begins to understand that some people are willing to face the truth, even when it hurts. As he grows into manhood and builds a new kind of family, he will find that while the darkness of his past may always shadow him, it will also show him what is necessary for good to triumph - and give him strength to draw on when he once again must stand up and defend himself and the ones he loves...

This is one of those books that you absolutely cannot put down until the end. While it didn't have any mindblowning twists, (it's more a romance than a suspense story) you'll realize very quickly the who, it will make you flinch with horror that parents could be so cruel. It will often have you near tears, but the main characters had so many Roark/Eve mannerisms and words of wisdom, I knew it would be a satisfying read.
I loved the depth of the main characters and how much they grew and evolved throughout the book. It's not often that the author takes the time and allows us to understand their back stories as well as allowing their love to grow slowly. I loved the locale as it's one I'm very familiar with and was right on the money with the locals in a small town in the mountainous North Carolina hill country. I hope that Nora took the opportunity to spend some time in the Asheville communities and see for herself some of the beautiful scenery and possibly the Biltmore house.
With a gardening soul myself, there may have been a bit too many pages spent on details with Darby's landscaping job but I enjoyed it.

Review Of Then She Was Gone By Lisa Jewell- 5*

Title: Then She Was Gone

                                         Author: Lisa Jewell

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Rating: * * * * *

Publishers: Thorndike Press Large Print

(May 2, 2018)

Hardback: 531 pages

ISBN: 978-1432850661

FTC Disclosure: Public library

Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was fifteen, the youngest of three. She was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenaged golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic post-exams summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her.
And then she was gone.
Now, her mother Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. It’s been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie’s case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she’s meeting Floyd’s daughters—and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel’s breath away.

Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. And now, the unanswered questions she’s tried so hard to put to rest begin to haunt Laurel anew. Where did Ellie go? Did she really run away from home, as the police have long suspected, or was there a more sinister reason for her disappearance? Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?

Ahhh, a very satisfying read!!! 
Although I thought I had figured out part of this mystery, I was pleased that the author threw in enough curves to keep me guessing but still stay true to the story. It was at times horrifying and totally had me wiping tears from my face while still offering a look at the resilience of the human soul.
All of the characters were well flushed out and even the minor ones were believable. The villains were evil but humanized by the events in their lives. In general, I don't like a story told from multiple viewpoints but it absolutely worked in this instance. 
As a parent, I can't imagine the unbelievable horror of having a child disappear without knowing what has happened but I'm not sure if Laurel had known the intimate details of Ellie's disappearance if it could have been any less horrifying. While there is a satisfying ending to the story, the trip is full of bumps and turns that makes it impossible to slow down or take a break until the end is reached.

Lisa Jewell is the internationally bestselling author of eighteen novels, including the New York Times bestseller Then She Was Gone, as well as I Found You, The Girls in the Garden, and The House We Grew Up In. In total, her novels have sold more than two million copies across the English-speaking world and her work has also been translated into sixteen languages so far. Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters. Connect with her on Twitter @LisaJewellUK and on Facebook @LisaJewellOfficial.

Review- SOMETIMES I LIE By Alice Feeney -5 *

Title: SOMETIMES I LIE 

Author: Alice Feeney

Genre: Psychological Mystery

Rating: * * * * *

Publishers: Flatiron Books 

(Mar 13, 2018)

Paperback: 272 pages

ISBN: 978-1250144843

FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from public library

My name is Amber Reynolds. 
There are three things you should know about me: 
1. I’m in a coma. 
2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore. 
3. Sometimes I lie. 

Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can’t move. She can’t speak. She can’t open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn’t remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from twenty years ago, this brilliant psychological thriller asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it's the truth?

This is one of those books that once started you won't want to put down and hours, nay, days afterwards you are going to question what you think happened. I won't rehash the storyline as I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but seriously this is one twisty, turny book! If you like a good psychological mystery, put your life on hold and ban everyone from your home for the day and go for the ride of your life.

I'm still questioning what I think I know and it's been a week since I finished it and read everyone else's opinion of what they think happened (here). I keep having to remind myself though that the title was "Sometimes I Lie". I can so see this as the next great "Big Little Lies" type of TV drama.

View all my reviews

Alice Feeney is a writer and journalist. She spent 15 years at the BBC, where she worked as a Reporter, News Editor, Arts and Entertainment Producer and One O’clock News Producer.​

Alice has lived in London and Sydney and has now settled in the Surrey countryside, where she lives with her husband and dog.

​

Sometimes I Lie is her debut thriller and is being published around the world. 

Website

https://www.alicefeeney.com

Twitter

alicewriterland

Audio Review For THE WIFE BETWEEN US By Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen- 5*

Title: The Wife Between Us

Author: 

Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen

Genre: Thriller Suspense

Rating: * * * * *

Publishers: St Martin's Press

(Jan 9, 2018)

Hardback: 352  pages

ISBN: 978-1250130921

FTC Disclosure: Borrowed copy from Library

"A fiendishly smart cat-and-mouse thriller" 

―New York Times Book Review

"Buckle up, because you won't be able to put this one down." ―Glamour 

"Jaw dropping. Unforgettable. Shocking." 

―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The best domestic suspense novel since Gone Girl." 

―In Touch Weekly

When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous ex-wife.
You will assume she is obsessed with her replacement – a beautiful, younger woman who is about to marry the man they both love.
You will assume you know the anatomy of this tangled love triangle.
Assume nothing.

Twisted and deliciously chilling, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen's The Wife Between Us exposes the secret complexities of an enviable marriage - and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.

Read between the lies.

"The best domestic suspense novel since Gone Girl." 

First off, when I see this comparison, it's usually the kiss of death to a book for me. But, "they" got it right this time. This was an absolutely mind blowing tale. I can't say enough how much I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

And I must say, all the assumptions I made (even after reading the blurb) wrong oh so wrong! This twisty tale will knock you on your butt so many times. Just as soon as you think you have something figured out-nope! you will be wrong. 

I actually listened to this as an audio book. I only listen for about three hours a week while driving to visit the grand babies and have found that only suspense thrillers are acceptable (for me) when driving. This book kept me sitting in the car long after I had arrived and once home had to finish it before going to bed. Not only will I be one of the first in line to buy tickets when this is released as a movie but I intend to "reread" it in print and see if I pick up on any of the twists before the reveal. A very satisfying read!

Review- DEAD GIRL RUNNING By Christina Dodd-5*

Title: Dead Girl Running
Series: Cape Charade #1

Author: Christina Dodd

Genre: Thriller Suspense

Rating: * * * * *

Publishers: HQN Books

(Apr 24, 2018)

Hardback: 336 pages

ISBN: 978-1335017437

FTC Disclosure: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

Copy provided for the purpose of providing an honest review.

 This does not affect my opinion of this book.

I have three confessions to make:
1. I've got the scar of a gunshot on my forehead.
2. I don't remember an entire year of my life.
3. My name is Kellen Adams...and that's half a lie.

Girl running...from a year she can't remember, from a husband she prays is dead, from homelessness and fear. Tough, capable Kellen Adams takes a job as assistant manager of a remote vacation resort on the North Pacific Coast. There, amid the towering storms and the lashing waves, she hopes to find sanctuary. But when she discovers a woman's dead and mutilated body, she's soon trying to keep her own secrets while investigating first one murder...then another. 

Now every guest and employee is a suspect. Every friendly face a mask. Every kind word a lie. Kellen's driven to defend her job, her friends and the place she's come to call home. Yet she wonders--with the scar of a gunshot on her forehead and amnesia that leaves her unsure of her own past, could the killer be staring her in the face?

I've read oodles of Dodd's books over the years and this one did not disappoint. It was a good solid thriller that kept me guessing most of the book. Many neat twists that added to my enjoyment and had me sure I'd figured "it" out. Only to a small measure. This is one of those books you need to start really early on a day that you can devote your entire day/night to as you will be unable to leave it unfinished. Several reviewers mentioned a cliffhanger but I felt the ending just was a promise of more to come.
I throughly enjoyed the gothic feel of the resort and the descriptive presentation of this remote area of the North Pacific Coast. With both the mysterious past of Kellen's and trying to determine the who and why of the murder, you get a double mystery that will occupy your mind each time you lay the book down so prepare for a late night once you get solidly into this twisty tale. 

Go HERE for an excerpt of DEAD GIRL RUNNING.