Book Review: Bad Men and Wicked Women

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

Affairs of the heart can be lethal in New York Timesbestselling author Eric Jerome Dickey's latest sensual, thrilling novel.

As a low-level enforcer in Los Angeles, Ken Swift knows danger, but nowhere does he feel it more than in his tangled romances. Divorced from one woman, in love with another, and wrestling with a strong desire to get to know a third, his life is far from perfect, and it becomes all the more complicated when his troubled daughter resurfaces on the same day as a major job. Margaux is pregnant, bitter, and desperate: she needs $50,000 immediately, and she isn't above blackmailing Ken to get it. Yet even as the tension-filled father/daughter reunion escalates into a clashing of wills and desires that spread far beyond their family, Ken's latest contract spirals quickly out of control, and he finds it is not only his daughter looking to seek revenge. 

With the strong characters, heart-pounding action, and intense passion he is known for, New York Times bestseller Eric Jerome Dickey lays bare a tale of lust and angst that will leave readers breathless.

                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

This book rocked my socks off. I liked a lot of things in this novel. 

The book follows Ken Swift who is a very complicated man. He is in a tangled romance, while also being a scary enforcer at night. He is divorced from one woman while in love with another, and in lust with his hot neighbor. He also has a strong desire to know a fourth, women. Basically, he has a lot of coals in the fire. He is haunted by what he has done and some very old memories. But all of a sudden he has to face them.

One day his daughter come out of nowhere. She is demanding a large amount of money and he is actively working a job that while risks his life, gives him a great paycheck. The father-daughter reunion is quite complicated. He wants a relationship and to catch up. She wants only one thing. She needs 50,000 dollars to solve a bit of trouble she is in. She also needs to protect her unborn child. She is going to have to blackmail her own dad to get it.

The only thing I disliked was the social rants that were in the form of quite lengthy dialogue. There were whole pages of just one character rambling about politics and it took me out of the story. It really ruined things for me. The writing style was good it just was too much of one viewpoint shoved down my throat.

Disclaimer: I received this novel from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. 

Book Review: A New Orleans Threesome

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

Title: A New Orleans Threesome 
Author: Louisa Bacio
Publisher: Entangled Sourced 
Source: NetGalley 
Publisher Date: June 18th, 2018
Page Count:  216 pages

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars 

Haunted by paranormal abilities she can't control and plagued by nightmares about a demon that seeks her soul, Lily Anima travels to New Orleans in search of salvation. She enlists the help of an unlikely couple: a vampire, Lawrence Justice, and a werewolf, Trevor Pack. The attraction is immediate and fierce.

There's only one problem.

Lily's a virgin. And whatever paranormal problem she's having is what has kept her that way. Every time she's tried to do the deed, something stops her.

Together, the trio encounters magic and unspeakable evil, and Trevor and Lawrence attempt to help Lily turn her powers into a gift rather than a curse. Ultimately, to get the demon off her back, Lily's men will have to show her all the wicked ways the three of them can come together.

Warning: Read at your own risk. This book is filled to the brim with steamy m/m sex, a virgin who wants in on the action, and a c*ckblocking demon.

                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

To be honest I really wanted to love A New Orleans Threesome. It seemed like a naughty adventure and the cover has honestly a great look to it. When I read the synopsis I was intrigued but it let me down big time. The book was different for me than the title and synopsis lead you to believe. In this book, we have a  paranormal romance between three people. One is a Vampire, another is a Witch and lastly, we have a Werewolf. It was ultimately a cheesy novel. 

While this was an interesting premise the execution left so much to be desired. It was confusing and stalled at points. There was little if any character development and the plot just kinda was boring and dry. I found the explanations for various things such as "can't have sex" to have been either awkward or barely there. There were plot holes everywhere and the relationships were jumpy with little to no communication. 

So sex was a huge part of this book, perhaps the main focus of this novel. This was complete erotica in my opinion which I wasn't expecting at first. This book is filled to the brim with male on male steamy sex scenes and then Lilly shows up and desperately wants to join in. Which was basically voyeurism on her part. The biggest problem was that the sex scenes felt forced and mechanical rather than romantic and intimate. It was like a step by step guide to sex rather than just a hookup. Also when Lilly finally has sex for the first time it seems extremely unrealistic. 

Overall I felt like this book could have been a bit more developed, as it reads like an incomplete novel at times. I loved the premise and idea of this book just not the execution. 

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher and author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts are my own. 

Book Review: Not that I Could Tell

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

When a group of neighborhood women gathers, wine in hand, around a fire pit where their backyards meet one Saturday night, most of them are just ecstatic to have discovered that their baby monitors reach that far. It’s a rare kid-free night, and they’re giddy with it. They drink too much, and the conversation turns personal.

By Monday morning, one of them is gone.

Everyone knows something about everyone else in the quirky small Ohio town of Yellow Springs, but no one can make sense of the disappearance. Kristin was a sociable twin mom, college administrator, and doctor’s wife who didn’t seem all that bothered by her impending divorce—and the investigation turns up more questions than answers, with her husband, Paul, at the center. For her closest neighbor, Clara, the incident triggers memories she thought she’d put behind her—and when she’s unable to extract herself from the widening circle of scrutiny, her own suspicions quickly grow. But the neighborhood’s newest addition, Izzy, is determined not to jump to any conclusions—especially since she’s dealing with a crisis of her own.

As the police investigation goes from a media circus to a cold case, the neighbors are forced to reexamine what’s going on behind their own closed doors—and to ask how well anyone really knows anyone else.

                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

This was an extremely enjoyable read. 

I think my favorite part was the way that the characters were written and their dialogue. I think they were super complex but also super relatable. They were all flawed in their own ways. They were all very likable also. I felt like I was reading about regular every day people. Perhaps people I already know. 

I enjoyed this interaction the most out of the story. It was an interaction between one character and their child. It is super adorable, and extremely well executed. 

“Mommy, you count to ten and I’ll go hide behind the curtains in the dining room. Ready, go!”

“Thomas, hide-and-seek only works if you don’t tell me where you’re going to hide. I’ll count and you pick a new place, okay?”

“But the curtains are a great hiding place!”

“But you just told me you’re going to be there. I already know”

“Okay. Close your eyes-no peeking! I will go hide now—and do not look behind the curtains.”

“Ready or not, here I come”

Maniacal giggling came from the dining room….

This isn’t a predictable fast paced thriller. This book is more like literary or woman fiction. I found the thriller part of the story to be lacking in many areas. This isn't a police procedural or real deceptive type thriller either.

We follow the main character Kristin’s neighbors closely as they deal with the sudden disappearance of a friend and the various scrutiny that comes with the territory when people go missing. 

Don’t get me wrong though, there is a lot of suspense and “who done it” in this book. There were many twists and turns. At points I was on the edge of my seat. You will be left wondering who did it, and if anyone is truly safe. 

Overall this was a very intense read filled with mystery and suspense. I truly recommend this book as I have rated it four stars. The reason it can’t be five stars is due to the lack of thriller type aspects in this book. Which was what I was looking for. 

Disclaimer: I received this book from St. Martin's Press in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. All thoughts are my own. 

Book Review: Grandad Mandela

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

Two great-grandchildren ask their grandmother 15 questions about the man they remember as Grandad, and the world remembers as Nelson Mandela, the global icon of peace and forgiveness who spent 27 years in prison. 

They learn that he was a freedom fighter who put down his weapons for the sake of peace, and who then became the President of South Africa and a Nobel Peace Prize-winner, and realise that they can continue his legacy in the world today. 

Seen through a child’s perspective, and authored jointly by his great-grandchildren and daughter, this amazing story is told as never before to celebrate what would have been Nelson's Mandela 100th birthday.

                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

Grandad Mandela was a sweet storybook for kids. It follows the life of the great Nelson Mandela. The daughter of Mandela is telling her children all the stories that she can remember of her father. She is also answering their many questions. I loved the question and answer format because you rarely see it in children's literature. The author somehow managed to add a lot of detail and story into a few pages. Also did it super flawlessly. 


This is a brilliant way to introduce tough topics to children. Difficult topics like racism are displayed in an easy to understand format in this book. I imagine it would perfect for slightly older children due to the word choices. 

The art is absolutely breathtaking. The illustrations on every page are super gorgeous. It invokes so much emotion and feeling. I think it also fits the culture of the story perfectly. 

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not influenced. 

Book Review: Our House

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

On a bright January morning in the London suburbs, a family moves into the house they’ve just bought in Trinity Avenue. 

Nothing strange about that. Except it is your house. And you didn’t sell it. 

When Fiona Lawson comes home to find strangers moving into her house, she's sure there's been a mistake. She and her estranged husband, Bram, have a modern co-parenting arrangement: bird's nest custody, where each parent spends a few nights a week with their two sons at the prized family home to maintain stability for their children. But the system built to protect their family ends up putting them in terrible jeopardy. In a domino effect of crimes and misdemeanors, the nest comes tumbling down.

Now Bram has disappeared and so have Fiona's children. As events spiral well beyond her control, Fiona will discover just how many lies her husband was weaving and how little they truly knew each other. But Bram's not the only one with things to hide, and some secrets are best kept to oneself, safe as houses. 

                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

Solid 4 stars. 

This is an interesting book, I have never read the plot of this book before. A book about a family that moves into a new home they bought. The problem is that the sellers have not sold their house. Can you imagine? Maybe it is your soon to be ex-husband. If you can get ahold of him, where is he? Where are your innocent children? 

This is the situation that our main character Fiona finds herself in. I enjoyed reading from her perspective. It is told in the form of a podcast called the Victim. Basically, this is where women share their stories of being betrayed and hurt. Then listeners can comment on the stories. 

Most of the book takes place over the course of six months. Which provides the reader with a full picture of events. I saw a lot of the events coming. Some of it still shocked me. There definitely a sucker punch in there at times. In my humble opinion, it is a good thriller. 

This is written with extremely well-developed characters. I mean I haven't read more developed characters. They brought this story to life. It is a fresh story to the domestic thriller genre. 

Disclaimer: I received this book from NetGalley and Simon and Schuster in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Book Review: The High Tide Club

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Weekenders comes a delightful new novel about new love, old secrets, and the kind of friendship that transcends generations.

When ninety-nine-year-old heiress Josephine Bettendorf Warrick summons Brooke Trappnell to Talisa Island, her 20,000 acre remote barrier island home, Brooke is puzzled. Everybody in the South has heard about the eccentric millionaire mistress of Talisa, but Brooke has never met her. Josephine’s cryptic note says she wants to discuss an important legal matter with Brooke, who is an attorney, but Brooke knows that Mrs. Warrick has long been a client of a prestigious Atlanta law firm.

Over a few meetings, the ailing Josephine spins a tale of old friendships, secrets, betrayal and a long-unsolved murder. She tells Brooke she is hiring her for two reasons: to protect her island and legacy from those who would despoil her land, and secondly, to help her make amends with the heirs of the long dead women who were her closest friends, the girls of The High Tide Club—so named because of their youthful skinny dipping escapades—Millie, Ruth and Varina. When Josephine dies with her secrets intact, Brooke is charged with contacting Josephine’s friends’ descendants and bringing them together on Talisa for a reunion of women who’ve actually never met.

The High Tide Club is Mary Kay Andrews at her Queen of the Beach Reads best, a compelling and witty tale of romance thwarted, friendships renewed, justice delivered, and true love found. 

                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

The High Tide Club is a contemporary read. Although it also has some mystery and secrets inside it. This is my second Mary Kay Andrews novel. I loved it so much. Basically, secrets from the past are slowly revealed in this story. 

The story is told from the point of view of Brooke Trappnell, who is a thirty-something single mother struggling to make it. She is a lawyer in a very small town. There are flashes of a long past group of women that call themselves the High Tide Club. They are now led by a ninety-nine-year-old named Josephine Bettendorf Warrick. Who also has to deal with a devastating diagnosis. 

After carrying a secret for the last seventy years she wants nothing more than make things right before she passes. She also wants to protect Talisa Island which her family owned and lived on for many years. 

Then Brooke receives a phone call from a widower, curiosity wins her over. She wonders what Josephine needs and how she can help. She has an urge to meet her. The story that Josephine tells is one of a long-ago death and also one of three friends she would like to make amends with. 

This book has the same wonderful writing style as always it was easy to fall into this story. I was interested in this from the opening pages. The weaving of the present with the past was nicely done. I have rarely liked that type of story previously.  In the end, I loved this multi-generational story of women and their interesting lives. 

Disclaimer: I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Book Review: Catfished

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

Rylie’s life has hit a serious snag. Cheated on, lied to, and suddenly homeless and unemployed, her entire world has capsized. All that’s left to do is cut line, start over, and move into her parents’ basement . . . temporarily. 

Bring on the boomerang jokes. 

The perfect solution to all of her problems could be a job as an urban park ranger⎯whatever that is. But finding a dead body stuck in a catfish trap on her first shift leaves her wondering if she’s waded in a little too deep. 

If it wasn’t for the appearance of Luke Hannah⎯the lead investigator on the case and her first love⎯she may have cut her losses and returned to the help wanted ads. But now Rylie is determined to prove herself . . . in more ways than one. 

When the authorities pin the murder on the wrong man, Rylie casts out to catch the real killer and clear the innocent man’s name⎯at the risk of losing her job or even becoming catfish bait herself. 

Perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, Catfished, the first book in the Rylie Cooper Mystery series, is a witty murder mystery baited with snarky humor and a hint of romance.

                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

When I was deciding to review this book, I read the description and wasn't blown away. I didn't expect to really enjoy it as much as I do. I loved the park ranger and fishery setting. It was unique and rarely seen in cutesy romance novels. 

Catfished is such a fun little read. I read this book in about two days, it was just too cute to put down. I think Riley is the sweetest most relatable character in the book. She was living in her parent's house, in the basement. She is a twenty-something-year-old. She has recently been through a breakup and is trying to find a job. She is basically every twenty-something year old out there right now. 

She isn't a perfect character or one without faults. She can get her self into some seriously bad situations. Potentially even dangerous positions. She had limits and morals and I really loved that aspect of her. 

Overall I enjoyed the book. It was a rather fun read. I liked the characters, the mystery, the plot points and the dialog. I really liked the writing style. I am excited to potentially read more from this author and read the next book in this interesting series. 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Here Kitty Kitty

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

New York at night is an urban playground where glamour and danger are just flip sides of the same thrilling coin. The tough, beautiful player at the heart of Jardine Libaire's acclaimed first novel is Lee, the consummate party girl. Lee has the right designer clothes, the right job managing a stylish restaurant, and the right lover, who finances all her bad habits. As the lights go down at closing time, the energy of the city is a call Lee cannot resist, even when her Cinderella-like existence begins to unravel.

                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

I can't even explain how many times I have  tried reading this book. I finally just gave up at 94% due to not really caring again. I would stop and start this book and then vow never to pick it back up. It is going to sound mean but I have no idea what possessed me to give this book another chance. I tried again and ended up hating it. 

This book is filled with horribly rude people, and spoiled freaking brats. I didn't care for Lee or how she felt. I honestly hated her. I found myself skimming the paragraphs that included her. I didn't care for her story anymore. I just didn't understand how people were coming to care for her, even love her. I ended up just continuing for the sake of reading another book, or maybe out of slight curiosity. 

After Lee has come to her senses, I couldn't care anymore. There were no interesting characters to keep me going. The book fell flat for me. 

The writing was sloppy, choppy, and more like a bad diary or writing post than a fully finished book. I felt as if the book was trying too hard. The author has dated language and it gave me a slight headache. 

I am sorry for the negative review but I couldn't come up with any positive thoughts about this book. 

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this through NetGalley and all thoughts are my own and do not reflect this fact. 

Book Review: Futureface

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

A journalist travels the globe searching for answers to the mystery of her own ancestry, along the way raising deeper questions about the American experience of race, immigration, exile, and identity.
 
The daughter of a Burmese mother and a white American father, Alex Wagner grew up thinking of herself as a “futureface”—an avatar of a mixed-race future when all races would merge into a brown singularity. But when one family mystery leads to another, Wagner’s post-racial ideals fray as she becomes obsessed with the specifics her own family’s racial and ethnic history. Drawn into the wild world of ancestry, she embarks upon a quest around the world—and into her own DNA—to answer the ultimate questions of who she really is and where she belongs.

                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

When I went into this book I was extremely intrigued. I love family history so I was ready for this book. Author Alex Wagner decides to delve into her family heritage and her family history. I found her family was a bit more interesting then just your average family. Her parents are from different areas. Her mother is Burnese and her father is an Iowan now living in D. C. 

She decides to trace her mothers side first and dives right into the Burnese. She travels to Burma to find her roots. She is looking to see buildings, houses, and schools that her family might have attended, lived in, and made memories. She finds this difficult due to people over taking the country and ultimately trying to obliterate the history and past of the country. She finds that records are well hard to come by. 

Then she turns to her Iowa history. I enjoyed reading her thoughts about her native side and how they were over taken by the United States. It was interesting reading about whether or not she really had the history she believed she did. I also learned that you can't really discover much after 150 years.

I found the DNA test sections good because it debunks and shows limitations that they have and how sometimes they aren't accurate. Or possibly our biases make it hard to accept the answers of our ancestry. 

Discalimer: I recieved this book from the Publisher and NetGally in echange for an honest review. 

Book Review: The Art of Escaping

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

 Seventeen-year-old Mattie is hiding her obsession with Harry Houdini and Dorothy Dietrich from everyone, including her best friend Stella. When Stella takes off to boarding school for the summer, all of Mattie’s anxieties bubble to the surface, leaving her feeling adrift. To distract herself, she seeks out Miyu, the reclusive daughter of a world-renowned escape artist whose life and career was snuffed out by a tragic plane crash.

With Miyu’s help, Mattie secretly transforms herself into a burgeoning escapologist and performance artist. Away from the curious eyes of her peers, she thrives in her new world of lock picking, straitjackets, and aquarium escapes. But when Will, a popular varsity athlete from her high school, discovers her act at an underground venue, she fears that her double life is about to be exposed. But instead of outing her, Will tells Mattie something he’s never told anyone before and the two of them find out that not all secrets can remain secret forever.

Told through the perspectives of the witty main characters, this funny and fresh debut explores the power of stage personas and secret spaces, and speaks to the uncanny ways in which friendships transform us.

Check out a copy: Amazon // Barnes, and Noble // Book Depository 

                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

"There’s something romantic about a young girl sneaking out in the middle of the night to fulfill a lifelong dream. Unless you’re the girl. Then it’s just a giant, anxiety-provoking pain in the ass that turns you into a lying liar-face."

This is a really upbeat exploration of teenage friendship. I loved this book so much. 

Our main character Mattie stalks Miyu, who is a 30-year-old agoraphobic. The reason being that hse is the daughter of the famous escape artist and has a secret that might help Mattie reach her dreams. After a series of brutal challenges, she teaches Mattie how to escape from restraints that are tied underwater, which is one of the biggest tricks of all time. 

Mattie is a great main character. This is because she is super relatable and reliable. She is your average teenager, she has anxiety and is self-conscious, loving, and has pretty nifty passions. She has a best friend and that is about it. She isn't the popular girl and she isn't an overwritten character. 

This book made me feel so many different things. It made me feel like life was right, like good wins in the end, it felt like I was really in the story. Like I was dreaming at times. It made me motivated to find something I love doing, and then actually start doing it. It made me interested in escapology which isn't a subject I had ever thought I would think about, let alone love! 

There are some LGBTQ themes in this book and they are complex and honesty. I can't say if they are true or own voices but I liked them. I enjoyed the structure of them and the dual point of view made the book interesting. 

As a whole I really enjoyed this super vibrant novel, it was so unique. I loved all the metaphors the author used and I loved the writing style immensely. The atmosphere of the high school felt real and not overly cliche or dramatic. Great book!

Recommended for: Fans of escapology, Houdini,  fantasy fans, contemporary, people that love stories with a bit of magic, those looking for LGBT+ representation, anyone interested in stories set in a high school setting. 

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. My thoughts and opinions are my own and are not reflective of that.