Book Features.... something for everyone

I have SO many books to share with you, and the only way to do this is to give you a whole bunch of features! There really is something for everyone here and I can't wait to see which one(s) you pick, you'll have to let me know. 

Sean D. Young brings us Secrets from the Heart, the second book in her Clover Creek series, but definitely a stand alone, so don't fret. 

I really loved this one, you can get through it quickly, and if you love a good small town romance with the friends to lovers trope...this one is for you. We've got long buried family secrets, long standing family feuds, and almost a Romeo and Juliet/kind of a forbidden love romance carrying this book through. Sometimes I'm in need of a book that is screaming, "Make me a Hallmark movie!" and this one is definitely giving those vibes start to finish. 

Now that I've read this one I have to go back and get the first book, Claiming the Doctor's Heart, which let's be honest- sounds just as great as this one. 

Claim Your Dream Life by Dawn Fleming is one that not only did I read, but Matt, my non-reader husband has been going through it! This is a quick, to-the point how-to book that we can all understand and use. It's not full of the confusing jargon none of us understand, even though we totally say we do. (GUILTY)

Even if you aren't totally sure what you want to do in retirement, that's completely OK. You don't have to nail that down right now, but you can start your planning now and worry about that later. 

I completely loved this and it got my wheels turning and hopefully Matt and I can really make a plan because the idea of living in Wisconsin and our never ending winter, awful, cold, and windy weather is enough to make me jump off the bridge. 

Girl in Ice by Erica Ferencik was definitely interesting and reminded me of Dean Koontz's Icebound, which I read in middle school.. which seems weird as an adult, and Shiver by Allie Reynolds. I think the setting of a freezing cold land puts any mystery up on the creepy scale, and this one was no different. It's a perfect winter read to fit into if you're like me and forever waiting for spring. 

The idea that we are thawing people alive is a little far fetched.. (right?!?!), I feel like a fun mystery/thriller/suspense almost has to have something our brains can't quite comprehend, right? It is weird that the book takes place in 2023, it almost seems like it should be several decades further out. It tackles climate change and how we're basically ruining the planet, which makes me wish this was written further into the future. 

Books about secrets in the family tree are always fun for me because I feel like none of us really know about our family members long before us. Even our parents.. do we really know all of the secrets of their lives? Yeah... no. 

Strangers We Know by Elle Marr is exactly that. Imagine getting sick, taking a genetic test to see what's what, and suddenly the freaking FBI is at your door letting you know you're somehow related to a serial killer. It's not a far fetched idea, several crimes have been solved in recent years thanks to genetic tests, so this one had me absolutely sucked in. I flew through this one in a weekend and has now made me want to take all of the genetic tests. Is that creepy? Yeah... it kind of is.... but I'm still going to do it! The idea that our genetic tests are being watched in some way feels icky on one hand, but then on the other, if it brings closure to families? Maybe solves crime and lock criminals up? I'm all in. 

Speaking of nutjobs... this book was incredibly fascinating! Donna Andersen brings us Senior Sociopaths: How to Recognize and Escape Lifelong Abusers brings some insanly scary facts that seem obvious given what we know about mental health, but still staggering. Approximately 14 million people over the age of 50 could have antisocial, narcissistic, borderline, or histrionic personal disorder, or psychopathy. Of course, if you are watching the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial, you're maybe learning about some of these avenues of mental health, I know I am. 

This book is absolutely full of these facts, information about interesting studies that cover things I never would have thought about, while connecting the dots with real-life stories and examples to make it more understandable. You can read a definition and think you get it, but having a true story really explain it is so nice. 

If you're a true crime fan, which I totally am as I currently listen to a true crime podcast, you will really enjoy this book. (I feel like it's weird to say you'll enjoy a book about sociopaths, but here we are.)

A huge thank you to TLC Book Tours, PR by the Book and Thomas & Mercer for sending me copies of all of these books for review! Hopefully I have added a few more to your ever growing TBR. 

Book Review: The Next Wife

My sleep is all wonky still from having to stay up all night Sunday into Monday. Also, I'm not feeling great from my second Covid vaccine, which I knew would be a thing so I took extra of my steroid to hopefully get my immune system working but man alive... I'm not sure that plan worked. I thought for sure because I got so sick with the first one I'd be fine this time but WHOA. Not so much. Yay for a junky body! HA! 

The Next Wife - Kaira Rouda

Kate Nelson had it all. A flourishing company founded with her husband, John; a happy marriage; and a daughter, Ashlyn. The picture-perfect family. Until John left for another woman. Tish is half his age. Ambitious. She’s cultivated a friendship with Ashlyn. Tish believes she’s won.

She’s wrong.

Tish Nelson has it all. Youth, influence, a life of luxury, and a new husband. But the truth is, there’s a lot of baggage. Namely, his first wife—and suspicions of his infidelity. After all, that’s how she got John. Maybe it’s time for a romantic getaway, far from his vindictive ex. If Kate plans on getting John back, Tish is one step ahead of her.

She thinks.

But what happens next is something neither Kate nor Tish saw coming. As best-laid plans come undone, there’s no telling what a woman will do in the name of love—and revenge.

If you're a fan of true crime, you are going to love this tale. It's not a true story but man... it sure would be bananas if it was! 

What a book. You guys- if you need a twisty thriller that actually has some funny parts? Add this to your lineup. What the description of this book fails to point out is how much of a role the daughter, Ashlyn, plays and how she is just as devious as the two wives. This is like Real Housewives times ten, you guys. So we have Kate and Tish duking it out, let's throw in Ashlyn who is interning at the company John (the dad/husband/dirtbag) and Kate (wife #1) own and that Tish works at as well. They literally cannot get away from each other so to say this is a toxic whirlwind is an understatement. 

All of the characters are flawed and kind of awful and you're left wondering if any of them are going to get their act together. My only complaint is that you kind of know how this is going to play out well before the mid-point of the book and while that isn't the worst thing, I would have really like an outrageous turn of events at the end to turn everything on its heels. With such outlandish and crazy characters doing the most the entire way, I felt like we really needed to end with something crazy. 

I shouldn't say that, the ending was predictable but how we got there was kind of bananas. Once things started unraveling you really have to stick with it until the end because it really went quickly. 

Overall? I really liked this one. I needed a fast read because I've been in a bit of a reading slump so things just aren't holding my attention like I want them too, but this was fun and twisty. We're going to see this one all over bookstagram this summer and on top of people's TBR lists, guarantee it. 

Though it doesn't come out until 5/1/21, you can pre-order it now! A huge thank you to Thomas & Mercer for sending me a copy for review, I can't wait to read more of Kaira Rouda! 

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Book Review: Lies We Bury

I normally don't really read a lot of thrillers until the fall, but I've had a good run of them lately so I have to just talk them up.  

If you know me in real life, you know that I really love true crime and I'm all about a true crime podcast and this book is really one for you if you're the same way. 

Lies We Bury - Elle Marr

I was born in captivity…

Two decades ago Marissa Mo escaped a basement prison—the only home she’d ever known. At twenty-seven, Marissa’s moved beyond the trauma and is working under a new name as a freelance photographer. But when she accepts a job covering a string of macabre murders in Portland, it’s impossible for Marissa not to remember.

Everything is eerily familiar. The same underground lairs. Sad trinkets and toys left behind, identical to those Marissa had as a child. And then there is the note meant just for her that freezes Marissa’s blood: See you soon, Missy.

To determine the killer’s next move, Marissa must retrieve her long-forgotten memories and return to a past she’s hidden away. But she won’t be facing her fears alone. Someone is waiting for her in the dark.

Whoa, boy. I actually flew through this book because I was totally caught up on my Morbid podcast episodes, and this one was dark. I'll even call it a psychological thriller because the book really centered around the memories we have, how time can change them, and how several people can go through the same traumatic event and all have wildly different memories of it. I told someone else that this story was pretty bananas and I didn't even figure it out because my brain couldn't get all the way around this, so the ending was kind of intense. I honestly felt like Claire trying to process things at the same pace. The things I remembered from earlier in the book maybe wasn't the way it really was so I was trying to figure the ending out based on information I don't have totally right.... if that makes sense. 

The story really starts with Claire, who used to be Marissa. She is one of three children who were born in captivity after her mother (and the other two moms) were abducted/held captive by Chet. Eventually they escaped and Claire has grown up being "that girl" and you know people are- they spread rumors, make up stories, treat them like a news piece instead of actual people dealing with a traumatic life. Claire fares slightly "better" than her sisters do, though that is really debatable because it is clear she isn't well. It's approaching the twenty year anniversary of their escape and suddenly Claire finds herself back in the crosshairs of a killer, possibly one that knows HER and her story. She reaches out to her sister Jenessa, who after a few stints in rehab is seemingly back on track who assures her it probably is just a prank or an opportunist. Claire wants to believe that but as new murders happen in Portland, she's just not sure and it seems like the killer is setting her up for something. 

This book was wild. I couldn't put this one down and I found myself trying to figure this out for Claire because things just seemed too odd. By the time all of the details unraveled? Wow. What a story. I can only imagine the notes the author had to keep to organize all of it and to let it flow the way it did. It is PERFECT for fans of true crime because you'll really enjoy trying to piece the original story (the book flashes back to before their escape to present day) and decide how it ties in with the murders happening now. It's also a great piece on what childhood trauma can do to a person and also bring up the nature versus nurture debate. 

A huge thank you to Thomas & Mercer for sending me a copy of this for review- WHAT A RIDE. If you're a fan of Jennifer McMahon, this is a good comparison and I'd read anything by Elle Marr, she is incredibly talented and I'm excited to see what comes next. 

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