Behind Every Lie
By
Christina McDonald

Would I normally want to read a book that's based on lie after lie after lie? Of course I am when it's a book by Christina McDonald! I read her first novel, "The Night Olivia Fell" and loved it. I was very excited to open the cover of this book and be taken into the pages of this psychological thriller of "who's lying and who's not?". Who do you believe? Is there anyone who tells the truth?

The story began with a nice, light, happy feeling until little pieces of secrets begin to drop at a celebratory lunch with Eva, Kat (her mom) and Lily (her mom's best friend). The story is set up. The next thing, Eva wakes up in a hospital with no memory of what happened and how she got there. She has to start piecing together flickers of memory, huge weights of self doubt and anxiety ridden bouts of paranoia that are not like her at all. She has become a broken vessel and desperately wants to become whole. To remember. How hard it was to remember. This passage is one her mom has tenderly expressed to her: "I'm not entirely certain one can ever become unbroken, but I do know we can be strong and brave and broken and whole all at the same time. It's called being human." Eva has so many unanswered questions and who does she trust?

This story is written in two different POVs. One is Eva's and the other is her mother, Kat's. Eva's is in current time and Kat's is 25 years earlier. Ms. McDonald meticulously and suspensefully drew the story out in perfect timing. The character's stories building and connecting as the pieces started to fit together. I love the way she did this using the art form of "Kintsugi....It's a Japanese art. The artist fixes broken pottery by filling the cracks with gold." This is an interesting concept in that what seems an irreparable, broken piece is remade into an imperfect masterpiece of artwork. Taking something that is in pieces and putting it all back together into a new object. This is how the story played out for me. It was full of thrilling suspense, unexpected twists and turns, and surprises I said, "Wait! What?" Just when I thought a piece was going to fit, it doesn't. Just when I think I have it figured out, I don't. I kept reading to find how it was all going to play out....until the pieces became a whole.

Ms. McDonald writes very descriptive scenes in which I could picture in my mind without any trouble. From the characters to the settings, each is vividly and realistically written as images I could easily see. From the emotions to the impressions of what the characters had of the others, I felt that, too. All from the talented mind of an author whose previous work I have enjoyed.

The epigraph Ms. McDonald has at the beginning of the book is so perfect for the pages that follow. I appreciated that so very much. It fits perfectly with the theme throughout the book. Even the broken can be put back together and made strong.

I want to thank Netgalley and especially Christina McDonald for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of her thrilling and suspenseful novel. All opinions and thoughts are my heartfelt own. It's a five star, unputdownable book for me.

A Light Last Seen
By
Grace Greene
"In the heart of Virginia, where the forests hide secrets and the creeks run strong and deep" is a place called Cub Creek.  A place that has meadows filled with colorful flowers and butterflies to chase.  Dirt roads and Cub Creek to jump over and disappear into the woods.  A living and rural place that draws the reader to the setting and the characters who have stories to tell.  A place with light and darkness and as unique as the characters who live there. 

When I opened the beautiful cover of this book I stepped into the Cub Creek world and met the main character, Jaynie Highsmith.  This is her story.   She wrapped herself around my heart from the very beginning of the book.  Jaynie is a little girl growing up with a mom who's harsh and has her priorities in the wrong order.  Jaynie avoids her as much as possible and in that she becomes friends with the grandmotherly neighbor, Ms. Ruth.  This sweet lady shares with Jaynie so much love, wisdom and advice. She tells Jaynie she has an "extra strong" light within her.  She tells Jaynie, "Most people start with it.  The light, that is.  Some have the glow stronger than others.  But most try to dim their own personal light so they can fit in, finally burying it beneath all the stuff-the rules, the griefs, the hungers of life-and forgetting the light was ever there."   Jaynie loves this lady so very much.  Grace Greene weaves these lessons throughout  the book as she takes us on Janie's emotionally touching journey.  It's not always easy for Jaynie as she tries to keep those wise words "in her toolbox" alive in her life. 

Grace Greene wrote a story that touched my heart.  It is filled with so much wisdom and lessons that I can apply to my life.  I appreciated the lesson involving the dragonfly.  The characters are real.  They have emotions that I can relate to. This book was page turning from the front cover to the back.  A true experience I found myself immersed in as I became connected to the characters and the beautiful writing that creates the images that drew me in.

Grace Greene is such a wonderful storyteller and "A Light Last Seen" is a wonderful story.  One that has a meaningful message about finding our true selves and letting the light within us shine.  Taking what life has dealt us and growing into a better person because of it.  Here is a passage of Janie's thoughts, "Thoughts of the dragonfly and Ruth's long-ago words seemed to entwine-own it or it will own you.  All will be well, I told myself.  One way or another.   I had the know-how and the tools, thanks to Ms. Ruth."

I want to thank Ms. Greene for the honor and privilege of reading an ARC of this remarkable work of fiction that I enjoyed so very much.  A bright five star read for me.  All opinions and thoughts in this review are my heartfelt own. 

Lies That Bind
By
Ashley Farley
Ashley Farley is a wonderfully gifted creator of stories that draw the reader in and then holds them through every page to the very end.  The title alone has a mysterious essence to it and made me wonder what kind of lies can a character keep that would bind them.  I was ready to open this book and see what this mystery is all about.  I have read several of Ashley Farley's books and looked forward to this one knowing it would be a great read.  And a great read it was.

There is no slowing down in this book once I started reading it.  The story slides so easily between the chapters that are focused on one of the three main characters of the book, Maggie, Reese and Eva.  Each one with life or personal issues that families can struggle through.   Each character found places in my heart and I felt the emotional pain as they fought to find their way.   Ms. Farley has a knack of touching on the issues with compassion and heart but yet convey the hardships that can be truly difficult to overcome.  This has a way of making me feel for the characters and wanting the best for them.  But so many secrets and lies...that make this drama unfold. 

The details in her stories are so perfectly written that I felt I was experiencing the events as she masterfully reveals each next scene.  Each chapter builds upon the previous to take the suspense to the edge.  The characters were ones I felt I could know in my own life.  The problems were real and the answers were hard.  There were connections between them that brought hope to each situation and built friendships and healing.  Would they overcome the lies that bound them, tho?  It's hard to face the truth and admit the pain or to forget the past. 

This book has a bit of everything in it for me. Women who have real life dilemmas to work through,  suspense, mystery, intrigue and a plot that didn't stop.   Forgiveness, love and compassion that draw the best out of the characters.   This made for a read that will stick with me for a long time as another unforgettable Ashley Farley novel.  I highly recommend her books and this one is no exception.  Great story!! 

I want to thank Ashley Farley for the honor of reading this wonderful book.  All opinions and thoughts are my heartfelt own.  A five star all the way. 

Dovetail
By
Karen McQuestion
"I've long believed that no one should be judged on the worst thing they've ever done. And not on the best thing, either, for that matter." "Human beings are much more complex than one event that happened on one day in a very long life." Pearl has reached the end of her very long life and has lived with guilt, regrets, sorrow and pain. What secrets is she keeping and why is it so hard to reveal them?

The characters in the book are people that any of us could know and could relate to. They have emotions and traits that are individual in what makes their personalities. I loved John and Alice. Such caring, loving, and unselfish characters. I loved Joe and Katherine. Their story was one of an immediate attraction to each other but built as they worked to discover the connections from the past to the present. There were characters I disliked the whole book. Then there was Pearl. She had me on both ends of the likeable spectrum. I found myself despising her and then forgiving her. This worked so perfectly to create the story.

This book has suspense, drama, secrets, mystery, tragedy and foreboding. It also has compassion, devotion, forgiveness, hope and love. Love that can transcend time and space. The way it's all brought together in the pages had me turning them, each chapter building, to find out how it was going to all end.

I have yet to pick up a Karen McQuestion book that I have not liked. This book is no exception. In fact, I loved it! It's complex but written so adroitly that the plot and characters are easily followed and built up as the story goes. The uniqueness of the dual time lines and building the parallel stories until they merge is page turning anticipation. Karen McQuestion has created a book that is like the dovetail joints her title is named after. She takes each of the characters and designs them to perfectly fit with the characters they are joined to. Then she builds the story, chapter and event from 1916 to the parallel chapter and events in 1983. Each revealing more as to what really happened in 1916 that Pearl has held secret for all those years. The story starts to link together just as dovetail joints slip together to create a beautiful piece of work when it's finished. "A dovetail joint can stand the test of time."

This is a wonderfully detailed and crafted book. Written in such a wonderful way that the story unfolds in perfect synchronization. A novel that I thoroughly enjoyed from the beginning to the end. I want to thank the author, Karen McQuestion, for the honor of reading an ARC of this fantastic book. All opinions and thoughts are my heartfelt own. It is definitely a five star read for me.

The God Game

By

Danny Tobey

I accepted the invitation and opened the pages of The God Game. This book is intense and fast paced, just like I believe most gamers like their games to be. I really feel this book is geared more for a younger generation...maybe two or three generations than me...for sure. I had no idea what most of the techie/computer/gaming references even meant. But the premise of AI/virtual reality/reality clashing together into one thrilling scifi adventure comes together between the covers of this book.

I was able to find myself connecting to the "real-life" aspect of the characters in the group the five misfit protagonists who form a "one for all, all for one" group called The Vindicators. Together they accept the invitation to play the G.O.D game. It's just a game, right? Oh, does it ever turn into more than that. It's an RPG/Avatar game that becomes reality and not reality but it is. The all seeing eye of the AI God is everywhere. As these characters become deeper involved in the game the consequences become even more dire and winning the game becomes even more desperate.

The characters all have life issues that factor into the storyline as well. Issues that typical teens face in high school such as cliques, athletes, popularity, academic, even just finding a place to "fit in", etc. Each character has home life issues that play a part in reasons they "join" in the game to escape the pain and often time the humiliating life they live. I feel this book is one a late teen might connect with. And although I didn't understand a lot of the terms and what this game world is, the author kept the pace of the story moving and there was never a dull moment.

I received an advance copy from the publisher, St. Martin's Press. All the opinions and thoughts in this review are my own.

Better Endings
By
Tina Hogan Grant
When I finished Reckless Beginnings, my heart was torn apart for what Tammy Mellows life had been like and what she had gone through. Some bad choices in her life had put her in some awful situations. Better Endings picks up with Tammy finally able to move on with her life after an abusive relationship with the father of her son, Matt. But now she has insecurities and trust issues and she becomes dependent on alcohol. Where will her life go from here?

Book 2 in the series, Better Endings, is Tammy's story of overcoming and finding the way for herself to be a better mom and a stronger woman. There are challenges she has to face and those aren't easy. Does she have the strength, determination and will power to find the right path for her life and her destiny? Then what should happen but in walks a hunk of a guy named Dwayne and Tammy's life takes a turn.

I love the character of Tammy. She's a strong hearted and determined woman who will do what it takes to provide for her son. She's not afraid of taking on challenges and working hard. She still believes in the American Dream and that there is a better way. It's just figuring out what that is.

As the story progressed, I felt like was right in the thick of things with Tammy. When she finds that she loves the life surrounding the world of commercial fishing, I was enthralled with how descriptive the writing was. I learned so much from the work it takes to even get out on the boat. Then the dangers and hazards of being out on the sea with unpredictable weather had my palms sweating. The writing is detailed and intricate....I was as involved in the action as the characters were. Then the other side with the peacefulness and calm feelings of being on the docks and water it brought to Tammy were just as well written. I truly cared for this character and really wanted her to find her American Dream and happiness.

I want to thank Ms. Grant for the honor and opportunity to read an ARC copy of this book. This review is my own thoughts and opinions of a great sequel (which can be read as a stand alone) and I recommend it highly.