The Moonlight Child

By

Karen McQuestion

I have just finished a novel that tugged at my heart with such an emotional pull. Just like a Karen McQuestion story does.  I love her books!    This is a story of a little girl no one knows exists except for the family she's living with.  A little girl named Mia.  She's known no other life except the one she's in. She knows something is different about her place in the family but she is so innocent and trusts what she's told.   She's such a sweetheart and all she wants to do is please her "family".  

This is also the story of Niki.  A young 18 year old girl just out of the foster care system with no family to live with.  An attorney, Amy,  has taken an interest in Niki and suggests she get her feet on the ground by staying with Amy's mother Sharon.  This is a perfect scenario that puts Niki and Sharon together and the story plot that unfolds when they become suspicious by what they see in the house across the backyard.  A little girl doing dishes late at night (The Moonlight Child) and suspicion arises as to why this would be.  

This book was so emotionally charged.  I went through the gamut of all the emotions possible with the characters, Ms. McQuestion has created in this story.  "Niki had learned that people had layers, and sometimes what lurked underneath the prettiness could be ugly and cruel."  The characters in this book are so well developed.  The way Ms. McQuestion brings them to life with their emotions and traits is so realistic.  They became people I could very well have met and gotten to know.   Whether they are likable or ones I dislike with a passion, each one is minutely detailed and individualistic.  I could feel their characteristics and what kind of people they were.  

 I fell in love with little Mia.  My heart was wrapped around her little finger. Such a sweetie.  No matter what was going on, all she wanted to do was please.  She has a connection and attachment to Griswold, "her faithful canine companion"....that really touched my heart.  Griswold is so loyal to her.  

 

  Niki and Sharon built a relationship that was so beautiful. One that was meant to be and so natural for them.  Niki just needed someone to love her and Sharon was there. Niki is just who Sharon needs in her life, too.  

  My heart broke for Wendy and Edwin.  Their daughter has been missing for years and there's been no word from her.  Their hope is she will come home.  How heartbreaking and devastating. 

 Then there were the characters I really despised.  My mom instincts kicked in and couldn't believe how narcissistic Suzette was.  She is a crazy mess and so self-centered.  Her husband, Matthew and son, Jacob, were victims of her self-absorption and ego.  

This book is so very good. The premise of the story is fascinating.   It's complex but written as to build the story up so that I had to keep turning the pages.  There was suspense, drama, secrets, mystery, and tragedy.  There is also loyalty, love, friendships, determination and truth seeking.   It's a novel that I had a very hard time putting down.  From the poignant beginning chapter Ms. McQuestion captured me into the pages and took me on an intensely riveting ride to the climactic end.  Very well done!  

I want to thank the author, Karen McQuestion, for the honor of reading this fantastic book. All opinions and thoughts are my heartfelt own. It is definitely a five star read for me.

 

The First To Lie

By
Hank Phillippi Ryan

"Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides."  Andre Malraux 

Hank Phillippi Ryan captured my attention right away as I read the prologue of this book.  There are some very interesting questions to ask yourself in these few short paragraphs.   Fascinating things to think about and "what ifs" that might happen if you could "start over" and become a different person.   It sounds like an easy or good thing to do but is it really?  You might be able to change your outer appearance but the inner you is always there. But "When the stakes are life and death, did a few lives matter?"   With this intriguing scenario and "All you have to do is lie." as the motivation, Ms. Ryan weaves a thrilling story that took me on a wild ride.  

The story revolves around three main characters.  Ellie, Nora and Meg.  Each one with an agenda that involves the Big Pharma company Pharminex, the Vanderwald empire,  and the miracle drug Monifan.  Just who are each of these characters and what are they after?  How are they connected to each other and why?  Ms. Ryan then adds characters and twists that had my head spinning.  She weaves and unravels and weaves some more and kept me guessing as each page was turned.   The schemeing, the lies, the deceitfully revenge driven characters had me all twisted up in a thrilling chesslike plot.  What I really liked was not knowing how this would all play out and kept me reading to the surprising end.  

I liked this passage from Alice in Wonderland Ms. Ryan used in the story.  For me it sums up the characters and the mystery surrounding them:

"I know who I was when I got up this morning, Alice had told the Caterpillar in her most favorite book, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.  I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, because I'm not myself, you see."  

This was a great read for me.  I love Ms. Ryan's writing style and her ability to put me into the "minds" of her characters.  I could feel her "investigative inquisitiveness" througout the book and kept thinking about how some of the scenario might have come from the Front Pages of real life events. Taking those situations and creating a thrilling, psychological mystery in "The First To Lie". 

I want to thank Netgalley and especially Ms. Ryan for the honor and privilege of reading her page turning novel.  All opinions and thoughts in this review are my sincere own.  This is a great read! 

No Place Too Far

By

Kay Bratt

"The gift of "ohana"-the Hawaiian word symbolizing family...." 

  Family is everything to the people of Hawaii.  Love, devotion, trust, and dependability.  All these things make a family that is bonded together no matter what.  The definition of family can be different for everyone.  In "No Place too Far",   Kay Bratt continutes the story from the first book in the series, "True to Me" of how Quinn has found her family in Maui after more than 30 years of being separated. But the past threatens the future. Part of the past is Quinn's best friend, Maggie, who's come to Maui with her young son, Charlie.  As soon as I opened this book up, I felt like I was right back with old friends and family.   Ms. Bratt has a story telling gift to create stories that pull at your heart.  Ones that have a message and meaning to them.   I know with a Kay Bratt novel,  I'm going on an emotional adventure with the characters to places that are as vividly detailed as if I were there myself.  She has such a gift of bringing the reader on an emotional journey and adventure with her characters. 

Quinn's past is one she's trying to keep secret in order to protect someone in her family.  Keeping secrets is all good until they aren't secret anymore.  Now she's in a dilemma of losing what took her so long to find again.  Will ohana be enough to overcome the challenges that threaten to ruin her place with them?  Will her "honu" be there to protect her through as it was before?  

Maggie has a past, too.  One that has haunted her and caused her to try to run from it and disappear.  One that she will do anything to keep her son, Charlie, safe from as well as herself.  But the past is in danger of catching up to them and shattering any sense of peace and security she's worked so hard to find.  "She wanted to be strong.  Competent. Self-sufficient."  Who will be there for her as she faces the worst?  

This is a story about family...related and unrelated...but bonded and connected by love.  This is a story about hardships, struggles, fears, guilt, secrets, and uncertainty.  But it's also about trust, determination, friendships that are more like family, traditions, and loyalty.  Ms. Bratt weaves in drama, suspense, and heart wrenching side characters with stories that bring it all together in an unputdownable read.  She throws in some mystery to add to the mix and kept me turning the pages.  

Not only do I become invested in the characters but the setting in this series is like a character itself by how brilliantly Ms. Bratt creates the scenes in word pictures I could visualize in my mind.  I was again taken on a philosophical and cultural tour of a place I have never been but totally feel like I learned so much about it through the characters and their experiences in Maui and the surrounding areas. It's a virtual visit that had me walking in the rainforest, hearing the waterfalls, smelling the flora, and seeing the lushness as if I were there. 

Then there's Woodrow...He stole my heart.   The true definition of the love of a dog for his owner.  Maggie's quiet shaggy service dog.  Kay Bratt's ability to tap into the devotion of a dog and put into words that faithfulness is truly from her love of dogs.  I knew that feeling in my heart with each passage Woodrow was written in.  "Woodrow looked up.  His soulful brown eyes locked on Maggie's, instantly calming her.  He had that way about him."  The subject of why Maggie needed a service dog touched close to home when I read the "From the Author" passages at the end of the book.  I am very grateful for her thoughts and candor.   Her heart to help others.  

Kay Bratt writes stories from her heart. I become a part of them as I'm reading them.  No Place Too Far is no exception.  I am very grateful for the opportunity of reading this novel. Kay Bratt brings it every time with her heart and emotions that pour out on the pages.  I will wait with anticipation for the next book in the series to see which character's stories Ms. Bratt brings to us By The Sea...there's a hint at the end in those notes!  I want to thank Netgalley and especially Kay Bratt for the honor and privilege of reading this continuation of a great series.  I loved it!   All opinions and thoughts in this review are my heartfelt own.  Maika'i nui loa.... (very, very good) five tropical stars!