Book Review: Unnatural History

 

Unnatural History

An Alex Delaware Novel

by Jonathan Kellerman

Pub Date 07 Feb 2023 

Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine,Ballantine Books

General Fiction \(Adult\)| Mystery & Thrillers

Netgalley and Ballantine Books provided me with a copy of Unnatural History for review:

In Los Angeles, the palaces of the affluent coexist uneasily with the hellholes of the insane and the needy. An unsettling case of altruism gone wrong draws Dr. Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis into that shadow world and the violence it breeds.

A woman shows up for work with her usual enthusiasm on a seemingly pleasant morning. The newly hired assistant to a handsome, wealthy photographer is ready to greet her boss with coffee and good cheer. Instead, she finds him shot to death in bed.

Earlier this year, the victim's latest project received rave reviews from the media: images of homeless people dressed up and enacting unfulfilled fantasies. Some, however, call the whole thing crass exploitation, citing the victim's lack of long-term relationships with his subjects and token payments.

Has dissatisfaction blossomed into homicidal rage? Does violence begin with the victims' family, a clan that is bizarre in and of itself, and whose ancestors include a billionaire who has evaded capture?

A new murder occurs, and Alex and Milo begin peeling back layer after layer of intrigue and complexity, culminating in one of the deadliest threats of their lives.

I give Unnatural History five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Secret to Happiness

 

The Secret to Happiness

by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Revell

Pub Date 02 May 2023 

I am reviewing a copy of The Secret to Happiness from Revell and Netgalley:

There's something magical about Cape Cod. You just might find happiness there

Callie Dixon had the world by the tail . . . until she lost it all. She escaped to her aunt's house on Cape Cod after being fired from her dream job for making a colossal mistake. Except that it is not a home, but rather an ice cream shop. Time isn't going to help, since Callie's bounce is gone. She's struggling to come to terms with why she made that mistake at work.

When Callie's cousin Dawn drags her to a class about the secret to happiness, things get worse. Callie doesn't want to think about happiness right now, but Bruno Bianco is relentless. Callie's thoughts are often turned upside down by him. As well as her feelings. 

Bruno believes that hitting rock bottom is the best place to be. But if that's true, how is that going to help her find out what--or who--has been missing in her life?

I give The Secret to Happiness five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Lost Manuscript

 

The Lost Manuscript

by Mollie Rushmeyer

Pub Date 29 Aug 2023 

HARLEQUIN - Romance \(U.S. & Canada\),Love Inspired Trade

Christian| Women's Fiction

Netgalley and Harlequin-Love Inspired have provided me with a copy of The Lost Manuscript for review:

A priceless manuscript may hold the key to finding a missing grandmother-and to a second chance at life for one woman.



Ellora Lockwood's home isn't the only thing being emptied as she prepares to sell. Her heart is too. The mysterious disappearance of her beloved Grandma June and the separation from her husband, Alex, have left Ellora feeling lost. Finally, Alex invites her to teach history at Alnwick Castle in England. In fact, he found information about the location of the medieval manuscript that her grandmother was obsessed with before she vanished.



Ellora accepts Alex's offer cautiously. While surrounded by lush English countryside and captivating history, she uncovers new clues about the manuscript's location. Could someone be sabotaging her grandmother's work? Ellora begins to suspect she may also be in danger when anonymous threats begin to appear, but as she and Alex pursue this quest together, she's finding strength, new purpose and the courage to persevere.

I give The Lost Manuscript five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Reading Jane

 

Reading Jane

A Daughter's Memoir

by Susannah Kennedy

Pub Date 05 Sep 2023 | Archive Date 04 Sep 2023

Sibylline Press

Biographies & Memoirs| Nonfiction \(Adult\)| Parenting & Families

Netgalley and Sibylline Press have provided me with a copy of Reading Jane for review:

Initially, I want to say that this was a very impactful book, because it dealt with a very difficult subject, suicide, and reminded me how suicide affects those who are left behind.

In the world's eyes, Jane is an opinionated, inner-city teacher and public activist, a lover of Italy, proud and successful, whose life narrative is carefully constructed. Susannah is her beautiful only child, her intended protege.

Susannah's childhood is chronicled by Jane once a day. During those magnetic twosome years, "Mommy, can I read your diaries?" was a common question. After saying "Some day," Jane changes it to "When you're the age I was when I wrote them," then "Maybe," then "No, probably not." 

The diaries recede. Susannah grows up. Jane, who is 75 years old and fit, decides to commit suicide, insisting it will be better for everyone this way. That controlling assessment is wrong from the moment Susannah hears the news and has to identify the body. 

 She actively resists reading the 45 years of diaries her mother left behind in order to resist the control imposed by her mother's seductive tale. It's like unlatching Pandora's Box when she finally begins to "read" Jane. 

For a year, Susannah reads, comparing what she remembers with the strange pull of her mother's public tale. Each memory encased in her body is accompanied by physical symptoms. Then she uncovers yet another secret, one that forever changes her mother. 

In the end, Susannah is able to separate, heal, and embrace her own story.

I give Reading Jane five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Look What You've Done

 

Inspired by her powerful song of the same title, Look What You’ve Donedelves into Tasha’s journey of finding freedom in Jesus through life's twists and turns. Tasha takes readers through her early days in small town South Carolina, to her big breakthrough as background singer on stage with Katy Perry, to the mission field in Kenya and beyond. Across many countries and all her days, the truest constant in Tasha’s life has been the presence of God in both the highs and the lows. 

As her inspirational stories reveal the ways God has guided her journey, Tasha also shares vulnerable reflections on the struggles she’s faced in her life of faith and music. Readers will identify with Tasha as she describes the lies that she allowed herself to believe as she struggled with comparison, self-image, and the uncertainty of finding her purpose. Through challenges like these, God continues to bring Tasha wisdom and truth regarding who He is, and who she is meant to be. 

Look What You’ve Done helps readers to:

• Discern God’s truth from the world’s lies
  
• Find freedom, truth, security, and identity in Jesus
• Become increasingly bold in prayer
• Live as a Christian in an uncertain world
• See God’s miracles in their life
• Begin to embrace seasons of waiting

Look What You’ve Done: The Lies We Believe & The Truth That Sets Us Free will inspire you to walk in boldness and love, sharing the goodness of God revealed in your life.

Book Review: His Delightful Lady Deliah

 

His Delightful Lady Delia

by Grace Hitchcock

Pub Date 01 Nov 2022 | Archive Date 11 Dec 2022

Bethany House,Bethany House Publishers

Christian| Historical Fiction| Romance

I am reviewing a copy of His Delightful Lady Delia through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:

Behind the curtain, she must perform the performance of a lifetime . . . while love and risk are at the forefront.

Delia Vittoria's mother has lost her voice at last. Five years after being her diva mother's understudy, Delia is ready to take her place as the lead soprano behind the faded velvet curtain of the Academy of Music. The new rich's lavish new Metropolitan Opera House is the only thing standing between the Academy and its greatest threat.

Kit Quincy never misses opening night, but when his sister begs him to assist her with getting her husband out of an Italian opera star's arms, Kit is unintentionally confronted by Lady Vittoria. A society matron's plot to win the great opera war draws him into a conspiracy to make amends with the stunning young diva. As Delia Vittoria becomes the Academy's new soprano star, Kit is persuaded to serve as both Delia's patron and the enigmatic phantom that once haunted the Academy. However, when a second phantom appears, more than Delia's career is at risk.

I give His Delightful Lady Delia five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Brushstrokes of Life

  

The Brushstrokes of Life

Discovering How God Brings Beauty and Purpose to Your Story

by Anne Neilson

Pub Date 18 Apr 2023

Thomas Nelson--W Publishing,Thomas Nelson

Biographies & Memoirs| Christian| Self-Help

The Brushstrokes of Life is being reviewed by me through Thomas Nelson and Netgalley:

Here is a secret: God has entrusted you with a gift. In this talk, acclaimed angel artist Anne Neilson shares her story of passion and purpose and how faith radiates from every canvas she creates in life. You will be able to see that there are no coincidences with God when reading The Brushstrokes of Life.

According to Anne Neilson, each of us begins life as a blank canvas: clean and fresh, ready to be textured by our experiences. We are shaped by each trial, each joy, each heartache, and each hope that we experience. When we allow God to take over as the Master artist, we will find that He carefully adds dimension and highlights to create a beautiful masterpiece within us. When we are awash in chaos, it is often difficult to find the beauty.

In this powerful memoir, Anne shares personal stories about why her faith is so important to her and how it resonates throughout all her work. The Brushstrokes of Life teaches you how to:

Don't limit God's possibilities by closing your hands

Make  your trials from today into hope for tomorrow by connecting them to your trials from today. 

It is important to trust God's role in your Featuring a photo insert with several angel paintings that have never before appeared in a book, Anne's stories will serve as a powerful reminder that God is both our Creator and the Fulfiller of His promises. * He is the artist of our life. Creations are messy, but the divine artist never fails to reveal a masterpiece.

I give The Brushstrokes of Life five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Escape Game

 

# The Escape Game

by Marilyn Turk

Pub Date 01 Mar 2023

Barbour Fiction

Christian| Historical Fiction| Romance

I am reviewing a copy of The Escape Game  through Barbour/Barbour fiction and Netgalley:

The key to escaping prison is in the form of a board game

 

Featuring intrigue, adventure, and romance, this series honors the unsung heroes of World War II, the women.

 

In the aftermath of the Nazi bombing blitz, Beryl Clarke puts her college studies on hold in order to care for her mother and work as a secretary at the Waddington game company. As she endures the war at home, her brother James fights the enemy in the air. As James is shot down, wounded, and captured by the Nazis, he reunites with Kenneth Bordelon, a former college friend, and they devise a plan to escape. A board game with escape plans is being delivered by the Red Cross to prisoners of war. How can she inform them of the game's secret without disclosing it to the enemy?

I give The Escape Game five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Counter Attack

 

Counter Attack

by Patricia Bradley

Pub Date 16 May 2023 

Revell

Christian/Romance

As soon as Alexis Stone was sworn in as the interim sheriff of Russell County, Tennessee, a serial killer known as the Queen's Gambit Killer struck again in her hometown. Pearl Springs is merely a stopover on the way to Alex's real dream: becoming the first female police chief in Chattanooga. The killer's calling card, a white pawn and a note that contains a chess move, cannot be ignored.

The chief of police in Pearl Springs, Nathan Landry, cannot believe that his high school sweetheart Alexis (he refuses to call her Alex) has returned, and he cannot resist protecting her. Can Nathan fulfill the promises he makes to himself to bring a killer to justice before it is too late as the danger mounts and the killer closes in on him?

I give Counter Attack five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Vanishing at Castle Moreau

 

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau

by Jaime Jo Wright

Pub Date 04 Apr 2023 

 Bethany House,  Bethany House Publishers

 Christian  |  Historical Fiction  |  Romance 

Netgalley and Bethany House Publishers have provided me with a copy of The Vanishing at Castle Moreau for review:

The Vanishing of Castle Moreau weaves a powerful tale that can leave you laughing at times and crying at others.  

Daisy François, an orphan from Wisconsin, takes a position as housemaid at a Wisconsin castle in 1870 to escape the horrors of her past. There, she meets an eccentric Gothic authoress who conceals tales more harrowing than those in her books. As women disappear from the area and eerie circumstances parallel a local legend, Daisy is drawn into a web that may ultimately steal her sanity, if not her life.

A grandson of an American aristocratic family hires Cleo Clemmons to assist his grandmother with her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. As Cleo uncovers more than just the woman's collection of collectibles, a century-old mystery and the dust of the old castle's curse threaten to rise again. This time no one will live to tell the tale.

Among the darkness surrounding Castle Moreau, award-winning author Jaime Jo Wright seamlessly weaves a tale of two women who must do everything they can to seek the light.

I give The Vanishing of Castle Moreau five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Metropolitan Affair

 

The Metropolitan Affair

by Jocelyn Green

Pub Date 14 Mar 2023 

 Bethany House,  Bethany House Publishers

With The Metropolitan Affair, Jocelyn Green captures you in a dazzling novel of secrets, betrayal, and romance set within one of New York City's most prestigious museums.

The explorer father of Dr. Lauren Westlake has promised her for years that she would accompany him on one of his Egyptian expeditions. In spite of the empty promises, Lauren determined to earn her own way. Lauren receives two unexpected invitations while working as the assistant curator of Egyptology at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The first is her repentant father's offer to bring her to Egypt as a colleague on a new expedition. Another opportunity is to gain access to the world of New York's wealthiest patrons who have been victims of art fraud.

As Egyptomania sweeps the city following the discovery of King Tut's tomb, Detective Joe Caravello is on the lookout for a notorious forger preying on the open wallets of New York's high society. Dr. Westlake is just the expert he needs to assist him in locating the criminal. The closer Lauren and Joe get to discovering the forger's identity, the more entangled they become in a web of deception and criminal activity.

I give The Metropolitan Affair five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!