April Reads
I have always loved reading. I mostly read romance and mystery novels, but I am open to anything with a good story. have written short stories and am starting my first novel. I have turned my love of books into a book reviewing
A death in Chelsea
Scotland Yard Inspector Breech is assigned to investigate the death of gossip columnist Lady Adeline Treborne. She also the daughter of The Duchess of Penhere, a wealthy socialite. The death looks like a suicide but the Duchess insists her daughter would never kill herself. The autopsy result is murder. The team investigates the victim's lifestyle. Lady Adeline acquired numerous enemies as she blackmailed her way into a story. The initial crime of murder lead into other crimes. So the team had to solve the lesser crimes to solve the bigger crime. I received this book from NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review. This was an interesting mystery. The time period after World War ! the setting of the book represented a change in society. It set in motion for women to work outside the home. Although Inspector Beech is male, his team of investigators is female. Forensic science to solve criminal investigation was also introduced. This is the second book in the Mayfair 100 series. Ms. Britteny did an excellent job of describing the city of Chelsea. She also introduced social norms as mixed marriages baby farming and the beginning of soldiers losing limbs and needing medical attention. and the class system in England..
A sky without stars
— feeling amazing 
Recently widowed Frankie Chasing Bear and her son Harold are on the way to California to join the Indian Relocation program when their truck breaks down in Phoenix, Arizona. They stay in Phoenix to save money. They can either go to California or go to the Lakota Reservation in South Dakota. Frankie decides to make a quilt to give to Harold so he can continue the Lakota tradition. She also enrolls Harold and herself in the local Indian school.
She meets Nick Parker, a half Indian who struggling with alcoholism, his job with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the local Navajo tribal chiefs. He helps Frankie and Harold with their truck food and gives Harold a male influence. A crime involving stealing food complicates Frankie and Harold's chances of improving their lives. Harold is accused of stealing and both are kicked out of the school. Nick introduces her to other Lakota women, one of whom Frankie went to school with and they start a business. Frankie enjoys what she is doing but is worried about Harold. Harold keeps running away to escape the morning for his father. The last time Harold ran away Frankie, Nick and the community banded together to pray and to help each other.
I received this book for free from Fresh Fiction for an honest review. Nick and Frankie's romance was very sweet. Nick is attracted to her while maintaining boundaries. Both have demons from previous relationships. Their friendships first drew them together, then their reluctance but eventually faith in God.
Provoked to anger
Jeremy and Marissa are friends in high school. Jeremy has a crush on Marissa. He wants to have a relationship with her. They have sex at Marissa's home after a friend's funeral. When Jeremy suggests being her boyfriend, Marissa cannot handle it and rejects him. Jeremy becomes angry and harasses her. Marissa had her first sexual experience with her mother's boyfriend. She confesses to her mother after feeling guilty. Her mother is angry at her, She thinks Marissa is her competition. Marissa tries to have a normal mother-child relationship. But her mother sees her as a mistake. Jeremy tries to talk to his mother about his feelings about Marissa. She is more concerned about her social life than her son. His mother also is angry when Jeremy interferes with her date. Jeremy is curious about his father but his mother says nothing. Jeremy and Marissa's rejection from the adults in their lives leads them to have suicidal thoughts. Marissa survived her attempt at suicide. Jeremy did not. He is taken to the hospital and put on life support. Marissa is lured into a sex trafficking ring by a friend. Ironically, Marissa finds the love she had been missing from her mother from the other girls. Jeremy goes to hell. He is told the story of rape and incest of his mother, grandmother, and stepgrandfather. He vows to repent his ways if Jesus can save him. He gives his life to the Lord after he comes out of his coma. He and mother talk about the past. His mother promises to be there for him and starts to attend church services. Marissa is recused and lives in a teenage home for girls. She realizes her mother is in too much pain to love her and tries to move forward. I gave the book 3 out of 4 stars. I think Ms. Gardison is a good writer and has an excellent future ahead of her. The story surprised me as I thought it would be about domestic violence. It was more insightful as to what teenagers and broken families go through. It also explains how the bible feels about sex without casting blame or making an individual feel ashamed for making a mistake.
Stuart and Angie Pierce are relocated to the Middle East. Stuart works in the military as an airline pilot and Angie is a pro-Bono lawyer for Muslim women. The Pierces' marriage is in trouble as they are involved in criminal activity. The second story is about a young terrorist named Kashif. He avenges his mother's death by killing Americans The book shows the human side of the main characters.
It is a complicated situation. Stuart is trying to save Angie as well as his marriage. Kashif slowly realizes killing innocent people will bring his mother back.
I received this book for free from Reading Deals for an honest review. The most critical opinion is the book was too long. The story takes a long time to get to the action. It does and it is worth the wait. The book gives a good build-up of Stu/Angie and Kashif. The characters never meet but the action is good. The author did a good job of showing both sides of the culture and the aftermath of 9/11. The book doesn't give answers but shows Stu, Angie, and Kashif as flawed human beings. The criticism is it had too many characters. The book should have included the views of American terrorists and Muslims who weren't terrorists.
It is a complicated situation. Stuart is trying to save Angie as well as his marriage. Kashif slowly realizes killing innocent people will bring his mother back.
I received this book for free from Reading Deals for an honest review. The most critical opinion is the book was too long. The story takes a long time to get to the action. It does and it is worth the wait. The book gives a good build-up of Stu/Angie and Kashif. The characters never meet but the action is good. The author did a good job of showing both sides of the culture and the aftermath of 9/11. The book doesn't give answers but shows Stu, Angie, and Kashif as flawed human beings. The criticism is it had too many characters. The book should have included the views of American terrorists and Muslims who weren't terrorists.
Face of our father
Reblogged from April Reads:
1
And their children after them
Anthony and his cousin sneak away to another beach where he meets his first crush, Stephanie, and her friends. It goes through the teenage years of Anthony, Stephanie, and Hacine, a Morrocan, living in France. as they grow from teenagers to adulthood. The book shows the cycle of poverty from parents and children. Hacine due to being African realizes he will never have money. Anthony joins the military, gets injured, and ends up poor like his parents. Stephanie gets an education and lives in a better neighborhood. as possible a better life with more money. I received this book from Edelweiss for free in exchange for an honest review. The book is a simple plot. It gets confusing as it goes back and forth between the main characters, their parents and other minor characters in their individual stories. The book was interesting but had too many characters and was long.. After reading the book, you do become invested in the lives of the main characters as they figure out what to do with their lives.
More Than
Peggy Moriarty spent fourteen years raising her twins, Greg and Grace. She put her grief for her husband's, Patrick, death on hold. Now the children are headed for college. Peggy is forced to deal with being alone for the first time. She spends her days watching psychic medium and eating, She gets the opportunity to change when her children buy her a membership at a gym. Peggy is reluctant and doesn't see her weight as a problem. She changes her mind when she decides to go to the tv show and wants Patrick to see her as a thin person. I received this book for free from HiddenGems for an honest review. Peggy is a character many women can relate. She is obese, in denial about herself and depressed an]bout her children and husband. It was a nice journey reading from Peggy's mean sprirted behaviour to opening herself to other people as she loses weight. The friendships of Carmen, Roni and Henry were the parts of the book I liked the best. They support Peggy and eventually Peggy surts them. I also liked the weight loss wasn't a quick and easy fix. The weight loss was realistic as the reader was involved in every part of the exercise and well as Peggy's changing her diet. The question I was concerned was how did Peggy make money. The book mentioned her previous career but did discuss what she would do for a job.
L A County Deputy Bruno Johnson has taken a job as a court bailiff to give his daughter, Olivia, more structure in her life. Olivia is fifteen, rebellious and is attracted to a local gangbanger. Bruno is forced to go back to his old life in the Violent Crimes Team when Louis Barkow has arranged to escape from prison, using Olivia as bait. Louis continues his killing spree daring Bruno to find him. I have received this book from Edelweiss for free in exchange for an honest review. I couldn't put the book down. Bruno Johnson is an anti-hero. He likes to protect people but will cross lines in doing so. In this book, he tries to save his daughter from a life of crime and possible death. He gets a more stable job but she still wants to be with her boyfriend who lives the street life. The book is full of action from the first chapter and almost every page Bruno Johnson is a terrific character and is what every father should be. I am glad the book shows his vulnerability to his father, his daughter, and his potential love interest. The book is number 7 in the series. I would recommend the series if it if as good as this book
Thunder Bay
— feeling amazing
Rebecca Connelly decides to investigate a fifteen-year-old murder mystery against her boss's orders. Roddie Drummond was accused of killing his old girlfriend, Mhairi,. Although he was never acquitted, the Island of Stoirm believed he did. Roddie returns to attend his mother's funeral. Rebecca has other reasons to come to the island. Her father was born and raised here but never talked about his childhood or the reason he left. Rebecca recruits two locals to help her solve the mystery and to provide answers about her father. I received this book for free from Edelweiss for an honest review. I enjoyed the novel. The characters seemed so realistic, you felt as if you knew them in real life. The action kept you riveting to see what would happen next. The author was especially detailed in describing Thunder Bay. Thunder Bay is full of strong winds, harsh rocks and wild splashes of water. Thunder Bay felt like another character in the book.
Lori Daniels Mystery: Pillow Talk
Lori Daniels is an excellent Police Officer. Her personal life, however, is a mess. She has frequent casual sex with men she works with. This leads to a messy situation on her latest case, A former love is working for a drug cartel. Her boss, another former lover, is setting her up for the crime and her current boyfriend has an ego problem. I have received the book for free from Edelweiss for an honest review. The plot of police corruption is a very good idea. The main problem I had was too many characters and not enough of Lori. She doesn't solve the mystery. She doesn't appear in two-thirds of the book. The story kept going back and forth between the other police officers and the criminals. In the subplot is the problem of Lori and her casually having sex with her male co-workers and male superiors. She doesn't address why she attracted to men so easily. No one mentions a conflict of interest with her working with her exes. I did enjoy the scenes with the police solving the mystery.
I received this book from NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review. It was a good story. I liked the steps he investigation team took in finding the killer, especially the witness the thought was the killer. I only had a problem with the wife, her testimony, and she didn't pass the lie detector test. Yet the team did not look into her past earlier. The parallel between Ross's relationship with Lucy and Josie facing a possible pregnancy. Overall it kept you in suspense.
Josie Warren works as a maid for the Davenports, the richest family in Newport, Rhode Island. She doesn't have marriage prospects but desires a man with Christian values. Arthur Davenport arrives home after living for several years in Europe. He meets Josie and begins a friendship with her despite the situation she works for him. The friendship develops into love as their position in society comes between them. I thought the book was well written. I enjoy the plot of two different classes coming together for love. The book was full of Josie and Arthur thinking about each other. It didn't have any suspense. As a reader, I wanted them to do something. Eventually, they worked toward building a homeless shelter, but it took a long time to establish a goal. I like secondary stories so I enjoyed the potential romance between Josie's mother and the doctor.
Throne of Grace
Josie Warren works as a maid for the Davenports, the richest family in Newport, Rhode Island. She doesn't have marriage prospects but desires a man with Christian values. Arthur Davenport arrives home after living for several years in Europe. He meets Josie and begins a friendship with her despite the situation she works for him. The friendship develops into love as their position in society comes between them. I thought the book was well written. I enjoy the plot of two different classes coming together for love. The book was full of Josie and Arthur thinking about each other. It didn't have any suspense. As a reader, I wanted them to do something. Eventually, they worked toward building a homeless shelter, but it took a long time to establish a goal. I like secondary stories so I enjoyed the potential romance between Josie's mother and the doctor.
Clear My Name
— feeling happy 
Tess works for The Innocence Network, which helps prisoners who are wrongly convicted of crimes. The latest case is Carrie, who is convicted of murdering her husband's mistress. The case is unusual because the organization never had to investigate a woman. Tess is also assigned a new trainee, Avril. They talk to several witnesses who knew Carrie, her pregnant daughter, and her ex-husband. As details emerge, Tess is unsure whether Carrie is guilty or innocent, in addition, Tess's personal life is also affected by the case. I received this book from Edelweiss for an honest review. Clear my name is full of twists and surprises. I like the way the investigation took time to solve, interjecting detours in the story. I wasn't expecting the crime and Tess's past to have a connection. I had learned about the Innocence Project due to the Central Park Five. It is a different view of a murder mystery. The story focused only on Tess and Avril. The other characters you really don't know at all other than an appearance. The book should have explored Tess' life and emotions more, it felt she was monotone with everything in her life. I do recommend the book.
Electric Blue is the second novel in the Jane Kelly mysteries. Jane Kelly is training to be a private investigator or information specialist. She prefers to do research or serving process papers for local lawyers. She is reluctant to go into the business but her employer, Duane Durbin, feels she has potential. He gives her cases and mentors her. The latest case involves the richest family in the Lake Chinook’s area. The Purcells founded the real estate in the 1800s and continue to build their real estate empire. The family also has mental illness in the genes. Duane finished a divorce case of one of the Purcells and assigns Jane to take the case of her cousin, Jasper “Jazz” Purcell. Jazz is an extremely handsome man, too handsome for Jane’s own good. Jazz asks Jane to keep an eye on his grandmother, Orchid (the females in the family have flower names). Orchid also controls the family money, is suspicious about her children and is losing her sanity. Jane agrees and walks into a battle of the sibling who feels they are entitled that the Purcell fortune. Unfortunately, Orchid disappears then dies soon after Jane arrives. Jane learns about family history. Most of the mystery centers on Jazz’s mother dying in an asylum and the cover-up by the institution and the family. The father molested the girls and the brothers raped their sisters. Then there is Jazz’s wife killed in an accident, which also gave Jazz short term memory loss. The story is further complicated when Logan, Jazz’s 12-year-old son is the sole recipient of the entire fortune. The sibling is either for him or against him. An unexpected arrival helps Jane finish the mystery of the Purcell family, which will continue in part two of the family drama. Many people will compare this series to the Stephanie Plum Series but I like Jane Kelly better. I mostly like the sense of humor Nancy Bush gives the character and she made Jane independent with a potential love interest in Duane. The interactions Jane has with her family (her brother Booth and mother), her best friend Cynthia and her job have a comfortable feel as if you know these people. If you are interested in light mysteries, I would recommend this series.
