Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Broken Grace

Broken GraceOn an icy winter’s day in southwest Michigan, Grace Abbot wakes up as the survivor of a car crash. But she’s left with a traumatic brain injury and a terrifying reality: she can’t remember anything.

Left in the care of her sister, Grace returns to the family’s secluded old farmhouse to recover—but within an hour of her return, the police arrive. Grace’s boyfriend has been murdered. Without any memory, Grace has no alibi.

With suspicion weighing heavily on her and flashes of memory returning, Grace searches for clues to her past. But with every glimpse, her anxiety grows. There is something about the house, her family, her childhood…perhaps the accident isn’t the only reason she can’t remember. Are the dark recesses of her mind hiding something even more sinister and terrifying than she could ever imagine?

                                                         And someone is watching. Someone willing to kill again to 
                                                         protect a secret.

I loved every second that I spent with this book!  The writing was well done, but not over done.  It kept the pages turning.  I'm a sucker for an unreliable main character and that's exactly what this book delivered on many levels.  While I don't think it was impossible to figure things out, I enjoyed how the book took you on a journey to get there.  It was also very believable, which sometimes doesn't happen in books like this one.  I would recommend this title to anyone who likes a realistic thriller that has multiple levels to it's mystery.  I hope to pick up other books by this author in the future. 
 
 * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

  

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Behold the Dreamers

Behold the DreamersJende Jonga, a Cameroonian immigrant living in Harlem, has come to the United States to provide a better life for himself, his wife, Neni, and their six-year-old son. In the fall of 2007, Jende can hardly believe his luck when he lands a job as a chauffeur for Clark Edwards, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers. Clark demands punctuality, discretion, and loyalty—and Jende is eager to please. Clark’s wife, Cindy, even offers Neni temporary work at the Edwardses’ summer home in the Hamptons. With these opportunities, Jende and Neni can at last gain a foothold in America and imagine a brighter future.

However, the world of great power and privilege conceals troubling secrets, and soon Jende and Neni notice cracks in their employers’ façades.

When the financial world is rocked by the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the Jongas are desperate to keep Jende’s job—even as their marriage threatens to fall apart. As all four lives are dramatically upended, Jende and Neni are forced to make an impossible choice.


I am so conflicted about this selection, even as I write this review.  The first two-thirds I was all in and didn't want it to end.  However, there was a shift that ended up leaving me disappointed.  Characters that we had invested in, were just gone.  Jende became a totally different person that I just didn't think accurately portrayed who the author built him to be.  I was suddenly supposed to be invested in something completely different than when I started out and I just felt disappointed.  I wanted more of what I started with and just didn't get that.  On the positive side, the writing read quick and I loved the style.  While the story line was not what I hoped for, the issues this book dealt with are very real and I appreciated how it was handled.    
        
 * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *
  
 

You Will Know Me

You Will Know MeKatie and Eric Knox have dedicated their lives to their fifteen-year-old daughter Devon, a gymnastics prodigy and Olympic hopeful. But when a violent death rocks their close-knit gymnastics community just weeks before an all-important competition, everything the Knoxes have worked so hard for feels suddenly at risk. As rumors swirl among the other parents, revealing hidden plots and allegiances, Katie tries frantically to hold her family together while also finding herself drawn, irresistibly, to the crime itself, and the dark corners it threatens to illuminate.

 I really enjoyed what this novel delivered.  A thriller, in a gymnastics setting, was the perfect set up.  These girls dedicate their entire lives, and the lives of their families, to this grueling sport.  So it comes down to, what are you willing to do for yourself, or your daughter to make all the sacrifices worth it.  The writing was well done and I felt that it portrayed the teenage gymnasts perfectly.  While I wouldn't label this a "whodunit" thriller, I was very interested to see where it would go and how it got there.  I think this book really created a great scenario and took it all the way to the end in a believable way.  I will be checking out other titles by this author soon!  

   * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *