June 9, 2018

Review: The Memory Tree (Carson Chronicles Book 2) by John A. Heldt


Product Description:
Days after barely escaping 1889 with their lives, the Carsons, siblings from the present day, resume their search for their missing parents in 1918. While Adam and his pregnant wife, Bridget, settle in Minnesota, unaware of a wildfire that will kill hundreds, Greg seeks clues in his great-grandparents' Mexico, where he finds love, danger, and enemies. At the same time, Natalie, the ambitious journalist, follows a trail to World War I France, and teen twins Cody and Caitlin rekindle a friendship with an old Pennsylvania friend haunted by her past. In THE MEMORY TREE, the sweeping sequel to RIVER RISING, several time travelers find answers and meaning as they continue the adventure of a lifetime in the age of doughboys, silent movies, and Model T's.

My Thoughts:
THE MEMORY TREE is book 2 in the Carson Chronicles and hopefully I don't have to wait long for book 3 because the cliff hangers in this series are killer! 

Ever since I read my first John A. Heldt novel in 2012 I've been a huge fan. He always makes the past come to life and who wouldn't love the opportunity to travel back in time and meet their early relatives and see history as it unfolds. The one difference I found with this book over others I've read is that the fire in this novel didn't spark my curiosity about the actual event as with events in other novels by Heldt. I read this as part of the story and moved on. 

I also felt like there were a bit too many side characters in this story. I had a hard time keeping up with who as who in the beginning but once I was about a quarter into the book the pace picked up and I became just as hooked on the story as I usually get and quickly zipped to the ending which had an interesting twist that I didn't see coming. 

My Recommendation:
I recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction and non-scifi time travel. 



May 27, 2018

Review: Believe Me by J.P. Delaney




Product Description:
In this twisty psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Before, an actress plays both sides of a murder investigation. A struggling actor, a Brit in America without a green card, Claire needs work and money to survive. Then she gets both. But nothing like she expected.

Claire agrees to become a decoy for a firm of divorce lawyers. Hired to entrap straying husbands, she must catch them on tape with their seductive propositions. The rules? Never hit on the mark directly. Make it clear you’re available, but he has to proposition you, not the other way around. The firm is after evidence, not coercion. The innocent have nothing to hide.

Then the game changes. When the wife of one of Claire’s targets is violently murdered, the cops are sure the husband is to blame. Desperate to catch him before he kills again, they enlist Claire to lure him into a confession.

Claire can do this. She’s brilliant at assuming a voice and an identity. For a woman who’s mastered the art of manipulation, how difficult could it be to tempt a killer into a trap? But who is the decoy . . . and who is the prey?

My Thoughts:
Having read The Girl Before last year I was really looking forward to Believe Me and I was not let down. Suspense thrillers are obviously meant to keep you guessing but 90% of the time you read the clues and see the foreshadowing so you can usually figure out what's going on midway through the book but the ride is still fun getting to the ending. With this one I don't think I had any clue whatsoever how this was going to end.

Claire is very good at what she does and sometimes it seems just too good. As the husband of the victim, Patrick is naturally the prime suspect but then you see his softer side and you can't help but fall in love with him right along with Claire. Then the twists and turns start coming at you from all sides and you have no choice but to keep reading to learn what the heck is really going on.

For me this was a very quick read. I just had to know! I will say that although the ending was a shocker that fit with the story but I was a bit disappointed by it. After the ride we I went through to get there I expected a bigger splash.

My Recommendation:
If you love psychological suspense thrillers then this is a must for you. Hopefully like me, you won't be able to guess the ending so you'll be sucked in to the very end.

January 1, 2018

Top 5 Books I've Read in 2018


  1. Replay by Ken Grimwood
  2. Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
  3. Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
  4. A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena
  5. The Lost Girls by Heather Young







Books I Didn't Finish in 2018

Below will be any books I started and didn't finish and the reason why.


  1. I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson 
    • The story started off interesting enough but jumped ahead too quickly and I lost interest really fast. I stopped about 1/4th into the book.
  2. Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
    • There were just too many things going on at once and I felt that Hawkins was trying too hard at building the suspense. 
  3. Devil Said Bang by Richard Kadrey
    • I think it's time to throw in the towel on this series. I kept going on the last couple but just keep loosing interest with each one. Sorry, Sandman Slim.
  4. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
    • I liked the premise but I was just to distracted and there was a lot going on. Maybe I'll revisit this one sometime. 
  5. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
    • I really love Neil Gaiman but he's had misses for me before. I just couldn't get into this one and I feel bad because I thought with the addition of Terry Pratchett I would love it. 
  6. Private London by James Patterson
    • I felt no empathy for any of the characters. I think Patterson is just cranking out too many books and not developing any good suspense anymore. I'm throwing in the towel on this entire series now. 




Books Read in 2018

Books
January
  1. Witch is When All Was Revealed by Adele Abbott
  2. Witch is Why Time Stood Still by Adele Abbott
  3. Witch is Why The Laughter Stopped by Adele Abbott
  4. Naughty & Nice by Kevin J. Anderson
February
  1. Witch is Why Another Door Opened by Adele Abbott
  2. It's. Nice. Outside. by Jim Kokoris
March
  1. Flash by Tim Tigner
  2. The Fog Seller by Don Daglow
April
  1. Witch is Why Two Became One by Adele Abbott
  2. Witch is Why The Wolf Howled by Adele Abbott
  3. Witch is Why The Moon Disappeared by Adele Abbott
May
  1. Believe My by JP Delaney
June
  1. The Memory Tree by John A. Heldt
  2. The Upper Hand by Johnny Shaw
  3. Witch is Why The Music Stopped by Adele Abbott
July
  1. The Point by John Dixon
  2. Witch is Why a Pin Dropped by Adele Abbott
  3. Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reintgen
  4. There There by Tommy Orange
August

  1. Witch is Why the Owl Returned by Adele Abbott
  2. Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
  3. The Museum of Mysteries by Steve Berry and M. J. Rose
  4. An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
  5. Witch is Why the Search Began by Adele Abbott
September
  1. The Chocolate Mouse Trap by JoAnna Carl
October
  1. Witch is Why Promises Were Broken by Adele Abbott
  2. Witch is Why It Was Over by Adele Abbott
  3. Whoops! All The Money Went Missing by Adele Abbott
  4. Witch is How Things Had Changed by Adele Abbott
  5. Witch Is How Berries Tasted Good by Adele Abbott
November
  1. Witch is How the Mirror Lied by Adele Abbott
  2. Imposters by Scott Westerfeld
  3. When Glory Met Jerry by Gerry Bartlett
  4. Whoops! Someone Is On Our Case by Adele Abbott
December
  1. Haints and Hobwebs by Jennifer Estep
  2. Come and Get Me by August Norman
  3. Indian Paintbrush by John A. Heldt
Audio Books
January
  1. The Valley of the Horses by Jean M. Auel
  2. Monument 14 by Emily Laybourne
  3. Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
  4. The Mammoth Hunters by Jean M. Auel
  5. Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
February
  1. Brightside by Kim Holden
  2. Everyday by David Levithan
  3. Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon
  4. Sky on Fire by Emily Laybourne
March
  1. The Good Neighbor by A. J. Banner
  2. The Lost Girls by Heather Young
  3. Whoops Our New Flatmate is a Human by Adele Abbott
  4. Naked Greed by Stuart Woods
  5. A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena
  6. The Plains of Passage by Jean M. Auel
  7. Dark in Death by J. D. Robb
  8. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
April
  1. The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo
  2. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
  3. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
May
  1. The Bishop's Pawn
  2. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
  3. Savage Drift by Emily Laybourne
June
  1. Shelters of Stone by Jean M. Auel
  2. Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
July
  1. The Land of the Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel
  2. Venom in the Veins by Jennifer Estep
  3. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
August

  1. The President is Missing by Bill Clinton & James Patterson
  2. Reply by Ken Grimwood
  3. Bring Me Back by B. A. Paris
  4. Slimy Underbelly by Kevin J. Anderson
  5. The Outsider by Stephen King
September
  1. Foreign Affairs by Stuart Woods
  2. The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
  3. The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly
October
  1. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
  2. Leverage in Death by J. D. Robb
  3.  The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn
November
  1. Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich
  2. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
  3. Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel
December
  1. The Devils' Due by Steve Berry
  2. Vox by Christina Dalcher
  3. Unlocked by John Scalzi
Grand Total: 82


Here's what I read in previous years: