The Fourth Monkey Review & Giveaway

June 21, 2017June 15, 201714 Comments

It has been a long time since I read a gritty serial killer novel. The last series I recommended was the Smoky Barrett series starting with Shadow Man by Cody McFadyen. I had heard The Fourth Monkey was good, so I was excited to read it. And I was pleased to find that it was fantastic!

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We are first presented with the 4MK killer by finding his signature white box tied with black string. Inside is either his victim’s ear, eyeballs, or tongue. He follows the “Hear no Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil” mantra. You’ll have to read the book to find out why it’s called The Fourth Monkey. And the Chicago detectives searching for him assume he’s a vigilante killer.

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What I loved so much about this book and made it so readable was that interspersed throughout the search is the killer’s diary. It starts with him as a young boy and takes us through a creepy period in his life to give us a glimpse as to why he does what he does. I found the diary to be as page turning as the rest of the book! I couldn’t wait to get back to the back story to read more.

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If you are a fan of Dexter (the books or television series), You and Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes or James Patterson, this book is a must read. With an open ending, I sure hope J.D. Barker adds another to this series. I’d love to find out what trouble these characters find themselves in next. My thanks to Maxine Groves and HMH for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Today for one lucky winner I have a #4MK Killer Swag Bag which features a hardcover book and more fun prizes! U.S. and UK residents only, please. Enter on the Rafflecopter.
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The Alice Network Review & Giveaway

June 13, 2017June 7, 20178 Comments

While I love reading historical fiction, often to discover a piece of history I knew nothing about, it’s rare to find those same books action packed. The Alice Network is an exception. The quick pace starts on page 13 and doesn’t let up until we reach the stunning conclusion.

This story is told in duplicate timelines, one in 1947 and the other in 1913. Charlie is 19 in 1947 and also pregnant out of wedlock. She is determined to find out what happened to her missing cousin. After a tip leads her to Eve Gardiner’s door hoping she can help her, the two take off in search of answers. The 1913 story is Eve’s as we learn of her role during WWI and how it ties into Charlie’s missing cousin.

Love James Bond movies? Pick up this book. Any interest in history, especially women’s empowerment? Pick up this book. Need a read to keep you on the edge of your seat? Pick up this book. Even book clubs will find much to discuss and you can find some questions to get you started in the back.

I loved The Alice Network for its glimpse into the life of female spies as well as its ability to keep the story moving, hard to do at almost 500 pages. I would love to see this one turned into a movie.

Some bloggers on tour were able to do a special video chat with Kate. You can view it here.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Photo by Kate Furek

About Kate Quinn

Kate Quinn is a native of Southern California. She attended Boston University, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga and two books set in the Italian Renaissance detailing the early years of the infamous Borgia clan. All have been translated into multiple languages. She and her husband now live in Maryland with two black dogs named Caesar and Calpurnia.

Find out more about Kate at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

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Thanks to TLC Book Tours, I have one copy to give away to a lucky reader. U.S. only, please. Enter on the Rafflecopter.
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Allie and Bea Review & Giveaway

May 25, 2017May 22, 201712 Comments

Allie and Bea, or what could also be titled When Bad Things Happen to Good People, is Catherine Ryan Hyde’s newest release. If you have not read her before, get yourself immediately to a bookstore or library to pick up some of her novels. You might know her as the woman who wrote the book Pay it Forward, in which the movie starring Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt was based.

This new book tells the story of Bea, a woman who had been easily making do living in her trailer since the death of her husband. She lives on very little and is used to her lifestyle until one telephone call ends it all.

Allie is a teenager from a wealthy household who always has the newest gadgets and doesn’t need to beg for anything. When her life is turned upside down, she is thrust out into the “real world” without any preparation.

Neither of them were prepared for an adventure or companionship, but it turns out they needed each other more than they expected. I noticed myself smiling in many spots as I was reading this book. It was such a joy for these two to experience new surroundings with each other. But I was so impressed how they each taught each other to have a different outlook.

This novel is over 350 pages but I was quickly flipping pages to find out what was going to happen next on their journey. After several thrillers, this was such a warm-hearted story, filled with two characters that I learned from. Hyde easily writes two completely different age groups perfectly.

I’m eager to see what she writes next. In the meantime, if you need a fast-paced story that will put a smile on your face, be sure to pick this one up.

Thanks to Little Bird Publicity, I have one copy to give away to a lucky winner. Continental U.S. only, please. Enter on the Rafflecopter.
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I Found You Review & Giveaway

May 1, 2017April 27, 201713 Comments

The last Lisa Jewell novel I read, The House We Grew Up In, I loved. It captured family dynamics perfectly and made a dysfunctional family seem fun. I was surprised to start her newest and find it to be suspense. I didn’t realize she wrote those types of books, but, folks, she did it incredibly.

I Found You features three different stories, two of which happen concurrently. We first meet Alice, a single mom of 3 who discovers a man on the beach. Her charitable instincts take over and she invites him in for warmth and shelter. Next we meet Lily, a young newlywed new to this country whose husband doesn’t return home from work one evening. Then we head back to 1993 and follow a family of 4 on summer holiday. Are all these stories connected? What ties them together?

As I was reading each chapter, I was so focused on the current story that when it ended in a cliffhanger, I was reluctant to move to the next character to continue their journey. But then I’d start reading and find the same problem all over again! This twisted read was very hard to put down. Jewell is a master at building suspense, pulling you deeper into the mystery eager to find out what’s happening.

After reading I Found You and loving it, I hope Jewell continues to write more of this genre. She has the knack of an original plot with sympathetic characters and a mystery that will keep the reader guessing.

A lot of this book reminded me of I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh. If that was a favorite for you, I truly think you will enjoy this one.

Be warned: there are some dark elements to this story which may be a trigger warning for some.

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The Promise of Pierson Orchard Review, Giveaway, & Guest Post

April 24, 2017April 18, 20179 Comments

Imagine the story of Erin Brockovich set in the small town of Friday Night Lights’ Dillon, Texas, and you have this debut novel.

Brandes captures small town life perfectly with a rotating set of narrators to push the story along. The book starts out with Jack Pierson, apple orchard owner, as he’s mourning the separation between him and his wife, LeeAnn. Jack’s younger brother, Wade, and LeeAnn’s first love has been gone from town for 20 years and decides to return to get folks in town signing leases over to his new company so they can start earning money.

So imagine how well that goes over considering all the family issues between these two brothers. On top of it all, LeeAnn is struggling with her desire for a child and coming to grips with the fact her mother is dying of cancer.

As an environmental scientist, Brandes could have easily bogged the readers down with technical terms and textbook-like writing, but the story flows for these characters as we yearn for happy endings for them all. Their motivations and feelings are front and center.

The last quarter of the book had me racing to see how the chilling climax would play out. No matter how much time has passed, will the bond between blood relatives hold amidst small town struggles or is what they say true, that money makes the world go ’round? Be sure to pick up your copy to find out.

A special thanks to Kate Brandes, who is sharing with our readers what it’s like to write her debut novel!

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When You’ve Never Written Fiction Before, How Long Does it Take to Write a Novel?

The Promise of Pierson Orchard is my first novel. This story is Erin Brockovich meets Promised Land, about a Pennsylvania family threatened by betrayal, financial desperation, old flames, fracking, and ultimately finding forgiveness.

I’ve spent my career working as an environmental scientist not as a writer, so my biggest hurdle to writing a long work of fiction was not to learn to write beautifully, but instead to learn how to tell a compelling story in the written form. In order to do that, I worked for seven years on countless drafts and shared my novel with anyone I thought would provide helpful feedback.

I kept a novel writing log over the years of drafting this first book from concept to publication.

Sometimes it takes many failures to develop something good.
Novel Log

2010 to 2011: Write what I think is first draft of novel, but is really just a concept.
2011 to Mid-2012: Write what I think is first draft of novel, but it’s really just me avoiding the story because I’m afraid. I set the whole thing aside and start from page one.
Mid-2012 to Early 2013: Write first draft.
Early 2013 to Fall 2014: Change premise because I finally realize what the heart of the story is about. Rewrite first draft entirely.
Fall 2014 to Spring 2016: Change main character of the story. Another major rewrite. And more rewrites. And more! Query many agents and publishers. Get rejected over and over and over.
Spring 2016 – But then….Get publisher! Get agent! More rewriting!
Spring 2017 – A published book

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Thanks to TLC Book Tours, I have one copy to give away to a lucky reader. U.S. and Canada only, please. Enter on the Rafflecopter.
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Marlena Review & Giveaway

April 7, 2017March 31, 20178 Comments

Sometimes when I feel very stressed and a glass of wine just won’t do, I find myself turning on a show like Intervention, because I know when watching it, I will realize whatever I have going on is not that bad. Things could be much worse. And sometimes I need that to make myself feel better.

Marlena acted in the same away for me. It tells the story of Cat, a 15-year-old girl used to prep school and a nuclear family, only to be relocated to Michigan with her newly single mother and older brother. Next door she meets 17-year-old Marlena, living with her younger brother and drug dealer father, living a life Cat could never imagine. All too soon, she gets swept up under Marlena’s influence.

Like a slow motion car accident where you can’t look away, Cat’s perfect life is turned upside down in favor of hanging out with Cat and her friends by drinking, smoking, using drugs, and skipping school. In losing her past identity and becoming lonely, Cat clings to Marlena and the comfort she brings of friendship and close connections. The downhill spiral Cat takes upon meeting Marlena made me glad to be out of high school, knowing how self-esteem and loneliness play a huge part in making friends.

In Cat’s one year of meeting Marlena chronicled in this story, it is telling that her grownup life is affected and her decision-making as an adult is still heavily influenced by this teenage year.

This book reminded me in a lot of ways of Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman and The Girls from Corona Del Mar by Rufi Thorpe. If you’re like me and find books about destructive female friendships almost therapeutic, be sure to pick this one up.

About the author:

Julie Buntin is from northern Michigan. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, Cosmopolitan, O, The Oprah Magazine, Slate, Electric Literature, and One Teen Story, among other publications. She teaches fiction at Marymount Manhattan College, and is the Director of Writing Programs at Catapult. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. Marlena is her debut novel.

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy to give away to a lucky reader. U.S. only, please. Enter on the Rafflecopter.
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The Widow’s House Review & Giveaway

March 21, 2017March 21, 20178 Comments

I have read one book of Carol Goodman’s over the years and that was her debut, The Lake of Dead Languages. It was a suspenseful mystery dealing with girls at a private school. This new release from her really shows she’s grown as a writer as she enters the genre of gothic mystery and ghost story.

Looking for a fresh start and a way to stay out of debt, writer Jess Martin and his wife, Clare, leave the bustling city and head to the country of the Hudson Valley. When they can’t find a dream home in their price range, they are given the opportunity to become caretakers at Riven House. As they move in, Clare begins to hear noises, see figures, and question how much the house and the ghosts of its past are haunting her.

As I was reading, I kept picturing the movie What Lies Beneath starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. A working husband, wife left at home, when mysterious things begin to happen and she sees things and questions what’s going on. If this was a movie you enjoyed, the book is sure to intrigue you.

What’s impressive is Goodman is writing this book about three writers, all with distinctive voices. She pulled it off brilliantly and managed to keep mystery enthusiasts turning the pages.

Riven House almost acts as its own character in the novel. Is it haunted? That’s what everyone in town likes to think. Will digging up some town history make life worse or better for Clare? One thing is for sure: Don’t turn your back on it. I was eager to get to the bottom of the mystery and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed in the ending.

If you like a good ghost story or visiting haunted houses, add this book to your to-be read pile.

You can purchase directly through the HarperCollins website here.

About the author:

Carol Goodman is the critically acclaimed author of fourteen novels, including The Lake of Dead Languages and The Seduction of Water, which won the 2003 Hammett Prize. Her books have been translated into sixteen languages. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her family, and teaches writing and literature at the New School and SUNY New Paltz.

Connect with Carol on Facebook.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours, I have one copy to give away to a lucky reader! U.S. only, please. Enter on the Rafflecopter.

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Follow Me Down Review & Giveaway

March 19, 2017February 24, 2017Leave a comment

When I saw one of my favorite thriller writers, Chevy Stevens, call this new psychological thriller “clever and remarkable,” I knew I’d be in for a fun ride. And that cover! This book was one I didn’t want to miss. It lived up to the hype and made me a new fan of Sherri Smith.

Mia Haas gets a phone call from the police department in her hometown that her twin brother, Lucas, is missing and she needs to get there immediately. When she arrives she finds out that in addition to his disappearance, he’s a suspect for murder. Knowing in her gut that he is not capable of murder, she sets out to prove him innocent, find him, and uncover the truth.

Having grown up in this town where everybody knows everybody’s business, it makes it hard for her to investigate. On top of that, the police seem to be holding a grudge against Lucas.

One thing I loved about this book was how each character was flawed in some way or multiple ways. Including Mia. Not one person was presented as perfect. It was so true to reality that it kept me eagerly turning the pages. As Mia gets closer to finding the truth, more and more secrets of small town life and the people living it come pouring out, which exceeded this thriller lover’s expectations.

This story was told in a linear fashion, too, and I know many readers don’t like going back and forth in time, so for those who don’t, be sure to pick this one up. For a debut suspense novel, this has all the makings of a blockbuster. I was genuinely surprised by the ending and think you will be too. I’d love to see some of these characters return in a new book and eagerly look forward to what Sherri comes up with next.

Thanks to Tor/Forge for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher, I have 2 copies to give away to lucky readers. U.S. and Canada only, please. Enter on the Rafflecopter.
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The Orphan’s Tale Review & Giveaway

February 22, 2017February 21, 20173 Comments

If The Nightingale and Water for Elephants had a baby…Welcome to the world, The Orphan’s Tale! Exquisitely written and researched with unforgettable characters, this is the perfect read if you have any interest in WWII fiction or stories from the circus. Combine those two and you have this story, one you won’t soon forget.

It tells the story of Noa, a young Dutch girl who in the first chapter does something heroic, rescues a baby from a train car heading to what we can only assume is a concentration camp. She takes the baby and runs, and luckily she finds a quick home in a German circus. But in order to stay, she is forced to learn the job of an aerialist (trapeze artist) and to perform.

Her trainer is Astrid, a Jew who also is hiding among the circus performers. As the two women spend more time together, secrets from both pasts emerge, threatening their livelihood and their lives.

Even though this isn’t a thriller or mystery, its intriguing plot will have you flipping the pages to reach the conclusion. And I promise you’ll walk away with an appreciation for the performers of the circus who lived during this time. I gained a new understanding of the struggles of performing during this era of history. As soon as I finished, I went and grabbed a copy of her book previous to this one, The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach.

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Thanks to TLC Book Tours and the publisher, I have 1 copy of the book to give away to a lucky reader. U.S. and Canada only, please. Enter on the Rafflecopter.
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The Clairvoyants Review & Giveaway

February 10, 2017February 8, 2017Leave a comment

In Karen Brown’s new novel, our protagonist, Martha is born with a unique gift. She can see spirits of those who have died. When the time has come for her to go away for college, in an attempt to begin a new and independent life, she moves to an apartment alone. Until she comes across the spirit of a college girl who had gone missing years before: Mary Rae.

This story is billed as a ghost story, but I found it to be more of a coming of age experience for Martha, who is on her own for the first time, learning to unravel the mystery behind Mary Rae’s disappearance. While doing so, she has to navigate her first love, her desire to study photography, and deal with the return of her sister. In many ways, dysfunctional family shapes who Martha has become and how she deals with these situations.

Brown does an excellent job of having the reader question all the characters for their motives and choices. We are left wondering how well we think we know someone. They’re all mysterious but are one’s intentions more sinister than others?

If you’re looking for page-turning suspense, you won’t find it in this story. Questions are answered but at a much slower moving pace. If you’re looking for an engaging read with complex characters, be sure to pick this one up or enter to win a copy below!

About the author: Karen Brown is the author of a novel, The Longings of Wayward Girls, and two short story collections–Little Sinners and Other Stories, winner of the Prairie Schooner Book Prize, the John Gardner Book Award, and was named a Best Book of 2012 by Publishers Weekly, and Pins and Needles: Stories, which was the recipient of AWP’s Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction. Her work has been featured in The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories, Best American Short Stories, The New York Times, and Good Housekeeping.