November 30, 2018

Audio Book Review: The Fallen by David Baldacci


                  The Fallen by David Baldacci




The Fallen (Amos Decker, #4)

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: 2018

  

Amos Decker and his partner Alex Jamison are on a vacation from the FBI. They are visiting Alex's sister and niece in Barronville, a town they have just moved to. On their first night in town, Decker is sitting out on the back deck when he notices lights flashing in a house near by. Unable to let things like this go, Decker goes to see what the commotion is all about. Inside the house are two dead bodies, but there is something strange about these murders. Something isn't adding up. Barronville is a town full of addicts of opiod's but not much else going on. So why are these people being killed. Even though Decker is on vacation, he can't put the FBI badge down long enough to enjoy it.

I think Amos Decker is one of my favorite characters from David Baldacci. I love how he lives in his own bubble and really doesn't care what anyone else thinks. This is no different. He inserted himself into this case before the police even asked for his help. Another think I like about Amos, is that he also has a soft side, that really comes out in this book. When he is dealing with Alex's niece.

This is a story that is hard to believe.  You are trying to take a relaxing break from work(not that it's an easy task for Decker) when bedlam breaks out.  Even though Decker shouldn't get involved, he can't help it.  When events take place that remind him of his own family that he lost, you begin to see the softer side of Decker.

This is the 4th and latest book in the series and I hope there are more to come.

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November 29, 2018

Review: Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier


Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: 2018

Georgina Shaw has everything going for her in her life in Seattle. She's in a top position at work and she is engaged to one of the wealthiest men in the city. So why is she being arrested for the murder of her best friend, Angela Wong, 14 years earlier? Geo(as she likes to be called) didn't murder her friend, but she was there when it all happened and kept this secret for this long. There are so many secrets from that night, that need to come to the surface, but one Geo will keep hidden for as long as she can.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Geo is sentenced to 5 years in prison for her actions on the night her friend was killed. After she is released, more murders similar to what happened with her friend that night begin to happen. Geo's friend who was also friends with Angela, Kaiser Brody is now a police officer and is working on this case. But is it too much for him considering his feelings for Geo in the past. He believes, Calvin is responsible for these murders since he's escaped from prison, but there is something different about these that has everyone stumped.

I was on the edge of my seat while reading this book. It's impossible to read this story and not become fully engrossed. Geo is really the kind of girl that you would probably be friends with. She is pretty down to earth and knows how to get what she wants. My heart went out to her during the whole book, I wanted to jump in and try to save her. But the ending will have you thinking to yourself, "What the hell just happened?" I recommend this to anyone who likes a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat.



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November 20, 2018

Review: Invitation to a Bonfire by Adrienne Celt

Invitation to a Bonfire by Adrienne Celt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Published: 2018

Zoya is an orphan from Moscow who is now living in the United States. She is a student at the Donne School, but she has no family. So when school is over, what will her life become? When her favorite author becomes a teacher at the school, Zoya's life changes dramatically. They start an affair even though Zoya knows his wife from childhood. Strange twists happen toward the end, that I didn't suspect. The story is told from Zoya's journal entries during her life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book started off really slowly for me. I really didn't get much out of it at the beginning. The last 30% of the book, though really had me on the edge of my seat and ready to find out what this girl is all about. Zoya is really kind of a boring character. She goes to class and makes very few friends. When she graduates, she has no family to return home to, so she stays on at the Donne School and works in the greenhouse. There she encounters many students and few faculty members. The students constantly harass her and the faculty basically ignores her. All of that changes when she find out that, Lev Orlo is now a professor. She has been pining for this man through his books for years. Now that he is here, she can't tear herself away from him.

None of the characters were very likable in this book. Zoya is very boring, Lev is full of himself for no good reason, and his wife well she's a character we really don't get to know too well, but she is a strange bird.

3 stars for this one and the best part is at the end.

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November 13, 2018

Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Published: 2017

Starr Carter lives in Garden Heights, which is the ghetto. She goes to the predominately white private school, Williamson, where she has to pretend to be someone she is not. When she witnesses the murder of one of her closest friends, Khalil, from the neighborhood, by the hand of a white police officer, she has to take a closer look at herself, her neighborhood, and the friends she chooses to hang with.

I have been wanting to read this book for a long time. Now, that it's a movie, I had to get it in before I went to see it.

This book really resonates with the times we are now living in. For people of color in this country, every day is a reality that your life can be cut short, by one wrong move. Even if that move is not going to harm another person.

For Starr Carter, being the only witness comes with a lot of pressure to speak about what happened or to keep it inside. Speaking out can mean trouble for her family and herself. Keeping it inside, means that Khalil will never get justice for his death. While Starr decides what to do, life must go on. She examines her relationship with her friends at Williamson, she reflects back on her life with Khalil, and she grows closer to her family.

This is a great book for everyone to read. Please read it and see the movie.

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