Review: A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell

A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Published: July 2019
 

Caroline Stark has been married to her husband, Jason, for 20 years. They have one daughter, Hannah, who is a freshman in college. When Caroline's husband brings his mistress to their housewarming party, Caroline is beside herself. In order to get back at Jason, she decides to have a one-night stand with a local bartender, Aidan, who also just happens to be the stranger who likes to stand on the beach and stare at her house for hours. But the events that follow that one night are far more than Caroline bargained for. Even stranger her story and Aidan's story seem completely different. Who is telling the truth? And who will you believe?

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

This book drew me in from the very beginning and didn't let me go until the end. Being a woman I truly felt bad for Caroline and the situation she was in. I think I would lose it, if I found out my husband was having an affair. I don't know if I would go out looking for vindication by doing the same deed.

From the start, I didn't like Aidan, he seemed like one of those guys you say hi to in passing and the next thing you know, he's everywhere you turn. He really creeped me out.

I loved this book and I couldn't put it down. I didn't see the twists and turns coming and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Michele Campbell writes books that leave your mind spinning. Pick this one up as soon as you can.

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Audio Book Review: The First Lady by James Patterson

The First Lady by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: 2019
 

It's four weeks until the election for the new President. Current President Tucker is enjoying himself at a hotel in Atlanta with his girlfriend, while his wife and first lady, Grace Tucker, is fulfilling the duties of her office. When the President leave the hotel with his mistress, all hell breaks loose. There are reporters everywhere, there to catch the scandal. It's all just too much for the First Lady to handle, so she retreats to one of her favorite places and then, she turns up missing. Sally Grissom is the Secret Service Agent in charge of the presidential detail and doesn't know how the First Lady going missing isn't something she is told. Until she is called into the President's office and is asked to look for her secretively. What is going on? Something isn't right. And Sally has her eye on the President's Chief of Staff and his strange request. But Sally doesn't work for him, she serves the Office of the President and she will find the First Lady, no matter what.

This is a book I really enjoyed. It captured my attention from the start and had some twists and turns, I didn't see coming. There was only one drawback from this audio version of the book, the narrator. She did a fine job of reading the story and the voices, but her pronunciation drove me crazy. If you're not from the Washington, DC area, you might not notice, but it is so obvious. Pronouncing Maryland like Merry-Land. Potomac like Pot A Mack, and Arapaho like Air a pay ho. I cringed every time.

Imagine in this day and time with smart phones everywhere if the First Lady went missing. It would be all over the news. Why doesn't the Chief of Staff want to share this with the world, to help find her? Why isn't the FBI involved? Something is going on in the White House and Sally doesn't know if the President is aware at all. Or is his mistress and the election much more important to him than finding his wife.

Sally is going to do all she can to do her job even when she is asked to stand down. Even when it seems like there is always an obstacle there to stop her. Will she find the First Lady before it's too late? You'll have to read the book to find out.


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Review: The First Mistake by Sandie Jones

The First Mistake by Sandie Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: June 2019

Alice's life hasn't been the same since she lost her husband, Tom. When Nathan comes into her life, she feels like she can conquer anything with him by her side. She has two beautiful daughters and a best friend who always has her back. Then, in the blink of an eye, her whole world comes crashing down and she is questioning everything she knows to be true. Who can she trust and will she find out the truth before it's too late.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

When I first started reading this book, I thought I knew exactly what was going to happen. All the clues were laid out for you right there in the open. But what actually happened was quite different and it had me shocked all the way until the end. There were some parts to my theory that were correct and others that were way off.

Alice and Beth as well as their daughters are best friends. Even though they have only known each other for a few years, they share similar interests and disinterests(where other school moms are concerned). When strange things start to happen that Alice can't explain, she turns to her best friend for help. But when Beth gives her information that she never expected to hear, she's not sure who to believe or trust. Trying to keep her daughters in the dark about what is really going on in their house is not easy and when it all comes to the surface, will Beth have anyone she can lean on?

I can understand Alice's position. I don't have a lot of close friends where I currently live and those friends I do have, we all have children in the same grade. So I can see myself confiding in them. These people are more likely to know my husband since he grew up in the area we now live in. So it's interesting to see women I talk to mention my husband if they went to school with him. But if he was dead and someone didn't know him brought him up, I would be very wary of that. Beth thinks she knows Alice's dead husband. But how could she. And why does he now have an active Facebook page. This is all becoming too much, but Alice has to know what is going on.



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Review: The Ever After by Sarah Pekkanen

The Ever After by Sarah Pekkanen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: 2018

What would you do if you found out your husband had an affair? Would you try to end the marriage, or work it out? What if sex was not a part of the affair, would that make a difference? These are the questions that Josie has after she finds out that her husband, Frank, has been having an affair for the past seven weeks. Should she stay or go? He's so great with the kids, but what about her? This book takes you on Josie's journey from her discovery of the affair, to her final decision on whether to stay with her husband or get a divorce.

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

I'm not sure what I would do if infidelity was a question in my marriage. I think, we can all say what we would do, but until we are faced with that situation, I don't think we fully understand how we would feel. Love is a tricky thing and when you find it with someone, it can be devastating when they break that love apart.

When Josie finds out about Frank's affair, her world is turned upside down. She has to find out the answer to all of her questions. She doesn't know if she will ever be able to trust Frank again or how she is going to live without him, as well. This is the man who is the father of her children and the man she has shared a bed with for so many years. But how could he betray her like this? They both decide to go to counseling. But Josie has conditions that Frank must agree to before she will even entertain the fact of sharing just her time with him. Will he agree or will they just end up going their separate ways.

This book is good for any married woman to read and may help you if this is a situation that you may be going through in your life.

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Review: Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison

Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

On the outside, Ethan and Sutton Montclair seem like the perfect couple. They are both writers and are crazy about each other. But they have secrets in their past that will soon surface. Sutton has disappeared and told her husband she didn't want to be found. Her friends are convinced, that Ethan has done something to hurt her, but the police are not convinced. When bodies turn up and secrets are revealed, will Ethan be able to maintain his innocence?

I gave this book 4.5 stars(why won't GR let us to halves). This was quite a thrilling story that kept me on the edge of my seat. But I figured out early on who the culprit was although I didn't see all the twists and turns that were coming along with it.

Ethan Montclair was the more famous of the two, but Sutton didn't mind that at all. They had agreed when they got married, that their lives were too busy and complicated for a child so they wouldn't have them, but when Ethan switches out her birth control pills and Sutton gets pregnant anyway, at first she hates him, but when their son is born, all of that changes. Not too long after though, he dies and their whole world comes crashing down. Ethan can no longer write and he spends his time bothering Sutton while she tries to. They have a few altercations and then Sutton decides she can't take it anymore and leaves. Or does she? Has she really just picked up and left without a trace? Not taking any of her belongings with her? Or has Ethan done something to her as her friends suspect? You have to read the book to find out.


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Review--Results May Vary by Bethany Chase

Results May Vary by Bethany Chase
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Being cheated on is a terrible betrayal But does the betrayal become any worse when your significant other cheats on you with someone who is of the opposite sex as you? Caroline Hammond is experiencing this right now. Out with her husband like any other date night, she makes the brutal discovery that will change her life forever.

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Random House for the ability to read and review this book. From the very beginning I was captivated by the subject matter an it was so hard for me to put the book down. This book made me feel like I was a fly on the wall in Caroline's life. I don't think that I would EVER be in the situation that Caroline has found herself in, but if I ever was, I have no idea how I would deal with the situation.

For most of her life, Caroline had been with her husband, Adam. They started dating in high school and have been married for the past ten years. Those on the outside looking in can see how much Adam adores Caroline. Even agreeing to buy a house in Massachusetts when he never wanted to do that. So for him to destroy their relationship the way he did was a shock to everyone. Caroline thought for a while that she may be able to stay with her husband and forgive him, but when more secrets come to the surface, that just doesn't seem like it will b possible. Will time apart be enough to fix the betrayal? Will they have to go through counseling to repair the damage? Or is this a lost cause?

This book is great women's fiction that I will recommend to all of my friends.

Bethany Chase Writing Process

"True story: I find it easier to write on the subway—which I often do to milk some productivity out of my long commute—than at home. Partly it's the pressure to see how much I can get done (500 words is a really great subway day!), but more likely, it's my inability to download cat videos."

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Review--15th Affair by James Patterson

15th Affair by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lindsay Boxer is trying to solve the case of four murders at the Four Seasons. There are just a few things that are getting in her way. First, the only witness is gone and unidentifiable, next a plane crash is causing her case to be put on the back burner and third, and most disturbing is the fact that her husband seems to be somehow involved with all of the above.

Another great Women's Murder Club novel. This one had me on the edge of my seat from the very start. Many twists and I was unsure where it was going to take me. Having been with these characters for so many years, they become like friends that you don't want to see anything happen to I really felt an emotional connection to Lindsay in this book with the trust issues she had going on with her husband. I believe it's something we as women have questions about at least in the back of our mind. We want to trust our spouse's unconditionally, but sometimes that trust can be hard.

I can't wait to see what book 16 has in store for Lindsay.



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Review--Don't Go by Lisa Scottoline

Don't Go by Lisa Scottoline
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dr. Matt Scanlon is on tour in Afghanistan when he receives the call that his wife, Chloe,  has died in an unfortunate household accident.  He rushes home to take care of her funeral arrangements and get care for their 7 month old daughter, Emily.  When he returns home, nothing seems the same.  And it's not only because Chloe is no longer there.  Going through her things, he makes a startling discovery that will cloud his mind for a long time.  Leaving the care of his daughter to his in-laws, Bob and Danielle, he returns to finish his tour of duty and try to make sense of all that he has learned about his wife.

This book really had me intrigued from the very beginning.  I gasped out loud several times while listening to this book.  Just when you think you know what is going to happen next, you are pulled in the completely opposite direction.  There are a lot of twists and turns throughout this book.    A man on mission trying to find out what was really going on with his wife while he was away.   He is trying to build a bond with his daughter who doesn't know him at all, and with him being away, it doesn't help.  Trying to find out who his wife had become after she had become a mother and a military wife.

This book will keep you on your toes and you will never know what is going to happen next.  You think you do, as I thought I did, but you will soon find out that you are wrong.  The surprises keep coming straight on until the end.  I think this is a book everyone should grab.  This is the first I have read by Lisa Scottoline, and she has been on my radar for a while.  I will continue to read and enjoy her books.



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