JANUARY GRAY REVIEWS

Wow what a read! I stayed up WAY too late reading this from cover to cover, but it was worth it!

Tess is a woman who is dealing with a split with her husband due to the deaths of their two children.

She’s recovering from breaking down and losing almost everything while suffering from depression due to all of these events.

So…the book starts out with her walking home from her job at the garden center, and once she enters her home, she finds a little boy sitting in her kitchen drawing.

He tells her an angel brought him, and that she is his new Mom.

The police are summoned, and due to a an event in Tess’s past, she is accused of kidnapping him.

There are also moments throughout the book where she doubts herself and wonders if she indeed did kidnap the boy.

This is not simply a story about proving herself innocent, this is a story where all of the characters have a solid backstory, a goal…an agenda, and it all intertwines perfectly.

I “kinda sorta but not really,” had the conclusion figured out. I did theory wise, but not who and why.

Totally enjoyable book!

The author made you feel like you were there. You could imagine and feel the cold weather, and the emotions of the characters.

I downloaded this last night, planning on reading it while on vacation starting late next week, but when I opened it to see what the first few pages were like, I was hooked and read it all!

Oh, and I adored the character named Ben.

This is an amazing read and I highly -beyond highly- recommend it!

I’m looking forward to reading more from this Author.

Here is the link for purchase. It is available in several formats, including audio!

Enjoy!

I did not love this book, nor did I hate it. I got it because of the title, because I LOVE Def Leppard. (Yes, for that reason.)

This book would make a good Summer/Vacation or “too busy to really read much,” type of read, as in that it is interesting, however, you won’t miss it if you have to put it down for awhile.

It starts with the main character (Amy) listening to her daughter practice piano, and while doing so, reflects back on her life. It is interesting enough, but then kind of wanders, and sometimes it takes you a minute to realize who is nararating.

I think this was intended to be a Girl Meets Boy-loses boy type of book, but I seriously ended up not caring if she and Nick got  together or not.

I realize Amy was fresh out of college, but she was 12 year old love struck/forlorn all throughout this book.

And, there are several characters in this book who are just there. They really don’t have a reason or story line.

But never fear, this IS worth reading. As light as it is, I recommend still giving it a read.

Amy is one of those types of people who will take the road of least resistance. That is fine, however I was left feeling she was left unhappy with her job choice, and unfortunately took a career path that probably wasn’t of her choosing.

But…that is the point of this book. Looking back at choices made, re-evaluating your life, and possibly going after your original dream.

I could have done without Nick’s journal completely.

Again, this is a good book to read when you are just looking for something entertaining, but don’t expect a deep or complete read.

There were a few annoying spelling errors:

Head over Heels was written: Head Over Heals

And several times, it should have read, “An MBA, not And MBA.”

This book is getting mixed reviews, and in full-disclosure, most of you know a book like this isn’t my particular cup of tea, but I still recommend it. Stick it in your bag for those times you are stuck waiting for the doctor, or want something to read on your lunch break.

It’s an excellent book to take outside when your kids are playing and you want to read, but still need to give them proper supervision :). You will enjoy this book, but you won’t mind when you are interupeted.

Here is the link for purchase, and last I checked it is on Kindle Unlimited.

I think more people will enjoy it than not.

I think the author means for this book to be a stand alone, but I wouldn’t mind reading another book of hers telling Nick’s side of the story, or continue Amy and Nick’s story with him telling it.

Keith Hirshland keeps getting better and better with every book! This is the third book of his that I have read, and I am grateful to him for sending me review copies! 🙂

This book has murder and a bit of romance. Just a bit. Just enough for someone like me who isn’t into romance but likes a bit of it within the story.

There are many twists and turns in this book and you may or may not be satisfied with the ending, but I personally liked it.

I enjoyed the characters and story line, and look forward to reading more books written by Keith.

DESCRIPTION:

Daisy Burns was a likable, devoted wife and mother who spent her spare time volunteering at school events. Everyone loved Daisy. So why would someone shoot her three times and dump her body behind a Planned Parenthood chapter in North Carolina?

With no witnesses and few leads, Raleigh detective Marc Allen turns to the press for help—specifically, veteran news anchor Lancaster Heart. Heart agrees to broadcast the police department’s plea for information in his nightly newscasts.

Elderly viewer and longtime social worker Blanche Avery is positive she recognizes the photograph on the television as an older version of her friend Daisy— the young, heavily pregnant girl she met years before who made the decision to give her child up for adoption.

When Tanner Goochly Jr.—a member of a notorious crime family—becomes the victim of another point-blank shooting, Allen races to discover the connection between the murders. Could it be that Daisy was somehow involved with an illegal enterprise, or was she hiding something else, another secret to be discovered?

The body count is rising, and the suspect pool is widening. As Allen’s investigation reaches a fever pitch, he realizes that a mother’s choice could have killer consequences.

Below are the links for purchase of all of his books.

MUSIC TO MY EARS! AUDIO BOOKS!

I used to loathe the idea of listening to a book. I do not like being read to, even if it’s something as simple as a news article someone wants to share with me.

But…life got busy, super busy, and finding time to actually sit down with a book became more difficult.

I took a chance on e-bay with a Lot for sale of Brad Meltzer audio books.

I am already a huge fan of his, so I thought that would help make the audio book transition easier.

I have tried various audio books throughout the years, but just could not get into them.

One day, on my long drive into town, I put the first CD of his audio book The Zero Game, into my cars CD player…and fell…in love!

The Narrator  is Scott Brick. His voice is amazing! He uses different voices for each of the characters, but doesn’t go overboard.

His inflection is perfect on each point.

My Mother listens to a lot of audio books, so I asked what draws her to certain ones.

She said the narrator. Some audio books she has to give up on because she finds the voice dull or annoying.

I was thrilled to discover that the other audio books I had purchased from e-bay were also narrarated by Scott Brick.

One is done by Tony Goldwyn, so I’m looking forward to that one.

The kids love their audio books, and I love that there are so many that make learning fun for them and stimulate their blossoming imaginations!

The training and coaching that audio book narrators have to go through is quite long. I was impressed.

In the future, I will do a post about my favorite audio book narrators, but until then, I would LOVE to hear who your favorites are and why!