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Showing posts from April, 2023

Book Review: First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

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First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston is about a woman named Evie Porter that has everything a woman could want. But the catch is ... Evie Porter doesn't exist. Her identity and location comes first ... Evie Porter. The mark comes second ... Ryan Sumner. Lastly, the job. Evie only knows her boss by Mr. Smith, but after she failed miserably with her last job, Evie can't screw up the Ryan Sumner job if she wants to go leave this live behind and reclaim her true identity. WOW . . . Ashley Elston weaved a fantastic story that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading First Lie Wins . It's so engaging that I couldn't wait to find out how it all was going to end. There were twists and turns galore that had me guessing the whole time. The author did wrap up the story line but ended in a way that there could be a sequel. I truly hope there's a sequel because I want more of this tale!! One of the things I enjoyed the most about First Lie Wins is that

Book Review: No One Needs To Know by Lindsay Cameron

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No One Needs To Know by Lindsay Cameron is a fictional thriller about families on the Upper East Side of New York City and the ends they'll go to for their children's education.  They also all are members of a social platform called UrbanMyth where they all post their secrets anonymously and ask for advice.  When UrbanMyth is hacked and their identities are revealed, one of them goes missing.  Who is involved? Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for the Advanced Readers Copy of No One Needs To Know by Lindsay Cameron.  I received this novel for free in exchange for my honest review.  I was excited to learn I was approved to read this story. A slow burn, Lindsay Cameron weaved an intriguing tale that had me on the edge of my seat.  There were a couple of mysteries going on in the story.  I had no idea where the author was going with the one mystery, and I was shocked at the revelation at it.  As far as the other mystery goes, I figured what lik

Book Review: Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

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Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan is a story told from alternating perspectives of Oliva and Lily.  Olivia's son Asher is dating Lily.  When Lily dies, Asher is put on trial for her murder.  What motive could Asher possibly have?  And, did he really do it? This novel was chosen by the book club I belong to for our April 2023 discussion.  I'd heard mainly good things about the book, but I also heard negative things as well.  Not really knowing much about either author, I wasn't sure if I'd like Mad Honey .  I am so glad that I bought and read the book, and I'll tell you why below. I love that this was a mystery told from two different characters perspectives and the fact that the reader definitely doesn't know whether Asher murdered Lily or not until the very end.  I did have suspicions that it was someone else like Asher's friend Dirk from the hockey team.  You'll have to read Mad Honey to see if I was correct or not.  I did love tha

Book Review: It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown by Charles M. Schulz

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It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown by Charles M. Schulz opens with Peppermint Patty showing Marcie how to color Easter Eggs, and Linus insists that the Easter Beagle will bring the Easter Eggs for everyone.  Will the Easter Beagle show up with eggs for everyone? While shopping at Tuesday Morning a few weekends ago, I came across this children's picture book, and I just had to have it because I loved the Peanuts comic strips in the newspaper and all the cartoons based off the comics.  Reading It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown brought back tons of memories from my childhood. What I loved most about this storyline is that Marcie has never colored Easter Eggs before, and Peppermint Patty tries to explain that the eggs need to be cooked, but she doesn't specify how, so chaos ensues.  It definitely gave me a couple of giggles.  The story was super cute and is one that I would have loved as a child.  The illustrations are fantastic.  It's definitely the perfect s

Book Review: The Wrong Good Deed by Caroline B. Cooney

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The Wrong Good Deed by Caroline B. Cooney falls into the category of Women's Fiction but could also be considered a mystery and has an expected publication date of May 2, 2023.  Poisoned Pen Press is the publisher.  This story opens with Clemmie and her friend Muffin attending church when Muffin sees someone from her past and drags Clemmie out of the service.  Clemmie is a bit irritated, but when Muffin begins telling the story of her past, Clemmie realizes she isn't the only one who has dark secrets. A big thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Wrong Good Deed by Caroline B. Cooney. I was thrilled to learn that my request to read this book was approved in exchange for my honest review. Caroline B. Cooney was an author whose books I enjoyed immensely as a tween and teen, and I was delighted to learn she wrote adult novels as well. It seems as though The Wrong Good Deed is a sequel to another novel by Caroline B. Cooney called Before She Was Helen. I