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Showing posts with the label character development

Book Review: The Last Carolina Summer by Karen White

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The Last Carolina Summer by Karen White is the story about Phoebe Manigault returning home to Mt. Pleasant, a suburb of Charleston, South Carolina, to help her sister with their ailing mother. When past memories resurface, Phoebe is thrown back into some childhood turmoil. I requested an Advanced Readers Copy ARC of The Last Carolina Summer from NetGalley, and I was ecstatic when the provided me with a copy for free in exchange for my honest review. So, a big thank you goes out to them! When I began reading this story, I just happened to be vacationing in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. I loved hearing about the different places, including streets and a bridge called the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, which I had to cross to get into Mt. Pleasant as well as Isle of Palms. It's always nice to be able to visualize the places and author writes about. With that being said, I'm not a fan of traveling over bridges, and one of the scenes of The Last Carolina Summer mentions a car going off ...

Book Review: The Prisoner by B.A. Paris

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The Prisoner by B.A. Paris opens with Amelie losing her father to cancer and striking out to make it on her own as she doesn't want to be a ward of the state.  She eventually marries billionaire Jed Hawthorne, but one night, Amelie is awakened and finds herself and Jed being kidnapped.  Why are they being kidnapped, and who are her captors? A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the Advanced Readers Copy of The Prisoner by B.A. Paris in exchange for my honest review.  This author is one of my favorite authors, so I was ecstatic that my request to review this book was approved. The first thing that struck me about The Prisoner were some of the similarities between this book and The Family Game by Catherine Steadman.  Both books feature a main character that has been orphaned and a handsome, wealthy man who is isn't who you think he is.  However, that is where the semblance ends.  With that being said, there were times that I was getting t...

Book Review: The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

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The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth opens with Lucy finding out that her mother-in-law, Diana, has died. Narrated from varying characters perspectives, the story alternates between the present and the past and weaves a twisted story between Lucy, Diana, and the rest of the family. I didn't know what to expect because I chose to read The Mother-in-Law based on all the rave reviews I heard about it, and I wasn't sure what was going to play out. But, wow . . . this book was AMAZING!    Twists and turns, oh my! There were so many that I was kept guessing throughout the entire book, and I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. And, I loved the fact that the author kept me guessing as to who the killer was because red herring after red herring kept materializing. The character development and backstories were spectacular. By the end of the book, we really got to see what made Diana tick and made her who she was. Once you know her backstory, Diana actually becomes a likable chara...

Book Review: The Spellmans Strike Again (The Spellmans, #4) by Lisa Lutz

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Recently, I decided to reread The Spellmans Strike Again (The Spellmans, #4) by Lisa Lutz, and it was just as good as I remembered it to be.  Part mystery, part humor, it sucked me in from the get go.  This particular book series is so unlike any other books I've read that I've often wondered how Lisa Lutz came up with the idea for the series.  One day I'll eventually see if I can find out the answer to my musings.   The character development and imagery is so well done that as I read The Spellmans Strike Again , it was like watching a movie in my mind.  I would love for the series to be developed into a movie or television show, but as far as I know, there is no plan for that happening.  I've come to love every character in the series . . . okay, maybe not Harkey, but you get the picture.  They are so endearing, even the ones that have annoying personalities. There isn't one bad thing I can say about this book or any of the others in the series....