Review: Split Second: Thirty-Two Switcheroo

Split Second: Thirty-Two Switcheroo by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Stephanie and crew are back, and it's everything we've come to love about these books! And boy, Stephanie sure gets more than she ever bargained for! To start: evil grandmother-in-law Bella comes to Joe and Steph's house to teach Stephanie how to be a housewife, and you can imagine just how well that turns out. Complications arise with their marriage, but I'll let you see what happens yourself.

Stephanie and Lulu have a couple of retrievals, and one turns deadly. A lot of donuts are eaten by all the usual people; cars get mangled, shot at and driven into the river and invaded by wildlife (I think this may have been a record for Stephanie's rides). Grandma Mazur lends a helping hand, and even Vinnie helps (sort of). She also joins Ranger in a mission to bodyguard a little girl, and things don't go well.

But like with all of these books, things turn out for the best; there is a lot of humor (the fumbling-idiot kind), and while some may not like the ending...all I have to say is yum!

*ARC supplied by the publisher Atria Books/Simon & Schuster Publishing, the author, and NetGalley.



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Summary - "In a now-or-never moment, Stephanie Plum made the decision of a lifetime. But some lifetimes are shorter than others and Stephanie will be lucky if she makes it to the end of the week.

Over the years, Trenton’s best-known bounty hunter has acquired a long list of enemies. It’s an occupational hazard as a bond enforcement agent. The problem is that she now has a mysterious enemy whose name isn’t on any list. Disturbing packages, threatening notes, and near misses are keeping Stephanie in the dark and her anonymous tormentor, who wants her dead, in the shadows.

Bond jumper Greb Tusi also wouldn’t mind getting rid of Stephanie. He’s wanted for going on a three-hour rampage—one that he swears “wasn’t his fault”—that included mugging an old lady and stealing a hearse. Lacking Anonymous Enemy #1’s creative flair and strong work ethic, Tusi has chosen a more minimalist approach to dealing with the annoyingly still-breathing Plum. Trying to push her off roofs, bridges, in front of trucks, and any place else where a little push can go a long way.

And if adjusting to being newly married isn’t enough to take a few years off Stephanie’s life, working for her ex-fiancé and mentor, Ranger, might do the trick. Ranger has taken a security job for a powerful political figure, and Stephanie is in charge of babysitting one of the figure’s family members. But Stephanie might be in over her head with this one. Ranger’s job is high-stress, high-stakes, and high-maintenance, and Stephanie is pretty sure that when Ranger discovers the client she was minding was kidnapped under her watch, her days might be numbered.

The clock is ticking for Stephanie to find her kidnap victim, bail-jumper Greb Tusi, and the invisible stalker who is sending her increasingly menacing messages. If she lets her guard down for even a split second, her time will be up."

Review: Madeline McKnight Signs Off: A Novel

Madeline McKnight Signs Off: A Novel by Evan Brooke
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

On a side note, thank you to Goodreads for finally allowing us half stars!

This is a very difficult book to describe, and if you pick it up, be prepared to scratch your head in confusion for most of the book. You are going to hate the characters as I did (except for the dog and Lee), or you are going to love them. You are either going to love or hate the formatting, and the same goes for the font -sometimes normal and sometimes (for certain aspects of the book) tiny. Thank goodness for Kindle, so I could change the sizes so I could read the tiny print.

A quick description of this book: it mostly follows Madeline McKnight in her last months as she dies of cancer, and her obsession with Hetty Green, also known as the "Witch of Wall Street," who died the richest woman in America. Madeline was described as "The Bitch of Wall Street" at one time.

Madeline had made a mess of her life after one *ahem* small mistake. She made an enemy of her best friend, became a laughingstock at work, and was an altogether vindictive witch.

Also, you need to know a lot about fly fishing, or at least want to learn about it, since it takes up a lot of this book... well, actually, so do the bits about Hetty James.

This book kept me interested enough to finish, but not enough that I would recommend it with a broad brush.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Atria Books/Simon & Schuster Publishing, the author, and ATTL/Edelweiss.

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SUMMARY: "“An extraordinary exploration of friendship that spans the broadest universal themes of love and loyalty to the most intricate, intimate, and memorable details of a human life.” —Jill McCorkle, New York Times bestselling author

An unconventional relationship between women of two different generations becomes something transcendent in this vulnerable, heartbreaking, and life-affirming debut novel that proves it’s never too late to come of age.

Madeline McKnight is writing her final annual report. A former Wall Street power player, she uses a pie chart to rank her most hated rivals, a line graph to follow the trajectory of her net worth and reputation, and even a formula to predict when the metastasized cancer will kill her. But there’s no equation to predict the likelihood that Bri Davis, Madeline’s estranged best friend’s daughter, will agree to take care of her at the end of her life.

Bri is a nursing student fresh off a breakup, ambivalent about her future, and drowning in debt. She agrees to Madeline’s strange proposal, mostly for the obscene payday. Sharp as knives and intimidatingly smart, Bri finds herself face-to-face with a force of nature rather than an ailing patient. Madeline ropes Bri into the bigger plans she has afoot for her final act. Madeline McKnight has never gone away quietly and she doesn’t plan to start now.

As this unlikely pair teams up to tackle Madeline’s final days can they trade her badwill for goodwill before it’s too late?"

Review: The Queen of Roses

The Queen of Roses by Julia Kelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A delicious look at what it was like to be a woman in the Marriage Mart in the early 20th century. It also offers a look at women reporters in the 1960s, since the story has two timelines.

Theresa, the reporter, has been hired by Adele Pearce to write her autobiography, and so the story starts.

Adele has failed to capture a good marriage in England. So her parents, who have come to Pasadena ostentatiously because of her father's tuberculosis, require her to come to America to make a 'good' marriage. She manages to capture an eligible bachelor and does something unthinkable for the time. (good for her!)

Theresa's story doesn't really come to the fore until the last quarter of the book, when things come to a head.

I enjoyed this book very much since it deals with women's issues and a historical time period. Women were supposed to be pliant and to be what amounts to arm candy for their husbands. However, Adele becomes so much more. There are twists and turns in this book, some of which are obvious, some are not and might surprise you. It was also interesting to learn about gardening in that time period and the wildfires that plague that part of California and still do.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Gallery Books/Simon and Schuster, the author, and NetGalley.

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SUMMARY: "Spanning the ballrooms of Pasadena and the sunlit gardens of Altadena, a new novel of love and sacrifice from the internationally bestselling author of The Light Over London and The Last Garden in England.

1960: Frustrated reporter Theresa Johnson’s life changes when she receives a phone call from a Miss Pearce who claims her obituary about one of Pasadena’s last great hoteliers is wildly inaccurate. Seeking the truth, Theresa drives to the mysterious Rosewood House nestled high in the Altadena foothills. Even more intriguing than the house’s beautiful garden is Miss Pearce’s proposal that Theresa help her settle old scores by writing her biography.

1903: Beautiful but haughty, Adele Pearce is reluctant to leave the London Season and her last hope of a proposal. When she arrives in California, she discovers the startling truth of why her mother has called her her father has squandered his fortune and Adele must marry a wealthy American to save the family.

Stifled by expectation as Pasadena’s newest doyenne, Adele’s only comfort is Rosewood House and the beautiful garden she creates with the help of taciturn gardener Alexander Macalister. However, as Adele’s feelings for Alex flourish, a fire ignites in the San Gabriel Mountains above Rosewood House, threatening everything Adele holds dear, while in 1960, Miss Pearce learns that history has a terrible habit of repeating itself."

Review: The Natural Order

The Natural Order by Matthew Aldrich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a great book for a book club read. It forces you to think about the unimaginable and asks you to ask yourself many questions. What would you do to live forever? No, not kill or do something illegal for it, but could you give up food and drink for the chance to live forever?

To me, this felt more like a horror novel than a mystery or thriller, although it had those components too. I could not imagine wanting to live forever, never mind the fact that to do so I would have to give up one of the things that mean so much to me. To think that those I love who could not get their hands on this product would age and die before my eyes; to have to live forever in this mess we have made of this world; to deal with the hatred of others because we would live forever (whatever living forever really means).

This book kept me thinking about what forever really means; it kept my stomach tied in knots, and it made me question my life up until now.

The author did an amazing job making us believe this could be real; he wrote believable characters and offered insights into what the future could bring us. This book was set in 2070 not too far in the future, just enough to be believable. If I had only one complaint, it would be the use of landlines-unless we bring them back into reality in the future.

A terrific book!

*ARC supplied by the publisher Simon and Schuster/Atria Books, the author, and NetGalley-ATTL/Edelweiss.

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SUMMARY: "From an acclaimed screenwriter comes a provocative, propulsive debut novel about a billionaire tech visionary who creates a method to stop aging, putting him in the crosshairs of an extremist group and forcing a tense reunion with his estranged son, who is dying of old age.

Paul Whitmore, the world’s wealthiest man, begins each day on his secluded Marin, California, estate with a guided meditation, an hour of exercise, and a proprietary nutritional shake. These are the first three steps in a strict, monastic protocol known as the Method—a protocol which arrests the aging process. Paul is 122 years old, yet he appears no older than fifty; he has unlocked the secret to eternal life and is ready to bring his breakthrough to market. The world is poised to enter a post-aging future.

But not everyone wants Paul to succeed, and his enemies are prepared to use violence to keep the Method from launching. Alone in his private Xanadu, Paul is well-insulated from the steady stream of death threats. But when a new threat emerges that targets Paul’s estranged son, Max, he is forced to take action. Max is eighty-five years old, living in a nursing home, and has not spoken to his father since he was a child. As far as he’s concerned, Paul Whitmore can rot in hell. Paul brings Max to his compound to protect him, but the real test soon becomes can he care for his son? Is it ever too late to be a father? Is it ever too late to be a son? Unfortunately, the answers to these questions require time—and time is suddenly in short supply. The men who have threatened his son are coming for them both, and the gates surrounding his compound are less secure than he realizes.

A page-turner with unusual depth and substance, The Natural Order grapples with issues of technology, mortality, and the true value of time.

Review: Mingle All the Way

Mingle All the Way by Susan Mallery
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

If I had been more careful when accepting this ARC, I would have realized it was a reissue. I am not fond of reissues. So yes, this is a reissue of The Christmas Wedding Guest with the novella Say You'll Stay thrown in.

The story was sweet but plodding. The characters were bland, and the conclusion was inevitable. So much of this novel was repetitive, essentially filler. This book would have been great if at least 100 pages were cut and the pace of the story sped up.

*ARC supplied by the publisher MIRA, the author, and NetGalley.



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Summary: "Published for the first time together, MINGLE ALL THE WAY includes the reader-favorite story The Christmas Wedding Guest and a bonus novella from Susan Mallery's sparkling Wishing Tree series!

This Christmas, the Somerville sisters invite you to the wedding of the season…

The Somerville sisters believe in love, but they’ve lost faith it will happen for them. Reggie hasn’t been home since the end of the world’s shortest engagement. When her parents decide to renew their vows, she buffs up her twinkle to help with their Christmas wedding. Unexpectedly, Toby, her first love, is back too, and the spark between them shines as brightly as ever. In the spirit of the season, will they let go of past hurts and ring in the New Year together?

Done waiting for the one, Dena is pregnant and on her own—on purpose. But then a gorgeous, sad-eyed songwriter checks in to a room at her inn. Micah, unable to write since he lost his wife, finds inspiration in Dena’s determination to be a mom. One snowflake-speckled kiss and he’s a goner. But Dena is afraid to believe that a rock star could fall for a cookie-cutter small-town girl like her.

As the Christmas wedding draws closer, these two sisters just might unwrap the most treasured gift of all—love."

Review: Dive Bar at the End of the Road: A Novel

Dive Bar at the End of the Road: A Novel by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I haven't read much horror lately. Watching the news is usually enough horror for me. But something in my subconscious told me to ask for this book, and I am so glad I listened! The last so-called horror novel I read was just meh. This book had me not wanting to go to bed because of what I might dream!!! The characters are pretty well fleshed out in a book that doesn't exceed 300 pages. Vividly drawn descriptions of all the important things.

This book is reminiscent of the older Stephen King novels (Cujo, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon), Robert McCammon and a few others. However, I mean only their older books.

This book sent chills down my spine! The tropes are particularly delicious. For example: A dark and stormy night, getting lost in the woods, your worst nightmares coming true, meeting a horrible man whom you immediately hate who is in the same predicament as you are in, zombies, rabid dogs, and a possible demon/devil, things that go bump in the night and more.

This would be a great read for those with a vivid imagination and a strong stomach. Great dark-and-stormy-night read!

*ARC supplied by the publisher St. Martin's Press/Macmillan, the author, and NetGalley.

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SUMMARY: "Final Destination meets The Cabin at the End of the World in this supernatural horror from New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong, in which a series of car accidents traps a group of strangers at a dive bar.

A forested road at night, slick from the pounding rain and eerily illuminated by flashes of lightning. Just before midnight, a car swerves to avoid something—or someone—mysteriously standing in the road, only to slam into a fallen tree instead. In the pitch black, four more cars follow in a pileup no one can seem to avoid.

Stumbling out of the wreckage, soaked from the rain and nursing various injuries, five strangers find themselves in a backwoods dive bar, waiting for daybreak and hoping for cell service. But as tensions rise and the storm rages on outside, the occupants of the dive bar start to notice that not everything is as it seems. Time is moving differently, and they quickly learn that going outside—whether to assist another accident victim or to hike for help—is a very bad idea.

There’s something in the woods, something that isn't natural. Could the figure in the road have been a warning? Or something more sinister? None of this is normal, and they'll need to work together to figure out what’s happening if they have any hope of surviving the night."

Review: We're So Lucky to Live Here

We're So Lucky to Live Here by Rachel Pastan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an interesting novel that, at times, felt a bit too 'literary' (at least for me) for its theme. It blends avant-garde plays with Russian literature, with Gwen trying to get her life together after her mother's death and learning she inherited not only the history-laden house but also a lot of debt and two roommates.

It was sweet but a tad too cloying for my taste.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Delphinium Books, the author, and ATTL/Edelweiss.



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