Monday 12 February 2024

Review * YOU'RE BREAKING MY HEART by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

 


 Harriet Adu knows that her brother’s death is her fault. I mean, it’s not actually her fault, but it still kinda is, isn’t it?

She would do anything to live in a world where she could take back what she said that morning.

Then a strange girl shows up at Harriet’s high school – a girl who loves the same weird books Harriet does, who doesn’t vibe with anyone at school the same way Harriet does – and that different world suddenly seems possible. The girl speaks of a place underneath the subways of New York, where people like them can go and find a home. A place away from the world of high school, grief, cool people, and depression. A place where one may be able to bend the lines of reality and get a second chance at being a better person.

Will Harriet open the door?

With You’re Breaking My Heart , award-winning author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich offers a remarkable speculative novel that will hit home for anyone who yearns for that one chance to do things over.
 

 


I was looking for a couple of audiobooks for the grandkids’ spring break reading circle and found this YA book.

Harriet Adu is struggling with the violent death of her brother. Tondu was killed in a school shooting. Unfortunately for Harriet, she had an argument with her brother before school and told him, "I wish you were dead." She can't help but blame herself for his death regardless of how much she is told or thinks through the events that they are not her fault. 

It is a good story about a young person dealing with grief, the death of a close family member, and the changes in the adults she loves. Also, her parents moved her to a new school because they thought it would be easier for her because there were fewer reminders of her brother.  Too many changes are not good for anyone in a time of grief; for a young person, it only hurts their heart more. 

 Harriet finds a way to experience life differently.  At this point, the story touches on the paranormal/fantasy.  This is the only downside for me. It doesn't flow as smoothly as the beginning of the story. Also, the story seems a little out of sync.  However, I think teens and tweens will accept it more. My frustration was too many questions, but I don't think it will bother a younger person as much. 

I’ll see when we get together next month.

 Normally, I'm not a big fan of authors narrating their own work put this is well done.  I felt I was in Harriet's head and heart.  4 Stars for  Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich.

 

 3 Stars

5 Star Review LONE WOLF by Gregg Huritz


 


 Once a black book government assassin known as Orphan X, Evan Smoak left the program, went deep underground, and reinvented himself as someone who will go anywhere, and risk everything to help the truly desperate who have nowhere else to turn. Since then, Evan has fought international crime syndicates and drug cartels, faced down the most powerful men in the world and even brought down a President. Struggling with an unexpected personal crisis, Evan goes back to the very basics of his mission - and this time, the truly desperate is a little girl who wants him to find her missing dog.

Not his usual mission, and not one Evan embraces with enthusiasm, but this unlikely, tiny job quickly explodes into his biggest mission yet. one that finds him battered between twisted AI technocrat billionaires, a mysterious female assassin who seems a mirror of himself, and personal stakes so gut-wrenching he can scarcely make sense of them .

Evan's mission pushes him to his limit - he must find and take down the assassin known only as the Wolf, before she succeeds in completing her mission and killing the people who can identify her - a teenaged daughter of her last target, and Evan himself. Matched skill for skill, instinct for instinct, Evan must outwit an opponent who will literally stop at nothing if he is to survive.

 


Lone Wolf is my favorite book in the series so far.  There are a lot of scenes that give me a wide range of feelings from beginning to end. 

First, In the past, we get glimpses into Evan Smoak’s heart and humanity but not too much of his personal history.  He is, first and foremost, a former Orphan who was groomed to be a heartless assassin.  In this book, X has much to deal with in his personal life and his mission.

I love that the mission starts with a request from a young girl to find a dog. X didn’t want the job, but he was moved by the young girl.  He tracked the dog to a townhouse and found a murdered AI guru. The discovery started another mission that often collides with the original dog search.  He deals with the personal pain of his clients.

I love Joey. She made me laugh throughout the book. She rubs X's OCD to a fever pitch. X is working through a lot of personal stuff that forces him to deal with more personal “stuff,” even with Tommy. Also, I loved the unexpected personal liaison.  I'm still hopeful about his previous paramour, but I understand his decisions. 

The paid assassin is a good match for X. There are high-tension situations that had me on the edge of my seat. I often thought about many of the AI / Social network issues discussed with the AI bigwigs. It is scary because of how realistic it could be.

All the above worked together perfectly.  In addition, there were good tears at the end. And that epilogue. I don't know what that means for the next book, but whatever it is --I loved it all.

The narrator, Scott Brick, is excellent.  He has worked his magic from the first book in the series.  I love his interpretation of the characters and the situations they find themselves in.  Brick pulls the perfect emotion from me depending on the scene and character.  I laughed out loud with Joey and the residents of Evan’s condo.  Tommy gave me a sad laugh, more at Evan than Tommy. I cry when there are tragic situations, and he moves me to a level of anxiety that I didn’t expect. 

 I can’t wait to see what happens next. 



Wednesday 8 November 2023

*** 5 Star Review *** Inheritance The Lost Bride Trilogy #1 by Nora Roberts

 

 

Inheritance is the first in The Lost Bride Trilogy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts―a tale of tragedies, loves found and lost, and a family haunted for generations.

1806: Astrid Poole sits in her bridal clothes, overwhelmed with happiness. But before her marriage can be consummated, she is murdered, and the circle of gold torn from her finger. Her last words are a promise to Collin never to leave him…

Graphic designer Sonya MacTavish is stunned to learn that her late father had a twin he never knew about―and that her newly discovered uncle, Collin Poole, has left her almost everything he owned, including a majestic Victorian house on the Maine coast, which the will stipulates she must live in it for at least three years. Her engagement recently broken, she sets off to find out why the boys were separated at birth―and why it was all kept secret until a genealogy website brought it to light.

Trey, the young lawyer who greets her at the sprawling clifftop manor, notes Sonya’s unease―and acknowledges that yes, the place is haunted…but just a little. Sure enough, Sonya finds objects moved and music playing out of nowhere. She sees a painting by her father inexplicably hanging in her deceased uncle’s office, and a portrait of a woman named Astrid, whom the lawyer refers to as “the first lost bride.” It’s becoming clear that Sonya has inherited far more than a house. She has inherited a centuries-old curse, and a puzzle to be solved if there is any hope of breaking it…

 

        REVIEW

 

Oh my, what a great story.  Nora Roberts knows how to pull her readers into the tale from the first page.  

I love the present-day characters.  Sonya MacTavish is a courageous woman.  I love how she deals with finding her fiancé in bed with her cousin.  She takes the high road, but the ex and co-worker is a jerk and tries to make her look bad.  Sonya decides to have a trial stay at the home her uncle left her in his will.  As soon as she moves in, she encounters ghosts from generations past.  

Cleo is Sonya's best friend.  She is the best friend we all want and need.  Cleo is another strong, independent woman.    It is impressive how she builds Sonya up and supports her whenever she needs it.  She also has a "white" witch in her Louisiana family.  Connections are always positive.

Oliver "Trey" Doyle is the son of the lawyer representing Colin Poole's (uncle) estate.  There is an immediate connection with Sonya, but it isn't acted on immediately.  Trey is concerned that he might move too quickly after Sonya's breakup. However, he is very familiar with the house and the ghosts that haunt it.  His connection brings him to the Manor whenever Sonya has questions.  

The manor ghosts are interesting.  They are all women who died young.  They are sweet and welcoming to Sonya, except for one.  Hester is the evil witch ghost who adds suspense and villainous vibes to the story.   She is so hateful I can't wait to see what else she has up her sleeves in the future.

I could not put the book down.  I knew each page could introduce harm to Sonya, and I worried each time Hester Dobbs made her presence known.  I love the way Nora develops her characters, especially the women.  Inheritance is an entertaining nail-biter.  Nora makes the story amusing, atmospheric, and thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.  Now I need the next book to see what else will happen at the Manor and see if more sparks fly for other characters in the story.  I'm so grateful that Nora Roberts is a prolific writer.  I am confident that she won't make me wait long. 

 5 STARS

 
 

Thursday 14 September 2023

*** REVIEW *** LAST BREATH by Robert Bryndza


 
He’s your perfect date. You’re his next victim.
When the tortured body of a young woman is found in a dumpster, her eyes swollen shut and her clothes soaked with blood, Detective Erika Foster is one of the first at the crime scene. The trouble is, this time, it’s not her case.

While she fights to secure her place on the investigation team, Erika can’t help but get involved and quickly finds a link to the unsolved murder of a woman four months earlier. Dumped in a similar location, both women have identical wounds – a fatal incision to their femoral artery.

Stalking his victims online, the killer is preying on young pretty women using a fake identity. How will Erika catch a murderer who doesn’t seem to exist?

Then another girl is abducted while waiting for a date. Erika and her team must get to her before she becomes another dead victim, and, come face to face with a terrifyingly sadistic individual.

 

Erika Foster is back on a new case. The thing is, she isn’t supposed to be on this case. Erika pushes herself onto the crime scene by pulling rank on Peterson and taking advantage of their growing relationship. (That was a little nasty on Erika’s part.) A woman is found in a dumpster. Once Sparks, the primary, is on the scene, he and Erika have words, and she is sent away. Erika is upset because she is a good investigator, but department politics has her on a desk instead of in the field. However, events pull Erika into the investigation officially. It doesn't take long for the team to recognize that this is a potential serial killer.

I am a big fan of this series. I love the characters and how they all interact, both good and bad. Erika often hurts her own cause by stating her feelings bluntly. She is a “what comes up, comes out” person, which doesn’t help anybody in their career, least of all a woman. This characteristic puts her in management’s crosshairs. Fortunately, she has a team of colleagues who admire and follow her without question.

I enjoyed seeing Erika’s lighter side. We don’t get this very often. It is difficult for Erika to move on from her husband’s death despite her feelings for Peterson. Fortunately, Peterson is a good guy and understands Erika’s dilemma. I love Moss. She is the type of person everyone wants on their team. She is hardworking, loyal, and puts the team first.

I like that the murderer is known from the start. We get in his head and learn firsthand how evil he is. In my opinion, this is more a villainous character study than a whodunit. While I believe Last Breath works as a standalone novel, I believe it is important to start the series from the beginning for all the backstories. Erika will rub some readers the wrong way, but for me, it is her abrasiveness and tunnel vision in solving crimes that make her a realistic character.

I can't wait to get to the next book.

 

4.5 STARS 


 


Wednesday 13 September 2023

*** 5 Star REVIEW *** SICK HATE by JA Huss

 

 

 
MAART
I should’ve hugged her more. I should’ve loved her more. But the truth is, I couldn’t. Even after we were free, I couldn’t love them like that. Because I could never shake the feeling that each time they walked away from me, it would be the last time I saw them.
The only way I knew how to show them I cared was to train them. And once I forced Irina to stop training, I didn’t have another way to love her.
I just didn’t know how. So I made her leave.

IRINA
I was supposed to die nine times already, at least.
The nine ghosts of my opponents follow me around like reminders. Their gaunt faces, their expressions of pain, the fear in their eyes when they realize death has come for them. They have stuck with me all this time.
I’m not supposed to be here. I was supposed to go out fighting.
So I am doing nothing now. I am just existing. I am just doing it thousands of miles away from where I started. And I am doing it alone.
Then I meet a man I could fall in love with in a blink.
And I have to make a decision.
Should I blink?

EASON
Every morning there is a choice. To get up, or not.
That’s my choice. To go on, or give in.
And on most days—recently, at least—I get up and go on.
But it’s never gonna be enough. Ever .
Just breathing is hard.
Then I meet a girl who is so incredibly sweet. So perfect, and pretty, and innocent that the pain in my chest fades when she’s around.
Until I find out who she killed on that fateful day seven years ago.

Written by New York Times bestselling author, JA Huss, Sick Hate is story of love, lost and found, starting over, and learning to let go and live on. It is the second book in the Sick World Series.

412 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 12, 2023

 
 
Sick Hate is the second book in the Sick World series, primarily focusing on Irina and Maart from the first book and a new character, Eason. If you read Sick Heart , you will remember that Maart was the trainer for Cort’s team of kids who are a part of the Ring of Fire Circuit fighters. Irina was one of the oldest girls on the team. After they gained their freedom, Irina and Maart had a falling out. Irina decided to go off and make a name for herself. Maart is filled with guilt and decides it is time to find her and make things right.

Sick Hate takes off seven years after Sick Heart . There are many things that happened over these seven years, but the biggest hurdle is how to live without the prospect of death leaning over your shoulder. I did not expect the way Julie took this story. I was sure that she had another plan for Irina. However, I admit that how the story rolls out is much better than my plan. (No Surprise there!)

What I love:

The characters and the way they grabbed my heart and emotions. These people are all so broken but get up every day and decide to tackle their demons.

I love visiting with some of my favorite characters from Sick Heart to see where they are and how they are doing.

I love “Beth.” I wasn’t a fan of this reporter in the previous book. In fact, I think I disliked her immensely. Somehow, Julie turned her around with a good backstory.

My only criticism (which isn’t a real criticism) is that I wanted more. I could read about these characters for a few more days. I’m sure that we will get more answers and maybe even more questions as the series continues. Ja Huss is always one of my most anticipated authors. I can't wait for the Sick Hate audiobook. Her narrators fit her characters perfectly. 

 5 Stars