Review: Tear Drop by Joanne Clancy

Kindle Edition, 501 pages

Expected publication: August 27th 2015

I received an advanced readers copy from Netgalley in exchange for my impartial review of this book.

5 Stars! This book grabbed my attention from the very beginning.  Former detective Elizabeth Ireland was the lead detective in the case against serial killer Ross Campbell, AKA Tear Drop over 10 years ago, when he disappeared off the grid.  Fast forward to the present, when a letter which is delivered to high profile reporter Brendan Mahon, signifying that Campbell is back.  When the murders begin, Ireland assists with the case, but she knows the letter wasn't written by Campbell.  She can't say how she knows, she just does.  But can she convince the others that it isn't Campbell and find the real killer? She is right, isn't she, it couldn't possibly be Campbell...

The plot of this story is excellent, truly well thought out.  I was pulled into the story and really couldn't put it down.  There were twists and turns along the way that kept me guessing and I found myself really analyzing the story, looking for clues while I was trying to solve the mystery along with Ireland.  Full of suspense and surprises, this book will not disappoint.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about murder, mysteries, suspense, and thrillers.
This is the first time I've read anything by this author but I can assure you this will not be the last!

It's an Ipad Made of Trees...

I was roaming around the internet and stumbled across this image, which at first made me chuckle.  But then, it made me a little sad inside.  In this electronic age, how many people actually still read books? Yes I know there are many of us that read, but... who still picks up a book rather than an e-reader or a tablet? I for one, still love to pick up a good book. My e-reader is used mainly when I am on the go and don't have the space to pack a few books with me.  I love holding a book, turning the pages just, the whole experience of flipping pages back and forth rather than holding an e-reader or tablet and just turning the page with a swipe of my finger on the screen. It's just not the same. 

Review: If It Bleeds by Linda Richards

When reading the summary of the book on the back cover, I was immediately drawn in and thought  this sounds like it's going to be a pretty intense book.  But I should have realized, being part of the 'Rapid Reads' series, that there really wasn't enough time for all of the intensity that the story had the potential to be.

Don't get me wrong, it's a good plot line with some interesting characters that the main character, Nicole Charles, interacts with.  Some things did really stand out for me while reading it though, how for her gossip column she had to make sure to get enough 'boob shots' because you know, that's what the readers want.  Or the fact that when she submitted her story to the editor, Mike, about the murder that both she and crime reporter Brent Hartigan were covering, that she received no recognition for the pictures that were printed, that Hartigan literally took her opening to the story and claimed it for his own.  Mike, when confronted, backed Hartigan's decisions on the story.  Later in the story, Nicole comes upon a big break in gaining information... she breaks into the murdered artist's studio. Did the police not find out the deceased had a studio, would they have not found this information? Was Nicole not worried about being charged with breaking and entering?
There were a lot of little things like this that just didn't hold true for me, but overall it was still a decent story. Perhaps some of the seemingly useless information that was spoken about in the book will be referred to in future novellas about this character.

It took me less than 2 hours to read this novella, recommend for a quick read when you're just looking for a quick moving  mystery to occupy your mind.

Review: Totally Unrelated by Tom Ryan

Nice easy going story for those who like a quick read. This book would also be suitable for tweens and teens to read.

Neil is a teenager who plays in his family band, "The Family McClintock" even though he really doesn't like the type of music that they play.  Like in the title of the book, he feels very unrelated to his family; He doesn't look like the rest of his family, or feel that he is as talented as they are either.  Neil wants to do his own thing, and that's what his friend Bert convinces him to do.

The book shows some of the ups and downs that Neil experiences as a teenager... liking different things from his parents/family, wanting to shine all on his own, even a bit of romance.  There are lots of compromises that people have to make in a large family, and even more when there is a family business (band in this case) involved.

The descriptions of the Family McClintock  performances was really great, making me want to listen to some of my own favourite Celtic bands.  Being from Cape Breton and a lover of Celtic music, it really lit my imagination and I could picture the performances.  Well done!

Review: My Sister's Keeper by Brenda Chapman

The Book Blurb:
Anna Sweet, ex-cop turned waitress, is bar-hopping her way across the USA. But a middle-of-the-night phone call to Anna's hotel room in Kermit, Texas, is about to end her life on the road.  The brakes on her sister Cheri's car have failed, and she's lying banged up in the hospital in Ottawa.  Cheri warns that unless Anna comes right home, she'll be dead by Christmas.
Anna has more than enough reason to stay away from her home town.  Yet her sister's terror is a calling card she can't ignore.  Is Cheri's life really in danger? Or is this another bid for attention? A doubting Anna Sweet is about to find out...


Thoughts:
I enjoyed this book, and it really caught my attention from the beginning. It's a very quick read being under 100 pages, but the author does a good job with character development.  Cheri doesn't know if it's her estranged husband Jimmy who is trying to harm her or not. Jimmy is the source of tension between the 2 sisters, as he was first engaged to Anna and ends up having an affair and later marrying Cheri.  The cast of characters are introduced and Anna begins to narrow down the list of suspects.  But is Cheri actually making everything up? Everything stops when Jimmy and their son, Evan, are going to move back in with Cheri.
When the story does come to a conclusion, I think it was a great ending.  (I don't want to give it away, it was very believable and tied up all the loose ends, something that I like!)  Anna now has agreed to stay in Ottawa and join her old friend in starting up a PI agency.

Recommend this book, great quick read for the beach or anytime really.  2 thumbs up!

Review: Great-Aunt Sophia's Lessons For Bombshells by Lisa Cach

I found this book on the recommended "Chick Lit" summer reading shelf at my local library. The cover and the title completely caught my eye and I thought, this is going to be a funny romance book I can just tell, and I was not disappointed. 

Grace is writing her thesis in women's studies and truly believes the theory behind it, that outer beauty ultimately leads the woman to unhappiness and misery in her life. Grace is ready to prove it.

Great-Aunt Sophia has requested that Grace spend the summer with her to assist her in recovery/be her companion.  When she arrives, she meets two men, on opposite sides of the spectrum. Declan is sex personified. He just oozed sex appeal and confidence. Dr Andrew on the other hand was smart, and handsome, though incredibly socially awkward.    Grace is slightly overweight, and does not see herself in any way shape or form as a 'bombshell'  Little does she know that Great-Aunt Sophia has big plans for her!  She agrees to Sophia's 'bombshell lessons' all the while determined to use the experience to prove her thesis.  

This novel is a fun breezy summer romance read.  Watching Grace's transformation, and her squirming from the attentions of the manipulative Declan was very entertaining! Though there is no one more manipulative in this novel than Great-Aunt Sophia.  Lots of laugh out loud moments and some surprises along the way.  

Review: The House Witch by Katie Schickel

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. I'm not sure what genre that I would classify this as, *maybe* as chick lit. It really captivated my attention and I had a hard time putting this book down.
Allison grew up in the foster system, and is now a stay-at-home mom with 3 children.  She feels so out of place in Monrovia and really just wants to fit in.  You see, the "Glamour Girls" are everything in Monrovia. They sell beauty products, soaps and the like, and have their hands in every single part of life in Monrovia.
Allison, who is actually a witch.. learns that her life and the lives of her children are in danger after her mother passes away. It seems that her mother, who was institutionalized when she was a young girl, was actually protecting her and her family all these years. But now that her mother has passed, they are vulnerable to the evil that has been looking for her all these years.

The Glamour Girls seem to have some power of their own, and when Allison is accepted, she later finds out that once you join the Glamour Girls.. there is no going back!

The only thing that disappointed me about this book, which honestly I completely enjoyed, was the way the ending came about so quickly. The book built up and built up to the eventual ending, but it was rushed, and I was left wondering, wow, that's it?  The (anti)climax of the book came and then within.. 4 pages or so, it's finished. I can only hope *fingers crossed* that the author turns this into a series, and answers some of the questions that were left remaining in my mind.

Absolutely wonderful first novel for this author, and I definitely recommend this to all who enjoy a little magic and mystery in their reading.