reecaspieces

Overview

In the vein of Big Little Lies and Reconstructing Amelia comes an emotionally charged domestic suspense novel about a mother unraveling the truth behind how her daughter became brain dead. And pregnant.

A search for the truth. A lifetime of lies.

In the small hours of the morning, Abi Knight is startled awake by the phone call no mother ever wants to get: her teenage daughter Olivia has fallen off a bridge. Not only is Olivia brain dead, she’s pregnant and must remain on life support to keep her baby alive. And then Abi sees the angry bruises circling Olivia’s wrists.

When the police unexpectedly rule Olivia’s fall an accident, Abi decides to find out what really happened that night. Heartbroken and grieving, she unravels the threads of her daughter’s life. Was Olivia’s fall an accident? Or something far more sinister?

Christina McDonald weaves a suspenseful and heartwrenching tale of hidden relationships, devastating lies, and the power of a mother’s love. With flashbacks of Olivia’s own resolve to uncover family secrets, this taut and emotional novel asks: how well do you know your children? And how well do they know you?

Review

Abi Knight is awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call informing her that her only daughter has fallen off a bridge. When Abi arrives at the hospital, she is informed that Olivia is brain dead and pregnant. Abi finds clues which leads her to believe her daughter did not just fall from the bridge. She moves heaven and earth to discover exactly what happened the night Olivia fell.

There is so much I want to say about Abi. First off, her emotions radiate off the pages. I was trapped by her feelings. Her hurt and her anger are such powerful forces. She is the perfect, imperfect character. When she is mean to her sister…I wanted to pinch her…HARD. But, she is such a splendid fit for this story.

This story follows two time lines, before the fall and after. It also has two narrators, Abi and Olivia. Think it is going to be confusing? No way! It is so superbly written with so many twists and turns. I must have guessed the perpetrator 10 times.

What a read! This book captured me from the get go! It is masterfully done with some of the best complex characters I have read about in a long time. Do not miss this one! Grab it today!

I received this novel from Gallery Books via Netgalley for a honest review.

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Overview

Yara Zgheib’s poetic and poignant debut novel is a haunting portrait of a young woman’s struggle with anorexia on an intimate journey to reclaim her life.  

The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound.

Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight their diseases and face six meals a day.

Every bite causes anxiety.  Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.

About the author

Yara Zgheib is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters degree in Security Studies from Georgetown University and a PhD in International Affairs in Diplomacy from Centre D’études Diplomatiques et Stratégiques in Paris. She is fluent in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish. Yara is a writer for several US and European magazines, including The Huffington Post, The Four Seasons Magazine, A Woman’s Paris, The Idea List, and Holiday Magazine. She writes on culture, art, travel, and philosophy on her blog, “Aristotle at Afternoon Tea” (http://www.aristotleatafternoontea.com/).

Review

Anna has had several changes in her life. She was injured and could not dance. As a matter of fact, she lost her place in the dance company. Then her husband received a job offer in St. Louis which he could not turn down. So, they moved from her beloved home in Paris and away from her family. Anna goes into a deep depression. She basically quits eating almost all of the foods she loves. She ends up weighing 88 pounds.

Anna is admitted to 17 Swann Street, a home for women with eating disorders. This is extremely difficult for Anna to adjust. The rules and the treatment are a little more than she can tolerate. But with the support of her husband and all the girls of 17 Swann Street she SLOWLY starts on the road to recovery.

The way Anna’s relationship with food changes her life is really astounding. I have been around anorexics but I have never really discussed their thoughts. Anna’s anxiety about food is above and beyond. After she spent a little time at 17 Swann Street she is allowed to go out to eat with her husband. Her approach to her dinner that night really opened my eyes to how this disease works.

I know this book is not going to work for everyone. It is traumatic in places and it is hard to read because of the subject matter. Not only is it well written and well researched, it is also an emotional ride. You do not want to miss this.

I received this novel from St. Martin’s Press for a honest review.

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Books-A-Million

Indie Bound

Powell’s

Overview

The next “masterful” (Publishers Weekly) novel from “the gifted Jessica Strawser” (Adriana Trigiani), hailed as “immensely satisfying” (Kathleen Barber) and “that book you can’t put down” (Sally Hepworth). A video call between friends captures a shocking incident no one was supposed to see.

The secrets it exposes threaten to change their lives forever.

Molly and Liza have always been enviably close. Even after Molly married Daniel, the couple considered Liza an honorary family member. But after Liza moved away, things grew more strained than anyone wanted to admit—in the friendship and the marriage.

When Daniel goes away on business, Molly and Liza plan to reconnect with a nice long video chat after the kids are in bed. But then Molly leaves the room to check on a crying child.

What Liza sees next will change everything.

Only one thing is certain: Molly needs her. Liza drives all night to be at Molly’s side—but when she arrives, the reception is icy, leaving Liza baffled and hurt. She knows there’s no denying what she saw.

Or is there?

In disbelief that their friendship could really be over, Liza is unaware she’s about to have a near miss of her own.

And Molly, refusing to deal with what’s happened, won’t turn to Daniel, either.

But none of them can go on pretending. Not after this.

Forget You Know Me is a “twisty, emotionally complex, powder keg of a tale” (bestselling author Emily Carpenter) about the wounds of people who’ve grown apart. Best friends, separated by miles. Spouses, hardened by neglect. A mother, isolated by pain.

One moment will change things for them all.

Review

Liza and Molly have been friends since they were children. They have drifted apart in recent years because well, basically life happens. Liza now lives in Chicago and Molly lives in Cincinnati. These two decide to try and rekindle their friendship over a Skype call and a glass of wine. When Molly leaves the call for a few minutes to check on the children, Liza sees a masked intruder enter Molly’s home. After a 911 call and a long drive to Cincinnati, Molly is rude to Liza and this leaves Liza to question exactly what is going on.

This story starts with a bang. Then it begins a slow paced tale about family and friends relationships. Not only is Molly’s relationship with Liza on the brink, so is her relationship with her husband, Daniel. Their marriage has its share of past hurts and damages. I will be honest, I am not a huge fan of Molly. I did not like how she treated Liza at the beginning.

The story itself is much slower than I like. Plus, I felt the characters could have been more in-depth. After the scene with the mask intruder, that is pretty much it for thriller section. This is more about friendship and family.

I received this novel from St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley for a honest review.

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Overview

The year is 1922. The carnival is Pontilliar’s Spectactular Star Light Miraculum, set up on the Texas-Louisiana border. One blazing summer night, a mysterious stranger steps out onto the midway, lights a cigarette and forever changes the world around him. Tattooed snake charmer Ruby has traveled with her father’s carnival for most of her life and, jaded though she is, can’t help but be drawn to the tall man in the immaculate black suit who has joined the carnival as a geek, aman who bites the heads off live chickens. Mercurial and charismatic, Daniel charms everyone he encounters but his manipulation of Ruby becomes complicated when it no longer becomes clear who is holding all the cards. For all of Daniel’s secrets, Ruby has a few of her own. When one tragedy after another strikes the carnival, and it becomes clear that Daniel is somehow at the center of calamity, Ruby takes it upon herself to discover the mystery of the shadowy man pulling all the strings. Joined by Hayden, a roughneck-turned-mural-painter who has recently reentered her life, Ruby enters into a dangerous, eye-opening game with Daniel in which nothing and no one is as it seems and yet everything is at stake.

If WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, “Carnivale”, and Stephen King’s REVIVAL had a book that was then struck by lightning, it would be MIRACULUM. This unforgettable novel is part southern gothic, part noir, part magical realism, and all Steph Post. 

Review

Ruby is a snake charmer in carnival full of strange characters. Another “strange” character has been hired to join the tour. His name is Daniel and he bites heads off chickens…yes…that really is his job. Weird accidents start occurring after Daniel’s arrival. Ruby will not be stopped until she finds out exactly what is going on.

My heart went out to Ruby throughout this read. She had to leave the only home she has ever known to find a father who could care less about her. As a matter of fact, he ships her off to be tattooed. This is actually where the story took and odd turn, as if a man who bites heads off chickens isn’t odd enough.

This is a very unique read. However, as I was reading, I was unsure what genre it actually fell into. It started out as a little romance/murder mystery type story. Then it changed to a little voodoo/mystical tale. So, it is a weird type of novel but it is so very captivating. I loved the 1920’s carnival setting. The characters, and I do mean characters, really capture your imagination and your heart.

This may be an uncommon story but is a fascinating read not soon forgotten.

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Overview

The Paris Wife meets PBS’s Victoria in this enthralling novel of the life and loves of one of history’s most remarkable women: Winston Churchill’s scandalous American mother, Jennie Jerome.

Wealthy, privileged, and fiercely independent New Yorker Jennie Jerome took Victorian England by storm when she landed on its shores. As Lady Randolph Churchill, she gave birth to a man who defined the twentieth century: her son Winston. But Jennie—reared in the luxury of Gilded Age Newport and the Paris of the Second Empire—lived an outrageously modern life all her own, filled with controversy, passion, tragedy, and triumph.

When the nineteen-year-old beauty agrees to marry the son of a duke she has known only three days, she’s instantly swept up in a whirlwind of British politics and the breathless social climbing of the Marlborough House Set, the reckless men who surround Bertie, Prince of Wales. Raised to think for herself and careless of English society rules, the new Lady Randolph Churchill quickly becomes a London sensation: adored by some, despised by others.

Artistically gifted and politically shrewd, she shapes her husband’s rise in Parliament and her young son’s difficult passage through boyhood. But as the family’s influence soars, scandals explode and tragedy befalls the Churchills. Jennie is inescapably drawn to the brilliant and seductive Count Charles Kinsky—diplomat, skilled horse-racer, deeply passionate lover. Their affair only intensifies as Randolph Churchill’s sanity frays, and Jennie—a woman whose every move on the public stage is judged—must walk a tightrope between duty and desire. Forced to decide where her heart truly belongs, Jennie risks everything—even her son—and disrupts lives, including her own, on both sides of the Atlantic.

Breathing new life into Jennie’s legacy and the glittering world over which she reigned, That Churchill Woman paints a portrait of the difficult—and sometimes impossible—balance among love, freedom, and obligation, while capturing the spirit of an unforgettable woman, one who altered the course of history.

Advance praise for That Churchill Woman

“The perfect confection of a novel . . . We’re introduced to Jennie in all of her passion and keen intelligence and beauty. While she is surrounded by a cast of late-Victorian celebrities, including Bertie, Prince of Wales, it’s always Jennie who shines and takes the center stage she was born to.”—Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator’s Wife and The Swans of Fifth Avenue

Review

The story begins in Sandringham where Jennie Churchill is a guest of The Prince of Wales. This is where she meets one of her many lovers. Yes…she has quite a few. This tale rotates time periods between her childhood in America and her time with her husband.

The story itself is just ok. It contains a good bit of politics, which I enjoyed more than I expected. But, it just doesn’t have a lot of action. I did enjoy the historical aspects, especially the expectations of Jennie. There were a lot of restrictions placed on her and many women of that time period. Nothing new, but just different because of the Churchill’s status among society.

I really did not enjoy this novel as much as I thought I would. I think it is because I am not a fan of Jennie Churchill. I found her shallow and selfish. However, I also found her intelligent. I just expected her to show more backbone, maybe buck the system more.

I received this novel from Ballantine Books via Netgalley for a honest review.

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Overview

Cosmopolitan Best Book Club Book of 2019

PopSugar Must-Read Book of 2019

Glamour Best Book of 2019

“Fraught with danger, filled with mystery, and meticulously researched, The Lost Girls of Paris is a fascinating tale of the hidden women who helped to win the war.” —Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours

“Pam Jenoff’s meticulous research and gorgeous historical world-building lift her books to must-buy status. An intriguing mystery and a captivating heroine make The Lost Girls of Paris a read to savor!” —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network

From the author of the runaway bestseller The Orphan’s Tale comes a remarkable story of friendship and courage centered around three women and a ring of female secret agents during World War II.

1946, Manhattan

One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, Grace Healey finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Grace opens the suitcase, where she discovers a dozen photographs—each of a different woman. In a moment of impulse, Grace takes the photographs and quickly leaves the station.

Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, leader of a network of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home, their fates a mystery. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose daring mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal.

Vividly rendered and inspired by true events, New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff shines a light on the incredible heroics of the brave women of the war and weaves a mesmerizing tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances.

Review

Grace finds a lone suitcase in Grand Central Terminal. She discovers some pictures within this suitcase which puts her onto the trail of Eleanor. Eleanor is a lady tasked with putting together a group of women who will assist the resistance. Grace is determined to find out what happened to these women and what Eleanor was doing in NYC.

The SOE has incorporated women into their operations. Eleanor is placed in charge of this unit. She carefully selects these women and sees they are properly trained. But, you can have all of that going for you and still fail…if you are betrayed.

As most of you know, I love strong women and WWII is my favorite time period. So, this book is exactly my cup of tea. I will say, I was skeptical at the beginning… I mean…who actually goes through someone else’s suitcase? Don’t you turn it in to lost and found? So, this had me doubting the story just a bit. But the more I read, the more intriguing the tale. I was reeled in…hook, line and sinker.

To say I loved this book is an understatement. All the women, the espionage, the danger, the history and the mystery surrounding what happened makes up a unique story not to be missed!

I received this novel from Harlequin via Netgalley for a honest review

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Overview

A shocking stunner in every way. The perfect thriller.” —Robert Crais

When darkness closes in—he’s your last, best hope. Evan Smoak returns in Gregg Hurwitz’s #1 international bestselling Orphan X series.

Taken from a group home at age twelve, Evan Smoak was raised and trained as part of the Orphan Program, an off-the-books operation designed to create deniable intelligence assets—i.e. assassins. Evan was Orphan X. He broke with the Program, using everything he learned to disappear and reinvent himself as the Nowhere Man, a man who helps the truly desperate when no one else can. But now Evan’s past is catching up to him.

Someone at the very highest level of government has been trying to eliminate every trace of the Orphan Program by killing all the remaining Orphans and their trainers. After Evan’s mentor and the only father he ever knew was killed, he decided to strike back. His target is the man who started the Program and who is now the most heavily guarded person in the world: the President of the United States.

But President Bennett knows that Orphan X is after him and, using weapons of his own, he’s decided to counter-attack. Bennett activates the one man who has the skills and experience to track down and take out Orphan X—the first recruit of the Program, Orphan A.

With Evan devoting all his skills, resources, and intelligence to find a way through the layers of security that surround the President, suddenly he also has to protect himself against the deadliest of opponents. It’s Orphan vs. Orphan with the future of the country—even the world—on the line.

Review

There is a secret program in the depths of the intelligence system of the United States. A group of orphans have been trained to kill. They are an elite group of assassins. But, someone wants this program wiped off the map and all the players with it. Evan is fighting back and he has to go straight to the top, The President of the United States.

I have enjoyed all the Orphan X books. Fast paced and exciting is an understatement. This one is no different. Evan is on the hunt and nothing is going to stop him. This has now gotten personal for him. When the only father he has ever known is killed, Evan knows he has to take action.

I am partially in love with Evan. He has such charisma…you know in the strong, silent type way. Plus…he is very intelligent. You never know what his next play will be. He is a master of getting himself into tough situations. The way he uses his brain to get out of these situations is fascinating. Good writing if you ask me!

This is an edge of your seat thriller!

I received this novel from Minotaur Books via Netgalley for a honest review.

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