reecaspieces

Overview

“Pulls you into the depths of a secret world from the first page. Ian Smith’s novel is unmissable.” —Harlan Coben, author of Missing You

Cambridge, Massachusetts, Fall 1988

Spenser Collins

An unlikely Harvard prospect, smart and athletic, strapped for cash, determined to succeed. Calls his mother—who raised him on her own in Chicago—every week.

Dalton Winthrop

A white-shoe legacy at Harvard, he’s just the most recent in a string of moneyed, privileged Winthrop men in Cambridge. He’s got the ease—and the deep knowledge—that come from belonging.

These two find enough common ground to become friends, cementing their bond when Spenser is “punched” to join the Delphic Club, one of the most exclusive of Harvard’s famous all-male final clubs. Founded in the nineteenth century, the Delphic has had titans of industry, Hollywood legends, heads of state, and power brokers among its members.

Dalton Winthrop knows firsthand that the Delphic doesn’t offer memberships to just anyone. His great-uncle is one of their oldest living members, and Dalton grew up on stories of the club’s rituals. But why is his uncle so cryptic about the Ancient Nine, a shadowy group of alums whose identities are unknown and whose power is absolute? They protect the Delphic’s darkest and oldest secrets—including what happened to a student who sneaked into the club’s stately brick mansion in 1927 and was never seen again.

Dalton steers Spenser into deeper and deeper recesses of the club, and beyond, to try to make sense of what they think they may be seeing. But with each scrap of information they get from an octogenarian Crimson graduate, a crumbling newspaper in the library’s archives, or one of Harvard’s most famous and heavily guarded historical books, a fresh complication trips them up. The more the friends investigate, the more questions they unearth, tangling the story of the club, the disappearance, and the Ancient Nine, until they realize their own lives are in danger.

Review

Spenser is a struggling student at Harvard. He is always low on money and does not come from the right background. He is from the south side of Chicago. So, fitting in with all the rich, preppy boys at Harvard is not so easy. When he receives an invitation to one of the exclusive clubs which Harvard is famous for, this adds a whole new element of complication to his college life.

Spenser does not understand how he can be selected for one of the secret clubs at Harvard. He does not fit the bill! Luckily his friend, Dalton is there to help. When these two discover the story about a death of a student years ago, it leads them into a tangled mess of a mystery which could get them killed.

Spenser is a great character. He is hardworking and determined. Then there is Dalton. He is the opposite of Spenser. These two together create a good team. I love their chemistry and Dalton’s no nonsense attitude really balances the two.

I adore the setting of this novel. The rich history of Harvard is the perfect backdrop for this story. And believe me, the author knew how to weave a great tale around all this history. With the Delphic (the secret society), The Ancient Nine ( a secret within the secret society), the old house with secret rooms, how could the reader not be captivated. This tale just seems to drag a little. It has the rich history and the secrets but not a lot of action to keep the story moving.

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

Purchase here

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Overview

When Joe Lynch stumbles across his wife driving into a hotel car park while she’s supposed to be at work, he’s intrigued enough to follow her in.

And when he witnesses her in an angry altercation with family friend Ben, he knows he ought to intervene.

But just as the confrontation between the two men turns violent, and Ben is knocked unconscious, Joe’s young son has an asthma attack – and Joe must flee in order to help him.

When he returns, desperate to make sure Ben is OK, Joe is horrified to find that Ben has disappeared.

And that’s when Joe receives the first message . . .

Review

Joe is in a mess. Someone is sabotaging his whole life. Job, family, everything is going down the drain. He cannot figure out why!

This book starts off with a bang. There are actual places in this story I said, out loud, “OH SH*#!”

I enjoyed the anticipation this novel creates. However, the story bogs down in the middle. It is the continuation of all of the tragedies happening to Joe. It just keeps on and on.

The characters are a little lacking in this read. Joe is a little bit of a wimp in my book. I expected more out of him. I wanted him to be more angry, with more fight to keep what he has earned. He just didn’t have it in him. And then there is his wife! She is a piece of work! I wanted to beat her within an inch of her life.

But any book which creates this kind of reaction to the characters can’t be all bad. And it is not! it is a lightening fast read with plenty of gasp worthy action.

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

Purchase Here

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Overview

Amsterdam, May 1943. As the tulips bloom and the Nazis tighten their grip across the city, the last signs of Dutch resistance are being swept away. Marijke de Graaf and her husband are arrested and deported to different concentration camps in Germany. Marijke is given a terrible choice: to suffer a slow death in the labour camp or—for a chance at survival—to join the camp brothel.

On the other side of the barbed wire, SS officer Karl Müller arrives at the camp hoping to live up to his father’s expectations of wartime glory. But faced with a brutal routine of overseeing executions and punishments, he longs for an escape. When he encounters the newly arrived Marijke, this meeting changes their lives forever.

Woven into the narrative across space and time is Luciano Wagner’s ordeal in 1977 Buenos Aires, during the heat of the Argentine Dirty War. In his struggle to endure military captivity, he searches for ways to resist from a prison cell he may never leave.

From the Netherlands to Germany to Argentina, The Dutch Wife braids together the stories of three individuals who share a dark secret and are entangled in two of the most oppressive reigns of terror in modern history. This is a novel about the blurred lines between love and lust, abuse and resistance, and right and wrong, as well as the capacity for ordinary people to persevere and do the unthinkable in extraordinary circumstances.

Review

Marijke and her husband are political prisoners of the Third Reich. Marijke stays alive by becoming one of the many women in the camp brothel. This is where she encounters Karl Müller, an SS officer. He falls in love with this Dutch beauty. This could ultimately be the death of her.

There is another story line weaving through this novel. Luciano has been kidnapped by the Argentine Army. He struggles to maintain his sanity and his strength while being tortured and starved. The reason for this tragedy is not revealed to the reader till the very end of this tale.

This story is hard to read in places. It is difficult to read about man’s inhumanity to man! When Marijke becomes a lady in the brothel, I cringed. I can’t imagine going through what these people went through to survive. Then there is Luciano’s hardship. It is along the same line and is definitely cringe worthy. But, the whole time I am wondering what the devil this has to do with Marijke? Why is this even part of this book? I figured it out before the author let me in on the why…it is a big WHY!

I wish the characters were a little more well-rounded. They seem a little detached and unfeeling. And this is a novel which gives you all the feels. The horrors, the torture, the relief when it is all over create a fantastic story. One not soon forgotten.

I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review.

Purchase here

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Overview

From the New York Times bestselling authors of The Forgotten Room comes a captivating historical mystery, infused with romance, that links the lives of three women across a century—two deep in the past, one in the present—to the doomed passenger liner, RMS Lusitania.

May 2013

Her finances are in dire straits and bestselling author Sarah Blake is struggling to find a big idea for her next book. Desperate, she breaks the one promise she made to her Alzheimer’s-stricken mother and opens an old chest that belonged to her great-grandfather, who died when the RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat in 1915. What she discovers there could change history. Sarah embarks on an ambitious journey to England to enlist the help of John Langford, a recently disgraced Member of Parliament whose family archives might contain the only key to the long-ago catastrophe. . . .

April 1915

Southern belle Caroline Telfair Hochstetter’s marriage is in crisis. Her formerly attentive industrialist husband, Gilbert, has become remote, pre-occupied with business . . . and something else that she can’t quite put a finger on. She’s hoping a trip to London in Lusitania’s lavish first-class accommodations will help them reconnect—but she can’t ignore the spark she feels for her old friend, Robert Langford, who turns out to be on the same voyage. Feeling restless and longing for a different existence, Caroline is determined to stop being a bystander, and take charge of her own life. . .

Tessa Fairweather is traveling second-class on the Lusitania, returning home to Devon. Or at least, that’s her story. Tessa has never left the United States and her English accent is a hasty fake. She’s really Tennessee Schaff, the daughter of a roving con man, and she can steal and forge just about anything. But she’s had enough. Her partner has promised that if they can pull off this one last heist aboard the Lusitania, they’ll finally leave the game behind. Tess desperately wants to believe that, but Tess has the uneasy feeling there’s something about this job that isn’t as it seems. . . .

As the Lusitania steams toward its fate, three women work against time to unravel a plot that will change the course of their own lives . . . and history itself.

Review

This story is told by three different narrators. Sarah is in the present day. Caroline and Tessa are both set during 1915. Sarah has come across some information about her great-grandfather and she is on the hunt to find out more. Caroline is a rich socialite. Her husband has recently distanced himself from her and she wants to know why. Tessa is just a con artist/thief. She is on board the Lusitania to do a very specific job.

Sarah is a struggling author and she thinks she has finally found the topic of her next book, her great-grandfather’s story. Trouble is, she can’t find enough information. So she heads to England to do research and ask questions. This puts her on to Caroline and Tessa and the Lusitania.

The mystery in this story is intricate and creative. I enjoyed how it slowly unravels and twists around and leaves you unsure of exactly what is happening. There are also love stories weaving about the characters. And you think you know…but you really don’t know!

The rich history of the Lusitania and the time period is so well done! I must expand my horizons and read more! Don’t miss this one!

I received this novel from Edelweiss for a honest review.

Purchase Here

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Overview

She’s never had a no-strings fling. He’s never had anything else. But maybe this time will be an exception?

After a year of mourning her fiancé, Alexis Parker has worked hard to rediscover what she wants out of life. Fresh out of the military and back stateside, her brother offers her a marketing job at the Stag Distillery. Ready for a new challenge, Alexis agrees to accompany her new co-worker Jake Cooperon a Stag cross-country promotional tour. He may have an infamous playboy reputation, but Alexis is surprised to find out that there is more to him than meets the eye. And she likes what she sees. . .

Jake promised Alexis’s brother that he’d be an absolute gentleman. Of course, that was before he and Alexis hit the road, and they both agree that what Alexis’s big brother doesn’t know won’t hurt him. The plan: to keep their fling confined to the RV, and everything will go back to normal once they head home. Things progress in ways neither of them could have imagined, and Jake realizes that he and Alexis make a perfect mix. Can he convince her that he’s ready to shake things up and give true love a shot?

Review

Alexis is slowly recovering from the death of her fiancé. She has recently left the military and is planning on a new job with the CIA. Jake has been there for her during this tragic time. Their friendship has thrived but can it survive through a relationship.

I love that Alexis and Jake are friends first. She relies on his strength and their relationship just grows from there, even though Alexis is not sure she can love again. It terrifies her! But, Jake is there to help her find her way. I adore Jake’s strength. He makes Alexis feel safe and protected. And when they finally get together….the pages SIZZLE!

I found myself smiling through many parts of this story. I love Jake’s kindness and thoughtfulness. You can certainly tell he loves her. It just oozes off the pages. Alexis is smart, but she tends not to see what is right before her eyes. So, she can be a little frustrating in places. Considering she just lost her fiancé, this is warranted.

This is a sweet, kind love story. It hits you in all the right places!

I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review.

Purchase Here

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Overview

From USA Today bestselling author Kieran Kramer, comes Second Chance at Two Love Lane, a fast-paced tale about the intoxicating effects of fame and what happens when a past romance is rekindled behind the silver screen.

Sometimes love is waiting in the second act…

In her professional career, Ella Mancini plays matchmaker at Two Love Lane but, in her personal life, she takes the stage at the Dock Street Theatre. Now she has a chance at a new role in a Hollywood movie that happens to be filming in Charleston—one that features a big-name actress, Samantha Drake. Long ago, Ella passed up a major audition while awaiting a marriage proposal. Not only didn’t she get the role; she never got the ring, either. Instead, her boyfriend Hank went on to become a huge film star…leaving her, and all her dreams, behind.

But now Hank’s back in Charleston, cast as the male lead in the same movie Ella’s in. In spite of the dramatic tension off-screen, he and Ella try to stay cool onset. But when their old feelings start to heat up—at the same time leading-lady Samantha tries to play cupid—all bets are off. How can Hank convince Ella, after all this time, that she’s the one he really wants to be with in real life—and that some happy, rom-com endings really can come true?

Review

Ella created a new life for herself after a marriage proposal never developed. She has moved to Charleston. She has started her own match making company and she still acts in local theatre. When Hank arrives in town for a movie, her world turns upside down and inside out.

I enjoyed Ella, and her friends and family are a hoot! These characters add so much spice to this tale. Then there is HANK! Hank is a movie star who cannot forget his first love, ELLA! He is determined to win her back.

This story is just like any other romance. Boy loses girl by his own stupidity, boy tries to get girl back, a few kinks in the road, then success. This pretty much sums up this story. The characters and the wonderful setting of Charleston make this read good. The story just needs a little more originality.

I love the cover of this book! Just looks heavenly! This is a good palate cleanser read or even a travel book. It is entertaining and an easy read.

Purchase Here

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Overview

Emma Grace Townsend. Five years old. Gray eyes. Brown hair. Missing since June.

Emma Townsend is lonely. Living with her cruel mother and clueless father, Emma retreats into her own world of quiet and solitude.

Sarah Walker. Successful entrepreneur. Broken-hearted. Abandoned by her mother. Kidnapper.

Sarah has never seen a girl so precious as the gray-eyed child in a crowded airport terminal—and when a second-chance encounter with Emma presents itself, Sarah takes her, far away from home. But if it’s to rescue a little girl from her damaging mother, is kidnapping wrong?

Amy Townsend. Unhappy wife. Unfit mother. Unsure she wants her daughter back.

Amy’s life is a string of disappointments, but her biggest issue is her inability to connect with her daughter. And now she’s gone without a trace.

As Sarah and Emma avoid the nationwide hunt, they form an unshakeable bond. But her real mother is at home, waiting for her to return—and the longer the search for Emma continues, Amy is forced to question if she really wants her back.

Emotionally powerful and wire-taut, Not Her Daughter raises the question of what it means to be a mother—and how far someone will go to keep a child safe.

Review

Sarah sees this little girl, Emma, at the airport and falls in love with her. She sees how her mother treats her and this makes a huge impression on Sarah. When Sarah runs across Emma again at a school, she does the unthinkable. She kidnaps her.

This is every mother’s nightmare. To have a kid abducted would be one of the worst tragedies ever. However, Sarah is so good with Emma and Emma’s mother, Amy, is a complete disaster. As a matter of fact, Amy Townsend is down right abusive and neglectful of her daughter. This pulls the reader in a thousand different directions. You knew Emma was better off with Sarah. BUT! To take her away from her family!

Sarah is a smart lady….until. You think, “How can a smart lady like Sarah do something this stupid?” Then, you think, “How can she ever give Emma back?” What a roller coaster of a ride!

OMG! This book if OFF THE CHARTS! I love a book that gives you all the feels and this one does. The quote on the outside of the book by Chevy Stevens is exactly right. It makes you question what you believe!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rea Frey is an award-winning author of four nonfiction books. She lives in Nashville with her husband and daughter. NOT HER DAUGHTER is her debut novel. Read more at reafrey.com.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/reafrey_author?lang=en

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reafrey/

Purchase Here

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Overview

Set in modern day Oxford, Mississippi, on the Ole Miss campus, bestselling author Lisa Patton’s RUSH is a story about women—from both ends of the social ladder—discovering their voices, courage and empowerment.

When Lilith Whitmore, the well-heeled House Corp President of Alpha Delta Beta, one of the premiere sororities on campus, appoints recent empty-nester Wilda to the Rush Advisory Board, Wilda can hardly believe her luck. What’s more, Lilith suggests their daughters, both incoming freshman, room together. What Wilda doesn’t know is that it’s all part of Lilith’s plan to ensure her own daughter receives an Alpha Delt bid—no matter what.

Cali Watkins possesses all the qualities sororities are looking for in a potential new member. She’s kind and intelligent, makes friends easily, even plans to someday run for governor. But her resume lacks a vital ingredient. Pedigree. Without family money Cali’s chances of sorority membership are already thin, but she has an even bigger problem. If anyone discovers the dark family secrets she’s hiding, she’ll be dropped from Rush in an instant.

For twenty-five years, Miss Pearl—as her “babies” like to call her—has been housekeeper and a second mother to the Alpha Delt girls, even though it reminds her of a painful part of her past she’ll never forget. When an opportunity for promotion arises, it seems a natural fit. But Lilith Whitmore slams her Prada heel down fast, crushing Miss Pearl’s hopes of a better future. When Wilda and the girls find out, they devise a plan destined to change Alpha Delta Beta—and maybe the entire Greek system—forever.

Achingly poignant, yet laugh-out-loud funny, RUSH takes a sharp nuanced look at a centuries-old tradition while exploring the complex, intimate relationships between mothers and daughters and female friends. Brimming with heart and hope for a better tomorrow, RUSH is an uplifting novel universal to us all.

Review

Rush at Ole Miss is the event of a life time for some young ladies. Cali is determined to go through Rush. She is from a small, rural town in north Mississippi so, Ole Miss is a bit of a culture shock.

Pearl is a housekeeper at the Alpha Delt house and has been for twenty- five years. All of the young ladies are her children. She gives advice, cleans up their messes and is a second mother to all of them. When the new pledge class finds out Pearl has no benefits with her job, they are determined to create a change in the old traditions.

There is good and there is bad in this novel. First off…The bad…is this the best written book I have ever read..NO! The conversations are stilted and the author states the obvious many times. That being said, I still love this book.

Now the good! The good definitely out weighs the bad. The setting is outstanding. Who does not love Oxford and Ole Miss. Yes, I am an Ole Miss grad, so of course I am going to say that. But the author really nails the location. Plus, one of the main characters in this book is Cali. Cali is from Blue Mountain, MS. Blue Mountain is in my county. It is just down the road from me. With all of this, I was on the look out for mistakes. And there are a few, but not even enough to mention. The characters fit so well together and really build a story about strength of character and love for others. There are several story lines running throughout this read, Cali and her adjustments, Pearl and her life-struggles, Lilith and her “traditions”. All of these combine to create a unique tale of overcoming obstacles and old customs.

I read some reviews about this book. I think a lot of people got it wrong. They focused on racism. That is not really what this book is about. Well it is and it isn’t. It is focusing on changing a system which should have been changed years ago and caring for others regardless of race, creed, or color! I think the author nailed it!

I received this book from the author for a honest review.

Purchase here

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Overview

Investigative reporter Max Revere has cracked many cases, but the one investigation she’s never attempted is the mystery from her own past. Her mother abandoned her when she was nine, sending her periodic postcards, but never returning to reclaim her daughter. Seven years after the postcards stop coming, Martha Revere is declared legally dead, with no sign of what may have happened to her. Until now.

With a single clue―that her mother’s car disappeared sixteen years ago in a small town on the Chesapeake Bay―Max drops everything to finally seek the truth. As Max investigates, and her mother’s story unfolds, she realizes that Martha teamed up with a con man. They traveled the world living off Martha’s trust and money they conned from others.

Though no one claims to know anything about Martha or her disappearance, Max suspects more than one person is lying. When she learns the FBI has an active investigation into the con man, Max knows she’s on the right path. But as Max digs into the dark secrets of this idyllic community, the only thing she might find is the same violent end as her mother.

New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan weaves the intimate, unputdownable story of an investigator confronting the most important–and most dangerous–mystery of her career.

Review

Max is an investigative reporter and she is on the biggest case of her life….finding out what happened to her mother, Martha Revere. Max’s mother left her with her grandmother when she was just a small girl. Max received several postcards from her through out her life. Then the postcards just stopped. Max wants to know why!

Max is a no nonsense, get the job done, lady! When she sets her mind to something she is going to see it through. Martha Revere is the complete opposite of her daughter. She is a fly by night, could care less kind of person. Martha is a con artist…a rich con artist. She is living off her trust fun money and traveling the world. And where this lands her? Try art theft!

I love this tangled web of deceit created by Martha. She is no dummy. She cons a con and that is hard to do. This puts her in hot water. Max is slowly unraveling Martha’s exploits. This puts Max in more danger than she cares to admit! Plus, it leads her to find out something she never expected.

This is a lightening fast read with great characters and a great mystery. Allison Brennan has written tons of books. I cannot believe I have missed her! How?!? She is now on my list!

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

Purchase Here

Barnes and Noble

Amazon