Kimberly

April 27, 2021April 25, 2021

Kimberly reviews Finding Ashley by Danielle Steel

TITLE: Finding Ashley
CHARACTERS: Melissa Henderson
AUTHOR: Danielle Steel
PUBLICATION DATE: 04/27/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Melissa Henderson is leading a quiet life. Once a bestselling author, she now pours all her energy into renovating a Victorian house nestled in the foothills of rural New England. Six years ago, she lost her young son to cancer, and her marriage dissolved. She stopped writing. It was only when she bought the old house that Melissa found a purpose, and came alive as she made it beautiful again.

After a wildfire that threatens her home appears on the news, Melissa receives a call from her sister, Hattie. They were close once, but that was before Melissa withdrew from the world. Now Hattie, who became a nun at twenty-five, is determined to help Melissa turn a new page, even if it means reopening one of the most painful chapters of her life.

At sixteen, a pregnant Melissa was sent to a gloomy convent in Ireland to have— and give up—her baby, to spare the family shame. All these years later, Hattie feels compelled to embark on a journey that will change both their lives forever, and track down the child Melissa gave up.

Finding Ashley is a masterpiece of contemporary drama and tells a gripping story of the strength of the human spirit to chase an impossible dream. It is the story of two strong, brave women turning wrenching loss into reconnection, and a family reunited after bringing dark secrets into the light.

REVIEW:
Danielle Steel. Any fan of women’s lit knows this name. And Finding Ashley is one of the reasons she has lasted so long in this business.

In this story we read about two sisters who have both been through a lot but still believe they can find happiness and contentment. There are some tough moments in the story but Steel puts them there so we can see exactly what the sisters have gone through and what they continue to go through.

I have always liked Danielle Steel. There has never been a story of hers that I was disappointed in and this is the same. There is so much to these characters that we can find in ourselves or someone we love.

Another great read from Danielle Steel.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

April 22, 2021April 18, 2021

Kimberly reviews The Girl On The Platform by Bryony Pearce

TITLE: The Girl On The Platform
CHARACTERS: Bridget
AUTHOR: Bryony Pearce
PUBLICATION DATE: 04/15/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A missing child. A single witness.

I am the girl on the platform.
When new mother Bridget catches her train home from London, she witnesses something terrible: a young girl is taken from the platform, right before her eyes.

No one knows where I am.
But no one is reported missing and with Bridget the only witness, she is written off as an attention seeker. Nobody believes her – not even her own husband.

Can you find me?
But Bridget knows what she saw, and becomes consumed with finding the little girl. Only she can save the child’s life… but could delving into the mystery cost Bridget her own?

A dark and absorbing thriller with the impact of memorable series like Broadchurch or The Missing, perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train and Erin Kinsley’s Found.

REVIEW:
First let’s talk about Grace. What a “real” character she is. She just had a baby 7 months ago. She is suffering from postpartum. She is the breadwinner while her husband is a stay at home dad and her commute is killing her, she is tired, her mom is kind driving her nuts with all the ways Grace isn’t doing things right for the baby and, as a mom, I completely got it. Guilt for working and guilt if she didn’t work. Happy her hubby can stay home and also jealous.

Then she sees a young girl get kidnapped on a platform on the way home. But no one else saw it. Why not? Do the police even believe her? Can she trust her own tired brain?

And then the nightmares start. WOW! What a story is told through her nightmares and through her thoughts.

I wanted to read the book and then needed to stop at times to process what was going on with Grace.

This is a really good story. It keeps you wanting to read one more page and then another. There is so much going on and yet none of it is overwhelming. Really recommend anyone who enjoys suspenseful reads and wants to keep your mind guessing.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

April 21, 2021April 18, 2021

Kimberly reviews Turn A Blind Eye by Jeffrey Archer

TITLE: Turn A Blind Eye
SERIES #: Detective William Warwick #3
CHARACTERS: William Warwick
AUTHOR: Jeffrey Archer
PUBLICATION DATE: 04/13/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Turn a Blind Eye is the third installment in the gripping story of Detective Inspector William Warwick, by the master storyteller and #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Clifton Chronicles.

Newly promoted to Detective Inspector, William Warwick is tasked with a dangerous new line of work, to go undercover and expose crime of another kind: corruption at the heart of the Metropolitan Police Force. Along with detectives Rebecca Pankhurst and Nicky Bailey, his team is focused on following Detective Jerry Summers, a young officer whose lifestyle exceeds his income. But the investigation risks being compromised when Nicky falls for Summers.
Meanwhile, notorious drug baron Ahmed Rashidi goes on trial, defended by Booth Watson QC, while William’s father Sir Julian and sister Grace lead the prosecution case. And William’s wife Beth, now a new mother to twins, makes a surprising new friend in Christina Faulkner–the ex-wife of William’s former rival, criminal financier Miles – who has not only turned over a new leaf, but also has a new-found source of income when Faulkner dies suddenly of a heart attack and she stands to be sole inheritor of his estate.
As the undercover officers start to draw the threads together, William realizes that the corruption may go deeper still, and more of his colleagues than he first thought might be willing to turn a blind eye.

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts This is the third in the series but we have known these characters from other stories so it is like catching up with friends. In this one we are at the trial of Rashidi.

What I enjoyed about this is the trial part. Some of it got a bit wordy but the trials in England are so different than the trials in the USA. And it is kind of interesting thinking “they can do that there?” or “we could do that here.”

I like DI Warwick. And this time he has to investigate his own. No, he is not a police officer but they are all in the line of work to bring justice and now he has to investigate a young officer who just may be in more than he should be involved in.

Another good story by Jeffrey Archer.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

April 20, 2021April 18, 2021

Kimberly reviews The Bookstore On The Beach by Brenda Novak

TITLE: The Bookstore On The Beach
CHARACTERS: Autumn Divac
AUTHOR: Brenda Novak
PUBLICATION DATE: 04/06/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:

How do you start a new chapter of your life when you haven’t closed the book on the previous one?

Eighteen months ago, Autumn Divac’s husband went missing. Her desperate search has yielded no answers, and she can’t imagine moving forward without him. But for the sake of their two teenage children, she has to try.

Autumn takes her kids home for the summer to the charming beachside town where she was raised. She seeks comfort working alongside her mother and aunt at their bookshop, only to learn that her daughter is facing a huge life change and her mother has been hiding a terrible secret for years. And when she runs into the boy who stole her heart in high school, old feelings start to bubble up again. Is she free to love him, or should she hold out hope for her husband’s return? She can only trust her heart…and hope it won’t lead her astray.

REVIEW:
I am a fan of Novak’s. I won’t say I have read everything she has ever written but I have read books of hers that I really enjoyed. This was not one of them.

Honestly, there is just so much in this book that it becomes unbelievable. Yes, a family can have bad times when it feels like everything is on their shoulders but it really isn’t. In this book it is. I mean everything was thrown at the family including the kitchen sink.

I would have been happy with this book being much shorter. There was a lot in the middle that was filler, in my opinion. I liked the beginning and came back in for the end but the middle was just too long.

I really felt the connection between the mother and son. I felt each word of love she said to him as I have said the same to my son.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

April 15, 2021April 13, 2021

Kimberly reviews The Path To Sunshine Cove by RaeAnne Thayne

TITLE: The Path To Sunshine Cove
SERIES #: Cape Sanctuary #2
CHARACTERS: Jessica & Rachel
AUTHOR: RaeAnne Thayne
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/30/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon| B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
With the emotional pull of Debbie Macomber, Barbara Delinsky and Susan Wiggs, RaeAnne Thayne brings readers an uplifting, brand new story told with her trademark charm and heart.

She knows what’s best for everyone but herself…

With a past like hers, Jessica Clayton feels safer in a life spent on the road. She’s made a career out of helping others downsize–because she’s learned the hard way that the less “stuff,” the better, a policy she applies equally to her relationships. But a new client is taking Jess back to Cape Sanctuary, a town she once called home…and that her little sister, Rachel, still does. The years apart haven’t made a dent in the guilt Jess still carries after a handgun took the lives of both their parents and changed everything between them.

While Jess couldn’t wait to put the miles between her and Cape Sanctuary, Rachel put down roots, content for the world–and her sister–to think she has a picture-perfect life. But with the demands of her youngest child’s disability, Rachel’s marriage has begun to fray at the seams. She needs her sister now more than ever, yet she’s learned from painful experience that Jessica doesn’t do family, and she shouldn’t count on her now.

Against her judgment, Jess finds herself becoming attached–to her sister and her family, even to her client’s interfering son, Nate–and it’s time to put everything on the line. Does she continue running from her painful past, or stay put and make room for the love and joy that come along with it?

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts This is a RaeAnne Thayne book so of course it is a great read!!! I might have had more than a passing fan feel to this book since my son has autism. Let me explain.

Jess comes back to Cape Sanctuary where she used to live. Her sister, Rachel, still lives there but their relationship is a bit strained. And while the world sees Rachel’s life as perfect there is a lot more going on. Rachel’s son has just been diagnosed with Autism and it seems her world is unraveling and when she needs her sister the most her sister hasn’t been there. And now Jess is back and Rachel hopes she will have the sister she desperately needs. But Jess doesn’t feel the same…. Or does she? Jess is becoming more attached especially to her nephew and the relationship with her sister is slowly growing.

Now, like I said I have a son who was diagnosed with Autism but thankfully a very high functioning child on the spectrum. I remember the feeling when I was told our lives would be changed and the first person I called was my sister. I couldn’t imagine having the relationship that Jess and Rachel have.

So the story was palpable to me and is so true to life. Thayne is a master at women’s fiction and high on my recommendation to strangers list but this will be the book I recommend at the same time I recommend Thayne.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

April 14, 2021April 13, 2021

Kimberly reviews Triple M Murder by Carmen Cady

TITLE: Triple M Murder
SERIES #: Jack Calloway Thriller #1
CHARACTERS: Jack Calloway
AUTHOR: Carmen Cady
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/21/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A sadistic murderer. A grieving investigator with a dark secret. A desperate race to save lives and clear his name.

Jack Calloway, a private investigator, and criminal profiler witnessed the brutal murder of his family. Years later, driven by guilt and grief, he’s pulled to find justice. Called on by law enforcement agencies across the country, Jack’s on a mission to catch violent offenders. But when a serial killer from Jack’s antebellum past catches up to him in Seattle, he finds himself in a no-win situation. The killer has deliberately set Jack up to take the fall.

Now, he must work with a forensic expert—the woman he loved and pushed away, and a lead detective who can’t stand him. As if those aren’t enough problems—Jack carries a secret that could cost him everything.

Will Jack find this killer and clear his name before it’s too late?

REVIEW:
This book was just odd for me. It’s not that I didn’t like it but I wouldn’t say I loved it. The story is interesting. And I think it had a lot of potential. But there were some things I did not like.

First the good, I liked the suspense and it kept me interested to figure out the who-dun-it. I thought the romance of the story was done well and not over the top. I thought it was right to how people would feel who once had a connection but now have to work together.

Now the other part. First I hated, HATED, the way the women are portrayed in this story. I mean seriously the sexism in the story was distracting. If it had been set a different time it would have made more sense but it is not and women are not sex objects.

There were times it felt the author was saying 15 words for 3 to fill in pages. A number of things/people were overly explained for no reason.

I will read the next in the series to see if the first was overly written to explain the new characters but I am not sure how much of a fan I will be.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

April 13, 2021April 12, 2021

Kimberly reviews Destroy Me by Karen Cole

TITLE: Destroy Me
CHARACTERS: Cat
AUTHOR: Karen Cole
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/18/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
SOME SECRETS ARE BEST LEFT BURIED…

Cat panics when she sees a photofit of a murder suspect flash up on the news. It looks exactly like her, and to make matters worse, the victim is her childhood best friend, Charlie.

The following day, the police arrive at her doorstep to question her. She hadn’t seen or spoken to Charlie in years, but could the secrets of their past finally be coming back to haunt her?

Desperate to find out who gave the police her description and to protect her five-year-old son, Cat investigates. She knows she is innocent and will stop at nothing to prove it. But some secrets are best left buried…

REVIEW:
2.25 Hearts Ok this is not the book for me. I really liked the concept. You are all over the news for murder but you know you didn’t do it so how can your picture be everywhere? And to make it worse the victim was your best friend? Sounds good, right?

Not really. I never cared about Cat at all. She was harsh and brash and just unlikeable if you ask me. And the pet thing was unnecessary and I have never liked when an animal is hurt.

There was so much potential with this story. If the character had been worth our worry maybe I would have liked it more.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.