6/30/2017

Follow Friday #22 – Highlight June 2017

Launched by Sonja of A Bookshelf Full Of Sunshine, continued by FiktiveWelten with a new logo. The blog action is for lively communication between bloggers, a good network, and should be fun. Duration of the question: Friday to Thursday. Rules. No registration required.

This week the FF is all about our book highlight for June. I actually have two books this month (couldn´t decide which one) that I want to highlight.

So keep reading if you want to know which two I picked *smile*

My first is Breath of Scandal by Sandra Brown. A novel about revenge, located in the gorgeous landscape of Dixieland, and a woman who turns out to be a badass in a good way. I re-read it after I saw that the publisher reissued it and had again, one hell of a great time with it.

My review here.

My other choice is This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. Not only the covers are gorgeous but the story itself is fantastic too. A young man, practically a teenager, who wants to know why his planet isn´t making any progress and a young woman who stands on the opposite side.

My review here.

What was your reading highlight during June?

Happy reading

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6/28/2017

Alles Oder Nichts by Simona Ahrnstedt

I say it right at the beginning of my review: The first book of this trilogy was the best. Yes, the cover of this German edition is a nice to look at cover but something is missing. And the novel it contains was a nice read, but not as haunting and thrilling as the first one was.

Alles Oder Nichts*
Author Simona Ahrnstedt

High Stakes #3

Publisher LYX on March 16, 2017

Genre Love-Women-Erotica

Pages 697

Format Softcover

Source Publisher

Goodreads

Ambra is a successful journalist in search of a hot story. Tom a former elite soldier, whom terrible is befallen. Ambra has to return to the place where she never wanted to be again. Tom is trying here, to go back to life. In Kiruna, in the north of Sweden, where the coldness and the eternal darkness prevail, two people meet trying to escape their own past. Two people who wear deep wounds. And do not trust anyone. Two people who are overwhelmed by the attraction that reigns between them. They are wrong. And yet so scary right. But can they really cure each other? Or will their love destroy them once and for all? (personal translation by the reviewer)

Thoughts

This book wasn´t bad, not at all. Only darker and with a completely different story than the other two books had.

6/26/2017

Into The Water by Paula Hawkins

The cover captured my eyes the very first moment. And the fact, that the German edition uses the same as the English edition, was also a plus. And I was very curious if this book would turn out to be as bad as all the critiques were saying. When I placed my request for this book I never thought that I would get it. And with all those bad critiques in mind, I wasn´t even sure what to expect from the thriller. So I set my expectations on a very low level, ignored everything the others had written so far and handled it like I always do: Reading the entire book before building my own opinion.

Into The Water*

by Paula Hawkins
Publisher Blanvalet on May 24, 2017
Genre Thriller
Pages 473
Format Softcover
Source Publisher

Goodreads

✶✶✶

In the last days before her death, Nel called her sister. Jules didn´t pick up the phone, ignoring her plea for help. Now Nel is dead. They say she jumped. And Jules has been dragged back to the one place she hoped she had escaped for good, to care for the teenage girl her sister left behind. But Jules is afraid. So afraid. Of her long-buried memories, of the old Mill House, of knowing that Nel would never have jumped. And most of all she´s afraid of the water, and the place they call the Drowning Pool …

Story

Jules is back home. Not because she wanted it, no, because her sister Nel has died and she needs to get some things cleared. The old town is as mysterious as ever and her childhood memories aren´t pleasant. But the fat girl of yore no longer exists. Slim and eager to find out the truth about her sister’s death, Jules asks uncomfortable questions, isn´t willing to just let go and steps on the foot of an old man who believes he is the master of every female person in the world.

Style

The writing style is soft, there is a lot of guessing and thinking but not really detailed actualities that could pull you really in. And the fact, that from the first page on a lot of characters are being introduced to the reader and the plot jumps back and forth in time isn´t very helpful either.

Paula Hawkins has divided the story into four parts. During those the language is gentle some figures are very blunt and some are very hesitant. The psychological finesse is great. No doubt about that. And the base of the plot is a good idea - just not very well implemented. In my eyes a sad thing, because if she would have used everything she set up in her scheme for this thriller, she could have made this book a great one.

A lot of things were presented when it comes to places, other women, stories within the story and what the relationship between Jules and her sister Nel was. You can read this book without problems, yes, but there is nothing that makes you eager or breathless to find out what´ll happen on the next page. It is like watching a quiet river chop in his river bed without any drift, swirl or anything else. I missed details, the feeling that there had to be a greater reason why all this happened. And from a certain point, I was kind of sure, who the bad person was. Only to find out that I was right and not right. Yap, the end was kind of confusing. But who wonders?

This thriller contains some sick thinking. And the fact, that there is only one thing a woman is good for seemed very ancient to me. Everything that goes South is blamed on women. They are evil creatures and that was something, that disgusted me. No, I am not a feminist, but here, with the pale story around it, it was way too much.

Characters

Until the very end, it wasn´t possible for me to build a connection with the figures. They are without any depth, there was nothing to get a grip on, and the picture the author is creating about women in general not really something I want to see.

Jules has cut every bond she ever had with her family. After her mother´s death, she moved away and refused to speak with her sister ever again. Good, she had her reasons, and it turned out that some major misunderstandings were the reason why they couldn´t go along with each other anymore.

For me, it was simply too much of everything. Too much hate, too much rage, too much helplessness and way too many things she didn´t want to talk about. Not with her sister and for sure not with her nice.

Conclusion

A beautiful cover that shows exactly what this thriller is all about. The end was plain and simple said, way too chewy and way too long stretched. And the fact, that I always felt like kept in the distance with the figures, the dry atmosphere and everything else that is happening in this thriller, let me come to the sad conclusion that this author and her style is really nothing for me. Sad, but this was an average thriller lacking some important things - a great or at least good thriller should have.

Happy reading

*This book was kindly provided to me by Blanvalet in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.

*The original title was published Into The Water by Doubleday on May 2, 2017.

Paula Hawkins

Paula Hawkins grew up in Zimbabwe. 1989 she moved to London, where she still lives. Over 15 years she worked as a journalist before she started writing novels. Her first novel Girl on the Train captured instantly the top of the bestseller lists in England and the US and even before the publishing date DreamWorks secured the movie rights.

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6/24/2017

Follow Friday #21 – Reading Slack Or Time-Out?

This week the FF question is: Do you sometimes have a reading slack or do you consciously take a break from reading? Since I came up with this question, I guess I should say something about it. So keep reading if you´re interested in what I think about this question ...

Okay, this time the Follow Friday is more a Follow Saturday, but right now I have no idea where my head is and the weather is so out of control, that I barely find the time to write posts.

Yes, I can put a checkmark on both.

I do have times, where I am not reading a single book – at least none that´s just for entertainment. I still do have a book in my hands though, just no fiction. And yes, it can happen, that I take a break from reading. Not intentionally, but sometimes it seems that my head wants to do other things than reading. Like getting up to date with my favorite series or that I am more outside taking care of something else or running some errands.

And then there is the situation, where I just can´t focus on the book in my hands. Usually, I can read a book, sleep a night over it, write my review the next day, and then go to the next book. But sometimes I find myself staring at a page without really reading the printed word or where I am just not able to realize what the author wrote. Or when I have to read the same sentence over and over again and still don´t know what I am reading - then I simply call it a day and take a few days before I go back to it again.

Sometimes this break goes over one or two days, sometimes the break is longer. But never with remorse.

How about you?

Happy reading

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6/23/2017

This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

What a fantastic second book! I expected a lot of things, but not this gorgeous and beautiful story full of emotions and characters who complement each other in such a perfect way.

This Shattered World*
Author Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Starbound #2
Publisher Disney Hyperion on December 23, 2014
Genre Children 14+
Pages 400
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
Goodreads

Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met. Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet´s rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents. Rebellion is in Flynn´s blood. His sister died in the original uprising against the powerful corporate conglomerate that rules Avon with an iron fist. These corporations make their fortune by terraforming uninhabitable planets across the universe and recruiting colonists to make the planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion. Desperate for any advantage against the military occupying his home, Flynn does not only things that make sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape base together, caught between two sides in a senseless war.

Thoughts

Yes, the story is different from the first book and yes, the two main characters are not to compare with the ones from book one.

6/17/2017

Die Geister Vom Rainy Pass by Christopher Ross

Those ice blue husky eyes – wow! Since I started enjoying this series, I am kind of hooked by its covers. Each one of them is beautiful and shows a gorgeous looking husky. And the story here is so beautiful that even adults can read it.

Die Geister Vom Rainy Pass*
Author Christopher Ross
Alaska Wilderness Series #5
Publisher Ueberreuter on September 12, 2016
Genre Children 12+
Pages 240
Format Hardcover
Source Library
Goodreads

For months Julie has prepared herself and trained with her beloved Huskies: She will participate in the Iditarod, the longest and toughest dogsled race in the world. No one can keep her from her plan. Not the anonymous troublemakers sneaking into the camp at night, nor her friend Steve, who is very worried. But the route over the Rainy Pass is itself feared by experienced mushers and there the disaster really starts. Will Julie pass the race despite everything?

Thoughts

I was waiting very long for this book to come out, and the second I noticed its release date, I knew that I wanted to read it.

6/17/2017

In Einer Winternacht by Mary Higgins Clark

When I got this book I wasn´t really aware of the fact, that it was actually a Christmas story. But despite that, it is a wonderful, heartwarming novel with a little cutie called Stellina and her story is just beautiful. I had a few nice hours with her and this short story. It is not really known around here, that Alvirah and Willy have their own series, written by the author. At least those books are not specifically called by their names. When I figured out a few weeks ago, that I already have some of those books, I was happy and looked for the others – and found this one.

In Einer Winternacht*

by Mary Higgins Clark
Alvirah And Willy Series #3
Original Title All Through The Night
Publisher Heyne on October 11, 2016
Genre Thriller
Pages 192
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶

All of Alvirah´s deductive powers and Willy´s world-class common sense are called upon as the two stumble into a Christmas mystery. A woman abandons her newborn at a Manhattan church. Simultaneously, a thief is absconding with a treasured artifact, a chalice adorned with a star-shaped diamond. The elude police, he grabs the stroller and disappears. Seven years later, the mother returns to the scene and finds Alvirah and Willy helping neighborhood kids prepare for a Christmas pageant at an after-school shelter. Soon the savvy sleuths set out to solve the puzzle of the missing child and chalice – and to unmask scam artists threatening to shut down the shelter.

Story

Sondra is desperate. The father of her newborn baby is married, and her grandfather, who raised her, expects her to become a musician. But how study with a baby girl and no man at her side? Years later, Sondra wants to know what had happened to her daughter, if she found a loving and caring family, only to discover, that her baby was never found by the church, where she had left her. Alvirah wants to help her and goes on a hunt, to find her daughter and the chalice that was stolen the same night, Sondra left the stroller right outside the church.

StyleMary Higgins Clark wrote this novel in a nice, soft tone and used her style she became famous for. Decent, with some little action but no blood or other things like that. Instead, Alvirah uses her brain, combines facts in a way that you can only smile and keep reading.

Yes, All Through The Night is the almost perfect story for Christmas and for sure a nice read during the day when you´ve got nothing else to do.

Characters

Stellina is such a cutie. She loves her Nonna very much and feels by instinct that her father isn´t really a good guy. To know, that the place she loves to go after school will soon no longer available for her, is not really comforting her and to see that her Nonna isn´t in good health doesn´t make her life easier. But she feels, that she only has to bring some of her most precious things to the church and her life will turn around.

Conclusion

No doubt, a wonderfully written book about Christmas time without being too kitschy or with all the usual decorating this time of year has. And reading it during a hot summer day was, at least for me, a nice contrast. So, if you like to read such stories around Christmas, this is your book.

Happy reading

*This book was kindly provided to me by Heyne in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review. The book was published All Through The Night by Simon & Schuster on October 1, 1999.

Mary Higgins Clark

Mary Higgins Clark, born in 1928 in New York, lived and worked in Saddle River, New Jersey. She sold her first story in 1956 for $100 to a magazine. After the sudden death of her husband in 1964 she wrote her first book, a biographical novel about George Washington. Her first suspense novel Where are the Children from 1975 meant a turning point in her life and career: He became a bestseller. She is #1 international and New York Times bestselling author, has written thirty-four suspense novels; three collections of short stories; a historical novel; two children´s books; and a memoir, Kitchen Privileges. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she has coauthored five more suspense novels. Her books have sold more than 100 million copies in the United States alone. She is the most successful thriller author worldwide.

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6/16/2017

Follow Friday #20 – Book Tours: Top Or Flop?

Launched by Sonja of A Bookshelf Full Of Sunshine, continued by FiktiveWelten with a new logo. The blog action is for lively communication between bloggers, a good network, and should be fun. Duration of the question: Friday to Thursday. Rules. No registration required.

This week the FF question is: How do you feel about book tours? Are you actively involved, you persecute them passively, or are they not your thing at all? I only took an active part on a book tour once. That was for the book Anima by a German author. Since that experience, I am neither top or flop when it comes to book-tours in general.

And to be honest, I haven´t participated in another one since that time and don´t plan on doing so in the near future. It was fun, yes, and I enjoyed being in contact with the author, to get information no one else had and to write my post about it. But the part where the publisher wanted to know upfront what my post would be about, or the planning weeks before the actual book tour had started, and to handle all that over a third party who wasn´t actually really involved, that was annoying. Additional to the fact, that I hadn´t read the book at all at that time and therefore didn´t know what to write or how to write it etc etc.

But despite that, I think that book tours can be a fine thing. They bring some attention to the book, the author, and the publisher. And if the participating blog does a great job and writes a post about everything that is connected to the book the tour is about, and you don´t get too many spoilers, it is quite fun to read and follow.

On the other hand, I don´t want to see too many pieces or excerpts of the book in such a post to keep my interest up and to have the fun to discover things that are happening during the ongoing plot myself. And some bloggers simply write too much about the story, give you way too many insights and kind of kill the curiosity I might have for the book the tour is about.

When I visit the blogs of my friends and they are happening to be on that day part of a tour and post about it, fine, I read and comment if I have something to say about it. Otherwise, I am not especially looking for those tours.

Guess that makes me the in-between blogger when it comes to book tours. And thinking about this question made one thing quite clear to me: If I am ever going to be a part of a book tour again, I am doing it only with my own blog.

What is your experience with book tours?

Happy reading

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6/16/2017

The Secret City by C.J. Daugherty

The end of book one made it sure, that I had to read the second book as well. And what a great finish of this duology it was.

The Secret City
Author C. J. Daugherty
The Alchemist Chronicles #2
Publisher Atom on September 1, 2016
Genre Young Adult
Pages 368
Format Paperback
Source Publisher
Goodreads

Locked away inside the fortified walls of Oxford´s St. Wilfred´s College, surrounded by alchemists sworn to protect them, Taylor and Sacha are safe from the Darkness. For now. But time is short. In seven days Sacha will turn 18 and the ancient curse that once made him invincible will kill him, unleashing unimaginable demonic horror upon the world. There is one way to stop it. Taylor and Sacha must go to where the curse was first cast – the medieval French city of Carcassonne – and face the demons. The journey will be dangerous. And monsters are waiting for them. But as Darkness descends on Oxford, their choice is stark. They must face everything that scares them or lose everything they have.

Thoughts

This book was big entertainment. I absolutely enjoyed reading it. And that end? – Perfect!

6/16/2017

I Saw Her Standing There by Marie Force

Guess it is no secret, that Marie Force knows how to connect romance with the beautiful landscape of Vermont´s Mountains and the city that never sleeps. She does it with this novel again, though the tone is slightly different. Oh, there is no doubt that you will find yourself in the warm embrace of the Abbott-family again. And you for sure will see some very hot scenes and the beauty of the little town and mountains in Vermont, where the Abbotts live. Only a bit different this time….

I Saw Her Standing There*

by Marie Force
Green Mountain Series #3
Publisher Berkley on November 04, 2014
Genre Novel
Pages 400
Format Paperback
Source Publisher

Goodreads

✶✶✶✶

Colton Abbott and Lucy Mulvaney have a secret. Colton´s nosy siblings have begun to put the pieces together, but it´s not like Lucy to keep things from those closest to her – especially her best friend, Cameron, who recently moved to Vermont to live with her true love, Will. But Lucy isn´t about to tell Cam she´s having a fling … with Will´s brother. Flitting between New York and Vermont is exhausting, so Lucy is looking forward to a long weekend with Colton at the Abbott family lake house in Burlington. Too bad Will and Cameron have the same idea, and once Colton and Lucy are caught red-handed (and red-faced), will their clandestine romance lose its appeal or will their secret beginnings be the start of something lasting?

Story

Lucy has her problems to get used to the fact that Cameron is gone. Living now without her best friend in the big city, having to run their business all alone and with new staff isn´t what she thought would ever happen. So only her weekends with the sexy Abbott boy Colton and her little niece is all that brings joy and light into her life. There is only one problem: she doesn´t believe in Happy Endings and there won´t be one for her for sure. Not after all she had to experience in her life.

Style

Marie Force has an easy way to describe things, to show how daily life can be filled with laughter, joy, and happiness but also with problems, sorrow and pain. She describes it all with a great sense of sensitivity, words that are great to read and in a style that makes you want more.

I Saw Her Standing There is touching, emotional and with very hot scenes is but still with the right amount of reality in it. What I love so much about books is that the author shows not only the great landscape of the beautiful Vermont Mountains but also little adorable details like the moose Fred. He is the tip of the “I” and his appearance creates some very amusing scenes.

Though this book is mainly about Lucy and Colton the other characters from the former books in this series have their appearances too. So you will see how things with Cameron and Will as well as Hannah and Nolan keep going on and you get a glimpse of what is to come next.

Characters

The love of a family, the loyalty of friends, the fun, happiness, and a fulfilled life is what Marie Force shows in her novels; at least the ones of her Green Mountain series. Her figures are all independent women who have to deal with some sort of pain, loss or health issues that gives their appearance, their beauty, and their character the special something. They all have warmth in them, the longing for love, passion, and happiness – it is touching and very moving.

Lucy had to step in after the early death of her beloved mother and to grow up very quick and way too soon. Since that time she feels responsible for everything that matters to her left family. Taking care of everything, being there all the time and for everyone and running a business takes all her time. There is no space for a relationship. Affairs, yes, but a long-lasting relationship is not on the plan. Until she sees Colton and has the feeling that he is all she ever wanted. And that is scaring her to death. And when she finally starts to feel that this thing with Colton is running fast in a direction she doesn´t even want to imagine, she is freaking out.

Conclusion

A wonderful novel with lovely characters and things that make you laugh, sigh and that give you some very relaxed reading hours. No doubt another great read by the author. Read!

Happy reading

*I read the German edition new release by Fischer TB on January 26, 2017.

Marie Force

Marie Force is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling, award-winning author of contemporary romance. She writes series as well as stand-alone novels. While her husband was in the U.S. Navy, Marie lived in Spain, Maryland, and Florida, and she is now settled in her home state of Rhode Island.

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6/15/2017

Island Of Glass by Nora Roberts

Good closure for this trilogy. Magic is all over the place, the figures are very thoughtful and it fits in nicely how the author solved some things. If you are a Nora Roberts fan and fan of this trilogy, you should definitely read it.

Island Of Glass

Author Nora Roberts
The Guardians Trilogy #3
Publisher Berkley on December 6, 2016
Genre Novel
Pages 315
Format Paperback
Source Purchased

Goodreads

Three stars – of fire, water, and ice – have fallen from the skies, and now three women and three men have come together to find them. But on the quest for the final star, they´ll discover that possessing it won´t be enough to stop the destruction of themselves – and of their world … As the hunt for the Ice Star leads the six guardians to Ireland, Doyle, the immortal, must face his tragic past. Three centuries ago, he closed off his heart, yet his warrior spirit is still drawn to the wild. And there´s no one more familiar with the wild than Riley – and the wolf within her. An archaeologist, Riley is no stranger to the coast of Clare, but now she finds herself on unsure footing, targeted by the dark goddess who wants more than the stars, more than the blood of the guardians. While searching through Irish history for clues that will lead them to the final star and the mysterious Island of Glass, Riley must fight her practical nature and admit that her sudden attraction to Doyle is more than just a fling. For it is his strength that will sustain her and give her the power to run toward love – and save them all …

Thoughts

Good, this might not be the best book the author has ever written, but for my taste, it was a nice and solid written novel about love, magic and fulfilling your destiny.

6/15/2017

As Time Goes By by Mary Higgins Clark

I saw the US cover and got curious. Sure, it looks totally different than the cover of the German edition (you will see it at the end of my review), but the summary sounded so interesting, that I actually didn´t care about the cover or covers in this case. And I was really happy when I finally got the book. I consider myself a huge Mary Higgins Clark fan. Good, I haven´t read all her books, but those I´ve read, were most fascinating to me. One or two weren´t that great, but so far, I´ve enjoyed them more or less.

As Time Goes By*

by Mary Higgins Clark
Alvirah And Willy Series #10
Publisher Simon & Schuster on April 5, 2016
Genre Thriller
Pages 288
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher*

Goodreads

✶✶✶½

Television journalist Delaney Wright is on the brink of stardom after she begins covering a sensational murder trial for the six-p.m. news. She should be thrilled, yet her growing desire to locate her birth mother consumes her thoughts. When Delaney´s friends Alvirah Meehan and her husband Willy offer to look into the mystery surrounding her birth, they uncover a shocking secret they do not want to reveal. On trial for murder is Betsy Grant, widow of a wealthy doctor who has been an Alzheimer´s victim for eight years. When her once-upon-a-time celebrity lawyer urges her to accept a plea bargain, Betsy refuses: she will go to trial to prove her innocence. Betsy´s stepson, Alan Grant, bides his time nervously as the trial begins. His substantial inheritance hangs in the balance – his only means of making good on payments he owes his ex-wife, his children, and increasingly angry creditors. As the trial unfolds, and the damning evidence against Betsy piles up, Delaney is convinced, that Betsy is not guilty and frantically tries to prove her innocence.

Story

Delaney wants to know who her birth mother is. But on the other hand, she doesn´t want to hurt her parents. The two people who raised and love her and who are the only persons she calls and knows as her family. So, the coverage of the sensational murder trial against Betsy Grant is the right thing she needs. But the more she listens and is watching things happen in court, the more she gets the feeling that something isn´t right and that the defendant is innocent.

Style

I love the writing style the author has. At least in most of her books. The soft, but psychological finesse, the way how she describes her figures, the scenes and how the details come to light bit by bit, that the reader sometimes knows more than the investigating figure itself – all that is brought to paper in a great way.

Well, this time I was a bit disappointed. Sure, I had a good time reading it, since the tone and style were what I´ve expected from Mary Higgins Clark. But I missed the finesse she usually showed when she gave the reader some hints who the evil person could be.

And the fact, that I knew after only a few chapters who Delaney´s birth mother must be and a few further chapters who the real bad guy was, kind of took the tension from everything. Because the way how Alvirah and Willy were collecting the information was not as exciting as usual. And when the big scene came up in which they finally got the murder, I had the feeling that the entire scene was too much. That scene seemed a bit too weird, too hectic and there was a panic in it, that I don´t connect with the style Mary Higgins Clark normally uses when she unveils the real murder.

Characters

The young, successful woman with some money in the background and a lot of self-confidence. That is how Mary Higgins Clark likes to picture her main figures. Delaney is no exception.

Grown-up in a wealthy family, surrounded by loving and caring siblings and parents she has everything she could ever dream of. And still, she is missing something. Her biological mother, the woman who gave birth to her. Since Delaney knows that she was adopted, she felt the growing need to find her birth mother and get to know her. At least a bit.

Her work as a TV journalist gives her the opportunity to look around and to get information. And she works very thoroughly. Strong-willed and with close friends at her side, she trusts her feeling and instinct. And that instinct tells her, that the real murder of the dead doctor is still out there. And it isn´t Betsy Grant.

Conclusion

No doubt, a nice to read and solidly written crime novel. But in the end, I was a bit disappointed. The key scene was a bit too much of everything and I missed the psychological finesse the author usually has in her books. So, if you are a huge MHC fan, like me, you might get a bit disappointed. Though I kind of enjoyed it, yes, but the author can definitely write a lot better.

Happy reading

*I read the German edition published by Heyne on October 30, 2016

Mary Higgins Clark

Mary Higgins Clark, born in 1928 in New York, lived and worked in Saddle River, New Jersey. She sold her first story in 1956 for $100 to a magazine. After the sudden death of her husband in 1964 she wrote her first book, a biographical novel about George Washington. Her first suspense novel Where are the Children from 1975 meant a turning point in her life and career: He became a bestseller. She is #1 international and New York Times bestselling author, has written thirty-four suspense novels; three collections of short stories; a historical novel; two children´s books; and a memoir, Kitchen Privileges. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she has coauthored five more suspense novels. Her books have sold more than 100 million copies in the United States alone. She is the most successful thriller author worldwide.

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6/14/2017

The Kiss Of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

One of the first things I noticed about this book was its cover. The soft colors, the dark clouds, and the summary caught my attention. Sooo promising. And what a great book it was. Everything that the blurb promised, action, intrigues, emotions, and romance – all that was given. I am still feeling all the confusion; the secrets and how slow Lia starts to unfold the myth behind all the traditions and starts to see.

The Kiss Of Deception*

by Mary E. Pearson
The Remnant Chronicles #1
Publisher Henry Holt and Co on July 8, 2014
Genre Children 14+
Pages 489
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher*

Goodreads

✶✶✶✶½

She flees on her wedding day. She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor´s secret collection. She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father. She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan. The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can´t abide. Like having to marry someone she´s never met to secure a political alliance. Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia escapes to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive – and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets – secrets that may unravel her world – even as she feels herself falling in love.

Story

Lia is right in the middle of her wedding preparations and drowning in traditions. Traditions she doesn´t like or wants. She flees and finds a new home at Berdi´s Tavern. But even a Princess can´t leave her life behind, as much as she even wants it. At some point, she has to face her destiny and do what she is supposed to do. Even when that means that she must leave the man she loves.

Style

Mary E. Pearson´s writing style is soft, thoughtful and she uses every word as kind of a weapon – in a good way. Even during the bloodiest and cruelest scenes, her style is great. And the atmosphere very captivating.

No matter how bloody things become, or how cruel, you will never get the feeling that it is too much. Every scene, everything that happens or every dialogue fits perfect into the story. And the author has such an interesting way of describing scenes, the landscape or what happens that you can actually feel the rough tree trunk or smell the plants and fruits.

Yes, everything is in place, to the point and yet there is enough space for your own imagination and fantasy.

Characters

Don´t expect with Lia a beautiful princess which has no brain and does everything her family and the country expect from her. Oh no! Lia is a strong-willed and very self-confident young woman who knows exactly that within the palace live people who hate her. She only doesn´t know why they hate her so much that they would do everything to get her out of the kingdom.

And why her mother forces her to live a life she actually doesn´t want or why she wants her to marry that unknown prince in the first place. But all those things slip into place when she flees and starts to discover the mystery in the ancient documents and gets to know the world outside the palace.

I found it very intriguing that the author has given her characters not only a brain but also some badass attitude. Lia is smart, copes with the different surroundings and circumstances she has to face and learns very easy and soon that she will have – one way or the other – to fulfill her destiny.

Conclusion

That end! How in the world can an author do that? I am not happy with that cliffhanger though I do understand that she had to come up with a way that leads the reader into the next book. I really hope that the story will continue in the only way that makes sense.

Happy reading

*I read the German edition new release by One on February 16, 2017

Mary E. Pearson

Mary E. Pearson is the author of bestselling, award-winning novels for teens. The Miles Between was named a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, and The Adoration of Jenna Fox was listed as a Bank Street Best Children´s Book of the Year, an IRA Young Adult Choice, NYPL Stuff for the Teen Age, and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. She is also the author of A Room on Lorelei Street, David v God, and Scribbler of Dreams. Pearson studied art at Long Beach State University and worked as an artist before earning her teaching credential at San Diego State University. She writes full-time from her come in Carlsbad, California, where she lives with her husband and two dogs.

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6/14/2017

Sword And Verse by Kathy MacMillan

A beautiful cover that lives from the color varieties. Red and orange bring strength and danger into it although the motive is delicate and fine.

Sword And Verse
Author Kathy MacMillan

Sword And Verse Series #1

Publisher Harper Teen on January 19, 2016

Genre Fantasy

Pages 384

Format Hardcover

Source Giveaway

Goodreads

Raisa was just a child when she was sold into slavery in the kingdom of Qilara. Before she was taken away, her father had been adamant that she learn to read and write. But where she now lives, literacy is a capital offense for all but the nobility. The written language is closely protected, and only the King, Prince, Tutor, and Tutor-in-training are allowed to learn its very highest form. So, when she is plucked from her menial labor and selected to replace the last Tutor-in-training, who was executed, Raisa knows that betraying any hint of her past could mean death. Keeping her secret guarded is head enough, but the romance that´s been blossoming between her and Prince Mati isn´t helping matters. Then Raisa is approached by the Resistance – an underground rebel army - to help liberate the city´s slaves. She wants to free her people, but that would mean aiding war against Mati. As Raisa struggles with what to do, she discovers a secret that the Qilarites have been hiding for centuries – one that, if uncovered, could bring the kingdom to its knees.

Thoughts

I was kind of thrilled, when I found out, that I had won this novel when I didn´t expect it at all.

6/11/2017

Ein Hauch Von Skandal by Sandra Brown

This book was originally published under the title Breath of Scandal and though the German cover isn´t quite that good, the fact alone, that Sandra Brown has written it, made me want it. So, when it got reissued, I went for it. I wrote for this title not only an English review but a guest review in the German language as well. So, if you want to see what my German guest review looks like, go over to FiktiveWelten. If you don´t, I am more than happy to see you staying and keep reading.

Ein Hauch Von Skandal*

by Sandra Brown
Original Title Breath Of Scandal
Publisher Blanvalet on April 17, 2017
Genre Novel
Pages 603
Format Paperback
Source Publisher

Goodreads

✶✶✶✶½

On a rainy Southern night, Jade Sperry endured a young woman´s worst nightmare at the hands of three local hell-raisers. Robbed of her youthful ideals and at the center of scandal and tragedy, Jade ran as far and as fast as she could. But she never forgot the sleepy “company town” where every man, woman, and a child was dependent on one wealthy family. And she never forgot their spoiled son, who, with his two friends, changed her life forever. Someday, somehow, she´d return, exact a just revenge – and free herself from fear, and the powerful family that could destroy her.

Story

Jade can´t get touched by any man since that awful night back home. Not even by Hank, who wants nothing more but to make her more than just a friend. So, Jade keeps studying, getting every knowledge and practice she can within the textile industry and starts making a career at GSS. Years later, her plans to take revenge, to let her punishers pay for what they did to her and to free the people of the town from that one wealthy family, become more than just a dream. They become a reality.

Style

Sandra Brown shows in this novel the style she became famous for in her thrillers. The tone is blunt, direct, even obscene and her writing style shows the life in a small southern town where the whim and will of one single man are everything that counts. With her style, the author makes you actually see the landscape of the South, you can smell the rain, the mud and the damp heat on a hot and sunny afternoon in the summer. Though I sometimes had the feeling that I somehow would know that book already, it was never boring and I really enjoyed every minute of it.

Two lines of action, one with Jade, the other with Dillon, show their way, their suffering and what brought them to the point where they finally met and the two lines of action become one. From there the story goes back to the small town where Jade went through her darkest hours and a new chapter in both their lives start.

Characters

A mother who never could accept her daughter, and therefore makes her responsible for everything bad that has happened to her ever since giving birth to her only child. A rich man who raises his only son in a way that makes it quite clear that the law is for all the others, but not for them. And a young couple who wants to make it out of the city, to learn and grow and later to come back and start making changes for the better. All destroyed in one single night when one man can´t control himself anymore.

Jade is a strong, young woman, who loves her little family dearly and who does everything to protect her. She is a great boss, knows how to stand her ground and what it takes to make dreams become reality. Not only those of her boss but her own as well. But she still can´t stand the touch of a man. Her trauma is still real though she does everything to deny it. Oh yes, she is honest with every man who wants more. But she is not honest with herself when it comes to the reason why. And going to a shrink? No chance.

Conclusion

A Dixieland drama with two great main figures and the beautiful landscape of South Carolina wrapped up in a great Oscar-worthy novel about passion, hate, revenge and a life-changing moment. This book spans over almost fifteen years showing the moral and faith of the men and women back in the early seventies.

Happy reading

*This book was kindly provided to me by Blanvalet in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.

This book was published Breath of Scandal by Grand Central Publishing on March 31, 2015.

Sandra Brown

Sandra Brown is the author of 63 New York Times bestsellers. Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into thirty-four languages. A lifelong Texan, Sandra Brown was born in Waco, grew up in Fort Worth and attended Texas Christian University, majoring in English. She is much in demand as a speaker and guest television hostess. Her episode on truTV´s Murder by the Book premiered the series in 2008. She appeared in 2010 on Investigation Discovery´s new series, Hardcover Mysteries. In 2009 Brown detoured from her thrillers to write Rainwater, a much acclaimed powerfully moving story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression. Brown holds an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University where she and her husband Michael Brown, have instituted the ELF, a scholarship annually awarded to a student pursuing a fiction-writing career. In 2008, she was named Thriller Master, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer´s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America´s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2011, she and four colleagues went on a week-long USO tour to Afghanistan, meeting with service members on numerous bases. Sandra is the past president of the Mystery Writers of America in 2012. She lives in Arlington, Texas, with her husband, Michael Brown.

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6/10/2017

Good As Gone by Amy Gentry

I love thrillers with great psychological finesse and where you never know what´ll happen on the next page. Good as Gone is such a thriller and turned out to be a real page-turner. And the answer to all the misery that one decision and one thought brought over an entire family was as simple as heartbreaking. Read!

Good As Gone*
Author Amy Gentry

Publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on July 26, 2016

Genre Thriller

Pages 288

Format Hardcover

Source Library

Goodreads

Thirteen-year-old Julie Whitaker was kidnapped from her bedroom in the middle of the night, witnessed only by her young sister. Her family was shattered but managed to stick together, hoping against hope that Julie is still alive. And then one night: the doorbell rings. A young woman who appears to be Julie, is finally, miraculously, home safe. The family is ecstatic – but Anna, Julie´s mother, has whispers of doubts. She hates to face them. She cannot avoid them. When she is contacted by a former detective turned private eye, she begins a torturous search for the truth about the woman she desperately hopes is her daughter.

Thoughts

It seems that with Amy Gentry and her book I discovered a new thriller author that knows how to catch my attention.

6/09/2017

Deathline – Ewig Dein by Janet Clark

My first book written by the author and it was stunning. The perfect combination of mystery, romance, and traditions in a youth book. And the cover – wow! Guess I will never see butterflies and red poppy the same way. This book was wonderful, magical, and with a beautiful love story. And the end … Oh boy. After reading this novel I had to sit back and take a few moments. The plot here is so mysterious and it took me a while to figure it all out.

Deathline-Ewig Dein*

by Janet Clark
Deathline Series #1
Publisher cbj on March 20, 2017
Genre Children 13+
Pages 393
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher

Goodreads

✶✶✶✶

Josie has always wanted her life to have great feelings, dramatic passions and exciting twists for her. When she falls into the long holidays in the year after her 16th birthday, Josie does not know that that summer in front of her, is that who will determine her destiny. Nobody would eventually suspect that the idyllic horse ranch of her family could become the scene of mysterious events. But Josie has to learn that this illusion is deceptive when she gets to know the fascinating Ray. For her great love carries with her a mystery that could put Josie´s world at great risk. And so, Josie must decide. Even if the price for it is perhaps their love …(personal translation ©Vi at Inkvotary)

Story

Josie still tries to cope with the sudden death of her mother. As well as her brother and father. Every one of them does it in their own possible way. So, for Josie, it means everything that she can train with the wild Mustangs, to tame them and that they bring money to the ranch. Money that is needed. But her father has other plans with his daughter and the fight between him and her brother is another thing that makes it almost impossible for her to stay at the ranch. And when all those mysterious things start to happen in town and on the ranch, Josie is grateful to have her friends. Friends who not only keep her sane but also alive.

Style

It seems as if you are sitting with Josie in a café and she is telling you her story. From time to time she says that if she´d known what would come, she might have acted differently. So, the tension rises and the reader starts to feel for her and to think about what will happen next. Janet Clark writes simple but effective. She uses a tradition, not unlike the Indians, in which the life after death plays a big role. Being in unison with nature, to respect anything that earth provides, and to be grateful for what every nature is willing to give humans – that is the consent I got from this novel. Horses, great characters, a small town, and the daily life a ranch has. A good combination and well played by the author. And in some ways, it reminded me a bit of a famous TV series, I love to watch *smile*

Characters

Janet Clark lets her figures suffer quite a lot. The sudden death of a beloved person, a father who drains his pain in alcohol, and a brother who has to face all of the sudden a huge responsibility to keep the ranch running and his left family well.

Josie is a strong young woman, who knows what she can, and whatnot. She is very successful in training the Mustangs but has still to deal with the fact that her father wants to wrap her up in cotton just to prevent her from any harm. But life isn´t working that way. And her fight to keep her little space of freedom and her growing love for Ray isn´t always fun. But being a strong-willed person, she knows how to handle her father and the fact that she shows emotions from time to time is something that gives her character even more profile.

Conclusion

What a beautiful novel! I enjoyed every minute of it and hope that there will be a worthy second book. I like to know how the story between Josie and Ray continues.

Happy reading

*This book was at the time this review was written and published only available in the German language.

Janet Clark

Janet Clark, born in Munich, Germany, didn´t know for a long time what she wanted to be. After a twelve-year-long journey through France, Belgium and later England, she finally went back to Bavaria, where she lives with her husband and her three kids.

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Challenges 2020

6/30/2017

6/28/2017

Thoughts

6/26/2017

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6/23/2017

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6/17/2017

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6/17/2017

6/16/2017

6/16/2017

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6/16/2017

6/15/2017

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6/15/2017

6/14/2017

6/14/2017

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6/11/2017

6/10/2017

Thoughts

6/09/2017