Fiction

Trading Secrets by Rachael Eckles Review

January 5, 2021 by Leah Leave a Comment

As a writer myself, I enjoy reading novels by new authors. I get excited to see someone get their first novel published. In a sense, it gives me hope that I will finish my novel AND get it published myself. As a result, when I was approached to read Trading Secrets by Rachael Eckles, it was a no brainer, instant yes from me. Not only did the synopsis sound very interesting, but this novel is her first, and it makes me really happy to read debut novels!

*As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I received a Kindle copy of this novel from the author, for the purpose of this review*

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Synopsis of Trading Secrets

Celeste Donovan, a high-powered finance executive, seems to have it all–the penthouse apartment, the supermodel physique with a mathematician mind, and a trail of beautiful men she has loved and left behind.

But when her boyfriend Theodore is killed in a mysterious accident, she discovers Omar, her abusive ex she had hoped would never resurface, is behind his death.

Now she’s caught in a game of cat and mouse, trying to anticipate Omar’s next move, as she realizes he will stop at nothing to get to her. She sets out alone on a whirlwind journey to entrap him, determined to put an end to Omar’s destruction.

Soon Celeste is thrust in the middle of the largest financial scandal in decades. This time, however, powerful government officials are in bed with some of the world’s most dangerous men.

When she discovers that those she thought she knew best are involved in a secret society warring with Omar and his coconspirators, she must decide how far she will go to avenge Theodore’s death and whether she is willing to risk her own life to save everyone she loves.

Doesn’t it sound intriguing?!?

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Rachael Eckles. One thing I really like in this book, is the strong female lead character. And let me tell you, Celeste Donovan is probably the strongest female lead I have ever read in a book. I must warn you that this book is definitely for 18+ as it does contain explicit sex scenes. As a result, having the strong female lead, this would be a good book to be made into a movie.

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About the Author, Rachael Eckles

Rachael Eckles grew up in the midwest. It was after finishing law school, that she decided to move to the east coast. She is currently living in Manhattan with her puppy! As I mentioned, Trading Secrets is her first novel. However, she is currently working on book two in the Trading Secrets trilogy! While you wait, you can keep up with Rachael by following her on social media.

To learn more about Rachael Eckles and Trading Secrets, visit her website.

Kendra Elliot Novella, Below the Bones

November 29, 2020 by Leah Leave a Comment

I’ve told you before, my absolute favorite thing to read are series books. A close second are novella’s. Why? Well, simply because they are usually part of a series and they are short. I don’t mind reading long novels at all, but sometimes I just need a quick read. Insert the novella! This Kendra Elliot novella came at the right time for me. I needed something short, but I also wanted familiar characters. This gave me exactly what I needed at the exact time!

*As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases*

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About the Kendra Elliot Novella, Below the Bones

From Amazon –

Former FBI special agent Cate Wilde is a new bakery and bookstore owner—and retirement is now complete with a doctor boyfriend. Although she struggles with PTSD, the sweet life she’s living is a far cry from the gruesome work she left behind six months ago.

But when skeletal remains turn up on Widow’s Island—and the MO of the killer is too familiar to Cate—the dream comes to an abrupt end. What if the case she solved eight years ago isn’t as closed as she thought? Her hometown needs her, and despite her mental health and her boyfriend’s protests, she has no choice but to return to her dangerous past life.

Soon Cate is in a desperate race to stop a cold-blooded murderer from killing again, once and for all…only this time, she’ll have so much more to lose.

My Thoughts on the Novella

First things first, what is a novella? Very simply put, a novella is considered a short novel or a long short story. This Kendra Elliot novella was literally less than 100 pages. Despite not having a lot of pages, this book gave just as much as a 200 or 300 page novel. Kendra Elliot is one of my favorite authors. I have a Kindle Unlimited membership (check out the Kindle Unlimited Membership Plans) and I’ve read almost every single book by this author. In fact, when I finish one in a series, I always Google to find out when the next one comes out AND I put it on my calendar. Yes I do!

Close to the Bone (Widow’s Island Novella Book 1)A Bone to Pick (Widow’s Island Novella Book 2)Whisper of Bones (Widow’s Island Novella Book 3)Bred in the Bone (Widow’s Island Novella Book 4)Below the Bones (Widow’s Island Novella Book 5)A Broken Bone (Widow’s Island Novella Book 6)

One thing I like most about this author is that she does an amazing job making the characters feel believable. If I am reading a book and a character says or does something that just would never happen in a million years, and it’s not a fantasy type book, then it annoys me and I have a hard time buying into that character. That’s not the case with this Kendra Elliot novella or any book by this author. For instance, check out Columbia River series. This is another series by Kendra Elliot and it is fantastic.

I See the Series is Written by Two Different Authors

If you noticed that the series above is written by two different authors, then you would be correct! Both Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh co-write several series books that you find on Amazon. I don’t know the story behind how these two authors found each other to start writing, but they have very similar styles. It is not distracting at all. In fact, I sometimes don’t even realize which author wrote the book I’m reading. That’s how similar they are!

Jojo Moyes – After You

November 21, 2020 by Leah Leave a Comment

A couple months ago, my sister in-law recommended that I read the Me Before You series by Jojo Moyes. I’m so glad I did. First of all, I absolutely love series books. I get so invested in the characters. It’s hard not to! As dorky as this probably makes me sound, I kind of miss the characters when the series is over! So when the second book in the series became available for my Kindle, I immediately downloaded it! After You picks up right where Me Before You left off!

*As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases*

Me Before You (Me Before You Trilogy)After You: A Novel (Me Before You Trilogy Book 2)Still Me: A Novel (Me Before You Trilogy)

About After You by Jojo Moyes

From Amazon –

“You’re going to feel uncomfortable in your new world for a bit. But I hope you feel a bit exhilarated too. Live boldly. Push yourself. Don’t settle. Just live well. Just live. Love, Will.”

How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?

Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started.

Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future. . . .

For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.

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My Thoughts

Jojo Moyes has this ability to get you so involved in the lives of the characters, that you forget that they are just characters. I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like for Louisa to go through what she did with Will. Trying to move on from what she went through was rough. At times, it was annoying to see her make the mistake of focusing on her ghost of a boyfriend and almost mess things up with a current love interest. When a very important person from Will’s past shows up in Louisa’s life, I thought it was going to be lame and drawn out. It was not at all! The way Jojo Moyes wrote this character was absolutely perfect!

About Jojo Moyes

Jojo lives in Essex. She is both a journalist and a novelist. Interesting tidbit, her novels have been translated into 46 languages! Not only that, but they have hit the number one spot in 12 different countries! If you like to read a book and then see a movie, then you must read Me Before You and then look for the movie that was adapted from that book!

Aaron Falk Series by Jane Harper

September 26, 2020 by Leah Leave a Comment

Recently I was looking for a new book to read. I joined a Facebook group called, What Should I Read Next? and one recommendation was, “anything by Jane Harper”. When someone can say something like that, I tend to become curious about the author. When I did a search for Jane Harper books, The Dry was the first book to come up. Since it was the first book in the Aaron Falk series, and I like series books, I decided to give it a try.

*As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases*

Dry Force of Nature: A Novel The Survivors: A Novel

About The Aaron Falk Series

From Amazon – The Dry –

After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke’s steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn’t tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead.

Amid the worst drought in a century, Falk and the local detective question what really happened to Luke. As Falk reluctantly investigates to see if there’s more to Luke’s death than there seems to be, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies that have haunted them. And Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.

The Dry is not only the first book in a series, but also a debut novel for Jane Harper. The second book is called, Force of Nature. I currently have that book on hold at my library! Hopefully I don’t have to wait long. I love reading series books back to back!

My Thoughts

First, I will admit, I wasn’t sure about this book in the very beginning. I think it was around the second or third chapter that I realized I was hooked. The tell tale sign that I loved a book is how long it took me to read it. This book took me a total of three days to read. I was pretty sure I figured out “whodunit”. It was one of those things were you keep reading to see how it played out. Yet, towards the end, I realized very quickly that I was so wrong! The actual person “whodunit” literally surprised me. I would never have guessed it. And that, ladies and gentleman, is why you need to read a book. Jane Harper has a unique way of reeling you in and keeping you hooked until the very last word. In fact, I really was hoping for one more chapter! Thankfully there is another book in the Aaron Falk series!

Kindle Unlimited Membership Plans

Is Kindle Unlimited Worth It?

In one word…yes! I have been a Kindle Unlimited member for a few years now. There are so many authors (of series books) that I love and ALL of their books are FREE with the membership! 9 times out of 10, I am utilizing my Kindle Unlimited membership for the books I am reading. When I can’t find a book on Kindle Unlimited, I use my library system (Libby). I opt to use a Kindle (or my iPhone with the Kindle app), because I find myself sitting in various parking lots more times than not, either picking my kids up from school or waiting for them to be done with soccer practice. I find it more convenient to throw my Kindle in my purse than a book!

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What Should I Read Next?

I am always looking for a book to add to my “Want To Read” list on GoodReads. If you’ve read something recently that you think I have to read, leave the book title in the comments! A few books I read recently that I really enjoyed are:

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

The Best of Friends by Lucinda Berry

The Silence

Ghastly and Good by Debby Caruso

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

September 23, 2020 by Leah Leave a Comment

There are three things I love about books. First, when I find a new (to me) author. I love reading everything by authors I like, but finding a new author opens me up to so much more. Second, series books. I get invested in the characters and almost miss them when I am done with a book. If there is a series and I get to stay with those characters for awhile, I get excited! Finally, when books are made into a movie and I find out AFTER I have started the book. Reading the book before seeing the movie is the only way for me. With Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes, hits all three of my favorite things about books.

*As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases*

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes (2013-11-07)After You: A Novel (Me Before You Trilogy)Still Me: A Novel (Me Before You Trilogy)

About Me Before You

From Amazon –

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life – steady boyfriend, close family – who has never been farther afield than her tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex-Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life – big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel – and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy – but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A love story for this generation, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common – a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, what do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?

Kindle Unlimited Membership Plans

My Thoughts

When someone recommended Me Before You to me, I was a little unsure if I would like it. I don’t always like to read romance novels. However, this book is not your typical romance novel. The beginning grabbed my attention, almost immediately. Which, again, is not normal for me when I am reading a new (to me) author. Usually it takes me a bit to get into because I am getting used to the authors writing style. Not this time. Jojo Moyes has an incredible way of developing her characters and forcing the reader, through her writing, feel exactly what each character was feeling. I can’t tell you enough, just how much I truly enjoyed this book. I almost always watch the movie, after reading the book, but I don’t know if I want to this time. That’s how much I enjoyed the book. I don’t want the movie to ruin it for me.

Part of a Series

Like I mentioned at the beginning, Me Before You is part of a series. I literally cannot wait to start book two. Unfortunately, I have to wait a little bit, as there are no copies available for loan from my library just yet. The other books in series are After You and Still Me. I will definitely be reading those two books as soon as possible!