Book Reviews

Rachel Caine – Stillhouse Lake Series

December 29, 2017 by Leah Leave a Comment

As you know, reading is my biggest passion in life. Picking up a book and getting lost in a story is something I really enjoy a lot. My favorite are series books. Especially those series books that I can’t bring myself to put down. The Stillhouse Lake series by Rachel Caine is not only a series that I couldn’t put down, but I literally was counting down the days until book two came out earlier this month! And then I read that book in less than three days!

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When we get married, we dream about having the best life together. Gina Royal thought she had all that. She was your average, midwest mom and wife. With two great kids and a husband she loved, Gina Royal thought she had it all. That is, until a car accident showed her otherwise. In the blink of an eye, the world Gina thought she knew, blew up in her face. Her husband was a serial killer and she was forced to prove her innocence and protect her children from the horrors of the world.

Stillhouse Lake (Stillhouse Lake Series)Killman Creek (Stillhouse Lake Series) asaassas

Rachel Caine does a fantastic job with character development. As a mother, I immediately felt for Gina. When she and her children assumed new identities to protect themselves, I not only felt for what Gwen (formally Gina Royal) and her quest to protect her children, but I also felt for the children who had everything they had once known, ripped away from them. Like I said, I literally counted down the days until book two came out! If you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, these books are free! Don’t fret…if you aren’t a Kindle Unlimited subscriber or you don’t use a Kindle, the books are VERY reasonably priced!

The Stillhouse Lake series by Rachel Caine is not over with book two! I am back to counting the days down because on October 2, 2018, Wolfhunter River, book three in the Stillhouse Lake series comes out! Pre-order your copy by clicking on the link! I have it marked on my calendar…no really, I do!

Have you read the Stillhouse Lake series by Rachel Caine? What did you think?

Best Books of 2017 That I Read

December 11, 2017 by Leah 29 Comments

One thing I like to do, besides spend time with my family, is read. As a child, if I got sent to my room, I didn’t mind. I would just lay on my bed and read for hours. Now, if my books got taken away, that would be a real punishment for me. Thankfully that was not something my parents ever did. I made a goal for myself, at the start of 2017, to read at least 50 books this year. Not only did I read those 50, but I read 28 more! I am currently on my 79th book of the year!

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Besides actually reading, the next best thing is to SHARE those books with others. If you are interested, you can feel free to follow me on Goodreads. I track every single book I read on that site. Since I’ve read 78 books this year AND I like to share those books, I’ve made a list of the best books that I’ve read in 2017! These books are in no particular order.

Best Books of 2017

I absolutely love reading series books. With a series, you get the chance to really get to know the characters and then build upon that from book to book. Right now, my favorite series book to read is A Shade Of Vampire. There are currently 53 books out. They are quick reads and one I think you would really enjoy! Other series books I like are:

A Shade Of Vampire On Her Father’s Grave (Rogue River Novella)Tracks of Her Tears [Kindle in Motion] (Rogue Winter Novella Book 1)Death and Her Devotion (Rogue Vows Book 1)Twisted Truth (Rogue Justice Novella Book 1)

You really can’t go wrong with any of the series above. They are all quick reads and the characters are likable. Which is important to me! If I don’t like the characters (or at least a few of them), then I probably will end up hating the book.

What book would you add to the list? I am always looking to add to my “must read” list!

Honorée Corder and Ben Hale – Write Like a Boss

November 3, 2017 by Leah 13 Comments

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My biggest dream is to be a writer. There is nothing more I want than to write and have my books published. It has been a dream of mine since I was in second or third grade. I distinctly remember filling notebook after notebook with stories animal characters. The main character was a hippo. My husband really likes the author, Ben Hale, so he suggested that I get the book Write Like a Boss: From a Whisper to a Roar by Honorée Corder and Ben Hale.

Whether you want to write fiction or nonfiction, with Write Like a Boss, you will get tips and advice from two bestselling authors, Honorée Corder and Ben Hale. I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading this book. The book is short, which is good. It took me two days to get through it, but you could easily finish it in one sitting. The “you can do it” message throughout the book is uplifting and it’s repeated enough that you start to believe it. But not so much that it annoys you! Trust me…that kind of thing would really annoy me and cause me to put a book down. Don’t worry, this one is not like that!

Write Like a Boss: From a Whisper to a Roar

For me, as a writer, one of the hardest things is actually getting started. Honorée Corder and Ben Hale do a very good job of mapping out how to become a full time writer. Once you make the decision to be a writer, see yourself as a writer. That resonated well with me. I’ve always said, “I want to be a writer”. I felt like I couldn’t say I was a writer…but you know what, I AM A WRITER.

At the end of the day, Write like a Boss by Honorée Corder and Ben Hale, gave me the motivation and the tools to step outside my comfort zone and start doing what I have wanted to do pretty much my entire life. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned writer, then Write Like a Boss: From a Whisper to a Roar is the book for you!

Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry

October 21, 2017 by Leah 13 Comments

When I had my baby shower for my first child, everyone wrote a tip on an index card for me to read later. Most people wrote things like, “sleep when the baby is sleeping”. However, a few people wrote, “love your child unconditionally”. Seems easy enough, right? But what if your child does something so horrific and vile that you can barely look at them? Will you still be able to love your child unconditionally? Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry is a thought provoking novel that will have you questioning yourself from start to finish.

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About Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry from Amazon

Meet Noah—an A-honor roll student, award-winning swimmer, and small-town star destined for greatness. There weren’t any signs that something was wrong until the day he confesses to molesting little girls during swim team practice. He’s sentenced to eighteen months in a juvenile sexual rehabilitation center.

His mother, Adrianne, refuses to turn her back on him despite his horrific crimes, but her husband won’t allow Noah back into their home. In a series of shocking and shattering revelations, Adrianne is forced to make the hardest decision of her life. Just how far will she go to protect her son?

Saving Noah challenges everything you think you know about teenage sexual offenders. It will keep you up at night long after you’ve read the last page, questioning beliefs you once thought were true.

Saving Noah

Lucinda Berry did an EXCELLENT job grabbing my attention with this book. Her style of writing is such that you feel like you are part of a conversation. For me, personally, I prefer books like that. Those are the books that I have a hard time putting down. Any time I put the book down, I couldn’t stop thinking about the book. Would I be able to love my child if they did something like this? How would I handle this situation? I finished Saving Noah yesterday and this book has been on my mind ever since. The last book to cause me to really think like this was The Shack.

About the Author

Dr. Lucinda Berry is a trauma psychologist and leading researcher in childhood trauma. She uses her clinical experience to create disturbing psychological thrillers, blurring the lines between fiction and nonfiction. She enjoys taking her readers on a journey through the dark recesses of the human psyche. If she’s not chasing her eight-year-old son around, you can find her running the streets of Los Angeles prepping for her next marathon. To be notified of upcoming releases, please visit: https://about.me/Lucindaberry.

I highly recommend Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry. If you haven’t read the book yet, do it! The book is free with Kindle Unlimited! Join Amazon Kindle Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial. If you decide to read the book, please let me know what you think of it.

True Love Story – Crossing Lex by Debby Caruso

September 29, 2017 by Leah 19 Comments

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About six years ago, I read a book that really affected me. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. That book was The Shack. Literally, for weeks after finishing the book, I had that book on my mind. It made me think differently about things. I haven’t had the pleasure of reading a book like that since…until now. Crossing Lex, by Debby Caruso is a must read, true love story and one of those books that will stick with you, well after you read the last page.

About This True Love Story – from Amazon

It’s 1999 and Danielle is living the dream: working in New York City, creating a brand-new life for herself, and looking for romance. On the cusp of finding just what she’s always dreamed of, memories of past trauma threaten to interfere with what may be the love story of a lifetime. As she moves forward, she will have to decide if she is defined by her past, doomed by her past, or perhaps made better because of it.

Crossing Lex

We all have those memories that seem to pop up when we least expect it. Those moments in time that seem to shape us as a person. The picture that Debby Caruso paints of the main character, Danielle, is amazing. You immediately connect with Danielle and are willing her to push past her demons and have that true love story she is so desperately seeking.

Part way through the book, I started to suspect the ending. Sometimes that annoys me with books. Not with Crossing Lex. With this book it made me want to continue reading all the more. I think part of me was hoping I was wrong. The last few chapters will have you holding your breath as you read them. The imagery Debby Caruso’s words invoke is excellent and leaves you wanting more.

Book Reviews

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Have you read the Stillhouse Lake series by Rachel Caine? What did you think?

Image via Pexels

Best Books of 2017

Top Ten Books I Read This Year

What book would you add to the list? I am always looking to add to my “must read” list!

About Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry from Amazon

About the Author

About This True Love Story – from Amazon