Book Reviews

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!

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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!

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.

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DryForce of Nature: A NovelThe 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