Rebecca Hill
If you love Ruth Ware, buckle up for a ride that you are not going to forget!
Hal is not sure what the letter from the lawyers office has to do with her, but she is about to get the surprise of her life. Pretending to be someone she is not, she heads off to claim an inheritance - one that she hopes will get her out of her financial troubles, and possibly give her a little comfort for the next few years. Instead, she stumbles on a msyterious disappearance, and a troubled family. Will Hal live long enough to get to safety?
What a great read! I could not put the book down! I was hooked from the start, although in the beginning, I was not sure if I was going to love the book or just like it. By the end of the book, I was sitting there wondering how anyone could NOT love this novel! Suspense, mystery and a touch of terror..... perfection!
Some adult language in the book
A young Danish princess, Minnie has led a rather quiet life. Her family has never had a lot of money, and they have done most of the work themselves. When her father suddenly becomes the heir to the Danish throne, their lives begin to change. Her sister Alix takes the British heir as her husband, and suitors are soon clamoring for Minnie's hand as well. She accepts the suit of Nixa, the Romanov heir, but before they can marry, he is injured in an accident, and eventually dies from his injuries. He makes her promise to marry his brother Sasha, and while Sasha agrees, Minnie does not give her promise.
As her life with Sasha moves forward, their relationship moves from tepid to full-blown love. Together they raise several children and watch as their empire goes through several different turns. Murder, Rebellion, Revolution - Russia is a hotbed of activity. As Minnie does her best to keep her fragmented family together, war comes to Russia. When her son assumes the throne, he is unprepared, and his chosen wife, Alexandra of Hesse is not prepared for the duties of a Russian Empress. As the family pulls further into itself, Minnie tries to prod her son to action, but his distance only pushes the revolutionaries further.
This was an amazing book! I loved it from start to finish! We all know the story of the Romanov family, assassinated in the basement of a house, but we have not heard much about the mother that lost her son and grandchildren. Marie's story brings the entire Romanov dynasty together as they try to survive within the ravages of war, and the heartbreak that would have broken a weaker woman.
C.W. Gortner has outdone himself with this book! It was hard to put down and I snatched any time that I had to read and learn more about this dynamic woman who fought to save as many of her family as possible and keep the Russia she loved together.
Oh my goodness! What a book! There was so much information that I was unaware of, and this book lays it out in explicit detail. Between Ireland and England, the great debate that raged for decades over the “Catholic Question.”
Not only does this book answer a lot of questions, but it dives into the backgrounds of the men involved, giving quite a bit of detail about motives and so much more! A great read!
Duane Cerny takes us on a walk through his vintage sales and adventures in digging through the lives of those who have passed. While some of the many people are simply looking for extra cash to get through the tough times in the lives, most are families who are overwhelmed with the many “treasures” that were accumulated over a lifetime.
This was a walk through the funny, the spine-tingling, and sad lives of those who collected, stored, and then - left everything behind for the next person to go through and make the best of.
This was a good book. There were a few things that kind of downed the book for me a bit, but overall I found it enjoyable and funny to read through.
She was suffering from a loss. So was he. She was ready to end it all, but he refused to let her.....
Jenna Shaw is suffering guilt and grief from losing her entire family in an accident. She was supposed to be there, but the chance to have some quiet time was something she could not pass up. Sending her family to Alaska, she gets ready to settle down to some much-needed rest and recuperation after a busy summer. But then tragedy strikes, and she is left alone - forever. She has coped the best she can, but she is ready to let everything go, and join her family in death. She hears her daughter Cassie's voice in her mind - but nothing from the remainder of her family - just her teenage daughter giving her advice, and questioning the choices that she is making.
Lars is suffering from a loss of his own. He has covered the grief over the many decades that have gone by, but the memories are still there. He does the best he can to cope, but at any moment, the memories can rear their head. Two children missing, one son who was left behind, and the one person who knows where they might be is not talking. Lars has done the best he can to move on, but both he and his son have buried the memories of the day his mother walked out of their lives, taking her two youngest children with her. While no sign of Francine or Will is ever discovered, Audrey is discovered - incoherent and mentally broken.
Jenna shows up next to his house, thinking that she will walk out into the lake and just end everything, but Lars catches her and refuses to let her kill herself. Saving her life, he drags her back towards his house. Instead of bringing her inside, he leaves her on his porch, in a frigid Minnesota winter. When the tow truck driver finally shows up, she is in for an even bigger surprise. Owen forces his dad to take Jenna in until he can get her van fixed, and neither of them is happy with the situation. As the days go by, a truce is formed, and little by little a friendship begins to form.
As their stories unfold, they both find that they are burying painful memories, and perhaps the other can help them get through the grief.
Eventually, Lars asks Jenna to use her skills as a journalist to see what she can uncover about his family and the mysterious disappearance of his children. He is desperate for any information that can be uncovered, holding onto the slimmest shred of hope. Jenna is hesitant to do so, but she does not want to let Lars down. She begins to dig into the families past, but she discovers that there is more than one secret lurking, and the truth just might destroy the fragile older gentleman's heart once and for all...
I sat and read the entire book in just under three hours - it was that good! I am going to warn you though - this book will run you through the gambit of emotions, and run you through an emotional wringer. I wanted to set it aside and finish another time, but there was no way I could set the book down and move on. I had to know what was going to happen next! Add this to your summer reading pile! It is one that is definitely worth the read.
Some adult language used in the book
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishers for the ARC for an unbiased and honest review
Heroes do not wear capes, they wear dogtags. But not all the heroes of WWII wore dogtags. Many were ordinary citizens who risked their lives and the lives of their families to help the soldiers who were trying to escape to safety, in the face of the German soldiers who were patrolling the countryside.
This book is a hard one to put to words. Follow the harrowing tale of these young men who left home to fight in the war, shot down, and on the run to make it to safety. This book had me hooked from the beginning. I was amazed and grateful at the many families, who put themselves at risk to help these downed soldiers, hiding them in one place, and then another. Some of them were captured - but some made it to Switzerland without being caught, with the help of the French Resistance.
In the “Coffin Corner Boys” we follow the story of George Starks who returned to France decades after the war, to find those who had helped him, and to show his appreciation for everything that they had done for him. Taking his wife along, she was able to see the many miles he had traversed and the many people who had helped hide him along the road until he reached safety.
We hear from the other flyers who were shot down with George, and their tales of trying to reach freedom, we see the horrors of being captured and imprisoned as a POW. A few of the flyers saw the devastation and horrors contained within the concentration camps.
A powerful story of survival, hope and endurance. If you love military history, check out this read! Thank you Edelweiss for an advanced review copy for an unbiased review!
Gilly is trying to put the past behind her, but the memories refuse to stay buried...
Gilly has moved to Wyatt, Texas hoping to move on and put the murder of her husband and the loss of her daughter behind her. She meets a young single dad, and his daughter Zoe - who come into the cafe where she works each Wednesday morning for breakfast. Gilly has dreams, disturbing dreams about things that are going to happen. Sometimes they come true, sometimes they don't. But the newest dreams really bothers her. Zoe is being taken by a woman. When she gets to work and discovers that the dream is true, she is frightened. She knows that her past could catch up with her and she could become the prime suspect.....
This book was fantastic! I read it in one sitting. I could not put it down at all. There are some adult scenes, and language throughout the book.
This book will keep you guessing through all the twists and turns that it takes. A missing girl, a frantic community, and the one person that no one can place - yet will break the case wide open...
A huge THANK YOU to Lake Union Publications and NetGalley for the chance to read this book! It was amazing!
Interesting read overall. There were some areas where I felt the book dragged a bit. I
I set this one down several times and kept coming back to it. There was a lot of promise here.
I have told myself that I am going to go back and read the first book and then read this one again. I think it would make a bit more sense, and tie some things together that I felt were not super clear in this book.
Overall, a good read, and one that I think many will enjoy.
A decades old murder, and a abandoned tower that holds more than just memories...
Carrah has landed her dream job. She has been tasked with working through the library at the Gallagher castle. As they prepare to turn the castle over to the National Trust, a full inventory must be made of all the books. While she prepares to begin the monumental task of going through the thousands of books in the room, she meets the Lord of the Castle. Aiden is not your normal Viscount. He is a Detective Inspector in London, and has no time for the memories that are held within the castle walls. It might have been his inheritance, but he wants nothing to do with it.
Decades earlier, his parents were murdered in the castle. Only ten years old at the time, Aiden and his sister Kyra went to live with their Aunt Nessa in Kilkenny. The castle was shut up, except for a few workers who have maintained the home, no one has been there in years.
Carrah knows that Evan Chase, one of her favorite authors, had spent time at the castle. He married Jenny, daughter of the viscount, and agreed to remain there with her, due to the “delicate health” that she suffered from. But Jenny begins to lose her grasp on reality, and refuses to accept her son as such. She is convinced that he is a changling, an imposter. Nothing her family can do can change her mind about the child. When Jenny commits suicide, Evan leaves the castle for London, abandoning the book on the Darkling Bride that he had been working on.
The Darkling Bride - an old Irish legend which haunts the castle. Happiness never seems to last for the Gallaghers who reside within its walls, and the Darkling Bride is always lurking within the mists surrounding the castle.
As Carrah and Aiden become closer, the castle begins to share some of the secrets held within. As they work together to solve a riddle that his mother had left behind decades earlier, they find a lot more than a birthday present stashed away....
Murder, family secrets, and intrigue come together to weave a spellbinding story - one that you cannot walk away from until you have finished! I can not say enough about this book! I LOVED IT! I have a book hangover from reading through - it was that good! Grab your copy today and get lost in the Irish legends, a haunted castle, and one explosive secret...
Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book, for an unbiased review.
Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, SURVIVED....
To be the wife of the King is an envious position, unless that position is to be married to Henry VIII. Each wife went into the marriage hoping for the best, but Henry was never satisfied. His best loved wife, was the one that gave him his longed for son, and she died from it. She did not live long enough to disappoint him.
The wives of Henry VIII come together to tell their stories. The heartbreak, the highs, the lows, and the infidelities - all are laid out here as their stories come to light. Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Katherine Parr. Each of these ladies hoped for the best - they gambled with their lives and their positions - and many of them lost the ultimate wager.
Interesting read, and very good book! I enjoyed it immensely. A little bit of graphic writing, so mature audiences only!
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy for a unbiased review of the book!
Life in the Dust Bowl was a daily struggle...
Mike Blanc brings a fantastic journey through the eyes of a young girl as her family fights through the Dust Bowl that has settled over the midwest. Farms and families alike struggled to make ends meet while they continually prayed and hoped for rain. Many made the decision to stick it out, but many left their areas in search of a new life.
This books walks through the heartbreaks and the triumphs of the Dust Bowl, and one families adventure as they do their best to navigate and survive the drought.
Perfect for boys and girls alike - this book is fun and full of amazing pictures and tidbits of information! Happy Reading!
Old stories from long ago...
I loved the history that this book brought out on some of the old territorial places in Arizona. Tombstone, old hospitals, Indian ruins, its all here...
While I enjoyed the stories, I felt like it was very miscombobulated, and you can tell there were a lot of places where they were talking over each other - and the soundbites at the end did nothing. There were some places, especially the story of the young man that was closer to the end, where his mother did not want them to do anything - but they went back and investigated anyway. I felt as though they should have really left that one alone, with the mothers wishes being given.
Interesting overall, but not quite there for me.
Go on an adventure in a museum!
Claudia and Jamie are off on a grand adventure. They have run away from home and are living in New York City in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They have a grand time, until the money starts to run out, and then they have to think of something else. But in the meantime, they are trying to solve the mystery of the Angel statue.
Delightful read for kids and adults alike!
Do not read these in the dark... alone... with the light off...
If you love a good ghost story, then you have to check out this collection of stories. Each one is sure to send a shiver down your spine! If you are easily scared, then this book is one that you want to read in full daylight. I loved these stories! Each one has its own element for the supernatural, and each story is perfectly crafted for maximum jumps and gasps.
Settle down for some fun! It will be hard to pick your favorite story!
If you are a fan of Daphne du Maurier, you are going to LOVE this book!
Phillip is the heir to the Ashley estate, but he didn't count on his cousin falling in love. He also didn't count on his cousin dying at a young age... and then falling in love with his widow.
As events unfold, and life with Rachel settles down, Phillip finds himself throwing everything he has at her. He wants to make her happy, and he wants to keep her all for himself, but there are more surprises just waiting for him with his cousin Rachel....
Great easy read about some of the men and women who were instrumental in shaping Nubia, and the surrounding countries. I loved the pictures that were included and also the stories about each of the figures that are represented. Kids will eat this up and enjoy the pictures that can be copied and colored.
I am looking forward to sitting down and reading this with my boys!
Walter knows that changes are coming, but for a six year old boy - he is not really sure what is going on. All he knows is that his family is quiet, and they must be prepared to run at any time. The reason? His family is Jewish, and the German Army is moving closer to their location. Hearing what is happening to other Jewish families, they prepare to move as many times as they need to, leaving everything behind.
Walter's father owns a shop, and as they get ready to leave, the butcher who works close to them comes with a proposition. He will work the shop and keep it open while they are gone, and send the money as he can until they can get back. Walter father's hesitates briefly, before signing over his shop to the kindly butcher.
As they move from place to place, learning to live in quiet and in secret, Walter shares his story through letters he writes to his grandmother. These letters are very vague, but they show the terror and fear that each person felt as they waited.
The war drags on, and the family is separated for a time. While they wait to be reunited, Walter keeps writing, recording his thoughts and daily activities in his notebooks and letters.
This book was an amazing read. Told from the perspective of a young boy growing up amid the terror or WWII, the struggles, fears and survival are plain to see as we move through this book. This is one that I am looking forward to reading with my boys. The ingenuity and those who risked their own lives to help many of the European Jews hide from the incoming German soldiers was astounding. These brave people risked everything, sharing their food, supplies and any information they could glean from listening to those around them. Some were captured and executed, but many survived.
This book is a must read!
England was far from settled, and the early days of the country are beset by death, turmoil, and of course, a few great men who would rise from the ashes...
Dunstan came from humble beginnings. While his father was a well known lord, Dunstan was a lesser son. He and his brother would have to work for whatever they wanted to achieve in life, while their older brother would inherit the bulk of their fathers estate.
Dunstan and his brother Wulfric are taken to the abbey at Glastonbury, to work and to eventually take holy orders. They are to be taught, and guided. Life for the boys was not easy, and Wulfric suffered much more than Dunstan. Dunstan is a quick learner, and he picks up everything that is brought his way. From the forge, to herbs, to devouring the languages presented, he grows and yearns to learn more. He wants to build, design and bring the abbey into a new life. As the time at the abbey goes forward, Dunstan pulls a stunt that he says had him “carried by angels.” This of course makes the abbey more popular, as everyone wants to see the boy who has been touched - but it also marks a turning point in his life. While he does his best to get rid of the bullies and those who have wronged him - it turns against him, and they accuse him of murder. He begs his teacher for confession, and then pulls him over the cliff with him. As Dunstan struggles to get to the kind lady Elflaed, he hopes that they have not left him behind. Yet, she is there waiting for him when he stumbles out of the woods, broken, dirty, and exhausted.
After that, life takes Dunstan on a new road. He is eventually confirmed in his holy orders, although the king at the time does not take kindly to Dunstan. He is sent away to be the Abbot for the Glastonbury abbey, and to fulfill the vision of rebuilding and growing the community. He is met with some dissention at first, but as time goes on, the priests settle back into a routine. Dunstan however, is not done. He becomes treasurer for the next king, and serves him faithfully, as he does the next several kings.
Dunstan is a figure that is enigmatic. He could have been killed any number of times, but he always managed to survive. He worked for what he wanted, but as a priest - he still suffered from the fall of pride. Any injustice to him had to be answered, and that included kidnapping a queen and selling her into slavery for the pain and embarrassment she caused him. He plotted and carried out his plans carefully, selecting those who were indebted to him (and not letting them forget it either). In his own way, he was exactly what many of the upper clergy of the time had become. They had their wealth squirreled away, and were their own tiny kingdoms in a larger kingdom. He served those faithfully who supported him, and did his best to raise them up when he could, but his temper would always get the best of him.
I did enjoy this book, although there were several times that Dunstan really got on my nerves! He was that character that you really want to hate, but at the same time, you want to see what happens to them. He is someone that has not been written about extensively, and Conn Iggulden did a great job in bringing this forgotten life back to the world of the living.
This book is due out May 1, 2018. Put it on your pre-order list now! Thanks to Edelweiss for an advanced copy for a unbiased review!
THE TITANIC HAS SUNK!
These words reverberated around the world, and tore countless families apart. But for the people who were on the Titanic and survived it created a bond. Regardless of station in life, they had to pull together to save themselves, and then learn to cope with the guilt of surviving in the aftermath.
The story follows three passengers, Esme, Charlotte and Anna. Each one of these ladies have goals, dreams and secrets. Esme is cheating on her husband. Charlotte is pretending to be a married woman. Anna is secretly in love with Josef who is going to marry another.
Esme covers her affair by eventually marrying the man whom she pulled into the boat, leaving her husband to his fate aboard the sinking vessel. Time has not been kind her to her, and the excitement that she felt with the clandestine relationship quickly soured after a few years of marriage. Seeing the marriage through to the end, she discovers a secret strength within her, and of course, a friend who has always been there. While Sabine may have only started as her maid, she has been the one constant in the headstrong Esme's life.
Charlotte is a thief. She has fallen in love with the roguish Reg Evers, and is willing to follow him anywhere. But he has been hiding several secrets from her, and while she goes along with his plans, she is deeply hurt by his rejection of her affections. Styling herself Mrs. Evers aboard the vessel, she and Reg are travelling with a young English aristocrat who has been disowned by his family. The secrets that she carries from the Titanic that night will push her to new heights in creating her new identity, but they also eat away at her as the years go by. After she is contacted by a family looking for their son, she begins a search that will take her from England to America in search of answers, resolution and peace.
Anna survives, but has to live with the guilt of being separated from her two companions. She wants to search for them, but the rest of the people in the boat cannot understand her Swedish tongue. As she makes her way to Josef, she worries about what the future will hold, and what she will say to him when she arrives. He lost his brother and fiance in the sinking. But as they grow their lives together, she has one secret that she never shared with him....
As we watch the story of these three ladies unfold, and how the Titanic sinking affects them in the future, we see more than just people. We see their stories, their pain, and the growth that they must learn to accept as time moves forward.
Fantastic book! I loved the twists and turns, and the many layers that each person seemed to possess. Anna's story really struck me harder than the rest, and of course, the massive loss of life that was incurred during the sinking. Strength and determination are some of the major themes through this book, and I enjoyed watching many of the secrets play out and unfold upon the pages of this book!
Lady Darby and her husband Sebastian Gage have been called to his ancestral home with an urgent message from his grandfather. Making all haste to leave Ireland and head back to England.
When they arrive, they find the household unprepared for them, and more than one mystery lurking in the shadows. The heir to the estate Alfred had gone missing, and Kiera and Sebastian are trying to find him. But they are finding that everyone in the house is less than forthcoming with any information at all. While they try to make sense of all of the tidbits of information coming their way, they come up with more questions than answers.
When the heir presumptive (after the original heir) also goes missing, and looks to be the one behind all the attacks and pranks in the house, the case takes another turn. The time for answers has come, and no one is going to be left alone.
Join Kiera, Sebastian and their trusty servants as they work to get to the bottom of the mystery before tragedy strikes....
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was fast paced enough to keep me enthralled, but yet kept you guessing through the majority of the book as to who the real culprit was. I began trying to figure out who might be behind the attacks, and it was not until the last chapter that all the information began to come together.
Lady Darby and her husband Gage are about to be drawn into another investigation, and this one threatens more than just a tangled web of deceit. Lady Darby herself is cast into suspicious light when her past comes back to haunt her.
When young aristocratic noblemen are murdered, there are questions as to why these men are being killed. With another killer on the loose, one who is taking unnamed victims from the street, and selling their bodies to those who dissect them for medical research, the noblemen don't seem to fit into the picture. But as the mystery deepens, so too does the idea that there might be an underlying cause, and only one of the noblemen is the real target.
Catch up with Lady Darby and Lord Gage as they work through the facts and try to figure out what is going on.
Oh my goodness! I could not put this book down! I had to stop myself from inserting spoilers into the review! This is one book that has to be read and enjoyed. I will say, there is one major bombshell in the book, that I did NOT see coming! Took me aback, and I had to re-read the section to be sure I was understanding!
Grab this book as soon as it becomes available! Perfect for those Spring Break trips or a quiet weekend!
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced copy for a free and unbiased review.
More twists and turns than a daytime Soap Opera!
Cecily has seen her life torn apart twice in the space of less than a year. On the outside she exhibits a strong personality, but inside she is quaking as she hides the secrets of the past couple of years. Fanny is just wanting to help families of the victims, but she seems to be driven by something that no one can really understand, and Kaitlyn just wants to run away from her life and start over somewhere... These three women, their lives pulled together by tragedy. Kaitlyn can't take much more of her “perfect life” and the explosion in her office building gives her the perfect chance to run. Franny seems to have a heart of gold, but under that exterior the cracks are beginning to show and the madness that is trapped within is about to spill over. Cecily just wants to move on, but she is stuck in the persona as the face of the Triple Ten.
As we see the story unfold, each of these women are trying to overcome the hardships of their past lives. They want something better, and they want to just live their lives. But each of them carry a secret so large that one secret alone could sink the Titanic. Kaitlyn has run away to start a new life in Canada, leaving her family to believe that she died in the explosion. She missed her daughters, but she has convinced herself that they were more her husbands daughters anyway.
Cecily knew her husband was cheating, he sent her the texts by mistake. She never knew who he was cheating with, but to find out while shopping for their anniversary trip - it put a damper on the entire weekend. He confessed to the affair, and then asked if their family was ruined. She was so devastated by his betrayal, she never thought about the affect it would have on their children. She keeps the secret, leading their children to believe that everything is fine and normal. But on the day set to make some huge changes - their lives are literally blown to pieces. She has to act as though everything was fine and pick up the bits and pieces the best she can. Her children deserve to have their father remembered in a good way.
Franny wants to help, but her claims of who she really is stumps Cecily. She never knew that her best friend carried a secret with her, she never confided in her about it. But as the pieces of Franny's life begin to unfold in the documentary that is being filmed about the event, questions arise as to her real identity, and what she is truly after.
As the story unfolds, so do the real motives, and the secrets are laid bare for all to see....
Oh my goodness! Get this book and prepare for book hangover central! There are so many twists, plot developments and more! This book kept me engaged from page one, and I had a really hard time putting it down (why does real life have to get in the way??). Catherine McKenzie weaves a masterful story, and keeps you guessing most of the way through! Don't start this book before bed!