Series Sunday: Gone

(Detective Michael Bennett #6)

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

"The feds put us in witness protection, and I'd gone from NYPD Blue to Little House on the Prairie in no time flat." ~ pg. 21

My Series Sunday pick is Gone, the sixth book in the Detective Michael Bennett series by James Patterson. When we last read about Detective Mike Bennett and his family, they were being whisked off into Witness Protection. The whole family is moved to a safe house (cattle ranch) in California because Manuel Perrine, a dangerous drug cartel boss, is on the loose with a multimillion-dollar hit out on the Detective and his family. If you keep up with this series, you know the Detective cannot just sit still. But in no-man's land and for safety, he has no choice...until Perrine sparks war on U.S. soil and is responsible for mass murders and kidnappings. With his family's blessing, Detective Bennett comes out of hiding to catch the most dangerous criminal he's ever met.

Bookhearts, you know that James Patterson has been on my shit list for a while now. I thank goodness for the co-author of the Mike Bennett series because he is keeping it interesting and exempt from the recent JP curse of publishing mediocre-to-crap books. So thank you, Michael Ledwidge, for keeping this series afloat. I was not disappointed. In fact, I read it in one day. Yes, it was that good.

Action ✓ Suspense ✓ Family Drama ✓ Descriptive ✓ Available now!

Title: Gone
Author: James Patterson
Published: September 2013
Pages: 313
Edition: eBook
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♡

 

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"Well, I guess what the niggers is supposed to be doing is putting themselves in the path of that old sweet chariot and have it swing down and carry us home."

~ Jimmy's Blues and Other Poems by James Baldwin

PBS is featuring a very good mini-series titled The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. It airs Tuesdays (October 22-November 26) 8-9 p.m. EST. Watch videos and learn more information about it here.
 

 

The Husband's Secret

"Some secrets are meant to stay secret forever. Just ask Pandora." ~ pg. 337

Cecilia's husband wrote a letter to be opened after his death. It so happens that Cecilia stumbles across this letter while her husband is very much alive. Of course she's curious but when she mentions finding the letter to her husband, his first reaction is to ask whether she read it and insists it not be read yet. Hmmm... Little does Cecilia know that the letter's contents can destroy many lives.

This book is told in alternating viewpoints which was confusing for the first few chapters. I honestly just kept reading because I was curious about what was in the letter and how it would be handled. A central theme was loss and relationships. The author could have really developed these themes further enough to engage readers. But midway through, I still couldn't relate to any of the characters or care enough how things would end.

The Husband's Secret was our Chick Lit Book Club selection for October. Let's just say I enjoyed our group discussion more than reading the book itself. It didn't have a lasting effect. The book could've been about fifty pages shorter. Frankly, I do not understand how this book has over 11,000 ratings with an average of four stars. So obviously, I am in the minority when I say The Husband's Secret was just okay.

Title: The Husband's Secret
Author: Liane Moriarty
Published: July 2013
Pages: 352
Edition: eBook
Rating: ♥♥

 

Hush Little Baby

There are very few books that tug at my heart string while preventing me from turning the page. This debut novel, Hush Little Baby, by Suzanne Redfearn pulled me in from the opening pages. Domestic violence is a sensitive matter that should not be exaggerated, yet taken seriously. Fortunately, I am not a victim of domestic violence but am familiar with how it affects victims and brings shame to families. But this prior knowledge in no way prepared me for the story of Jillian Kane.

You never know what goes on behind closed doors. To outsiders, Jillian had a picture perfect life: happily married, successful career and two children. In reality, Jillian hid bruises inflicted by her abusive husband for the past nine years. Of course she desperately wanted to flee. But she feared for her life and the safety of her young children.

"If I stay, he will kill me. If I leave, he'll destroy Addie and Drew."

Hush Little Baby is what I call a reluctant read. The story is good but I was afraid of what I would read on the next page. Would the main character survive? Will she successfully escape the abuse? Will her children be okay? I just had so many questions that I was reluctant to read the answers to. I believe the author realized readers may have this same reaction and paced the events in the book well. I look forward to reading more of Suzanne Redfearn's writing. It was a bold move to tackle domestic violence in a debut book, and Suzanne pulled it off. Bookhearts, add Hush Little Baby to your reading lists or recommend to your book clubs.

DISCLAIMER: This book was received from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Title: Hush Little Baby
Author: Suzanne Redfearn
Published: October 2013
Pages: 308
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

The First Phone Call from Heaven

"You have to start over. That's what they say. But life is not a board game, and losing a loved one is never really 'starting over.' More like 'continuing without.'" ~ pg. 19

As children we are taught we might go to heaven. But this fiction book shows heaven might come to us. A few residents of Coldwater, Michigan, are receiving calls every Friday from dead people. Presumably dead people that have gone on to heaven. Most of the callers have been deceased for years. Some believe it is a miracle; others are not so convinced.

The small town of Coldwater has been turned upside down with increased visitors, news media and traffic. Are the recipients of the calls from heaven "chosen" people? The idea seems ludicrous but the story itself drew me in. I was eager to keep reading and see if more characters received calls from heaven and to see how the story ended. Surely there must be an explanation and a damn good ending to the mystery, whether it was a miracle or a hoax.

Mitch Albom's new novel is like a story you've never read before. There are tidbits about Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone that tie into the fictional story. Whatever your belief, readers will like The First Phone Call from Heaven.

"The end is not the end." ~ pg. 86

The First Phone Call from Heaven released today. Add it to your wish lists or order today. It is worth it! Then ask yourself, would you mind getting a phone call from heaven?

DISCLAIMER: This book was received from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Title: The First Phone Call from Heaven
Author: Mitch Albom
Published: November 2013
Pages: 209
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

Series Sunday: L. Marie Adeline

(S.E.C.R.E.T. Series)

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is about L. Marie Adeline, author of the S.E.C.R.E.T.  erotic trilogy. Before your eyes roll, this trilogy is not your run-of-the-mill cookie-cutter erotica. The central theme is empowerment, self awareness and independence. Sex is just one aspect of the books. The main character takes baby steps toward ecstasy. In usual erotic plots a couple begins a sexual relationship first then falls in love. According to L. Marie Adeline, "love's an accidental outcome of great sex; it's not the goal."

Visit L. Marie Adeline's official website for more info, writing advice, interviews, excerpts and extras. Click here to read my review of S.E.C.R.E.T. and stay tuned to my review of S.E.C.R.E.T. Shared.

 

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"That last time. That red sky...
How does a book thief end up kneeling and howling and flanking by a man-made heap of ridiculous, greasy, cooked-up rubble?"

 
~ The Book Thief by Markus Zusak ~ In Movie Theaters TODAY