When They Come For You

"An exposé of child slavery, chocolate, and murder." ~ 32%

Photographer Harper McDaniel has nothing left to live for when her journalist husband and infant son are executed in a house fire. The local police fail to seriously investigate the arson. So Harper, teamed up with her financier brother and mobster grandfather, vow to settle the score. Harper discovers her husband was doing more than writing a piece on the history of chocolate and its billion-dollar industry; he was investigating mysterious deaths at a cacao plantation. The manhunt goes global; Harper travels well beyond their Florida home to Africa, Zurich and more.

"Taking suicidal risks, plunging ahead into the reckless quest. Not courage at all, but simply nothing left to lose." ~ 39%

One of the great writing lessons I learned is that less is best. As a copyeditor, I can appreciate attention to detail. But as a reader, too much detail and unnecessary verbiage distracts from the story itself. Because of this, I lost interest in the book fairly quickly. Too many far out actions and way too many characters with side details that clouded the main mystery. There is a such thing as too many layers. Such a disappointment for a bomb book cover. It just wasn't thrilling for me. However, it is an Amazon Charts bestseller.

🤷🏽‍♀️ For those still interested, When They Come For You is now available.

Disclaimer: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: When They Come For You
Author: James W. Hall
Published: September 2017
Pages: 290
Edition: Galley
Rating: 🖤

 

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life

"Since we can't get reparations, we will make it up in toppings. I want provolone cheese and cucumbers and spinach and lettuce and red onions and tomatoes, olives and banana peppers and giardiniera. I need the chipotle southwest sauce and the ranch, and extra meat, but I don't want you to charge me for it."  

Bitches Gotta Eat blogger and comedian, Samantha Irby, brings her comic to essay form. In We Are Never Meeting in Real Life, she talks about her childhood, ghosts of the past and emotional truths. No one is exempt in her tales either, such as her estranged father and awkward sexual encounters with her significant other. Poking fun is an understatement!

"fuck it, bitch. stay fat." ~ pg. 143

LISSEN. Samantha Irby spoke to me. She knows my life. I nodded my head in agreement and literally LOL'ed while reading this. Albeit, there were a couple chapters that I skimmed because they weren't as entertaining but we probably never will meet in real life so it's not like she'll quiz me on it. Anyway, what a perfect title for this collection of funny ass essays. Bookhearts, I will not steer you wrong. Add this book to your TBR! It is great to read when you just have to laugh.

Title: We Are Never Meeting in Real Life
Author: Samantha Irby
Published: May 2017
Pages: 288
Edition: Paperback
Challenge: Popsugar—A Book With a Cat on the Cover
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

 

Series Sunday: The Medical Examiner

(Women's Murder Club #16.5) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. 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 The Medical Examiner, book #16.5 in the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson. Imagine the horror of two bodies arriving at the morgue but one is still breathing! Go ahead and gasp because this original story had my full attention as the Women's Murder Club solved this twisted mystery.

So this is the BOOKSHOT that I tried to skip. HAHAHA As I previously stated, these short eBooks fall in the middle of a series making it still necessary to read. Genius marketing on Patterson's part because readers can't just skip them. You'll miss a major/minor event that may come up in a future book. Plus it is always nice to check in with our favorite characters while waiting for the next book in series to release. So yes, bookhearts, read The Medical Examiner not only because it was good but because you have to when continuing to read this series.

Title: The Medical Examiner

Author: James Patterson

Published: August 2017

Pages: 144

Edition: BOOKSHOTS
Challenge: Keeping Up With Patterson

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

 

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Revision. 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.

"Spider Combs was parked five blocks east of the white wood cottage on Margaret Street in Coconut Grove where his target lived. Behind the tinted windows of the stolen pickup, he spied on the residents of the cottage via the iPad in his lap."

~ When They Come For You by James W. Hall

   

Smitten

"It is personal. I'm a person, so that makes it personal." ~ 3%

Celena Payne was so done with romance after her most recent ex ghosted her. Now the focus was on her career until Karim Holt moved back to town. He was too busy for a relationship with caring for his ailing grandmother and opening a new business. But a chance meeting between the two sparked an unexpected romance. Their lives were altered from this undeniable chemistry.

I was smitten with Celena and Karim's ship! Author Nicole Falls has once again wrote a good read featuring realistic characters of color. I would have rated this novel a solid five (5) hearts if it was edited better. The typos were a distraction. But if you can skim over these errors, Smitten is the choice if you're in the mood to read a fun romance. Reading it is like a conversation with your close friends. "Girl, let me tell you what happened!"

Smitten is available now for less than $3.00 or read free with Kindle Unlimited. Go ahead and download now, bookhearts!

Title: Smitten
Author: Nicole Falls
Published: March 2017
Pages: 182
Edition: eBook
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

 

The Dolls

"Of all the emotions she'd been programmed to learn, this one was the most palpable, the most real: fear." ~ pg. 42

Investigative business reporter, Lana Wallace, has covered crimes for the past ten years. But nothing prepared her for the dolls: prototypes custom created to speak, act, look and feel like a real woman. They're the perfect companion. But why are their owners being found murdered? Perhaps looks can kill.

A mighty hand clap for the MasterClass winner, Kecia Bal! I really enjoyed reading this book that she co-authored with James Patterson. What an honor! I could tell she implemented some of the lessons learned in the MasterClass. It only motivates me to continue the class and hopefully finish with a manuscript of my own. The Dolls was original, page-turning, and easily devoured in a couple hours.

Title: The Dolls
Author: James Patterson & Kecia Bal
Published: August 2017
Pages: 132
Edition: BOOKSHOT
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

 

I Hate Everyone But You

"I don't really see a world in which you remain objective." ~ 80%

Best friends Ava and Gen start their freshmen years of college on opposite sides of the country. They keep in touch through a series of text messages and emails. Their friendship develops and hits rocky roads when dealing with self-discovery, heartbreak, mental health and weird roommates. As each young woman grows, readers wonder if their BFF-ship will survive. Will they still be best friends living side-by-side in a gated community like the Golden Girls?

I Hate Everyone But You had potential to be a good YA novel but it fell short. I absolutely love books in e-mail or text message format. But this one I grew tired of real quick. Not because of the writing style or content but because of the annoying characters. I kept asking if I acted like this during my first year of college with friends back home or enrolled at different schools. Hopefully not! Maybe this book is relatable to younger women but it's a hard pass for 30-somethings.

Happy Pub Day, Gaby & Allison! I Hate Everyone But You is now available.

Disclaimer: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: I Hate Everyone But You
Author: Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin
Published: September 2017
Pages: 352
Edition: Galley
Rating: 🖤 🖤