Summer Reads

This summer I read a whopping 9 books. Mostly all winners.. so that's good.            

Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea

Synopsis - Hiding her own dark past in plain sight, a TV reporter is determined to uncover the truth behind a gruesome murder decades after the investigation was abandoned. 
Avery Mason, host of American Events , knows the subjects that grab a TV audience’s attention. Her latest story—a murder mystery laced with kinky sex, tragedy, and betrayal—is guaranteed to be ratings gold. New DNA technology has allowed the New York medical examiner’s office to make its first successful identification of a 9/11 victim in years. The the victim, Victoria Ford, had been accused of the gruesome murder of her married lover. In a chilling last phone call to her sister, Victoria begged her to prove her innocence.
Emma Kind has waited twenty years to put her sister to rest, but closure won’t be complete until she can clear Victoria’s name. Alone she’s had no luck, but she’s convinced that Avery’s connections and fame will help. Victoria had been having an affair with a successful novelist, found hanging from the balcony of his Catskills mansion. The rope, the bedroom, and the entire crime scene was covered in Victoria’s DNA.
But the twisted puzzle of Victoria’s private life is just the beginning. And what Avery doesn't realize is that there are other players in the game who are interested in Avery’s own secret past—one she has kept hidden from both the network executives and her television audience. A secret she thought was dead and buried . . .

Thoughts - This is not my first Charlie Donlea book.. I was only moderately impressed by the first one.. I liked this one much better. It was a real page turner with a few twists I didn't see coming. Always a plus. This one gets a thumbs up from me.     

Beneath Devil's Bridge by Loreth Anne White

Synopsis - True crime podcaster Trinity Scott is chasing breakout success, and her brand-new serial may get her there. Her subject is Clayton Jay Pelley. More than two decades ago, the respected family man and guidance counselor confessed to the brutal murder of teenage student Leena Rai. But why he killed her has always been a mystery.
In a series of exclusive interviews from prison, Clayton discloses to Trinity the truth about what happened that night beneath Devil’s Bridge. It’s not what anyone in the Pacific Northwest town of Twin Falls expects. Clayton says he didn’t do it. Was he lying then? Or now?
As her listeners increase and ratings skyrocket, Trinity is missing a key player in the story: Rachel Walczak, the retired detective who exposed Pelley’s twisted urges and put him behind bars. She’s not interested in playing Clayton’s game - until Trinity digs deeper and the podcast’s reverb widens. Then Rachel begins to question everything she thinks she knows about the past.

Thoughts - Another podcaster story. So many of them are popping up these days. This was was so messed up. In a good way.. Lot of trigger warnings.. so I caution you against reading it if you are sensitive to subjects of bullying. But otherwise it was a great read. 

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier

Synopsis - All it takes to unravel a life is one little secret...
Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They're admired in their community and are a loving family—until their world falls apart the day their son Sebastian is taken.
A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding Sebastian, she learns that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman. This discovery sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix.
Permanently.

Thoughts - To lose a child.. but instead of a sad depressing tale of never-ending grief and sadness Ms. Hillier tells a snarky tale. Marin vs Kenzie.. Wife vs Mistress. The story shifts between the two POV's. The missing child is the dark cloud looming over everyone but interestingly enough not the center of the story. And I did not see the big twist coming so another winner. 

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

Synopsis - North Carolina, 2018: Morgan Christopher's life has been derailed. Taking the fall for a crime she did not commit, she finds herself serving a three-year stint in the North Carolina Women's Correctional Center. Her dream of a career in art is put on hold—until a mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will see her released immediately. Her assignment: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town. Morgan knows nothing about art restoration, but desperate to leave prison, she accepts. What she finds under the layers of grime is a painting that tells the story of madness, violence, and a conspiracy of small town secrets.
North Carolina, 1940: Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Alone in the world and desperate for work, she accepts. But what she doesn't expect is to find herself immersed in a town where prejudices run deep, where people are hiding secrets behind closed doors, and where the price of being different might just end in murder.
What happened to Anna Dale? Are the clues hidden in the decrepit mural? Can Morgan overcome her own demons to discover what exists beneath the layers of lies?

Thoughts - This is my second Diane Chamberlain book. I listened to the audiobook. It took a while to get into. I found parts of it interesting.. intrigued by the mystery of Anna Dale and what happened to her. The story came full circle and ended nicely. I liked the book well enough but was not riveted. 

  

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Synopsis - All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer's Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery--magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.
Then an act of sabotage releases the library's most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth's desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.
As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she's been taught--about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

Thoughts - Nope. I am always looking for a great fantasy that will transport me to a magical land of good and evil, an enemy to lovers trope. This was not it. It started out well enough but the 'her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn' was a bit exaggerated. The level of excitement and thrill was very mild. I stopped reading at around 90%. I just couldn't anymore. 

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah

Synopsis - After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises.
The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. With concerns about the child’s home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her stay―just until she learns more about Ursa’s past.
Jo enlists the help of her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel Nash, to solve the mystery of the charming child. But the more time they spend together, the more questions they have. How does a young girl not only read but understand Shakespeare? Why do good things keep happening in her presence? And why aren’t Jo and Gabe checking the missing children’s website anymore?
Though the three have formed an incredible bond, they know difficult choices must be made. As the summer nears an end and Ursa gets closer to her fifth miracle, her dangerous past closes in. When it finally catches up to them, all of their painful secrets will be forced into the open, and their fates will be left to the stars.

Thoughts - This was such a beautiful book. Ursa's character was so pure and magical. There was sadness and tragedy in the story but told with such grace. So much love. I highly recommend it. 

After the Fire by Will Hill

Synopsis - The things I've seen are burned into me, like scars that refuse to fade.
Before, she lived inside the fence. Before, she was never allowed to leave the property, never allowed to talk to Outsiders, never allowed to speak her mind. Because Father John controlled everything—and Father John liked rules. Disobeying Father John came with terrible consequences.
But there are lies behind Father John's words. Outside, there are different truths.
Then came the fire.

Thoughts - I know the synopsis is kind of vague. The book's central character is Moonbeam. She is a teenager and has been part of a cult for the better part of her life. Then there is a fire and there isn't a cult anymore to be apart of. The book is told switching between 'before the fire' and 'after the fire.' It was sad reading about this cult, the manipulation of people and children. Hearing things from Moonbeams perspective, it was an interesting read. I did not love it but enjoyed it. 

Circe by Madeline Miller

Synopsis - In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--neither powerful like her father nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power: the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.
But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or with the mortals she has come to love.

Thoughts - I have seen this book everywhere. It was published 5 years ago and it still had a long long waitlist at my library. I listened to the audiobook, and I'm glad I did.. it was easier to listen to. It was long and wordy.. beautifully written, don't get me wrong. I am not well versed in my Greek mythology and found myself doing a lot of Googling to learn more about the gods, demi gods and mortals mentioned in the book. It was fascinating. But here's my dilemma.. around the 75% point the book had to be returned and I had to wait for a week or two to get it again.. and I found myself not really itching to know what happened next. There aren't any cliffhangers, plus she is immortal so where does the story end? I did love Circe as a character.. as a goddess.. she was strong and willful but I don't know. I did enjoy the book I just didn't love it. I think I am more of thrill seeking kind of reader. 

The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robotham

Synopsis - Agatha is pregnant and works part-time stocking shelves at a grocery store in a ritzy London suburb, counting down the days until her baby is due. As the hours of her shifts creep by in increasing discomfort, the one thing she looks forward to at work is catching a glimpse of Meghan, the effortlessly chic customer whose elegant lifestyle dazzles her. Meghan has it all: two perfect children, a handsome husband, a happy marriage, a stylish group of friends, and she writes perfectly droll confessional posts on her popular parenting blog—posts that Agatha reads with devotion each night as she waits for her absent boyfriend, the father of her baby, to maybe return her calls.
When Agatha learns that Meghan is pregnant again, and that their due dates fall within the same month, she finally musters up the courage to speak to her, thrilled that they now have the ordeal of childbearing in common. Little does Meghan know that the mundane exchange she has with a grocery store employee during a hurried afternoon shopping trip is about to change the course of her not-so-perfect life forever…

Thoughts - So many secrets, so many lies.. this was quite the page turner. I enjoyed it immensely. 

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