Tag: fiction

November Road by Lou Berney

Title: November Road
Author: Lou Berney
Pub Date: 9-Oct-2018
Rating: 4 Stars

November Road by Lou Berney is a crime thriller centered around the assassination of JFK. Americans have long been fascinated by this mystery, myself included, and there seems to be more theories that you can shake a stick at.

In this fictional version of the assassination, a crime boss in New Orleans, Carlos Marcello, is the master mind behind the fatal shooting. He has personal reasons for wanting Kennedy dead. It is the crime of the century and it has been meticulously planned even down to getting rid of EVERYONE who has ties to the crime no matter how trivial.

Frank Guirdy has been a loyal employee to Carlos for most of his life. He has worked his way up in the crime organization and is now one of the top lieutenants. He is very valuable to Carlos…. until he is not. A little errand in Dallas to drop off a car for the boss two weeks prior to the assassination has made him expendable. Very expendable!

It does not take Carlos long to put two and two together. Since everyone, regardless of rank, who has a connection to the crime is being eliminated. He fears he is next and he runs. However, he finds that he is too memorable as a traveler alone and Carlos has a long arm. Therefore, it is fortuitous that he happens to run into Charlotte, a young mother with two young daughters, who is escaping her unpleasant life in Oklahoma. They become the perfect cover. Carlos’s agent will not be looking for a couple with two kids. But Paul Barone is not just any agent and he is very good at what he does. Now not only is Frank’s life in danger but also the lives of the innocents he has attached himself to.

What a great story. I loved the author’s take on the murder of JFK. The plot worked so well and it was paced to keep the reader interested without feeling rushed. And the ending, not what I expected but it was a perfect fit.

Still my favorite part was the main character Frank. I did not like him much at first, but as I got deeper into the story I started to connect with him. I can even say I felt sorry for him. This left me conflicted because you are not supposed to like a person like Frank. He has done horrible things and he is using Charlotte for his own personal gain. Yet, you want him to win because the only other option is Carlos to win and you do not want that either. Wisely, the author has Frank grow as a person; therefore, making him more likable.

The only thing I was not crazy about is when Frank’s meets up with his contact in Las Vegas. All the stuff that went on between them just did not seem to fit at well with the rest of the story. I know that it was a means to reach a desired conclusion but it felt clunky. In the end, it is such a minor thing I felt it did not impact my overall feelings about the book.

In short this was a well-executed, entertaining historical fiction. I recommend it to not only readers who love that genre but also to those that like thrillers and crime fiction.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox

Title: The Witch of Willow Hall
Author: Hester Fox
Pub. Date: 2-Oct-2018
Rating: 4 Stars

The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox is a mix of genres:  paranormal, romance, coming of age, and historical fiction. The title might lead you to believe that the book is all about witches and witchcraft when in actuality it isn’t.  There is lots of good stuff going on and none of it related to witchcraft.

The main character Lydia Montrose, along with her parents and two sisters, are forced to flee Boston after a scandal involving her older sister Catherine. To escape the rumors they retreat to their summer home of Willow Hall in the small rural town of New Oldburg, MA.

Once they arrive, Lydia finds the house unsettling. She sees and hears things others in her family do not. She thinks she saw a woman walking in the garden in the middle of the night yet when she investigates no one is there. Then she receives a message written on her mirror that only she can see. All of these worrisome events have made it difficult for her to settle in at Willow Hall.

The one bright point is John Barrett, her father’s young business partner, and the former owner of the land on which Willow Hall now sits. Lydia is immediately attracted to Mr. Barrett but Catherine also has her eyes on him.  Mr. Barrett is invited to dine with the family and shows up with a friend August Pierce. Catherine immediately forgets Mr. Barrett leaving Lydia to think she might have a chance with him.

Lydia has a lot of self-doubt to overcome. She has always lived in Catherine’s shadow and found her escape in books and her love for her younger sister Emeline. Yet the secrets that surround her maybe her undoing, for Catherine is keeping dark secrets that could ruin everyone, even the house has secrets. But the biggest secret lies within Lydia. She will have to uncover them all before she is able to shield and defend her family.

Had I not known going in this was the author’s debut novel, I would never have guessed it because the book is so well written. The characters are well developed and the plot moves along nicely with an excellent subplot to assist the story’s progression.

A couple of things stood out for me about this book. First the prose is above par. The author has that rare talent of describing a scene so you can see it in your mind’s eye and yet the description does not go overboard and bore the reader. Second is character development.  Loved how I was so drawn to Lydia and how I hated Catherine. You know an author has done their job when she/he elicits these types of emotions from the reader.

I just read Kate Morton’s latest book The Clockmaker’s Daughter and this book is reminiscent of her style. Therefore, I highly recommend The Witch of Willow Hall if you are a fan of Kate Morton. I also think fans of historical fiction and witchy tales will like this too.

I received an ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Goodbye, Paris by Anstey Harris

Title: Goodbye, Paris
Author: Anstey Harris
Pub. Date: 7-Aug-2018
Rating: 4 Stars

Goodbye, Paris by Anstey Harris is my Book of the Month (BOTM) pick for August. As part of my reading challenge for myself I am to read my BOTM each month. While I did read my pick this month, other months I have not been as successful. That aside…

What drew me to this book, from among the choices available, is the idea that this young women, Grace, is having an affair with a married man and waiting for him to leave his wife. I could just see all the possibilities in my head and I knew this was not going to turn out well. Therefore, before I even started reading I wanted to shake some sense into her. So needless to say, I hooked before I even opened the book to read the first page.

Well, I was right, things were not what they seemed in Grace’s world. When her lover, David, becomes the media darling for saving a pregnant women’s life in Paris, their years of careful secrecy are laid open for the world to see. The fallout of this event forces Grace to look at her life in a new light and she is shattered.

The man she thought she knew so well does not really exist. She has put him on a pedestal and now that pedestal has fallen over and left her only the broken truth. It is a fortunate thing for Grace that she has a couple of allies on her side. With their help she will have to remake her business, herself and her life.

This is a wonderful debut novel for the author. She obviously wrote this story with a lot of empathy. She made a character that you could not help but like even though there were times you want to shake her to make her see the truth of the situation she has created for herself. It is obvious to everyone, except Grace, that “DISASTER” is written all over this affair.

The plot moved along nicely and there were surprises along the way to keep me interested. The only negative for me was the ending. I think she recovered from the affair much faster than is possible. I do not want to give anything away here, but I will say that Grace needed longer to mourn her loses.

This would make a great beach read. I also recommend this as a book club choice. There are lots of topics that would make for great discussion.

The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton

Title: The Clockmaker’s Daughter
Author: Kate Morton
Pub. Date: 9-Oct-2018
Rating: 4 Stars

The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton is a historical fiction story that centers on a murder that occurred in the summer of 1862 at Birchwood Manor. There are multiple narrators, each has a connection to Birchwood and they all play their part in the history of Birchwood, thus making the house, as much as the murder, the focus of the story.

In 1862 Birchwood Manor, sitting on the banks of the Thames, is owned by Edward Radcliff, an artist with exceptional talent. He is the founding member of the Magenta Brotherhood a group of London artists who are eccentric and whose works are considered ground breaking. He invites the members of the Brotherhood to come stay at Birchwood that summer to create and be inspired. Unfortunately, before the summer is over Edward’s fiancée is murdered and his muse Lily Millington has disappeared along with the Radcliff Blue a unique and highly valuable diamond. The police discover that Lily was a thief from early childhood and it is believed she and the diamond made a swift exit to America. However, the diamond has never turned up again in over 100 years.  Which leads one to ask, what really happened that summer?  Continue reading “The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton”

Author Theasa Tuohy’s thoughts on writing her latest novel

Title: Flying Jenny
Pub. Date: 1-May-2018

Just like reading a book, writing one is an adventure for me.  I don’t work from an outline, as many writers do, so I just go for the ride to find out what’s going to happen. Sometimes I speed along writing at a fast clip, other times I spend ages searching for the right word or diddling with a sentence or paragraph. Since my novels are historical, I also do a tremendous amount of research, which in some ways is as much fun as the writing. It’s all about finding out = what has happened or what’s going to happen.  Continue reading “Author Theasa Tuohy’s thoughts on writing her latest novel”

The Paris Wedding by Charlotte Nash

Title: The Paris Wedding
Author: Charlotte Nash
Pub. Date: 12/Jun-2018
Rating: 4 Stars

After reading the blurb, I thought The Paris Wedding by Charlotte Nash would be about the main character, Rachael, putting her past behind her and finding love in Paris. In other words, a beach read that is heavy on the romance. Boy was I wrong. It is really about a young woman finding her place in the world.

Rachael West has been caring for her mother for the past ten years, ever since she was diagnosed with a rare form of MS. Rachael has sacrificed going to college, a career and her first love, all to care for and watch as her mother slowly succumbs to the disease. Just after her Mother has passed away, she receives a wedding invitation to Matthew’s, her high school sweetheart, wedding. He is marrying Bonnie Quinn, the daughter of a billionaire and the wedding is in Paris with all expenses paid.  Continue reading “The Paris Wedding by Charlotte Nash”

The Book of M by Peng Shepherd

Title: The Book of M
Author: Peng Shepherd
Pub. Date: 5-Jun-2018
Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Book of M, by Peng Shepherd, is a quirky, out-there, grab you by-the-pants debut novel. I think it will be one of those books that will leave readers thinking long after the last page has been turned. I predict some will be so-so about it and some will love it. Personally, I fall into the former and I will explain why later.

Sometime in the near future it will happen. People will start to lose their shadows and with it they slowly lose their memories. With the loss of memories comes the ability to perform a deadly and dangerous magic. It starts slowly with one man in India and as it spreads across the globe whole societies began to collapse. Continue reading “The Book of M by Peng Shepherd”

Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne

Title: Brightly Burning
Author: Alexa Donne
Pub. Date: 1-May-2018
Rating: 4 Stars

Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne is a futuristic remake of Jane Eyre. At first it was kind of hard to wrap my head around the idea of Jane Eyre in space, but it worked. I am sure it helped that I am a fan of Science Fiction. Though the focus is on the story and not the science.

The setting is in the future when the Earth is covered in ice. This new ice age is a result of an eruption of a super volcano. All people that were able to evacuate did so, and now live in colony ships in Earth’s orbit. Stella is an engineer on one of these ships and stuck in a job she hates, on a ship that is on its last legs, and she wants off. She does have marketable skills and applies to various jobs in the fleet. Continue reading “Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne”

The Circumstantial Enemy by John R. Bell

Title: The Circumstantial Enemy
Author: John R. Bell
Pub. Date: 12-Oct-2017
Rating: 4.5 Stars

Many kudos to John R. Bell for writing this wonderful historical fiction book loosely based on his father-in-law’s experiences during WWII. There is much to love about it and I especially enjoyed that the main character was from Croatia.  Most WWII novels I have read are set somewhere in Western Europe or Great Britain. We tend to forget about those countries that were eventually swallowed up by the USSR.

The main character, Vlatko Anton “Tony” Babic, is a one of the few pilots in the region with experience (though very limited) and he has great value to the Germans in the new Croatian Air Force Legion.  As his choices are presented, he finds he is left with no other option but to join and serve the Germans.

Continue reading “The Circumstantial Enemy by John R. Bell”

The Wounded Shadow by Patrick W. Carr

Title: The Wounded Shadow
Author: Patrick W. Carr
Pub. Date: 3-Apr-2018
Rating: 5 Stars

The Wounded Shadow by Patrick W. Carr is the third installment in the Darkwater Saga. It was a little slow going at first; but once I got into the story, I could not read fast enough. I predict this will be one of my favorites for the year.

There are so many things to say about this book I am not sure where to start. So, I am going to just jump right in with the world building, which has to be the most elaborate I think I have had the pleasure to read in a long time. In this way, it was reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The imagination, time and effort it took to construct this world is just mind boggling. The thought of how to keep it all straight while you are developing the plot is enough to give me a head ache.

Continue reading “The Wounded Shadow by Patrick W. Carr”