Sheri Richey's Blog, page 36
November 18, 2013
Touch & Go by Lisa Gardner
Libby Denbe is smart, pretty, and talented. Her husband, Justin, owns a successful Massachusetts construction company. Both are devoted to their 15-year-old daughter. But their marriage is falling apart. After an evening out, supposedly to repair their broken relationship, Libby and Justin return home to find three men waiting for them. With the touch of a taser, their lives change. When they awake, they find themselves and their daughter captive in an abandoned prison built by none other than Justin himself. As they struggle to come together during their captivity, long-held secrets are revealed. But one big question hangs over their heads. Why were all three taken? That’s definitely not the usual kidnapper’s agenda. It also bothers private cop Tessa Leone (Love You More, 2011). Nor does it seem logical to Wyatt Foster of the local sheriff’s office, who becomes involved when the kidnappers cross state lines. Gardner pulls readers right into Libby’s personal and family drama as she bears witness to the horrific captivity her family undergoes and reprises the circumstances of her failing marriage. At the same time, Tessa, Wyatt, and a group of other law-enforcement officers piece together a surprising story that leads to an equally surprising conclusion. Gardner’s depiction of a woman in the midst of emotional chaos is spot on, as usual, and she proves herself just as capable when it comes to creating intriguing men.
My Take: Suspenseful--I can't say I loved the characters, but the story line was unique and held my interest. It was not predictable and I enjoyed it. I just wish I could have found someone in the story to pull for. They were all terribly flawed and unlikeable for me.
October 27, 2013
Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz
The three Beauchamp women-Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid-live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret-they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.
For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.
My Take: I started this book after I watched the Lifetime Pilot based on the book. I enjoyed the pilot and enjoy witches in general so it seemed a perfect fit but I actually preferred the TV pilot to the book (which never happens). It was difficult to ignore the significant story line changes made from book to pilot but frankly they were positive changes. The first 75% of the novel was entertaining but then everything changed. The ending was convoluted and childish. I felt like I was reading a YA book. There are additional books following this family but I don't think I'll continue with the series. I will keep watching the Lifetime series though.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick Dunne’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick Dunne isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but hearing from Amy through flashbacks in her diary reveal the perky perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister Margo at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was left in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?
My Take: Worst ending Ever! I won't spoil it for you, but I was very disappointed with the way she chose to finish the story. There were many ways the end could have been sculpted and it was a let down for me. In addition, I'm not a fan of first person writing, and this story was written with Amy speaking in first person and then switching to her husband Nick speaking in first person. Much of Amy's part was done in diary form where even there the writing was in a conversational tone. I found the story choppy with lots of fragmented sentences and uncomfortable to read. I hung in there only to see which way she would choose to end it and then that was the worst part. :-(
October 22, 2013
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Set in 12th-century England, the narrative concerns the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge. The ambitions of three men merge, conflict and collide through 40 years of social and political upheaval as internal church politics affect the progress of the cathedral and the fortunes of the protagonists. My Take: I loved this book! More than Fall of Giants and more than Winter of the World. The characters were fascinating and engaging. I knew little of this time period but the book created enough interest for me that I did research the period a little further. I was unsettled by the animal abuse more than the rapes, but that's just me. Animal abuse is a sensitive topic for me so I found those parts difficult. The book is very large and I would have preferred the graphic issues be edited out. I just don't need that kind of stimulation to keep my interest in a book but I understand that I am not representative of the majority of readers. I'm looking forward to the sequel!
Winter of the World: Book Two of the Century Trilogy
Ken Follett follows up his #1 New York Times bestseller Fall of Giants with a brilliant, page-turning epic about the heroism and honor of World War II, and the dawn of the atomic age. Winter of the World picks up right where the first book left off, as its five interrelated families—American, German, Russian, English, Welsh—enter a time of enormous social, political, and economic turmoil, beginning with the rise of the Third Reich, through the Spanish Civil War and the great dramas of World War II, up to the explosions of the American and Soviet atomic bombs. These characters and many others find their lives inextricably entangled as their experiences illuminate the cataclysms that marked the century. From the drawing rooms of the rich to the blood and smoke of battle, their lives intertwine, propelling the reader into dramas of ever-increasing complexity. As always with Ken Follett, the historical background is brilliantly researched and rendered, the action fast-moving, the characters rich in nuance and emotion. With passion and the hand of a master, he brings us into a world we thought we knew, but now will never seem the same again.
My Take: I enjoyed Book #2 almost as much as Book #1. My only regret is that the third book won't be available until Fall 2014. I wish now I had waited to start them until they were all available. I think I have found a new favorite author!
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Healing Eden - Book #3 by Sheri Richey Giveaway ends November 22, 2013.
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Enter to winSeptember 1, 2013
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Saving Eden by Sheri Richey Giveaway ends October 04, 2013.
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Enter to winFall of Giants: Book One of the Century Trilogy
Hardback Edition
Author Ken Follett’s magnificent new historical epic begins, as five interrelated families move through the momentous dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women’s suffrage.
A thirteen-year-old Welsh boy enters a man’s world in the mining pits.…An American law student rejected in love finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson’s White House.… A housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with a German spy.…And two orphaned Russian brothers embark on radically different paths when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution.
My Take: I enjoyed the many different stories woven throughout this huge book. All the families each had their own challenges and they dipped and danced around the lives of the others. I had not read any of Ken Follett's novels, but know now that I will need to seek them out. I have already begun the second novel in this trilogy, Winter of the World, and am enjoying it too!July 18, 2013
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Finding Eden by Sheri Richey Giveaway ends August 18, 2013.
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Enter to winMarch 22, 2013
Guilt: An Alex Delaware Novel [Kindle Edition] Jonat...
Guilt: An Alex Delaware Novel [Kindle Edition] Jonathan Kellerman (Author)
Publication Date: February 12, 2013 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Jonathan Kellerman’s “psychology skills and dark imagination are a potent literary mix” (Los Angeles Times), and this intensely thrilling blend has never been so powerful as in the acclaimed author’s new novel of murder and madness among the beautiful dreamers, seductive predators, and doomed innocents adrift in the glare of Southern California’s eternal sunshine.
A series of horrifying events occur in quick succession in the same upscale L.A. neighborhood. A backyard renovation unearths an infant’s body, buried sixty years ago. And soon thereafter in a nearby park, another disturbingly bizarre discovery is made not far from the body of a young woman shot in the head. Helping LAPD homicide detective Milo Sturgis to link these eerie incidents is brilliant psychologist Alex Delaware. But even the good doctor’s vast experience with matters both clinical and criminal might not be enough to cut down to the bone of this chilling case—and draw out the disturbing truth.
My take: Enjoyed the story and although the end was not really surprising, it did keep me interested throughout the story. In the beginning it seems unrelated items present that couldn't possibly fit together but you learn later that they do... and they don't. Aside from the main characters (Dr. Delaware and Milo) I didn't find most of the other characters very likeable but overall, it was a nice story.
