work, home and friends...

I do enjoy James Patterson's books.  This one, "12th of Never" didn't disappoint.  It is a series of the women's murder club and this one follows Detective Lindsay Boxer.  She has just had a baby, at home, while the power is out, and she is instantly in love.  But after a week at home with the baby, Lindsay is forced to go back to work.  She meets an eccentric professor who is dreaming about murders. He dreams it and then it happens.  Lindsay doesn't believe him until a shooting is called in that fit his description exactly.  Then there is the football star who is a prime suspect in the murder of his girlfriend.  Lindsay must deal with all of this while things with her baby are happening without her home and must leave her husband at the helm.

lack of memories...

"Turn of Mind" by Alice LaPlante is about a orthopedic surgeon with dementia.  Dr Jennifer White's mind is deteriorating.  Her caregiver and her children have to write everything down in a notebook just so she can remember things about her life.

Jennifer's best friend and neighbor, Amanda has been killed and four of her fingers have been removed.  She is a suspect but the problem is she cannot remember anything about it.

a thrill ride...

Becky Masterman wrote "Rage Against the Dying."  It follows ex FBI agent Brigid Quinn.  Brigid used to hunt very bad guys, sexual predators.  Those memories stick with her even though she has tried to forget and also leaves her with skills she wishes she didn't possess.  She has settled down in Tuscon with her new husband and is trying to live the quiet life. However, an old unsolved case comes back to haunt her and the agent in charge feels that Brigid hiding something in regards to the case.

an unlikely friendship...

"The Street Sweeper" by Eliot Perlman follows a recent man,Lamont, who has just been released from prison.  He is given a job a New York hospital with a 6 month probation period.  Every day he worries about his job security and is very careful.  While on the job he becomes friends with an elderly gentleman who was a prisoner in Auschwitz.

Also in New York, college professor Adam is also dealing with some life changes.  His job is coming to an end and he feels lost in his career path.  He stumbles upon old recordings of interviews which sends him on an interesting topic that just might save his professional career.

all is not what it seems...

Justin and Libby Denbe have what looks like the most amazing life.  A wonderful daughter, a beautiful home and Justin's business which is thriving.  In "Touch and Go" by Lisa Gardner the story follows this family into what seems like their perfect lives.  Of course, things are not always what they seem.  When the whole Denbe family goes missing and all their personal things are left behind.  There is no ransom, no witnesses and no motive for why the family has disappeared without a trace.

lost and found...

I have read most of the books by Iris Johansen in the series about Eve Duncan.  This book, "Taking Eve" is all about the search for Eve when she goes missing.  There is a man who wants answers about his son and only Eve can help him.  He has what he believes is his son's skull and only Eve can give him the closure he needs.

connected lives...

Jennifer Haigh wrote "News from Heaven" which is a collection of short stories which depict how people in our lives help shape who we become.

feeling small, living large...

"The Girl Giant" by Kristen den Hartog follows the life of Ruth, unbelievably tall and feeling out of sorts in her world.  She lives in a small town which makes it harder for her to blend in which is impossible anyway due to her stature.  However, she has a way of seeing through people and shows them that a little courage goes a long way.

an unconventional mother...

"Chanel Bonfire" by Wendy Lawless is a memoir about her upbringing with a very unstable mother.  Wendy and her sister try very hard to rise above the many suicide attempts, the constant flow of men in and out of their mother's life and their unstable childhood.  All the girls want to do is find a way to cover the cracks in their lives and hide them from the world.

we always want what we can't have...

Wendy and her sister, Robin, always knew their home life, and especially their mother, was not normal.  But they always hoped that their mom would "get better" and find something in life that made her happy.  Georgann, their mom, wasn't into what normal moms were.  She always wanted to be at the best parties, wear the best clothes and travel to the best places.  However, through Georgann's life of suicide attempts and mental breakdowns, all Wendy wants to do is be a good daughter and try to hide the life she lives.

old or new...

"The Innocents" by Francesca Segal is about Adam and Rachel.  They have been together since they were sixteen and are now engaged.  Everything is perfect and going in the right direction.  Then Rachel's cousin, Ellie, returns home and throws their life, especially Adam's, out of balance.

what is hiding in the shadows...

"Shadow Creek" by Joy Fielding follows an unlikely group of travelers who end up in the Adirondacks.  What they do not realize that in the same area are some killers preying on people who cannot defend themselves.  It is a fight for survival when someone from the group goes missing.

starting from scratch...

"The Perfect Hope" by Nora Roberts follows Hope, the manager/innkeeper of a bed and breakfast and Ryder.  Ryder is hard to manage and unsociable, but there is something about Hope that just draws him out.

Hope's past from her last hotel management job is about to blow up in her face.  She misses the big-city glamorous life but is so happy to have slowed down and appreciates where she is now, excite for her love life.

do you see what I see...?

Aaron Wolcott is mourning the death of his wife in the book, "The Beginner's Goodbye" by Anne Tyler.  Aaron is trying hard to deal with his wife being gone and starts to heal by her frequent appearances in the strangest places; the grocery store, their house and on the sidewalk.  His wife, Dorothy, is killed in a freak accident when a tree falls on their house.  Aaron works in his family's publishing business by putting out books that are to help beginners through life.  It is through all these books that lead Aaron to believe he can say goodbye to his wife afterall.

keeps going and going and going...

The stories by James Patterson in the recurring character of Alex Cross are always interesting.   In this one, "Merry Christmas, Alex Cross", Alex is called to deal with a hostage crisis during Christmas.  This happens right after Alex has returned home  after leaving on Christmas Eve to help catch the person who is stealing from the donation box at church. The hostage crisis makes his family upset and Alex has to decide what his priorities are...his work or his family.

you can go back...

Jen Lancaster wrote "Here I Go Again."  It is twenty years after her high school graduation and Lissy Ryder doesn't remember what happened to the "good old days."  She has been dumped and fired.  All she wants is to remember the days in high school when she was loved, worshipped and feared.  And before she realizes what is happening, Lissy is back in high school and has the chance to remake herself and do things right this time around.

bad boy?

In the book "Ryan's Return" by Barbara Freethy, Ryan Hunter, a famous photojournalist, returns home for a small town celebration.  He returns to a town that wants nothing to do with him. His father disowned him.  His brother betrayed him.  And then there is Kara, the one who invited him to the town celebration.  There is a definite attraction between Ryan and Kara, yet Kara is involved with his brother.

look inside your soul...

Jillian Hart honors the works of a volunteer of a women's shelter in the boo "No One but You."  Mariah, the main character, is an domestic abuse survivor and runs a shelter for abused women.  She never expected her life to turn out the way it did.  Her ex-husband was abusive and once Mariah was able to escape with her son, she vowed never to date again.  Her life revolves around the center and her son, Jake.  When Mariah's old boyfriend shows up she is not sure what to make of it.

life changing moments...

Tracey Badenhorst writes a true story in this moving account of the life of her sister, Jane in the book "My Name is.....Jane."

When Jane is 14 years old, she is struck with a mysterious illness that changes her life and the life of her parents and sisters forever.  Through all of it, Jane never loses her will to live, her loving nature or the rosy way she looks at life.  She lives for her parents, her sisters and as she gets older, her job.  She always believes that she will get better one day and that becomes her mantra.  This is a touching story that will capture your heart and remind you how lucky we are to have our family.

second chances...

Edie Claire writes such a lovely story about second chances in "Long Time Coming."

Joy Hudson is an adult now, an accomplished veterinarian  she is dealing with trauma from her senior year in high school, when her best friend was killed. Joy returns home to care for her aging father and all the memories come rushing back to her.   Joy has always blamed a boy, her friend's boyfriend at the time, and now he is a grown man, the town doctor and he really wants to take the time to explain to Joy what had happened all those years ago.  Joy is having all kinds of strange visions, almost like a haunting, and she doesn't know what to make of it.

what happens in Vegas...

"Waking Up Married" by Mira Lyn Kelly a fun read.  It was extremely predictable, but I liked it a lot.

Megan is in Las Vegas for her cousins wedding and it is the morning after the bachelorette party and she wakes up with a hangover like no other and finds herself in bed with a stranger, in his penthouse, he is gorgeous, sexy as hell and he is her HUSBAND and she remembers absolutely nothing about it.

Megan has never been successful in her relationships and now has gone from spending less than 24 hours with Connor to becoming his wife.  All Megan wants is to get a quick divorce but Connor wants to stay married and tries his best to make Megan see all the reasons why their marriage can work.

past and present...

"The One You Love" by Paul Pilkington is about Emma Holden who is weeks away from her wedding day.  She is out celebrating with her friends while the guys are getting ready to celebrate with her fiancee, Dan.  She receives a call from her brother saying Dan never showed up.  Emma races home to look for Dan and finds that his brother has been attacked and left bleeding in their apartment.

Dan has disappeared and Emma is being watched and her family is keeping a secret from her that just may ruin her life and the lives of those she loves.  Emma must figure out what is going on if she has any chance of finding Dan before it is too late.

alone and lonely...

"Solitary" by Travis Thrasher was a free kindle download so I thought I would give it a try.  It is about a boy,  Chris, age 16, who has moved to the town of Solitary with his mom.  He is in a new school where all he can focus on is Jocelyn, the most beautiful girl in the school.  Jocelyn wants nothing to do with Chris, keeps pushing him away, but the more she pushes, the more they are drawn together.

Chris is being bullied, his mom is a raging alcoholic and Jocelyn has many secrets that scare Chris more than the bullies and his mom ever do.  And all Chris wants to do is protect Jocelyn and believe in the connection they share.

why, why not...

Emily, a 30-something girl, is tired of not getting her man in "Emily's Reasons Why Not" by Carrie Gerlach.

Emily seeks out a therapist to help her delve into the reasons why she is still single.  The doctor tells her to start a list of 10 things that are reasons she should not be dating the guys she does.  His hope is instead of helping her find Mr Right he can help her spot Mr Wrong.

I don't always love the tone Emily has within her relationships, never taking responsibility  etc, but she does have an air about her that is a bit likable.  It was an easy read, but not one I would highly recommend.

weight and see...

"Worth the Weight" by Mara Jacobs was quite enjoyable.  I read it on a whim and was very surprised at how much I liked it and look forward to reading the other books in this series.

Lizzie is very happy with the fact that she is half the size she used to be and she heads home to her small hometown to try and use her new body by reacquainting with an old boyfriend.  Her plan is to seduce him, get comfortable in her new body and then dump him, just like he dumped her when she was 18 years old.  However, even the best laid plans can backfire.  Thank goodness Lizzie has her two best friends there to see her through.

fast friends for life...

Kristin Hannah wrote "Firefly Lane", a book about Kate, an eighth-grade girl who is tired of being lonely and without any friends.  But it seems her luck has changed when Tully, a very cool girl moves in across the street.  Kate cannot believe that someone as beautiful and talented as Tully would want to be her friend, but they become inseparable and they swear to be best friends for life.

The book covers a period of about 30 years, as Kate and Tully grow and change the one thing that reminds stable is their friendship.  Then something happens that forces the women to live their lives apart from each other.

This is a story of friendship most of all...read it, you won't be disappointed.

what you don't know may kill you...

"Already Gone" by John Rector is about Jake, a university professor who is attacked while leaving a bar one night.  But instead of beating him or taking his wallet, the attackers cut off his finger with his wedding band still attached.

Jake wakes up in the hospital, his wife and good friend are there as well.  Jake assumes that the attack on him was due to his shady past but when his wife tells him she needs some time away to do some thinking, Jake knows that if he makes one phone call he will be able to get to the bottom of everything.

Good twists and turns...
Enjoy!