Mailbox Monday

Click on title for synopsis via GoodReads.

Monday:
Wall Of Silence by Tracy Buchanan ~ eBook from Amazon Prime
Someone’s Listening by Seraphina Nova Glass ~ print ARC from Graydon House/Harper Collins
Monday:
The Darkness We Hide by Debra Webb ~ PB from Harper Collins
Wednesday:
A Perfect Mother by Jo Crow ~ Personal purchase eBook
Thursday:
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James ~ HC from giveaway win at Silver’s Reviews and Random House
After All I’ve Done by Mina Hardy ~ eBook from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley
Saturday:
The Lost Orphan by Stacey Halls ~ Print ARC from Harper Collins
The Occult Persuasion and the Anarchist’s Solution by Lisa de Nikolits ~ TPB from Author

1..I won’t pay more than________________ for __________________.
2. The last ______________ I ____________________ was ______________.
3. I recently had the opportunity to _________.
4. _________ is cause for celebration.

1. I won’t pay more than $5.00 for the Yankee Candle wax melts that I use.
2. The last book I read was was My Sister Is Missing.
3. I recently had the opportunity to read an ARC of The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine, which caused a major book hangover.
4. My family’s birthdays is cause for celebration.

A twenty-year-old local mystery that has never been sold.
A bone-chilling VHS tape depicting a horrific crime.

Neighbors with something to hide.

And a sister who is missing.

Emily has to find out the truth. But is her sister Madeline the victim…or the one to blame?

Nine years ago was the last time Emily has been home, however, her sister Madeline pleaded with her to come back to their childhood home to help her with the children since her husband left her for a younger woman. Plus she hinted that there was more but wanted to do it face to face.

Twenty years ago, Emily had a near-death accident in the woods surrounding their house and at the same time, another child went missing. Were these 2 incidents connected?

But before Madeline tells Emily “the big news” and only after 24 hours of Emily arriving, Madeline goes missing. Is it of her own accord or is something more sinister?

I really enjoyed this book. I was surprised at all that happened within the 197 pages. I was 99.99% sure I had it all figured out but the last few chapters showed that I wasn’t even close.

A quick read that will keep you guessing throughout!

Purchase Links: Amazon 🔗 | Barnes & Noble 🔗 | Goodreads 🔗

You probably know someone like Shay Miller.
She wants to find love, but it eludes her.
She wants to be fulfilled, but her job is a dead end.
She wants to belong, but her life is so isolated.

You probably don’t know anyone like the Moore sisters.
They have an unbreakable circle of friends.
They live the most glamorous life.
They always get what they desire.

Shay thinks she wants their life.
But what they really want is hers.

This extraordinary writing duo has done it again!!!!

After reading An Anonymous Girl and The Wife Between Us, I knew I had to get my hands on this novel.

At 31, Shay Miller feels that her life is going nowhere since her circle of friends has vanished due to marriages, families and careers and herself in a dead-end job.

Then one day her life changes. Waiting for the train, she notices a girl very close to the edge and thinking if she should approach her. However, in that instant, it is too late because the girl jumps in front of the train. Shay, so traumatized by the event, wants to find out everything about this girl, who she now knows as Amanda. So much so, Shay even attends the memorial for her.

There she meets Amanda’s friends, who seem to bring her into their circle. Her newfound friendships lift her spirits but then things turn sinister. Is it Shay that she is the guilty one in a murder or is she a victim?
Are these girls truly her friends or are they setting her up?

I could not put this book down. The pages turning as fast as I could read. The story pulled me in and didn’t let go until the unbelievable ending. My head was spinning throughout the story trying to figure out how it would end and it was shocking!!!! Totally engrossing and chilling! What a read!!!!!

Not only do I recommend this book but their previous books too!!!!

Purchase Links: Amazon 🔗 | Barnes & Noble 🔗 | Goodreads 🔗

Mailbox Monday

Click on title for synopsis via GoodReads.

Sunday:
Strike Me Down by Mindy Mejia ~ print ARC from Simon & Schuster via GR win
Tuesday:
You And Me And Us by Alison Hammer ~ print ARC from Harper Collins
Thursday:
The German Heiress by Anika Scott ~ print ARC from Harper Collins won via GR

Friday:
The Lucky One by Lori Rader-Day ~ TPB from Harper Collins

I had a better month as far as reading goes, which surprised me since I had a lot going on in real life this month. Since I am POA for my sister and DPOA (durable power of attorney-medical) for my husband’s aunt, I had to be present for procedures and appointments, traveling to PA to celebrate my youngest granddaughter’s 1st birthday and coming home only to have the flu/virus waiting for me once I opened our front door that put me down for a few days.

I was finding that I wasn’t putting in time for my reading due to being busy with the tour companies and just wasn’t as motivated to read as I had been in the past. Then I saw something on Jersey Girl’s Book Reviews FB page and contacted her to ask about it. It’s an App that monitors one’s reading. I kept going back and forth if I should buy a subscription and then said, let’s go for it. I think subconsciously, knowing I paid for it, I better make good use of it. It seems to be holding me accountable to read each day. As you will see below, one of the books this month was before I purchased the App.

The review for No Bad Deed by Heather Chavez was posted on February 12th.

I guess we will see if Bookly will be my motivation for March!!!!!

1. I know spring is almost here when ___________________.
2. I find ____________________confusing.
3. I have a strong opinion on _________.
4. _________ is the strangest thing I have ever eaten.

1. I know spring is almost here when we turn the clocks back.

2. I find learning new technology confusing.

3. I have a strong opinion on family values.

4. Liver is the strangest thing I have ever eaten.

Memoir: A caretaker’s survival tale. When her mother’s health begins to fail, Erina Bridget Ring searches for something to do during the hours she spends at her mother’s bedside. What she discovers is knitting–and a group of women knitters. But as she learns to knit and at the same time cares for her ailing mother, she finds that things at the knitting group are not what they seem to be.

This is the third book that I have read by this author. I previously read The Neighborhood and Breakfast With The FBI and not only enjoyed her writing style, but also that her books are based on real-life incidents of her’s.

Jeanne Ryan, 89 years old, mother to 7 children including the baby of the family, Ms. Ring and due to location became the caretaker of her mother. It chronicles the life of her life while in this role, and how she found knitting as a pastime during this difficult time in her life. It is also a raw look into what can happen to a family facing the inevitable end result.

This book hit a nerve with me and triggered the time when I was in the same role as the author. And since I had been, I could feel all of the emotions that the author talks about, worry, both mental and physical exhaustion, frustration, love, anger, guilt, and fear, and even how one has to hold on to humor to name a few.

I also connected, and it was somewhat ironic, that she had her faith to draw from and a Priest who she leaned on. In my case, the last week of my Mom’s life, I was able to draw strength from a cousin who is a priest and stayed by both my Mom and my’s side.

There were so many parallels with the author’s recount of that time and mine, that I read this book in one sitting. The only differences were that I crochet and not knit, she has many siblings and I only have one, however, since I’m her POA, it was only me making decisions and having to break down my Mom’s house. But even with those differences, I related to this entire book.

A poignant explanation of what it is like to be in the role of caretaker. A story that was moving and impactful!!!

Ms. Ring opens her heart and soul in this book and I highly recommend if you are presently a caretaker or foresee it in your future because you will understand that you aren’t alone with your emotions.

Purchase Links: Amazon 🔗 | Barnes & Noble 🔗 | Goodreads 🔗