The follow up to The Choosing takes things in a different direction, but not in a bad way. The Calling by Rachelle Dekker is a great sequel to what has the potential to be an excellent series. Car…
Source: The Calling – Rachelle Dekker
Author: writereadlife
Full time mom, author, book reviewer
The Choosing
A new story by a new Dekker that keeps you wanting more. When Carrington Hale isn’t chosen at the ceremony she has been preparing for her whole life she thinks something much be wrong. She i…
Source: The Choosing
The Trapped Girl
Author: Robert Dugoni
Series: Tracy Crosswhite #4
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Release Date: January 24, 2017
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewer: Jessica Higgins
The fourth book in the Tracy Crosswhite series is a must read, top notch thriller with twists at every turn. This is Dugoni at his best!
Tracy Crosswhite finds herself called out when a woman’s body is found submerged in a crab pot in Puget Sound. This is not going to be an easy case. Before they can do anything else, Tracy and her team must first identify the victim who has gone to great lengths to keep her identity a secret. This raises the question, who and what was she running from. Following the evidence the team is lead to believe that their Jane Doe might be a woman who disappeared several months earlier climbing Mt. Rainier with her husband, who was a suspect in her disappearance. Without a body on the mountain, it was hard to make a case against the husband. All this hits close to home with Tracy as she remembers the disappearance of her sister and how that case consumed her life. Each clue brings about another one that conflicts with the previous, making the investigation that much harder. Tracy is more determined than ever to find the truth of what happened and is determined not to let anything get in her way.
Robert Dugoni is now one of my top favorite authors with the Tracy Crosswhite novels as one of my most recommended series. The first in the series is my favorite, but The Trapped Girl gives it a run for its money. This story goes back and forth at times between Tracy and what is happening with her and then to Andrea Strickland, the woman they think they found dead. This can sometimes be confusing but Dugoni has found a way to write both scenes without losing the reader at any point. These are the stories I love to sit down and devour in one siting if I have the time. With two boys at home it took me a few days to read but I loved every page. I’m can definitely say that a Dugoni novel has never bored me and a Tracy Crosswhite novel keeps me up well into the night. Dugoni has found a way to write characters that are easily likable (Tracy), and characters that you can’t help but despise, (Nolasco, Fields). I really hope this isn’t the last in the series. There is so much more I could see happening with Tracy and the squad. Her relationship with Dan is continuing to pay out nicely and the rest of the squad has developed a dynamic that is hard to find in other books. I know it is early in the year but I feel certain I can say this will be in my best of the year list, it will be hard for another book to top this one. I can’t say that this is the best in the series, the first one is one of my top books of all time and that’s just hard to beat. But this one is a very close second. The way I know a book is one of the best, like My Sister’s Grave, is several years later I can think about that book and recall most of it. Many of the books I read fade from my memory within the next year. I am sure The Trapped Girl will stick around and be one I recommend for a long time.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat guessing at what is going to happen next. There is some mild language that may not be suitable for young readers.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
A Harvest of Thorns
Author: Corban Addison
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: January 24, 2017
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewer: Jessica Higgins
This should be a required read for business ethics courses!
Dhaka, Bangladesh is home to several garment factories that make products sold in stores all across the world. Some are better suited for working conditions than others. One night, an electrical short in a generator causes a fire at the Millennium factory while workers are trying to complete a last minute order. As the fire roars up the stairs, which is also the upper floors only exit, several workers try to remove the bars from the windows. Finally, they get them free only to jump five levels above the ground, many to their death. A photo of a young girl on the ground, bloody and battered, is shown throughout the news media. On her face is a mask made of pants sold by one of the world’s largest retailers, Presto.
The next morning in Washington, D.C. Cameron Alexander, Presto’s general counsel, is called into the CEO’s office to watch the scene unfold. The factory was on the company’s red list, meaning they should not have any products being manufactured there. Cameron’s main job is damage control as well as company reputation and he must figure out why this happened and how to spin it in a positive light. As he digs into the investigation, he is shocked to find out the code of conduct is not only misused, but many times completely ignored. He starts cracking down on the factory that the order was with and other items begin to come to light, not just in Bangladesh, but in Malaysia and Jordan as well. Can the poison be stopped, or will it just keep spreading?
A year later, Joshua Griswold meets a confidential informant from Presto urging him to investigate the matter. Josh has won two Pulitzers, but was disgraced after one of the articles was used to uncover an unfortunate scandal. Now with his marriage in shambles, he hopes he can rebuild his career with the Presto case and maybe even his family.
This book was an incredible read. From the start of the book, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down until I figured out what was going on. Then once I did, I was along for the ride to see how everything played out. As a consumer, this book can really open your eyes if you let it. Most of us have heard about sweatshops and working conditions, but living in a first world country, you don’t really want to go there, either in person or your mind. So reading this book can definitely give you an education. It really makes you think about where the products you purchase come from. It may have a sticker that says Made in Taiwan, but what do the people who make it go through? How much do they get paid? And then the whole set up with labor trafficking and supervisor rape. It’s sickening to even imagine, but it does happen.
I think this would be a powerful book for business majors to read. Just to get them in a mindset about decisions they will be making and how they can affect other people’s lives. If we are going to change the system, it will have to be from the top down and everyone will have to work to make a difference. Thank you Corban Addison for bringing this issue to light and giving these workers a voice to be heard.
Aside from some of the content that will undoubtedly make some people uncomfortable, there is also some harsh language throughout. I would recommend this book to college age and above.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
The Spartan Dagger
Author: Nicholas Guild
Publisher: Forge Books
Release Date: December 27, 2016
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewer: Jessica Higgins
A wickedly exciting cat and mouse game set in Ancient Greece!
As young Protos and his parents leave his dying uncle’s house, two young Spartan soldiers emerge in the dark with no other intention to kill them for sport. At his father’s command, Protos runs away as his parents are slaughtered by the two soldiers. One of the soldiers than takes off for him, but he is careless and Protos manages to knock him out and then steal his dagger. When he wakes up, Protos then kills him. When the other soldier finds that his brother has been killed, he declares that he will find this boy and hunt him down. His name is Eurytus. The next day, Eurytus and four more Spartans return to find Protos and go to his uncle’s house. When they cannot tell him where he went, the Spartans murder the entire family just as Protos returns to witness. He then leads the soldiers into a trap where he single handedly relieves them of their heads and throws them at Eurytus. Now a personal battle between the two has been waged.
As time goes on, Protos moves onto Thebes where he becomes one of Sparta’s main enemies. Throughout assassination attempts, battles, and quarrels, Protos and Eurytus come to understand and respect one another. They are not friends, but neither of them can imagine life without the other. The thought of a future without looking forward to vengeance fills empty. But no one can live forever and someone must win the battle between the two.
If a book could play chess against itself, this would be a master game. The strategy that is set up in this book between Protos and Eurytus is very well played out by both of the characters. It is always one of them makes a move and the other counters and then so on and so forth. I was engrossed within the book very quickly and enjoyed the entire story. The historical setting and characters played out interestingly for history too. Specifically the diplomats of Thebes. If you’ve never read a book about this location in this era, your eyes may be opened. If really gets into great, yet disturbing, detail on many aspects of the way of life. Even so, the back and forth between the two main characters was great. With many of the movies today that depict Ancient Sparta, you find yourself rooting for them. However, that is not the case in this book. For once, I was rooting against them and for a common slave that was a natural born warrior, but reluctant leader. But aren’t those the best kind?
There was very little foul language in the book. However, there was a lot of graphic violence. Also, there was a lot of implied sex and sexual activity throughout the book. Nothing really graphic, but enough that some readers will get uncomfortable, especially the parts with underage kids. However, I understand that this is what went on in that time and to be historically accurate, some of it has to be depicted, even if it gives some shock value.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
The Shattered Vigil
Author: Patrick W. Carr
Series: The Darkwater Saga #2
Publisher: Bethany House
Release Date: November 1, 2016
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewer: Jessica Higgins
A second installment that reads just as good as the first!
As Willet and the Vigil thought there were in the clear, new dangers have emerged that are beyond anything they have ever faced. Not only are these new foes assassins, but they never spotted until it is too late. As members of the Vigil disappear and murders take place, Willet must escape to face the threat and save the continent.
This has been a really enjoyable series by Carr. He is a master at developing his characters and creating new worlds. His worlds will consume the reader so that you are caught up in the politics, religion, belief system etc. The characters he manages to develop are very complex, but not difficult to relate to. Even so, if you have not read the first book, this one may be a little confusing, but still enjoyable nonetheless. I haven’t read anything outside of this series, but imagine it would be just as good as the Darkwater Sage. If you are up for a good, clean fantasy, give this series a try!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
El Paso
Author: Winston Groom
Publisher: Liveright
Release Date: October 4, 2016
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewer: Jessica Higgins
Groom dives back into a historical novel and shows that he still has what it takes to draw fiction readers in!
Arthur Shaughnessy has just received a telegram that is a challenge from his father. With their railroad company (New England and Pacific) close to financial turmoil, his father has decided to sail his yacht from Massachusetts to Ireland and leave Arthur to figure out how to make payroll. So, he decides to do just that. Arthur goes to the bank and uses the yacht as collateral to secure loan, which naturally enrages his father when he gets the telegraph to bring the yacht back to moor as it cannot enter international waters. Now that his father his back, Arthur finds out that his father is also broke with exception of many of his properties located around the world. A decision is made to head to the Mexican ranch of Valle del Sol and sell off the majority of the cattle. Little do they know that just prior to this decision, the Mexican revolutionary general Pancho Villa has just raided the ranch and caused all kinds of mayhem from rustling several of the cattle to murdering the ranch manager. This is discovered once they enter the Texas border town of El Paso and decide to press on to Valle del Sol anyway. What transpires is an epic adventure including kidnapping, bullfights, and several unfortunate incidents that include victims of Pancho Villa’s rage.
It has been a long time since Groom has published a fiction novel and I wasn’t sure what would be waiting me. I’ve read several of his fiction works, most recognizably Forrest Gump and Gump and Company, but my favorite has always been Such a Pretty Girl. Being from Texas, I was excited to see that he had a novel set in El Paso, or so I thought. It was partly set there, but more set south of the border. Even so, everything has to come thru El Paso. So, I dove in. This is a fairly lengthy book and I had to power through the set up, but once I did, the remainder of the story flew by.
Groom’s trademark of his main characters having interaction with famous historical characters still holds true in this book. Everything centers around Pancho Villa, so Groom had his turn rewriting part of history as well, but it was very well observed that he did his research on the characters. However, there are some pretty disturbing scenes throughout the book depicting murders of several of the characters that may not be for readers with weak stomachs. But there are also some very intense scenes that readers will enjoy, in particular the bullfight scene. There is also some strong language, so I would recommend this book for mature readers. Also, in true Groom style, there are some happy points toward the end of the book, but one only needs to remember Forrest Gump and how that was not necessarily a happy ending. Enjoy!
In the Shadow of Denali
Authors: Tracie Peterson & Kimberley Woodhouse
Series: The Heart of Alaska Book #1
Publisher: Bethany House
Release Date: January 3, 2017
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewer: Jessica Higgins
Awesome historical fiction about the Curry Hotel along the Alaskan Railroad in the early 1920s.
Allan Brennan has had a lifelong dream of climbing Mount McKinley, or Denali as it is called by the locals. He wanted to climb it with his father back in 1917, but he was a Captain in the US Army during the Great War and missed the expedition that his dad did with his business partner. His dad made the summit, but lost his life during the climb. Six years later, Allan has taken a job as an apprentice guide at the Curry Hotel along the Alaskan Railroad, which is currently the gateway to the new McKinley National Park. When he meets his new boss, he is shocked to find that it was the guide, John Ivanoff, his father hired for the climb back in 2017. Unsure if he can control his anger and frustration with John, Allan tries to find a way to work alongside him. If that doesn’t complicate things, Allan has become infatuated with John’s lovely daughter, Cassidy, who works in the kitchen as the assistant head cook. As Allan gets to know John, he realizes that he is not the man that has been portrayed to him by his late father’s business partner. As he dwells on the past, things about this man don’t start to add up. Can Allan finally uncover the truth about his father’s death? And can he finally let go of his anger against God?
This was my first Tracie Peterson book and I have just found an author who is a master at writing conflict into her story. There was just the right amount needed to keep me hooked throughout the whole story. Never was there a dull moment. And the character development was fantastic. The story follows four main characters, John Ivanoff, Cassidy Ivanoff, Allan Brennan, and Frank Irving. Three of the characters continued to have growth throughout the entire story while the antagonist, Frank, managed to spiral further downward. I felt an instant connection with these characters and felt that I was alongside them rather than reading about them.
The history within the story was well researched too. I’m a little familiar with the railroad, but I had to go and research different parts of the story and found them to be in-line with history. Even the dates of the bridge in the last chapter lined up. I bet it was a sight to see. I recommend this book to history lovers as well as those just needing a great book to kick off the new year!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
Where I Can See You
Author: Larry D. Sweazy
Publisher: Seventh Street Books
Release Date: January 10, 2017
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewer: Jessica Higgins
A small town mystery that has big time consequences for criminals being chased by Hud Matthews in his quest to find the truth.
Hud Matthews became a detective partly to find out what happened to his mother. She disappeared when he was eight and he is still searching for the truth to what happened to her. He has moved back home and joined the force their just in time to try and help catch a killer. He quickly becomes a target. But the killer is not the only one after him. Many in town wish he would leave the past buried and move on with his life. The closer he moves to uncover the truth about the recent crimes, the more he also discovers about his mother’s disappearance. The question arises, how far will he go to make sure justice is served?
Where I Can See You had an interesting style to it. There was a back and forth between the actual story and a dialogue between Hud and someone. Sweazy keeps you in total suspense through the entire book until the very end to uncover who he is talking to and what it is really about. Even so, all the transitions kept me confused for a large portion of the book. Looking back, I can see how it fits in but I think it could have been done a little better to make the story flow smoother. Sweazy wrote a very interesting story making the main character sympathetic but at times a little hard to like and even relate to. None of the characters fully meshed to bring the story to life in a way I would have really enjoyed. There was some harsh language and some sex scenes that don’t make this a suitable read for anyone very young. I think mystery lovers will really enjoy this read, but you do have to be prepared of the back and forth to not get lost in the story. Overall it was an enjoyable read but I will let other readers make their own call about this being one that they keep on the shelves to pick up again.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
Fudge and Jury
Author: Ellie Alexander
Series: A Bakeshop Mystery #5
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: January 3, 2017
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewer: Jessica Higgins
A fun cozy mystery almost as sweet as the treats in the story.
Ashland, Oregon is known for its Shakespeare and Chocolate Festival. Torte is a local family bakery hoping to make a name for itself at the festival. Jules and her team have been cooking up specials and are ready to show their best. The festival promises to be a sweet event and everything is looking to be perfect, until a murder happens in front of the Torte booth. Evan Rowe, of Confections Couture, is one of the top names in the chocolate world. He is at the festival and is quick to let others know if they are not good enough they will be gone. It is easy to see how he has many enemies and that list is sure to be examined when he turns up dead after sampling cake from Jules and the Torte booth. Jules is on a mission to not only clear her name and that of her bakeries, but to also find out who among them is a murderer.
Fudge and Jury is the fifth book in the Bakeshop mysteries. I didn’t realize that when I started, so I haven’t read any others in the series. Even so, that didn’t affect my enjoyment of this one. This was an extremely fun and entertaining read. The characters were witty and engaging, the mystery was realistic and not over the top. There was a unique method to the murder that made it more enjoyable than if it was just a normal shooting, stabbing or one of the commonly used methods. Jules and Lance should have had more scenes in my opinion. When they were together, there was something about their interaction that kept the pages turning faster than when most of the other characters were together. There were a few points that were left unanswered, maybe they will be answered in the final book of the series, but I do wish there had been a little closure on those points. That has to be one of my only critical points. This is the kind of read that I think of sitting by the fire at a bed and breakfast or at the beach somewhere. Just a fun enjoyable read that is clean and able to put a smile on your face throughout. I recommend this to mystery lovers and chocolate lovers alike.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
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