Book Review: The Wife Between Us

From Goodreads:

When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.

You will assume you are reading about a jealous ex-wife.

You will assume she is obsessed with her replacement – a beautiful, younger woman who is about to marry the man they both love.

You will assume you know the anatomy of this tangled love triangle.

Assume nothing.

Twisted and deliciously chilling, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen‘s The Wife Between Us exposes the secret complexities of an enviable marriage – and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.

Read between the lies.

MY REVIEW:

I love a good domestic thriller. This story was twisty and intelligent, cleverly written and filled with unexpected twists and turns. The Wife Between Us is one thought-provoking book, and apparently I’m a bad book detective.

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I did not see that first plot twist coming at all. I actually had to flip back a few pages to reread the end of Part One and see if I had misread something. Nope! I was thankful for that first big twist, though, because the pace picked up to my speed from there and swiftly became a page-turner.

“You need to remember that even when I’m not there, I’m with you.”

Creepy, much?! That one line sent chills down my spine. No, it’s not meant to be sweet or romantic. I saw right through that from the start. The mental illness and emotional abuse in this story was all too believable.

All I can say, without giving the main plot points away, is things are not always what they seem.

This book seems to have received mixed reviews, which is what made me so curious about it. It was a solid 4 star read for me. I think you really have to read it for yourself to be the judge of that.

If you have read the book, what did you think?

Did you know Playing House is a domestic thriller too?

Readers are saying, if you enjoyed The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, you will enjoy Playing House and The Black Widow!

A fascinating mystery…

Hello Again by Brenda Novak is a fascinating mystery weaved into a chilling romantic suspense novel.

The paperback was a gift and it certainly sounded like something I would like to read.

Blurb:

SHE CAN MAKE SENSE OF A COMPLEX CRIMINAL MIND.

Evelyn Talbot, a psychiatrist at a maximum-security prison in Alaska, studies some of the world’s worst serial killers. But she’s about to meet her most elusive patient at Hanover House yet: Dr. Lyman Bishop, AKA the Zombie Maker given his fondness for performing ice-pick lobotomies on his victims. A brilliant cancer researcher, Bishop is either the most cunning psychopath Evelyn has ever encountered―or he is wrongly convicted.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CRIMINAL CAN SEE INTO HER OWN?
When a new ice-pick fatality occurs, it seems Bishop really was wrongly convicted. Except…Evelyn has a personal connection to the victim and that suggests the killer may be someone from her own past: Jasper Moore, her high school boyfriend who tortured her and left her for dead when she was only sixteen. Jasper also murdered three of her friends―and was never caught. Is he trying to send a message with this copycat crime? The only thing Evelyn knows for sure is that if Jasper is on her trail, she might not be able to escape again . . .

The Air He Breathes | Book Review

My book review follows, but first… look at this cover!

Are you a fan of book cover model Franggy Yanez and his beard? I think they hit the ball out of the park with this book cover. It practically sold the story.

The story:

I was warned about Tristan Cole. “Stay away from him,” people said. “He’s cruel.” “He’s cold.” “He’s damaged.” 

It’s easy to judge a man because of his past. To look at Tristan and see a monster. But I couldn’t do that. I had to accept the wreckage that lived inside of him, because it also lived inside of me. 

We were both empty. We were both looking for something else. Something more. We both wanted to put together the shattered pieces of our yesterdays. Then perhaps we could finally remember how to breathe.

My review:

What a beautiful love story.

Book Review: Granted Wishes by Tanya Vought

Something magical is happening in New Hope…

Granted Wishes was unlike any other story I’ve read before. The characters are quirky, sweet, determined, stubborn at times, but truly likeable and overall good people who have been dealt a raw deal in life. Gracelynn is worn down from the loss of her husband and it seems no amount of time will heal her broken heart. She still manages to be one spunky gal, who happens to be really good at getting Gio’s boxers in a bunch. When an accident leaves her stranded at his cabin, she has to be careful what she wishes for.

Review: Hidden Truths by Nicole Colville

MY REVIEW:

I’ve read a M/M romance before, but it was nothing compared to this. Nicole is unafraid to push the envelope, her delivery is wholehearted, and she just tells her story like it is… dirty, gritty and erotic. Allow me to reiterate that this story is INCREDIBLY hot. I dared think I could pull the STRAIGHT GIRL move at first and try to picture one of the men as a woman. Nope. Did not work. The incredibly descriptive act of body parts touching just does not allow for it.

Trust Me, Ma Cherie. You won’t want to miss this one.

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to read a beta version of WALLS by Alex Jones, a fellow indie author who is resident in Ontario, Canada.  Walls is a very well written psychological thriller and has an anticipated release date of December, 2013.  Check out my book review and pay Alex a visit for more information.

REVIEW:

My head is spinning right now. There’s tears in my eyes, fear in my heart and this story is not even close to being over. Just wow!! This author, in his debut release, magically weaves a plot that leaves you wondering what is going to happen next, lets you inside the heads of each of the characters, and slowly unfolds the reasons why each of them are the way they are.

Hidden Child by Nicole Colville – WARNING This story is very real.

Told from the child’s perspective, this story is guaranteed to tug at your heart strings.  Add it to your Goodreads shelves now!!

Here’s my 5 star review for Nicole Colville’s Hidden Child:

This is a must read!! It touches on so many issues from the child’s perspective; child abuse, mental illness, a child’s struggle with loving a parent who continues to wrong him.I’ve never read anything quite like it, but it is so real.I wasn’t sure that I’d enjoy reading a story from a child’s perspective, especially since I mostly enjoy romance novels, but I found myself having to read this story to the end.  It was all encompassing.  In fact, there are a couple of vivid images that I would prefer to forget, but I can’t. Terribly saddening, but very well written. Read it to see what I mean.

4.5 Star Review of Twisted

Check out this review of Twisted on ReadfulThings blog by clicking the following link:  Twisted By Christa Simpson.  🙂

Cover by Razzle Dazzle Design.

He Can Hold Me Captive Any Day

So I just finished reading ‘Captive at Christmas’ by Danielle Taylor.  I tell you, it doesn’t need to be Christmas time to read this steamy novella.

Summary:  Mac’s house is under renovation and so he’s staying at a quaint cabin for a few weeks until the work is complete. Little does he know that Hannah also booked the luxury cabin for that time. He seems to have serious trust issues and thinks she’s some kind of spy or assassin and in turn holds her captive on her two week vacation.

Log Cabin – Camp Petosega (Photo credit: Odalaigh)

Though their relationship starts out with a gun to her head, Hannah seemed to be a rather willing victim and if you knew what this guy looked like, so would you. He is such a sexy bad ass that you can’t help but like him.

Classroom Chaos

This is a book review from my little sweet heart Jenica. She is 7 years old and just finished reading the novel Magic Kitten – Classroom Chaos.

There’s Classroom Chaos when fluffy black and white kitten Flame appears at lonely Abi’s boarding school!

“In the beginning, there was a mean girl named Keera at the boarding school and she had to share a room with Abi. Then Abi got put with a nicer girl named Sasha because Keera was being mean to her and doesn’t have anything in common with Abi. Now Keera got put with Tiwa and Marsha because they had lots of stuff in common. All three of those girls were mean. They said there was an old lady grey ghost, which was weird because ghosts aren’t real.