What I've Read Lately

I'm still trying to get caught up on some of the books I've read lately. I've certainly read WAY more than the ones I talk about on here, but mostly I just like to share any noteworthy or interesting books I've read. So here are a few of my recent reads:

Just Let Go by Courtney Walsh

From back cover:
For Quinn Collins, buying the flower shop in downtown Harbor Pointe fulfills a childhood dream, but also gives her the chance to stick it to her mom, who owned the store before skipping town twenty years ago and never looking back. Completing much-needed renovations, however, while also competing for a prestigious flower competition with her mother as the head judge, soon has Quinn in over her head. Not that she’d ever ask for help.

Luckily, she may not need to. Quinn’s father and his meddling friends find the perfect solution in notorious Olympic skier Grady Benson, who had only planned on passing through the old-fashioned lakeside town. But when a heated confrontation leads to property damage, helping Quinn as a community-service sentence seems like the quickest way out―and the best way to avoid more negative press.

Quinn finds Grady reckless and entitled; he thinks she’s uptight and too regimented. Yet as the two begin to hammer and saw, Quinn sees glimpses of the vulnerability behind the bravado, and Grady learns from her passion and determination, qualities he seems to have lost along the way. But when a well-intentioned omission has devastating consequences, Grady finds himself cast out of town―and Quinn’s life―possibly forever. Forced to face the hurt holding her back, Quinn must finally let go or risk missing out on the adventure of a lifetime.

I liked this book but I also didn't like certain aspects of it. I liked the first book in the series a lot more because I identified with the characters a little better, but I had a hard time with the characters in this book. I didn't exactly dislike them, but I had a hard time liking them at times as well.

Grady was interesting. He was not a great guy for a good portion of the book and I was really struggling to figure out how he was going to turn his life around, but I was pleasantly surprised at how he did!

And Quinn was frustrating with her self-righteous attitude and her complete obsession with her mom. As the story goes on both characters change in a positive way that makes them more likable.

One thing that I found kind of odd was the fact that considering Grady is an Olympic skier, it just felt like the author was writing a story about an Olympic skier without actually knowing anything about skiing. That part of his life just didn't feel real or authentic. I mean, I'm no expert, but my family used to ski, I've taken snowboarding lessons, and we enjoy watching skiing during the Olympics, so I was surprised that the skiing angle was so nonexistent. I mean, skiing was mentioned but it was talked about in ways that made it seem off.

And I did get frustrated at Quinn and Grady's relationship toward the end of the book. I won't spoil it but there was too much on again/off again for my liking. Overall, not as good as the first but still an enjoyable read.

In Too Deep by Lynn H. Blackburn

From back cover:

When Carrington County Sheriff's Office dive team is called in to recover a body from a submerged car, they aren't prepared to find an encrypted laptop - or an unsettling connection between Investigator Adam Campbell and the dead accountant. 

Adam turns to his friend Dr. Sabrina Fleming to recover the files from the laptop. But the deeper they dig, the deadlier the investigation becomes. When evidence implicates members of Adam's own family, he and Sabrina will have to risk everything to solve the case. 

The truth could set hundreds free - but someone is willing to do whatever it takes to silence anyone who threatens to reveal their secrets. 

I really enjoyed this book! The plot was fascinating and the characters were really interesting. Both of the main characters were intriguing and complex; with Sabrina just being someone you really wanted to get to know more about. 

I don't really have much to say about this book except I really liked it and can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Be sure to check out the first book in the series: Beneath the Surface!

The Wind Will Howl by Sibella Giorello

From back cover:
In an instant, everything fell apart.

During an early morning rowing session with her fiancé, forensic geologist Raleigh Harmon discovers a shocking mystery under Seattle's Lake Union. But when that discovery triggers an investigation, it threatens to destroy everything Raleigh's worked so hard for. Her job. Her professional reputation. Even her recent engagement to Jack Stephanson.

But that's only half the problem.

Raleigh's mother is being released from the state mental hospital, while her only solid rock - her fiary-godmother Eleanor - suffers a turn for the worse. If that's not enough, Raleigh's wacky aunt gets her tangled into a convoluted case that stretches her patience. 

Struggling to save both job and family...

With one last-ditch effort, Raleigh goes into near-exile at the northwest tip of Washington state - a haunting land of courage and pain where an ancient tribe conceals dark and disturbing secrets. 

As the mysteries expand and time runs out, Raleigh realizes she's in too deep - too deep to escape alive.

I really enjoyed the book! I read it in 3 days and didn't want to finish it because I didn't want it to be over, but I just couldn't put it down because I had to know what was going to happen! And the fact that the series is set in my home state of Washington just adds another level of interest for me. 

The plot is complex and interesting and unique, yet so incredibly fascinating that, like I said, is hard to put down! If there was ever a book series that needed to be made in to a TV series, it's this one.

Honestly, each book in this series just keeps getting better and better and I really can't wait to see what comes next!

Have you read any good books lately?