What I've Read Lately

So this is a post I started quite a while ago and then just never published. So I figured I might as well finish it! 

Anyone who really knows me knows I love to read. Today I thought I would share a few of the books I've enjoyed lately! (Or enjoyed a few months ago!)

Just Look Up by Courtney Walsh

After tirelessly climbing the ranks of her Chicago-based interior design firm, Lane Kelley is about to land her dream promotion when devastating news about her brother draws her back home—a quaint tourist town full of memories she’d just as soon forget. With her cell phone and laptop always within reach, Lane aims to check on her brother while staying focused on work—something her eclectic family doesn’t understand.

Ryan Brooks never expected to settle down in Harbor Pointe, Michigan, but after his final tour of duty, it was the only place that felt like home. Now knee-deep in a renovation project that could boost tourism for the struggling town, he is thrilled to see Lane, the girl he secretly once loved, even if the circumstances of her homecoming aren’t ideal.

Their reunion gets off to a rocky start, however, when Ryan can’t find a trace of the girl he once knew in the woman she is today. As he slowly chips away at the walls Lane has built, secrets from his past collide with a terrible truth even he is reluctant to believe. Facing a crossroads that could define his future with Lane and jeopardize his relationship with the surrogate family he’s found in the Kelleys, Ryan hopes Lane can see that maybe what really matters has been right in front of her all along—if only she’d just look up.

I was a bit surprised at how much I ended up liking this book. I'm not typically one for romance type books, but this was far more than just that. The romance aspect really took second place to everything else going on in this book.

The story was a bit predictable, but the story flowed well and the characters and their development were so well done it was easy to overlook a bit of predictable-ness. 

Lane was a bit hard to like at first as she was so engrossed in her job and her phone that it was a bit difficult to like her. But the more we get to know her the more you'll like and be able to relate to her.

The story is relatable and filled with wonderful characters. It deals with pain and past hurts, forgiveness and family, romance and emotion. 

This book was hard to put down and one I would definitely recommend!

Formula of Deception by Carrie Stuart Parks

From back cover:

An artist hiding from an escaped killer uncovers one of World War II’s most dangerous secrets — a secret that desperate men will do anything to keep hidden.

After the murder of her twin sister, Murphy Anderson changed her name and appearance and moved to Kodiak, Alaska, to avoid the press and publicity. But when local authorities discover she’s an artist and request her help in drawing a dying man’s memories, she unintentionally ends up in the limelight again—and back in the killer’s crosshairs.

The deathbed confessions of an Alaskan hunter have Murphy drawing the five bodies he discovered on remote Ruuwaq Island ten years ago. But what investigators find has them mystified. Evidence suggests that the bodies were deliberately destroyed, and what they uncover in an abandoned Quonset hut from World War II only brings more questions.

As one by one the investigators who were at the hut die, Murphy knows there is something much darker at stake. What happened on this island during the war? And who is willing to kill to keep its secrets buried?

I thought this book was really interesting. I've really enjoyed every other book by this author, so this was no different. This book is separate from her Gwen Marcey series (Which you should check out!) 

With that said, this definitely wasn't my favorite book she's ever written. The ending definitely was weird and unexpected. I mean, I like to be surprised by an ending but it just came so far out of left field that it left me feeling a tad annoyed.

I mostly just thought Murphy was an odd character as she was hard to like as you couldn't really relate to her. 

The plot is very interesting and while I didn't have much trouble following along with it, I think the plethora of characters is what made it a bit difficult to keep up with. Especially since so many of them are introduced and then killed off right away!

This book has plenty of danger and suspense and the author uses just enough historical accuracy to add truth to the story, but also uses plenty of creative liberty to craft a fascinating story. 

So while I did have things I didn't really care for in this book, it is one I would recommend reading.

Beneath the Surface by Lynn H. Blackburn
From back cover:
She thought she'd be safe when she moved back home. She was dead wrong.

After a harrowing experience with an obsessed patient, oncology nurse practitioner Leigh Weston needed a change. She thought she'd left her troubles behind when she moved home to Carrington, North Carolina, and took a job in the emergency department of the local hospital. But when someone tampers with her brakes, she fears the  past has chased her down and reaches out to her high school friend turned homicide investigator, Ryan Parker, for help.

Ryan finds satisfaction in his career, but his favorite way to use his skills is as a volunteer underwater investigator with the Carrington County Sheriff's Office dive team. When the body of a wealthy business man is discovered in Lake Porter, the investigation uncovers a possible serial killer - one with a terrifying connection to Leigh Weston and deadly implications for them all.

I really enjoyed this book! As much as I hate to admit it, I did kind of judge this book by it's cover. It looked vaguely familiar to another book I had read and it also just looked kind of like one of those self-published covers. It just doesn't have one of those interesting draw-you-in kind of covers. The cover really just doesn't do the author or the story justice! I was very happy I did pick this book up!

I really enjoyed the characters. I like a smart, strong female character who knows when to act but also knows when to listen to advice and accept help. I hate female characters who are so determined to be 'strong' and 'independent' that they intentionally put themselves in harm's way just so the hero can rescue them. It's a major pet-peeve of mine. Anyways, I just really liked Leigh! She's a really great character. She's kind and compassionate, but also confident in who she is and in her abilities.

Ryan is a great character as well and the relationship between him and Leigh is fun to follow along with.

The writing and plot were so unique and interesting. Such as the attempts on Leigh's life. They were really creative and different they anything else I had read. The book was just really well done and one I didn't want to put down!

This book has a good balance between action and suspense and calm and more 'normal' moments. I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next.

I did expect a bit more dive related material in the book, considering the series is called Dive Team Investigations, but that's neither here nor there.

Overall this was a great read and I will certainly pick up the next book in the series!

Have you read any good books lately?

What I've Read Lately

Anyone who really knows me knows I love to read. Today I thought I would share a few of the books I've enjoyed lately!

Engaged In Trouble by Jenny B. Jones
From back cover:
When a washed-up pop star inherits a wedding planning business, it's all bouquets and bliss...until a bride turns up dead. 

Paisley Sutton shot to stardom as a teenage rock sensation, but ten years later that star has fizzled out, just like her bank account. When she unexpectedly inherits her aunt's wedding planning business, Paisley leaves the glamour of Los Angeles for a charming small town in Arkansas. Thinking she'll arrive in Sugar Creek and liquidate the moldy property, Paisley's shocked to find Enchanted Events has experienced a major makeover and is now the place for brides.

Paisley's tossed into a world of vows and venues, but her most difficult challenge comes in the form of one demanding bride. When this bridezilla's found facedown in her cake, all fingers point to Paisley as the prime murder suspect. And she does not look good in prison orange. 

The former pop princess will need the help of her gun-toting, ex-CIA grandmother and her handsome neighbor, Beau Hudson, to unravel the mystery and clear her good name.

Love is in the air this wedding season, but before Paisley can help the ladies of Sugar Creek say, "I do," she's got to unveil a killer. Or find herself the next target. 

I really liked this book! Like, best book I've read in a while good! 

I've always been a fan of Jenny B. Jones's books, but this was my favorite one so far. 

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters. I mean an ex-CIA granny? You really can't beat that! I really liked Beau and Paisley, even minor characters were interesting. I was sad to finish this book because I liked it so much! There is so much humor in this book too, which kept me laughing and entertained. 

But for me, the biggest surprise was that I couldn't figure out who the killer was. I usually can figure these things out pretty quickly and I'm usually even disappointed at the end of books when the killer is who I thought it was because it was too easy. But I was pleased with this ending. 

Overall this was a really good book and I don't think you'll be disappointed!

The Moon Stands Still by Sibella Giorello

From back cover:

On a scenic riverbank outside Seattle, forensic geologist Raleigh Harmon accidentally digs up evidence linked to the local FBI's most famous unsolved mystery-D.B. Cooper's 1971 hijacking of a passenger airplane, before he disappeared without a trace. 

When the bureau hires Raleigh to help solve the legendary cold case, she's forced to juggle two urgent assignments-she's already working with the state crime lab to identify geological material linked to a young girl's murder. A murder that might send an innocent man to death row.

Now, as Raleigh digs deeper into both cases, she triggers a dangerous series of events. And she fractures her fresh romance with agent Jack Stephanson. What's worse, Jack doesn't seem to care.

In The Moon Stands Still, Raleigh Harmon confronts her worst fears of abandonment and failure, fighting to deliver justice and uncover the truth.

Being from the Pacific Northwest, I am very familiar with the D.B. Cooper case. So I was quite intrigued when I saw that this book was going to be 'solving' that case. 

I thought the book was well written and it kept me interested. I know Raleigh is a geologist, but sometimes the geology information and descriptions get a little boring, but it's easy enough to skim over. 

Maybe not my favorite book in the Raleigh Harmon series, but overall a good read. 

This is book 7 in the series, so I would recommend starting with book one if you are interested in this series.

Portrait of Vengeance by Carrie Stuart Parks

From back cover:
An unsolved case. A tempest of memories. The future's at stake-and time is running out.

Gwen Marcey has done a good job keeping the pain of her past boxed up. But as she investigates the case of a missing child in Lapwai, Idaho, details keep surfacing that are eerily similar to her childhood traumas. She doesn't believe in coincidences. So what's going on here?

No one knows more about the impact of the past than the Nez Perce people of Lapwai. Gwen finds herself an unwelcome visitor to some, making her investigation even more difficult. The questions keep piling up, but answers are slow in coming-and the clock is ticking for a missing little girl. Meanwhile, Gwen's ex-husband is threatening to take sole custody of their daughter. 

As Gwen's past and present collide, she's in a desperate race for the truth. Because only truth will ensure she still has a future.

I have really enjoyed the Gwen Marcey series and this book did not disappoint! It's another book set in the Northwest, which I enjoy. The author is a real forensic artist, so it's pretty interesting to read about through Gwen. 

I did find the plot line circling around Gwen's childhood a little odd. Mostly just her childhood. I think I could have done without that part. With everything else going on it was a little unnecessary. 

Overall this is a great read! If you like mystery and suspense, I don't think you'll be disappointed!

I have really enjoyed every book in the Gwen Marcey series. There is a lot of history and mystery in every book. I highly recommend checking them out!
Book one in the Gwen Marcey series.

Have you read any good books lately?

What I've Read Lately

I like to read. A lot. I always have a book to read! I even used to have a book review blog (which I have been debating about whether or not to start posting on again...) but I pretty much stick with mystery/suspense/adventure type books. Here are a few good books I've read lately...

Saving Amelie by Cathy Gohlke
From goodreads:
Increasingly wary of her father's genetic research, Rachel Kramer has determined that this trip with him to Germany--in the summer of 1939--will be her last. But a cryptic letter from her estranged friend, begging Rachel for help, changes everything.

Married to SS officer Gerhardt Schlick, Kristine sees the dark tides turning and fears her husband views their daughter, Amelie, deaf since birth, as a blight on his Aryan bloodline. Once courted by Schlick, Rachel knows he's as dangerous as the swastikas that hang like ebony spiders from every government building in Berlin. She fears her father's files may hold answers about Hitler's plans for others, like Amelie, whom the regime deems "unworthy of life." She risks searching his classified documents only to uncover shocking secrets about her own history and a family she's never known. Now hunted by the SS, Rachel turns to Jason Young--a driven, disarming American journalist and unlikely ally--who connects her to the resistance and to controversial theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Forced into hiding, Rachel's every ideal is challenged as she and Jason walk a knife's edge, risking their lives--and asking others to do the same--for those they barely know but come to love.

I've been reading a some WWII era books lately, but this one was really good! It was well written and the story was engaging and kept me interested. 

Dust And Obey by Christy Barritt
From Amazon:
When Gabby St. Claire’s ex-fiancé, Riley Thomas, asks for her help in investigating a possible murder at a couples retreat, she knows she should say no. She knows she should run far, far away from the danger of both being around Riley and the crime.

But her nosy instincts and determination take precedence over her logic. At the retreat center she feels like she’s stepped into the pages of a creepy gothic novel: an isolated island that’s often foggy, an old lodge with a dark history, and a small pool of suspects who each have either motive, means, or opportunity for murder. When another life is threatened, the risk intensifies. 

Gabby and Riley must work together to find the killer. In the process, they have to confront demons from their past and deal with their present relationship. If they don’t learn to trust each other, they could both end up as fodder for the supposedly cursed island’s folklore. 

This is book 10 in the Squeaky Clean Series. I've been reading them since the first book was released quite a few years ago and I still enjoy them. (The first book is free on Kindle if you want to try it.) This was just another good installment in the series. They're fun mystery books that aren't too intense, but still interesting. I did figure out who the killer was about halfway through the book, but I still enjoyed reading it!

The Bones Will Speak by Carrie Stuart Parks
From goodreads:
Forensic artist Gwen Marcey has become the target of a serial killer who believes he's been appointed God's executioner.

In Copper Creek, Montana, Gwen Marcey is struggling to put together her life after cancer and divorce. When her dog retrieves a skull of a murder victim and leads her to the victim's grave, Gwen uses her forensic art ability to identify a serial killer. She is horrified to discover all the victims look like her fourteen-year-old daughter.

The murderer is a "lone wolf," a member of the terrorist group Phineas Priesthood-and he has a score to settle with Gwen. Unraveling the tangled Christian Identity movement, where race-not grace-provides salvation, Gwen is in a frantic rush against time. She must use all her skills to uncover the killer before he can carry out his threat to destroy her and everyone she loves.

I really really liked this book! I really liked the first book as well! I like that the author uses a lot of real facts and information in her books and carefully crafts an interesting and unique story around it. I highly recommend this book!

Follow me on goodreads if you want to keep up with what I'm reading!

Have you read any good books lately?