The anecdotes in this memoir were full of information about the actors and their family and friends, and they held an entertainment value as well. I lThe anecdotes in this memoir were full of information about the actors and their family and friends, and they held an entertainment value as well. I loved the mother-daughter connection, their love for one another, and their friendship (with one another as well as the women in their lives). Friendship seemed to be one of the most important things to both Laura and Diane.
I disliked that there was such open and proud discussion of intimate relations and sins. The Bible tells us that sin is abominable, but these women seemed proud of it instead. They were also proud of cussing nearly worse than sailors, even though Ephesians 4:29 says, “No foul language is to come from your mouth” (HCSB).
So there were high- and lowlights to this book. One thing that was solely a highlight was the photographs that were included in the book. It was really fun to see both women at various stages of their lives. The recipes that were included were also neat. I hope to try a couple of them someday.
Content: sexual immorality, profanity, replacement expletives, expletives, unwed intimacy, alcohol, tobacco, sexual innuendo and abuse, superstitions, Catholicism, marital affairs, drugs, replacement profanity ...more
If not for the horrible language and crude talk, I would have loved this story.
The cutesy cover and blurb caught my attention and drew me to this bookIf not for the horrible language and crude talk, I would have loved this story.
The cutesy cover and blurb caught my attention and drew me to this book. (I also needed a pink cover for a reading challenge.) The core of the story was charming and right up my alley. I love a search for a lost love. In that respect, this book reminded me of the movie Letters to Juliet, which is a favorite of mine. The bittersweet ending was utterly sweet and made me weep happy, conflicted tears. It was wonderful to see the plot focused around a double-decker bus, a staple in London, England. That aspect was such fun. The romance itself was sweet and enjoyable. City adventure is another favorite genre of mine, so I had fun with that aspect as well.
I just wish this book were clean. The excessive bad language and crude talk were unnecessary to the plot and wasted precious page space.
Content: tobacco, profanity (excessive), expletives (excessive), living together prior to marriage, crude talk, unwed pregnancies, tattoos, alcohol in sweets, alcohol, pornography mentioned once ...more
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
I enjoyed both premises of this book: a writer defying an eFTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
I enjoyed both premises of this book: a writer defying an evil dictator and a young woman searching for her identity in the country of her ancestors. While I sometimes get weary of the time-slip genre, this one was well written in that aspect. My favorite part was the atmosphere in Greece, which came alive on the pages. I’m sure this was due in part to the author’s having traveled there (as mentioned in the author’s note).
It was disappointing that two historical facts were altered significantly to push a feministic agenda as well as to suit the story’s timeline. I prefer historical fiction to stick to historical facts and adjust the story’s timeline to fit the actual historical timeline. To me, that is how we learn from history even within a fictional story while also honoring those people who lived out the tragedies and successes of the era in which the fiction is set. Instead, what this book offered was a version of “cancel culture” that pushed a man out of his role in history so that a woman could take his place, and significantly changed the course of a pivotal event for the sake of “dramatic effect.” The real-life version of the event was actually more dramatic and would have significantly ramped up the tension and stakes within the fictional story, as I’m sure it did for the people who truly lived it out in the 1940s.
Another difference in this book than in the author’s previous works is that some pretty large questions the author created in my mind were never answered. I noticed this about halfway through (which was where the “dramatic effects” were happening), and that’s when I began losing interest in the story. It’s not normal for me to close a Tolsma book with more pending questions than when I started reading it.
There were some other issues I noted, but the most important of those was that one soul-saving scene likely wouldn’t have happened because of what the Bible says about people who have died coming back to warn their loved ones about what comes after death. Luke 16:22-31 (NKJ) says, “So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”
The memory of reading that Bible story many times as a young child pulled me right out of the story, and the context of the parable made the finale of the novel unrealistic to me.
I really wanted to love this book. The back-cover copy was right up my alley. The cover was deliciously moody and hinted that I was in for a good Gothic tale. It was a lot less Gothic-y than I was hoping for, so it didn’t live up to the cover in that way.
A private eye investigating the leading lady? So intriguing but bound to be trouble! I loved every minute of it. This aspect of the romance was very wA private eye investigating the leading lady? So intriguing but bound to be trouble! I loved every minute of it. This aspect of the romance was very well written and kept me hooked throughout.
The difficult relationship between a mother and daughter was well written. It’s been a while since I read this book (about six months; I’m way behind on reviews at the moment), but this aspect stood out enough for me to jot a note about it.
I wasn’t sure how the journal (historical thread) connected to the contemporary thread for the longest time. It was rather fun how Emma discovered the journal, but I would have liked to see a stronger connection from one era to the other throughout the story. Otherwise, it can feel like two stories were slapped together instead of being written in two separate books.
The solid sense of community stood out to me. Definitely a highlight for me when community is featured. This is so needed in society right now.
Faith, family, and contentment were strong themes in this story—a trio of my favorite things!
It was neat to see how these characters struggled through the Great Depression and with the loss of a child. So well written!
What a ride! This book was tense and held high stakes as well as twists galore that kept me guessing until the very end. I loved the shocking climax aWhat a ride! This book was tense and held high stakes as well as twists galore that kept me guessing until the very end. I loved the shocking climax and the final scene. There was such a fantastic use of secrets in this story that it felt like an old whodunit rather than a suspense/thriller at times. I loved that! The search dog was used the perfect amount: more than once but not so much that the searches took over the plot. Great touch! The characters were well developed and had good motivations throughout. The second-chance romance was superb and had the right touch of regret and anger before shifting into reliance because of desperation, friendship, and eventually romance. Lacey and Creed were wonderful and realistic. Their problems were vivid and urgent throughout, and it was easy to root for them or fear for them, by turn, because they were such lovable folks. The dog was special and well included.
This is a book five, so I recommend reading the books in order. In the early chapters, it was hard to keep track of the various couples mentioned because I hadn’t experienced their romances yet. So coming into the series cold-turkey at book five was not a smart idea; it left me a bit lost, though Mrs. Eason did a fantastic job of giving identifying markers as to their relationships to the leads of the current story.
This book contained a cat named Crouton. How cute is that?! Definitely a highlight.
Beyond that, this story was gut-wrenching and highly emotional—justThis book contained a cat named Crouton. How cute is that?! Definitely a highlight.
Beyond that, this story was gut-wrenching and highly emotional—just my sort of story. It revolved around the disappearance of a childhood friend. Turned out, it was a cold missing persons case. It was completely fascinating, as I hadn’t seen this sort of mystery delivered in the time-slip fashion before. The way the mystery unfolded felt like a psychological thriller at times, which was definitely up my alley. I’d love a lot more stories like this one in the Christian-fiction market.
Detective Masters’s humor was charming.
One minor blip: I found it odd that it was claimed that an iPhone had to use AirPods. Maybe the newer ones are like that, but I’ve known some iPhones to be compatible with wired headphones. The newness of the phone was not established that I saw, so I was confused by this inconsistency with my reality.
I wept my way through the climax and finale. Buckets and buckets of tears, y’all. This book was so good. I’m adding it to my reread list for when I’m craving a reread of a favorite story, that’s for sure.
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
It shouldn’t have taken me nearly a month to get to page 11FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
It shouldn’t have taken me nearly a month to get to page 114. Every time I picked up this book, I quickly lost interest. I couldn’t really figure out why at first. It took chatting it out with a friend to sort out why my attention was getting lost so much. That’s because I’m rarely bored by a book, so it takes me a bit to catch up with that ideal when it happens.
The cover of this book was absolutely beautiful and drew my attention right away. The blurb sounded right up my alley.
Yet, the blurb fell far short of properly foreshadowing the content of the story beneath the cover. Once again, I’ve closed a Kregel book early because of this irritating feeling of being deceived into reading a book I wouldn’t have chosen had I had more accurate information in the blurb to make a better educated decision in my leisure reading.
This book felt racist in a time when color is all a lot of people are seeing. Honestly, y’all, I don’t understand this hyper-focus on color when people are so much more complex and beautiful than just their skin (although there are loads of gorgeous skin tones out there to show off God’s full color palette). I’m so tired of this destructive rhetoric that only drives people apart instead of pulling a community together. We have enough division; it’s time we choose to unite in kindness.
On top of that, one “color” church was reduced to a “history class with hymns,” while another “color” church was hyped up to be like a “football game.” Neither of those descriptions is accurate to the churches I’ve attended, and neither felt respectful or reverent to God. This was very disheartening to me.
The one aspect I was really enjoying and hated to give up on was the modern-day Rosie scenes. Seeing her lose her memory was heartbreaking, but it felt like the most realistic aspect of the entire story through page 114.
There were other little things that bugged me, but the reason I gave up on this book was that there was something about it that I couldn’t pin down that rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning. That feeling never left.
Content: racism, crude sexual terms (excessive), replacement expletives, unnecessary mention of sexual perversion, tobacco, alcohol, teen sex mentioned, “Goddess” as a nickname, Catholicism, replacement profanity, one profane phrase ...more
It was fun learning more about Ron Howard’s childhood and growing up years—and learning about his family as well. The neat story about his mom’s auditIt was fun learning more about Ron Howard’s childhood and growing up years—and learning about his family as well. The neat story about his mom’s audition for her part in Apollo 13 was one of my favorite anecdotes. It was fantastic to see how Ron and Clint’s dad made sure they had a childhood in spite of being child actors.
I did not enjoy the sexual content in this book. Those things are unnecessary to share with the public, as they are meant to be private moments.
The audio was well read by the authors, with a fun forward by Ron’s daughter Bryce Dallas Howard. It was fun hearing a bit of her perspective on her dad and uncle—and the family legacy.
Content: expletives (excessive), profanity (excessive), pre-marital sex, tobacco, tattoos, replacement profanity, replacement expletives, various sexual content (talk and acts; excessive), sexual abuse, bars, drugs, substance abuse, teen drug use, teen drinking...more
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
Murder mystery with group amnesia? I was totally in for thaFTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
Murder mystery with group amnesia? I was totally in for that premise. I liked that the story brought together a group of former friends that had fallen apart after a summer none of them could fully remember.
I didn’t like the trashy nature of certain events. This was very much a Hollywood B-movie teenage drama.
It’s too bad the carnal desires of the teens were featured rather than more intelligent and emotional connections.
Content: tobacco, crude sexual terms, profanity, alcohol, replacement expletives, teen vaping, teen drinking and drunkenness, teen partying, crude “jokes,” expletives, replacement profanity, tarot phrase, crude dance move mentioned, drugs mentioned, comment about needing a cold shower, gambling mentioned, marital affairs, skimpy clothing (including swimwear), dirty magazines mentioned ...more
If this book weren’t so lewd and filled with detailed discussions of nudity and marital affairs, I likely would have enjoyed it much better.
I was ableIf this book weren’t so lewd and filled with detailed discussions of nudity and marital affairs, I likely would have enjoyed it much better.
I was able to enjoy some of the anecdotes, and it was interesting learning more about one of my favorite actors. I particularly liked the portions of the book that took place in the actor’s country of origin as well as the behind-the-scenes look at a few of the films I’ve enjoyed over the years. The anecdote of how Mr. Cox got his name was my favorite one, actually, and when I shared it with my whole family, we all enjoyed that little tidbit.
The author did a wonderful job narrating his book for the audio version. I loved hearing his delightful Scottish accent. That was a great consolation for having to listen to the detailed accounts of the muckiest, most sinful portions of his life. It was not a shocker that he performed beautifully; in all the films I’ve ever seen him in, the same could be said. But it was a delight to hear that wonderful accent for the hours it took to listen to this book.
Content: miscarriages, drunkenness, alcohol, profanity, expletives, sexual perversion, Catholicism, derogatory term, crude sexual terms and discussions, tobacco, violence, suicide attempts, marital affairs, drugs, nudity, lewd productions (stage plays involving nudity, etc.) ...more
This was a great story with a gorgeous cover. The remorse directly after sin was so realistic and naturally woven into the story. That made it feel veThis was a great story with a gorgeous cover. The remorse directly after sin was so realistic and naturally woven into the story. That made it feel very engaging and as if it could have been about any person in my community. I loved how complex the plot was. There were just enough threads and subplots to keep my ADD mind fully engaged and busy trying to sort everything out along with the characters.
Some important themes in this story were broken relationships, poor choices, remorse, compounding one’s problems, realistic mindsets, hope, new beginnings, and second chances. These aspects all played well together, fully showcasing a beautiful story of redemption.
Some plot points were predictable and felt overly common in the unwed-pregnancy trope. I would love to see this trope with more unpredictability in the future. Shake things up and give me something fresh, please.
Lillian was the character I struggled with the most, as she was manipulative, selfish, and cruel.
I absolutely loved the “unseen guy” romances in this book. Those were written beautifully.
Content: replacement profanity, alcohol, drunkenness, premarital sex, underage smoking, tobacco, unwed pregnancy, expletive, misquoted Bible verse (“pride goeth before a fall” should actually be “pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall,” according to Proverbs 16:18 KJV) ...more
My goodness, but this story wrecked me. In a fantastic way, but still… I’m weeping while I write this, as this story was that beautiful (I finished itMy goodness, but this story wrecked me. In a fantastic way, but still… I’m weeping while I write this, as this story was that beautiful (I finished it moments ago).
Cassie’s search for the truth of a mysterious manuscript as well as her own past is such a masterpiece of brutal honesty and hope and dysfunction and healing and poignant losses that my emotions couldn’t help but get completely wrapped up and utterly lost in the beautifully tangled web this story turned out to be.
Little Lark was a complete charmer. She had me – and every character in the book – wrapped around her pinkie after about half a second. Such a cutie! And her nickname, Larkie-bird, was so adorable!
I cannot describe well enough the amazingness that is this story’s plot. It was rife with mystery and hope and doubts and faith and family and heart. It made me cry and laugh and oh so happy. I especially loved a certain reunion. That really got the waterworks going!
My heart ached so much at seeing a sweet character fade so quickly. Oh, how her caregiver must have felt! I related so much to these characters even though I haven’t been in either’s position before. Signs of great writing, I’m sure.
While I’ve only read two books by this author, I am confident in saying Mrs. Christina Suzann Nelson is becoming a favorite. This book is a shining example, because I absolutely love heartfelt stories that move my emotions to new depths. I love a good, emotional tale! I can hardly wait to read the other one I have in my ever-growing to-be-read stash.
Content: suicide attempt, suicide by overdose, marital affairs, profane acronym, crude sexual term...more
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
I was totally looking forward to this book as soon as I sawFTC DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
I was totally looking forward to this book as soon as I saw the stunning cover and found out the story was about a writer on a deadline hiding out at her grandfather’s secluded, lake-front cabin. That sounded like it would be right up my alley.
Sadly, this book ended up not being to my taste.
If the blurb had mentioned it had an overwhelmingly strong theme of sexual abuse of a child, I never would have chosen to read it. I am not the target audience for such a book; that theme is not one I enjoy reading about.
The sexual tension between a child and a teenager was so thick that nearly every scene between the two characters felt slimy and gross. It also made me wonder why the younger character “liked” the older one, as he never proved trustworthy in the least. There was nothing likable about him, so I really struggled to see why the younger character had a crush on him. Because of that sexual tension and the abuse situation (shown in vivid detail), this was a really tough book to read.
Alcohol—beer and hard liquors—were consumed often throughout this story, with zero regret about it in any of the characters. I don’t enjoy reading about alcoholics who don’t realize they have a problem.
A character said, “I’m allergic to peanut butter,” which rightfully made another character freak out about having made a peanut butter sandwich for him—only to have him admit, “I’m kidding. Only kidding. To lighten the mood.” Food allergies are serious and are often life-threatening. Many, many people have died from peanut allergies alone (and there are numerous other serious food allergies in existence). This “humor” was not funny to me, as I understand from personal experience how serious and life-threatening food allergies can be.
The leads stayed in the same cabin for a full summer even though they were unmarried. This tarnished the “romance” for me, as it was awkward and immoral. It also led to some crude sexual innuendo in a few spots, which naturally led to some awkward mental images.
I wish this novel would have been clean and included more than a couple of passing thoughts about God’s existence. It really felt like a general market book for how crude, alcoholic, and sexual it was. This was quite shocking coming from a Christian publisher I’d come to trust to publish clean romances.
The one thing I completely loved about this book was the mechanics of the author’s writing style. I had never before seen an approach that felt like the entire book was a letter written to the lead’s best friend. Nor had I seen a book that so seamlessly slipped from present-day into memories and back again. These aspects of the writing style hooked me in (as well as I could be with the aforementioned content involved). They were fresh, unique, superb, immersive, unexpected, and exquisite. I only wish they were used in a much cleaner story.
The writing style might have been exactly what I was in the mood for, but the content of the story was not. I do hope it is a helpful story for people needing to heal from broken pasts involving sexual abuse. My heart goes out to the author (as per the author’s note) and other victims of sexual abuse, whether child or adult. Those scenarios are never fair or right, and they shatter my heart every time (this novel included).
Content: immodest clothing (bikinis), alcohol (excessive), tobacco, crude sexual innuendo, mythology mentioned, sexual tension between a child and a teenager, child smoking, nude photos, nudity, skinny-dipping (teens), crude sexual terms, rape, replacement expletives, suicide, casino mentioned, sexual perversion mentioned, premarital sex, illegitimate pregnancy, profanity (German), drugs mentioned...more
This felt very much like a time-slip novel, though I don’t suppose it technically is. Memories played a huge role in the story. While that was disconcThis felt very much like a time-slip novel, though I don’t suppose it technically is. Memories played a huge role in the story. While that was disconcerting at first, I grew to understand that half or more of the novel would actually be experienced through memories.
I loved how everyone’s lives were interconnected and overlapped. It was a beautiful example of how one person’s life really does intersect with thousands of others’ during a lifetime. It also showcased how one tragic mistake could cast a shadow over one’s life… but that redemption through repentance and accepting Jesus as one’s Savior can turn the trajectory of one’s life from a spiral of destruction to a pathway of blessings.
Reunion stories are so much fun! I liked that there were family AND friend reunions after long estrangements or having crossed paths once upon a time. This was my favorite aspect of this book.
There was one scene that linked this book to the Angels Walking series. The rest of the book fully linked it to the Baxter Family saga that is spread over numerous series and “stand-alone” books.
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
This book started off with the potential to become my new fFTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.
This book started off with the potential to become my new favorite Eason book. The action was fast-paced and came often, which made for a great suspense formula. The characters were intriguing, which added richness to the story being told. The settings were very well used, which increased the depth of the tale. Overall, this was a fantastic series finale, capping off one of the best series Mrs. Eason has produced to date.
A few things bugged me enough to drop a star. The predictability level was pretty high for me. I figured out all but two major plot points long before the reveals. I still enjoyed said plot points, but I would have had increased enjoyment had I been shocked or surprised by more than two of them. There were a couple of plot holes that didn’t mesh well for me. Since Ava had been trained on puzzles of all sorts throughout her childhood and was described as a computer genius who was able to hack a facial recognition software program at age fifteen, it was unrealistic that it would take her and a bunch of friends a couple of weeks to finish a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. From my own experience, and I am not a genius by any stretch of the imagination, a 1,000 piece puzzle is doable in 1-2 days. I have no clue why it took Ava and company so long except that the timing had to be just so for the plot to work, which, of course, felt very contrived. As for the hacker skills, why did she give up on discovering a certain password after only two or three failed attempts? Why didn’t she put her skills to good use? She had time to do that if she had time to work on a puzzle. That whole thread did not work for me at all. Another thing that failed to impress me was that a certain somebody completely ignored the fact that he could have figured out one of his marks had children via birth, school, and military records, which wouldn’t have been difficult for him to discover since he was “meticulous” about research. It would have been super easy for him to have found out about the children, but that paper trail was completely omitted from the story.
All that being said, I definitely was riveted by this story. I kept flying through the chapters because they were written so well (other than the aforementioned holes). I especially enjoyed the scenes featuring a drone, a cane, and a yacht. The antagonist was truly creepy and evil. I was grateful he didn’t have me in his crosshairs! I liked that the torture he did was mostly off-screen and only hinted at. My imagination drew up enough images to creep me out. I certainly did not need on-screen graphic violence that would only serve to be crass and grant nightmares to the reader. The author definitely knew when and how to create the vibe without pushing past the limit.
The mirror scene reminded me of Jurassic Park. That was pretty epic.
Daria Nevsky was back! Oh, how she was highlighted! I can hardly wait for the novella Ryker and she will be getting, according to Lynette Eason’s latest newsletter. I cannot tell you how stoked I am for that. She’s one of my favorite Eason characters of all time, as is Ryker, and I am super excited that they’re pairing up.
Oh, my achy heart! This book struck a deep chord with me for its rich, emotional themes.
Abortion was a main point of emphasis. I loved how beautiful aOh, my achy heart! This book struck a deep chord with me for its rich, emotional themes.
Abortion was a main point of emphasis. I loved how beautiful and redemptive this story was in that aspect. The heartache was real. The stress and overwhelmingness of the consideration of an abortion was exquisitely expressed in the character of Carlee. The healing from such a consideration was completely beautiful and amazing in several other characters, including a primary one. From beginning to end, this story was stunning and lovely, which was an extension of the amazing and beautiful cover.
Speaking of the cover, I loved it! The tiles of varying blue hues with little hints at different story attributes were the perfect collage to adorn this book. It totally fit the story beneath it.
The angle about mission work being abroad or domestic was wonderful. I think sometimes we can forget that people close to us need God just as much as those in foreign countries. Sometimes the mission is at home, y’all.
This story carries such positive, heartfelt messages that I’m sure they will impact hearts the world over.
For those currently considering having an abortion: Jesus sees you. He loves you. And He loves that baby growing inside of you. Jesus extends this invitation to you: “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
I got so misty-eyed and wept through portions of this book. That is one thing almost guaranteed for me in Mrs. Deese’s books. Such rich, deep emotions! Every chapter builds so beautifully until the final pages. The relationships and themes worked well together to create such an intricate, emotional story. I loved it!
Content: tobacco, expletive, replacement profanity, teen sex and teen pregnancy (implied and spoken about), teen at a tavern (mentioned), crude sexual terms, abortion theme
Note: This is a sequel to All That Really Matters. I felt it was important to read them in order, and I'm glad I did. Molly, Miles's twin sister, was the lead in All That Really Matters, and she's a key supporting character in All That It Takes. Her romance story is spoiled by reading this second book first....more
This was a good, emotional story. I especially loved how the author so exquisitely wove in details from the previous two books. Those included the redThis was a good, emotional story. I especially loved how the author so exquisitely wove in details from the previous two books. Those included the red cloche, butterfly buttons, a silver spoon, Eliza’s house and garden, and bits of embroidery.
The attention to detail was mostly great, though I did find out in the author’s note that dates had been “adjusted.” Why cannot authors adjust their own book timelines to fit that of historical timelines? This has always seemed so backwards to me that we adjust the truth to meet our fiction rather than adjusting our fiction to meet the truth of reality. This is a huge pet peeve for me.
I loved the blind date thing! I don’t often see this trope written well, but it was done practically perfectly here. In fact, I think this might be my favorite blind date story right now, despite the aforementioned historical accuracy thing.
I’m not sure why there was one rogue comment about a leading lady wanting to be rid of her corset. That trope is so tired and worn out by now. May I have something new and fresh next time please?
Overall, this series that conquers racism with love and compassion was fantastic and encouraging. It was tough to read about the racism at times, because I do not think in those terms, but I must say that the author wrote it very well and with such deep heart that these stories have resonated beautifully.
Content: tobacco mentioned, one profane word ...more
Well, well, well. I wasn’t expecting a full-blown terrorist plot that was inspired by the tragic explosion that happened on the Deepwater Horizon (thoWell, well, well. I wasn’t expecting a full-blown terrorist plot that was inspired by the tragic explosion that happened on the Deepwater Horizon (though, I do not believe that real-life incident was a terrorist attack). What a fascinating story!
This was a great installment of the Pelican Harbor series. The mystery was just as twisty, fantastic, and interesting as the previous one. Memory issues were involved, and this is always a fascinating aspect for me. It was fun seeing alligators featured as well, because they added realistic details to the atmosphere.
Oh my heart! Jane’s emotional journey pinched my heart in the best way. I ached so much for her! Nothing about her journey was easy, but it all involved emotion and action and twists. I couldn’t stop reading, because I had to learn more and more and ….
The weather in the finale of this one was amazing! I’ve never seen this particular weather type in a fictional story before, so it was especially delightful to this weather nerd. I hope there’s another cool weather event in book three!
What a kickoff! This book was completely twisty. I was engrossed from the beginning. That opening scene… my goodness! I love a good tragedy, but this What a kickoff! This book was completely twisty. I was engrossed from the beginning. That opening scene… my goodness! I love a good tragedy, but this one wrenched my heart.
A couple of major relationship plot points were too obvious, but the mystery plot points all kept me guessing. The murders were gruesome, but thankfully, they were not dwelt upon in so much detail as to be disturbing.
I liked that Deepwater Horizon was mentioned. It was neat to have that disaster mentioned in a respectful way that brought a bit of awareness to that piece of recent American history.
It was a little weird to have “to be continued” at the end of a book, but I rather liked it. I have such fond memories of that phrase from TV shows like Promised Land and Walker, Texas Ranger. It might have been different to see it in a book, but somehow, it worked.
I can hardly wait to read the next installment of this trilogy.
Content: replacement expletives, marital affairs, a couple lived together without being married (while one of them was married to someone else), gruesome murders, gambling, sexual term, pubs...more
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