Just One Look
by Harlan Coben

Apr 20, 2014 

4 of 5 stars

Read from April 13 to 20, 2014

An ordinary snapshot causes a mother’s world to unravel in an instant. After picking up her two young children from school, Grace Lawson looks through a newly developed set of photographs. She finds an odd one in the pack: a mysterious picture from perhaps twenty years ago, showing four strangers she can’t identify. But there is one face she recognizes—that of her husband, from before she knew him. When her husband sees the photo that night, he leaves their home and drives off without explanation. She doesn’t know where he’s going, or why he’s leaving. Or if he’s ever coming back. Nor does she realize how dangerous the search for him will be. Because there are others interested in both her husband’s past and that photo, including Eric Wu: a fierce, silent killer who will not be stopped from finding his quarry, no matter who or what stands in his way.

Her world turned upside down, filled with doubts about her herself and marriage, Grace must confront the dark corners of her own tragic past she struggles to learn the truth, find her husband, and save her family.

My Review:

This is the 16th Harlan Coben book I have read. His books are filled with lots of suspense, mystery and twists in the plot. Just when you think you have solved the mystery (crimes) the plot twists. He really keeps you guessing until the end with lots of surprises. I like how he brings all the clues together and solves the mysteries at the end of the book. His books are real page turners. He is definitely one of my favorite suspense writers.

Forbidden Falls (Virgin River, #9)
by Robyn Carr

4 of 5 stars

Read from April 08 to 12, 2014

VIRGIN RIVER IS ABUZZ WITH THE NEWS THAT A STRANGER BOUGHT THE TOWN'S ABANDONED CHURCH ON EBAY. THE BUYER, A YOUNG WIDOWED REVEREND, IS A LITTLE LIKE THE BUILDING ITSELF: IN NEED OF SOME TENDER LOVING CARE.

Noah Kincaid arrives ready to roll up his sleeves and revitalize his new purchase, but he's going to need some help. An ad in the local paper brings and improbably candidate his way.

"Pastor's assistant" is not a phrase that springs to mind when Noah meets brassy, beautiful Ellie Baldwin. With her colorful clothes and even more colorful past, Ellie needs a respectable job so she can regain custody of her children. Noah can't help but admire her spunk and determination, and she may just be the breath of fresh air he needs.

The unlikely duo may come from two different worlds, but they have more in common than anyone would have expected. And in Virgin River lasting happiness is never out of the question.

My Review:

This the 9th book in the Virgin River Series. It has been a while since I read #8 but Robyn Carr has a way of bringing the reader back to the previous events and characters. I like how she interweaves the previous characters into the next installment in the series.

I found this book to be so-so for most of it, but the last hundred pages was a different story. There was some drama in it and it made me want to keep going to see the outcome of the story. It ended on a positive note for all the characters.

Missing You
by Harlan Coben

Apr 07,20 14 

5 of 5 stars

Read from April 06 to 07, 2014

It's a profile, like all the others on the online dating site. But as NYPD Detective Kat Donovan focuses on the accompanying picture, she feels her whole world explode, as emotions she’s ignored for decades come crashing down on her. Staring back at her is her ex-fiancé Jeff, the man who shattered her heart—and who she hasn’t seen in 18 years.

Kat feels a spark, wondering if this might be the moment when past tragedies recede and a new world opens up to her. But when she reaches out to the man in the profile, her reawakened hope quickly darkens into suspicion and then terror as an unspeakable conspiracy comes to light, in which monsters prey upon the most vulnerable.

As the body count mounts and Kat's hope for a second chance with Jeff grows more and more elusive, she is consumed by an investigation that challenges her feelings about everyone she ever loved—her former fiancé, her mother, and even her father, whose cruel murder so long ago has never been fully explained. With lives on the line, including her own, Kat must venture deeper into the darkness than she ever has before, and discover if she has the strength to survive what she finds there.(less)

My Review:

I found this book to be fast-paced, engaging, thrilling, and suspenseful. This is why I like Harlan Coben so much because all his books are suspenseful. He gave lot of clues throughout the book which made me feel like the detective trying to solve the crime(s.) Everything came to together at the end with lots of surprises. My reaction was wow" when I finished the book.

The Innocent
by Harlan Coben

Mar 17, 2014  

5 of 5 stars

Read from March 08 to 17, 2014

You never meant to kill him….

One night, Matt Hunter innocently tried to break up a fight—and ended up a killer. Now, nine years later, he’s an ex-con who takes nothing for granted. His wife, Olivia, is pregnant, and the two of them are closing on their dream house. But all it will take is one shocking, inexplicable call from Olivia’s phone to shatter Matt’s life a second time….

My Review

Unlike some authors, Harlan Coben doesn't save up his twists for the end, he scatters them liberally throughout the book. Nearly every chapter ended with a surprise, keeping me waiting until he returns to it later. He uses this cliff-hanger approach which made me want to read on to see what would happen next. He still managed a big twist at the end which was definitely a surprise.
This book had so many characters and situations to keep straight that I find I should have been writing notes for myself which wouldn’t be the first time I had to do that. I felt like I was a detective trying to solve the crimes and twisted plot. This book is one of his stand alone novels and just as good as his Myron Bolitar series.

Meet Me in Venice
by Elizabeth Adler

Mar 05, 2014  ·  

5 of 5 stars

bookshelves: 2014-new-authors-for-me

Read from March 02 to 04, 2014

Living in Paris, American antiques dealer Precious Rafferty learns that a cousin in Shanghai she's never met, Lily Song, has a family heirloom necklace for sale on the black market. But, others looking to make a profit are out to steal it for themselves. The two decide to meet in Venice to figure out who they can trust.

This was the first book that I read by Elizabeth Adler and I really liked it. I found it to be a fast read that was intriguing, suspenseful and included deception, a mystery, and romance. The setting took place in Shanghai, Venice and Paris. I like how the mystery was solved in the end. Even though there was some sadness in the book, I was still happy with the ending.

1022 Evergreen Place (Cedar Cove, #10)
by Debbie Macomber (Goodreads Author)

Feb 27, 2014 

3 of 5 stars

Read from February 23 to 27, 2014

I didn’t like this 10th installment of the Cedar Cove Series as much as books 1-9 in the series. The storylines were getting repetitive. Examples are marriages in less than 6 months of meeting one another. The most ridiculous one was Lync and Lori Bellamy. They got married within a few weeks of meeting one another.
Another thing that bothered me was the unplanned pregnancies of 7 of the characters, 5 of which were out of wedlock. It gets old after a while.
Then there were the situations of the characters meeting one another and pushing each other away to come back later on as a couple.
I liked the characters more in the first 6 books of the series. Now there were too many being introduced and it wasn’t easy to remember their situations because of the choppiness of the chapters. It would have been easier to read all about a couple’s situation first before moving on to the next couple's situation and going back and forth between their relationships. Does that make sense?
There were 3 characters that I absolutely did not like. Jolene was one of them because she was a spoiled teenage brat. Then there were Leonard Bellamy , who was too manipulative with his daughter’s happiness and David Rhoades who was a stalker and obnoxious mean person.
I will be finishing the series with book 11 and 12 since there are cliffhangers and unanswered questions. I need to finish them by July 19th since season 2 of The Cedar Cove Series will be televised on The Hallmark Channel. I am going to take a break though and go on to other books before going back to book 11 and 12.

92 Pacific Boulevard (Cedar Cove, #9)
by Debbie Macomber (Goodreads Author), Sandra Burr (Narrator)

Feb 14, 2014  

3 of 5 stars

Read from February 05 to 14, 2014

There 12 books in The Cedar Cove Series. Each address belongs to one character or couple and the main story or mystery revolves around him, her or them while all the other characters continue to make an appearance and continue forward with their lives. From when the series began most of the characters are the same although their lives have changed. This book deals with Sheriff Troy Davis and Faith Beckwith who was his first love but due to circumstances they ended up happily married to other people. Both are now widowed. A misunderstanding took place in the last book and they are still working through the fall-out plus Troy is trying to solve the case of the 25 year old skeleton found in a cave by two teenagers as well as looking for the person responsible for vandalizing Faith's rental home. Olivia is still fighting cancer and Ben continues to have problems and to be disappointed by his grown son David.

MY REVIEW

These characters feel like my friends since this book is the ninth book in the series. I feel like I have been drawn into the character's lives.

The only issue I have is that Troy and Faith's relationship has been too drawn out between the last book and this book. It was getting old already. This installment was suppose to focus on them, but the other relationships were also delved into just as much as Troy and Faith's courtship.

Each book in the series does introduce new characters and their situations and relationships with one another. Sometimes they are a good addition and sometimes they are not. The situation that was the most ridiculous and unrealistic was when Linc decided to get married to some woman he helped on the side of the road. That woman was Lori who very recently broke off her engagement with a man who turned out to be a thief. She asks Linc to marry her almost immediately after meeting him. Even Linc is in shock over her proposal since he had no interest in ever getting married. I assume that in the next book of the series, it will be revealed as to why she wanted this hasty marriage.

This book was not my favorite in the series.

Next,I will be going on to book 10 of the series. I need to follow up with the cliffhangers that were left in book 9.