Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent

Hello everyone.

I can't give you any roast chicken or childhood memory talk today.  I feel terrible and it's best just to get this over with quickly. I have been putting off writing this for at least a month. I wanted to read Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent from the second I learned of its existence. I immediately put it on my "to buy" list on Amazon. Finally, I threw it in my cart. After arriving in my greedy hands I still had to wait as I had a sudden rush of advanced copies to read. If a publisher or author is so kind as to send me a book, I put them first, it's only fair. So Lying in Wait sat here, teasing me with the cover, calling to me with its thriller vibes. Last month I couldn't stand it. Everything came to a halt, I told my secretary to hold my calls, and I read the book I had been lusting after. I wish I had left it on the shelf where I could admire and wonder about it.

I am going to be brutally honest, as I would expect you to be with me if I were reading your review. Nobody likes everything, so I wouldn't trust a reviewer that experienced nothing but the Snow White forest of happy, adorable animals. Everybody runs into a bad apple now and then. Obviously, I didn't like this novel.

This is the story of a perfect family. A husband, wife and son who live in a nice area with a beautiful house. We soon discover things are not as perfect as they appear, especially since the husband and wife murder someone in the first chapter. No, I'm not considering the first chapter a spoiler. They bury their victim in the garden at their home. This book was much too slow for me and it really frustrated me as there were so many places this story could have gone, but didn't. Instead the book becomes repetitive, focusing endlessly on the son's extra weight. The mother, grandmother, girlfiend and school friends discuss this poor boy. It is in almost every single chapter. Honestly, I think you could see less about weight in a Weight Watchers book.

On the positive, the story was well written and an easy, smooth read. Because the writing is so strong, I will definitely try another book from Liz Nugent. This story just was not for me. As usual, I implore you to make your own decisions. Everyone's taste is different. People that read mostly romances don't expect the same pacing as someone who consumes a great number of thrillers. On Amazon, Lying in Wait is rated 4 stars and is currently 3.82 on Goodreads. Somebody likes it! I would love to know if you liked it and why.

For me, I feel like I went into Snow White's woods and instead of hearing strains of "Hi Ho", I got "Ho Hum". Hopefully my prince will come with his white horse to take me to the bookstore.

A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson

Hello everyone.

Ever see the movie Young Frankenstein, by Mel Brooks? If you say no, I'll gasp loudly. What is wrong with you? In the movie, Gene Wilder playing Dr. Frankenstein, sends his assistant Igor (played by Marty Feldman) to get a brain. After the brain is "installed," and the monster starts behaving oddly, Dr. Frankenstein asks Igor what brain he brought him. Igor responds, "Abby somebody....Abby normal."  So the abnormal brain has just been put into the body of a huge and sometimes aggravated monster. Honestly, if you haven't seen it, you are missing out.

That brings up the term normal. What is normal? I would say it is average. Not too far off from center.  Do you want to be normal if normal is average?

I recently read A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson. This story is about a mother who is an attorney, a father who is a pastor and their daughter. They appear to be a normal family, until the daughter is accused of murder. The novel is divided into three sections, each told from one of the main character's perspectives, giving the reader more insight as the story progresses. Things you think you know in the beginning, and how things outwardly appear, turn out to not necessarily be true. On your way to discovering if the daughter is guilty or innocent  you realize how dysfunctional this normal family really is. The other major issue explored is what would a parent do for their child? What did these parents do, and the morality given one is a lawyer and the other a pastor.

This book is well written and nicely paced, but is definitely a slow burn. If you want an interesting mystery you'll like this, however, if you are after a heart pounding thriller this may not be for you.  A Nearly Normal Family will especially appeal to those that like a little legal procedure in their story.

If you decide to give this book a go, on the way to your reading chair remember to "walk this way." (From the movie, go watch it!)

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

Hello everyone. I hope you are well and happy.

Although I am married to a southerner and have lived in the south for a long time, I actually grew up in upstate NY. I've mentioned this before. The town was small, so pretty, safe, and in a river valley with views of mountains all around. It was one of those places where high school rivalries are huge and football games are attended by thousands. There was an independent department store and loads of specialty stores that all flourished. At Christmas there was usually snow but well plowed streets, topped with swags of tinsel garland featuring candles, snowflakes, or Santa at the center of each swag or light pole. Lots of houses would be decorated for the holidays, not with the elaborate, computer generated mini-Vegas shows people have today, but with the big C9 bulbs hand placed in shrubs and in each window as part of plastic fake drippy candles. It sounds like a movie, doesn't it?  Well, it really was amazing living it and remembering too.

The town and those nearby had an advantage that some others didn't, several big industries. The area was home to a major shoe making company. You wouldn't know the name now, but during it's prime it was so important it even made all the boots for the army in the World Wars. They had a huge commercial division as well. All footwear was made completely by hand. It was a lot of work for such a small town/area. My grandfather worked there his whole life. He did what they called piece work, meaning he was paid by the piece. He received one penny for a pair of shoes in which he had installed the eyelets. Think about all the eyelets, at least 24 in a pair. Ever set eyelets before? I have, it's hard. It our high tech, sit on your butt all day world, it sounds terrible. It wasn't. This company, headed by two brothers, loved their employees. They built beautiful houses at bargain rates for their workers to purchase, if wanted. The company held the mortgage, if you missed payments, not a big deal. You were not foreclosed on. Try that today. They had free hot meals during the day, free medical care, pensions, and many public parks built by the company with enormous historically significant pools and carousels. It was perfection. The owners loved their workers and the entire town loved the brothers.

As you can probably imagine the word got around, picturesque valley with loads of jobs. Pretty soon the area was a destination for settling immigrants. They came from everywhere, Greece, Poland, and Italy. I think there were more Italian people than any others. When I tell you I grew up with the best pizza, believe me! These new residents also brought their customs with them. I would imagine, to the locals already living there, some of the new neighbors' traditions seemed unusual. Arranged marriage, for example, I have never heard of anyone that had an arranged marriage but I'm sure it was done at times.

I recently read The Bride Test by Helen Hoang. If the author sounds familiar it is because she wrote the very popular novel The Kiss Quotient. If you liked the writers "voice" in that book, you will surely like The Bride Test. Helen Hoang, writes about people that can struggle with certain issues. The Bride Test, like The Kiss Quotient features a character on the autism spectrum. I was surprised to learn that the author herself has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Obviously, it does not hold her back, instead allowing her to put her insight to good use. In this new story a mother wants her son, Khai, to get married, but he has a difficult time processing feelings. Mom goes to Vietnam to find the perfect girl for him. After literally making several girls cry during her interview process, Khai's mom settles on Esme, the girl who was cleaning the bathroom. Esme is brought to America to see if her and Khai are a good fit. If not, she will have to return to Vietnam. This story is well written, quick moving and very cute. It will pull at your heartstrings and have you cheering on these very likable characters. I was pleasantly surprised finding that this story had much more depth than The Kiss Quotient.

This book is the perfect summer read, sweet and funny. If you are taking this novel on vacation, be sure to take a backup as you'll finish this long before you get the sand out of your... swimsuit... (hubby insisted I edit what I originally had there, use your imagination).

The First Mistake by Sandie Jones

Hello everyone.

You know, the internet is a weird thing. Okay, maybe not for you youngsters ('youngsters', I sound like my grandparents) let me rephrase...the internet is a weird thing if you didn't grow up with it. Don't get me wrong, when hubby and I are having that once a week discussion about someone he sees on tv and thinks it is an actor that it obviously isn't, the internet backs me up, proving him wrong. You'd think he'd listen to his darling wife, but alas NO! Besides being an instant source of discussion winning gotcha moments, the internet is also a meeting place. Now that I'm hearing tacky fake porno jazz in my head I'll clarify not THAT kind of meeting place. Let's face it, I just used the word "youngster",  online hookup time for me has long passed. I am talking about connecting with people from your past.

This week I spoke with a life-long friend, someone I lived next door to from the time I was 3 until moving out after college. It has been delightful, I can't believe how old her kids are and how beautiful! I last saw her children when they were babies and they are now adults. It's like that when you reconnect with people from school, isn't it? You haven't seen each other for years, the personality is the same, but how could they have been married and divorced or even have grandchildren. We were just in chemistry last Thursday, how on earth did this happen. That's the thing with the passage of time, you feel the same inside. It seems like you should still be hurrying so you don't miss the school bus , but the reality is that you have a mortgage, kids that are counting down the days until their next Disney World vacation, and a lawn that magically grows out of control overnight. Thankfully, when you realize that this bizarre passage of time has been happening, you discover the same has been going on with your friends. You are not alone, your friends are pulling their back when putting on their bra too! Pass the ice pack please!

I recently read The First Mistake by Sandie Jones. Last year I read her book, The Other Woman and loved it. When I received an advanced copy of the new story I was thrilled. The First Mistake is about ordinary life.  A woman, Alice, has lost her first husband and has remarried, Nathan. She has a best friend, Beth, they have been through everything together. When Alice starts noticing some odd things going on with Nathan she, like any of us would, turns to her friend for support. This book asks the question what do you do when you start to doubt your friend, your rock. Is everything real or are you making a big deal out of nothing? Do you crumble or fight back? I think what makes these types of thrillers so creepy is that they are, for the most part, normal situations. It seems to hit harder when it is actually something that could happen. A thriller set on some purple planet with an evil green monkey is a lot less likely to seep into your dreams as it doesn't really exist.  Sandie Jones has produced another solid, well written, rapidly paced thriller, with a plot even more involved and twisty than The Other Woman.

This book would be a great one to read on vacation, certainly interesting enough to hold your attention but not too taxing. Perhaps you should read it with a friend. Don't blame me if you look at each other suspiciously afterward.

Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea

Hello everyone.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and they brought you the wrong dish, only it was actually better than what you ordered and became a new favorite? Stuff like that happens to me all the time. Several years ago we were buying our first old house. We found several houses we loved in a specific neighborhood in Virginia. As soon as we put a contract on a house something would happen. Someone would beat our offer by thirty minutes, or take cash off credit cards to come up with an all cash offer. We were getting really upset. Finally one day while driving around, pointing out the window I said to hubby, "I don't care anymore, I like them all. I'll take any house in this neighborhood except that one. I don't like that one, I'll take any house except that." Can you guess what happened? Of course, that was the house we bought and loved. My mother never mentioned fate by name but through the process kept telling us to be calm what is meant to be will be.

That ugly duckling house that had been divided into apartments ended up being amazing. As we restored it, we found the stairs had once been much more elaborate. So while removing added walls and the floored over grand stair opening, we found a wall of handmade raised paneling, with picture hooks from 100 years ago still hanging in place. As we took down walls in the attic to add heating (oh yes, we bravely purchased a house with no central heat or a/c), we found so many things behind walls and hidden under floorboards: button-up shoes, booze bottles, servants love letters, a corset, needlework, tin types, art work, etc. We even found an intact Duncan Phyfe sofa...never heard of it...look it up I'll wait...it's amazing and was sitting in a falling down old metal shed. One of the drawings ended up being from an artist that taught art in our house, she became a National Gallery Artist. They have since contacted us asking for copies or the donation of the original. All those people that purchased the houses that we had tried to buy started searching their homes for amazing finds but came up empty. Only our house was like living in a HGTV show. It was mean to be, thanks Mom.

Recently the generous Kensington Publishing sent me several books, all of which I will read and review.  To start I picked a title and author I had never heard about, Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea. This story is about a young woman, Rory Moore, who is a bit different. She is not fond of some social settings, touching, and returning phone calls. She is also amazing at solving cold-case murders. She has the ability to put herself into the position of each player in a case and to reason out who was the killer. Because this skill is so specialized she works as a consultant for the police. Think of a combination of Lisbeth Salander and Monk, only better, warmer and endearing. You will cheer for Rory and admire her. This is no Chablis drinking ordinary woman, she prefers dark stout beer, echoing the darkness found several places in this book. As the story opens Rory gets a new case to solve but her father dies unexpectedly, leaving her to deal with both difficult topics. To make matters worse, she finds that for some reason her dad has been representing a serial killer about to be released from prison. I don't want to say anymore. This book is skillful in the way that it gives you a bit of info at a time. There are many twists and they are released throughout the story propelling you forward. Donlea is masterful at weaving the past and present together. He writes about likable characters that come together to merge into an unforgettable read.

If you love mysteries or thrillers, this could be your favorite of the year. Some Choose Darkness is so much better than getting verde when you ordered a smoked salsa. For me, Charlie Donlea has gone from Charlie Who? to one of my favorite authors. Guess Mom was right, this was meant to be.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Hello everyone.

It seems early but it must be summer. I had to turn on the air conditioning. My husband says I'm so cheap I squeak. He's wrong (on a lot of things but I digress). I'm not cheap, I actually spend way too much money. However, I want to spend it on good stuff. Who wants to spend precious cash on utilities when there are wine and books to be purchased? And...read the following the an exaggerated eye roll... let us not forget how I am rolling through dishwashers like most people do underwear. Now that I've managed to work eye rolling, wine and underwear into a book review back to the topic at hand. No not books, my air conditioning. I am a firm believer that no a/c should come on before June 1st and certainly not before my neighbors. (Heat should not be used until November has begun.) I have to be the one to tough it out. Did I mention I'm in NC, where it is hot and so humid even your hair sweats? Well, I am and it is.

I don't think it is the least bit unreasonable to ask for a solid month of pleasant weather in spring and fall to provide utility relief and let me just open the windows. But NO, this year it has been oppressively hot since the first week in May. How dare it! Last week, the temperature hit 100. I said 'to hell with the neighbors' and 'screw the bill' and in a puddle, swearing even my book was sweating, turned on the glorious air. I didn't stand over the grate in the floor letting that cold air billow up my leg like hubby did, but I was tempted. Too much info? I thought we were close! So spring has been gone for a month and summer has begun full force. You know what else has been taking off this year? Summer reading. Have you looked at new releases headed our way? It is absolute reader heaven. So many great books, I'm practically giddy, bouncing up and down while clapping my hands together like a little kid.

My wish list for these books is so long. Let's face it, don't tell the ole' spouse but it's not a wish list, all us readers know what it actually is ....a shopping list. A honest to goodness, check off item by item just like the grocery store, buy everything on it, shopping list. In anticipation of summer read-a-paloosa, I read more books than usual in May and still have so many to tell you about but let's discuss a good one for the beach, lake or even plane. I recently read The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, my first from this author. I've heard so many people say what a great writer Christina Lauren is, how people practically pace the floor waiting for her next book. Now I know why. I get it. This book is so cute, it's well written, literally laugh out loud funny, and was a pleasure from beginning to end. Someone should have written her name on a post-it and stuck it to my forehead like a banana sticker. I have been missing out.

The Unhoneymooners is about a celebration gone awry where the entire wedding party and all guests get sick from the reception dinner, except the maid of honor and best man. She has food allergies and he hates germ filled buffets so they don't eat the same food as the others. Sadly, this illness will last for days. The bride and groom have a nonrefundable trip to Maui for their honeymoon. The maid of honor and best man take the trip to avoid it going to waste. One problem though, they hate each other. I'm not saying more but the writing is so sharp and as I've already said it is really funny.  The story pushes through with a strong plot not meandering off topic, making for a quick and memorable read.

Now I am wondering if all Christina Lauren's books are this good. Getting my shopping list out, I have a few additions.

** Christina Lauren is actually two authors. Long time friends, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings together make the pen name of author Christina Lauren. Makes you wonder if your friends have any hidden talents, doesn't it?