Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

Hello everyone.  I hope you are having a great day.

When you're in school, you learn about brave people that did unique things.  Sometimes when you become an adult you learn bad things about those same people.  Poor Amelia Earhart, experts think she may have landed on a deserted island, one that has crabs that eat you...literally.  How terrifying is that? That feeling of being on an island bothers me.  Now I don't mean areas like parts of the Outer Banks of NC.  Some parts of OBX are actual islands, but they are connected by bridges.  What about when the bridges wash out in a hurricane or worse yet, an island out in the middle of the ocean where a bridge to mainland is a faraway dream.  Now that is the stuff of nightmares.   Who knows what could happen there.

I recently read Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins.  Rachel also wrote The Wife Upstairs, which I enjoyed, and The Ex Hex under that name Erin Sterling, also fun.  Reckless Girls is about six people than end up on an adventure on a deserted island.  Meroe Island with its legends of murder, mystery, shipwrecks and cannibalism, sits out in the Pacific...all alone...surrounded by nothing but water.  When things start to go awry with the six new friends there is no one to call for help, no authorities to turn to.  When secrets are discovered and mistakes made, they can't be buried by the busyness of life.  It's an island, there is no "busy".  And when you discover people are truly evil...there is no escape. 

This book was an interesting read.  It's like when you are reading about someone underwater, and you find yourself holding your breath.  In this case, reading about people on an island makes me want to stay away from the water forever. While I found some of the characters a bit gullible initially, I found them surprising when the mayhem began. Some of their actions were predictable and others a great twist. Totally fun yet creepy, this story will leave you unwilling to get closer to the water than the freezer section at the grocery store to buy your kids fish sticks.  

If you have a devilish sense of humor, this would make a great gift for your friend to take on their cruise.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

Hello everyone. Hope you are well.

Are you a house lover or are you happy where you happen to land?  Hubby and I love houses and are always looking at the real estate listings.  We recently saw a mansion, yes, a real "have a heaping helping of our hospitality" Beverly Hillbillies mansion, that is on a street we used to live on.  We've been in this enormous, nine bedroom, house several times. The mega-estate is on the market and the listing is shocking. The current owners have filled this historic house with glass block walls, seven foot tall concrete nude statues, and enough gilded brick a brac that even Belle Watling would throw up. Guess it's a good thing that there are endless kinds of houses, something for everyone's taste (even if it's bad). Books are the same way, fun for all.

I recently read The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins.  This thriller is a wink to Jane Eyre, which you'll recognize if you've read the classic.  A Wife Upstairs is about a young girl, Jane, who has started a dog walking business and works in a prestigious neighborhood. One day she meets Eddie, the mysterious owner of the house she admires.  She finds him charming and is saddened to hear that his wife has passed away recently, in a boating accident.  Of course, in true genre form, Eddie has secrets, but so does Jane. As a romance between Jane and Eddie blooms, Jane becomes nervous her secrets will be told and that perhaps Eddie isn't the dream man she thought he was.  This was a quick, fun read.  I guessed the ending early on, so will you if you read lots of thrillers, yet it was still very enjoyable and had a satisfying end. 

Back to the REALLY important stuff, if you don't know who the Beverly Hillbillies are or their theme song, I'll be forced to throw you in the ce-ment pond! If you don't know who Belle Watling is....frankly, my dear, I don't give a...