Never Lie by Freida McFadden

Hello everyone.  I hope your day is going well.

Hubby and I are old house addicts.  Not just ours but other peoples'.  We have talked our way into gobs of various old houses, some personal residences, some historic sites.  I can't help it; I'm curious and poor hubby gets pulled along to insure I don't end up in jail (which one of my sisters insists is coming any day now). One of the houses looked like ghosts would be frightened haunting it, in fact, it had been used in a haunted house movie.  Finally, someone purchased it to restore and we were right there, getting the full tour.  It was amazing inside, great raised paneling under each window.  There were a few, not open to the public, houses in Colonial Williamsburg..."gosh I'm so sorry, isn't this part of the tour?"  Then there were closed off rooms in Carter's Grove, various other James River plantations, all our neighbors' houses and then some.  Old houses are fun and always surprising.

I recently read Never Lie by Freida McFadden.  This is the author of the very popular books The Housemaid and The Housemaid's Secret. I've read, enjoyed and reviewed both.  Never Lie is about a couple that want to buy a house.  Tricia and Ethan are enjoying married life and are ready to purchase a home.  While going to see a listing, they are trapped in a snowstorm and are forced to walk to the house they were hoping to see.  Although the realtor never shows in the dangerous weather, they count themselves lucky to find a key and shelter in their possible new property.  Impressed with the grand rambling estate, they discover curious things. A light on upstairs, yet a thick layer of undisturbed dust on every surface, including the footprint free floor.  They find fresh food in the fridge, yet again, no evidence anyone has been in the old mansion, just the opposite, it has been and remains vacant.  As the story progresses, we find out that the house last belonged to a famous psychiatrist Dr. Adrienne Hale, who disappeared four years ago and is presumed dead. Despite the troubling history it is worth it to live in such an elaborate home, until odd things start happening.  

This story is told in dual timelines following the modern-day homebuyers, Tricia and Ethan, and another exploring the life of Adrienne revealing what happened leading up to her disappearance.  This story is fast moving, never really letting the reader catch their breath.  It is one of those that you gasp out loud wondering how you could have missed the amazing twists that leave you shaking your head and grinning. A wild ride and fun from beginning to end.  A classic domestic thriller.

I might be a bit more careful about seeing old houses, they may hold more secrets than I want to know!

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

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

Have you met your significant other yet?  I met my husband in college.  He sat in front of me in class and would turn around and stare at me.  It was so obvious I thought certainly he must be interested in the girl sitting next to me, nobody in their right mind would be so conspicuous.  Nope, that was my husband's game plan, pester me until I agreed to go out with him.  In fact, we still note April 1st as the first time he actually spoke to me, saying "What's it like to have a month named after you?" He still says the same thing the first of every April.  We've been together now for decades.  I'm not sure if there is one soulmate for each person but I do know I am the only person on the face of this planet that will put up with his shenanigans.

I recently read The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth.  I've read several of Hepworth's other books including The Good Sister, The Mother-In-Law, and The Younger Wife.  I enjoyed them all. The Soulmate is about a couple, Pippa and Gabe who own a house by the ocean.  It's not quite a "grab your flipper feet and beach ball" kind of beach house.  This property has a cliff, high above the ocean below.  In fact, that specific location on the cliff is well known as the spot where people come to commit suicide.  Despite the house being occupied by a family with young children, the jumpers continue to come to carry out their wishes.  Thankfully, Gabe has become a great listener and has been able to talk people out of jumping, he really has a knack for it.  One day Pippa sees someone by the edge of the cliff and Gabe races out there to urge the young woman to retreat from the edge.  Pippa stays inside the house to keep her young daughters occupied so they will be unaware of what is transpiring outside.  But, as Pippa catches a glance, she sees the young woman plunge over the edge and what is perhaps most disturbing is that it looks like her husband's hands were in the position not to save her but to push her. As the death is investigated relationships begin to unravel and long kept secrets come to light.

This book is typical from Sally Hepworth, she tells you a simple story in a straight-forward way.  You are certain you know what is going on, everything is plainly right there in front of you and yet she offers twists that should have been considered but weren't.  She is an expert at the "gotcha".  This story was interesting, fun, and a pleasant, easy read. This one will have you giving both the ones you love and your enemies a second look.

By the way, yes, it is nice having a month named after me.

Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica

Hello everyone.  I hope this week has been great.

Lately it seems that normal things have snazzy new words.  Hiking, even for an afternoon, used to mean something rugged. You definitely wore a heavy backpack loaded with the latest survival gear, despite the hike being only two hours.  You also wore heavy brown, unyielding, boots. When on an official hike, you were in danger of being eaten by a mountain lion, billy goat, or at the minimum you encountered a flirtatious Big Foot. When I was a kid, we hiked all day, without the lifesaving gear.  We roughed it walking, oh excuse me, hiking to the creek where we dared walk in the water discovering waterfalls and crayfish.  You wanna talk about rugged, try walking around in soaking wet sneakers the rest of the day, they squished and squeaked with every step, then there was the wrath of Mom. Forget mountain lions, ruined brand new sneakers was a capital offense.

I recently read Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica.  I read one of her other books, Local Woman Missing, and didn't like the end.  This book is different.  Just the Nicest Couple is the story of two couples, that are friends.  Nina is a schoolteacher and her husband, Jake, is a surgeon.  Lily is also a teacher, and her adoring husband is Christian.  Sadly, Jake goes missing.  Lily tells Christian that she was on the "hiking" trail and saw Jake.  Something bad happened.  Christian tries to help his wife with this dangerous and tricky situation.  As with most thrillers, all is not what it seems.  The reader is presented with multiple scenarios as the picture constantly morphs.

This book was so fun.  The ending was fantastic.  I'm so glad I didn't give up on this author.  The story was fast paced, simply told, easy to read, and interesting.  A fun thriller!

I best hike my way to the kitchen to do dishes. I better find one of those survival backpacks, I'll need it.

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Hello everyone. I hope your holiday season has been joyous.

This is the week between Christmas and New Year's.  We don't do anything at New Year's but still the time seems awkward, like everyone is holding their breath waiting for something.  Most are waiting for a new year, a fresh start.  We are waiting for something to change in this house.  It's a mess.  Between both of us being sick, the dishwasher being broken, and tons of boxes from ordered stuff instead of in person shopping...there is junk and dirt everywhere.  What we really need is a maid.  Most of my friends from high school have a "cleaning lady", although lots of people have luxurious things on Facebook.  Seriously, I don't know if I could handle a maid.  Someone else doing your laundry.  To speak like the southern lady I am (who is snickering?  I see you in the back.  It's not that funny.  Okay it is but keep your laughter to yourself.) Anyway, unmentionables are unmentionable for a reason and to have someone else washing.... things...folding and putting away...seems way too personal for me.  I might have to clean up our pigsty myself and rethink the maid thing.

I recently read The Housemaid by Freida McFadden.  This is the story of Millie, who is a young woman recently released from prison who has had a difficult time adjusting to society or perhaps society has a problem with her.  Her difficulties seem to be ending when she is offered a job cleaning house, cooking, and looking after their daughter, for wealthy Nina and Andrew Winchester. The position offers room, board, and a generous salary, far better than Millie currently has living in her car.  What starts out as ideal ends up rapidly changing.  Nina messes up the house on purpose, emptying the fridge onto the floor including cartons of milk.  She gives one instruction then later denies it completely.  Millie is left to wonder what she has gotten herself into and how mentally stable her new employer truly is.  Then there is Andrew.  He realizes his wife has problems and tries to smooth things over with Millie. But Millie develops a serious crush on the handsome husband, who is obviously off-limits.  

This fast-moving domestic thriller is completely addictive with several major twists.  Now if you are a big thriller reader, you may well guess the twists but the whole story is so entertaining and tense, you won't mind a bit.  Engrossing and fun, what more could you want.  I'll tell you....a follow-up book.  We are in luck, a sequel will be released on February 23, The Housemaid's Secret.  I'll be quick to "sweep" it up.

The Half Sister by Sandie Jones

Hello everyone.  I hope your day is going well.

I cannot believe it's June!  The beginning of June always reminds me of the family that lived next door when I was a kid.  The Mom was our beloved elementary school nurse and was an avid gardener.  The Dad built and flew model airplanes.  They had four children.  Two were older but one girl was my age, and one was my sisters'.  Needless to say, we played together a lot.  Heck, I still remember their phone number! It's weird how some things you remember like naming the tree in their front yard "old chucker," the sledding down the back hill, riding bikes, swimming, and the endless games of Red Light Green Light.  Of course, now they are all married, some with kids, and scattered across the country.  I often think of how lucky we were to have such wonderful neighbors. Today is the birthday of that friend, a date that somehow, I've never forgotten.  

I recently read The Half Sister by Sandie Jones.  I've read two books by this author, The First Mistake and The Other Woman.  I liked both very much.  The Half Sister is about two sisters, Kate and Lauren, who are grieving the loss of their devoted father.  One Sunday, while at their mother's house for dinner, a woman comes the door asking to see their father.  When they discover the mysterious woman claims to be their half-sister, they are skeptical but start wondering about different moments from the family's past.  When the woman produces a DNA test, the world falls apart and secrets start being revealed.  Who is telling the truth and who is lying?  This book takes that issue I love of unreliable narrators and spreads it to someone who never appears in the book and is dead before it starts.  Could his life have been a lie?  

This novel is quite the ride and literally has twists until the very end.  If you don't like family drama type thrillers, then stay clear but otherwise I doubt you'd be disappointed.  More likely, you'll be cold from all that rapid page turning!  Another win for Jones.

I don't know what I was thinking, I should have sent my friend this book for her birthday.  That would certainly have made it happy.