The Missing Place by Sophie Littlefield

Two mothers: Colleen and Shay. Both trying to find their sons that have disappeared from an oil rig camp they were both working at. As both mothers begin to work together, they are met with silence from anyone who works for the oil company, anyone who might know of the whereabouts of either young man, and even the people in the North Dakota community fighting to retake their land from the oil company to give back to the native people.

The Missing Place is a good mystery that kept me engaged. The clash of the two mothers throughout the investigation led to a nice climax that had me feeling for both women. Without the sons actually being active within the first two-thirds of the book, Sophie Littlefield does a wonderful job of showing who these two young men are. From memories the women have to the few stories that are put together we get a good sense of who Paul and Taylor were as workers, friends, and sons.

This was an enjoyable read and I will be looking for more to read from Sophie Littlefield.

Cross-posted at Goodreads

Book Review: Our Little Secret by Roz Nay

Desire, passion, first love, and the turning of time all play factors in this wonderful, power-packed thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat, turning pages. Enjoyable, heart-pumping, and just what I needed.

Angela is left in a stark interrogation room with nothing but a revolving line of police officers entering, all with the same questions about her ex, HP. His wife Saskia is missing. Just what does Angela know about it?

Detective Novak becomes the main interrogator, letting Angela go back ten years to tell how she knew and fell in love with HP. Roz Nay goes deep inside the thoughts of Angela to find what has kept her ticking all these years. We are given snapshots of the life Angela wanted and expected to always be there.

HP and Angela were best friends; there was always that extra pull deep inside of Angela towards HP. They were closer to each other than anyone else. It wasn't unexpected - and yet it was when it finally happened - when they fell in love. Was it meant to be? Was it meant to last? What if HP meant someone else?

Saskia's vanished, hasn't she? It's kind of terrible, although deep down, in a part of me I'll never let anyone see, I don't mind if she doesn't come back. That sounds bad, I know. But people can't always control their thoughts; they just control what they do about them. Saskia came in like a hurricane that summer, ripping whole dwellings apart, and maybe Mom is right. The energy you put out into the world does change everything.

Angela has her own thoughts on what has been going on. Could she be protecting someone? Who has been telling the truth, and who is living the lie?

The way we live now, most people veil their destructiveness and dress it up as love. They clothe it and feed it and take it out on the town as their socially acceptable form of desolation. They do as much damage as the next person.

I really enjoyed this cat-and-mouse thriller. Our Little Secret kept me guessing until the end. I look forward to what Roz Nay will come up with next.


Thanks go to Simon & Schuster Canada and Roz Nay for providing an ARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Our Little Secret - Roz Nay 
On sale: June 6, 2017

Trade Paperback
ISBN: 9781501142802

E-Book
ISBN: 9781501142864


Get to know more about this author!



Roz Nay grew up in England and studied at Oxford University. She has been published in The Antigonish Review and the anthology Refuge. Roz has worked as an underwater fish counter in Africa, a snowboard videographer in Vermont, and a high school teacher in both the UK and Australia. She now lives in British Columbia, Canada, with her husband and two children. Our Little Secret is her first novel. Visit her at RozNay.com, on Facebook Roznay1, or follow her on Twitter @roznay1.





Cross-posted on Goodreads

From Just Beyond My Bookshelf

Book Review: I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak

Maybe everyone can live beyond what they're capable of.

In walks Ed Kennedy. He's a 19 yr old underage cab driver in an Australian small town. He's a loser with less than impeccable friends. He reads a lot, has no goals in life, is bad at sex, and good at foiling a bank robbery with his overly talkative buddy, Marv.

The Doorman is pretty important to Ed. Not the guy who holds doors open; it's the name of his 17 yr old dog that means the world to him. Almost as important as his best friend, Audrey - who he is completely head-over-heels in love with. Too bad she is into having sex without love, and Ed does not fit into her line of detached relations.

Not long after the hilarious bank robbery, Ed receives his first card in the mail - the Ace of Diamonds. Three addresses are listed on it. What is in store at each place? It is up to Ed to figure out what is going on and how to deal with it. After finishing off one card, the next Ace shows up. It's Ed who holds people's lives in his hands.

While making moves with the cards he's dealt, Ed is learning to do that in his own life. He has a rather difficult relationship with his mother, and he has no idea why it is the way it is.

"Ma?" I ask. 
"What?"
"Why do you hate me so much?"
And now she looks at me, this woman, as I make sure my eyes don't give me away.
Flatly, simply, she answers.
"Because, Ed - you remind me of him."
Him?
It registers.
Him - my father.
She goes inside and the door slams.

Two other quotes that made a huge impact on the story with me are:

Carefully no, her statement comes out. "Believe it or not - it takes a lot of love to hate you like this."

I love that old woman's smile. I love the patches of human wrinkles on her face ad the joy in her eyes.

I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end. I smiled, laughed, and teared up, too. This is my second of Zusak's books and I must say it reaches the level I expect after reading The Book Thief. Completely different but in no way lacking the poetic, genuine, and well-paced words that Markus Zusak is well-known for. This book has earned a spot on my favourites shelf, and I look forward to many re-reads to come.

Cross-posted on Goodreads

From just Beyond My Bookshelf

Book Review: The Twilight Wife by A.J. Banner

None of us is bound by the past.

Kyra Winthrop, after barely surviving a diving accident, remembers very little of the last several years of her life. She can't remember the accident, her time in the hospital, or even her married life. She is fortunate to have a patient husband, a few good friends, and a wonderful island she can recuperate on.
But is this enough to give Kyra the life back she once had?



The Twilight Wife is a good, fast-paced story full of mystery. I enjoyed the well-created, suspense-filled scenes. The twists and turns kept me engaged, and I loved the scenery of the remote island in the Pacific Northwest. I correctly guessed some of the plot line early on, but I really enjoyed the mystery behind why it happened that way. It was good to read a book that brought shivers to my spine.

A.J. Banner has packaged up a nice stand-alone novel in The Twilight Wife. There was one passage that was of particular interest to me. It resonated deeply within me, and I felt a connection to the character as I read further.

What makes a woman so sure of herself? She has to know who she is, and to know who she is, she needs knowledge of her past. She remembers falling in and out of love, making a decision to marry or remain single. She remembers the choices that define her. But I don't have that advantage.

Thanks go to Simon & Schuster Canada and A.J. Banner for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

THE TWILIGHT WIFE - A.J. Banner

Publication: December 27, 2016

ISBN: 9781501152115

Don't forget to check out more by this author!

 

A.J. Banner graduated from high school in southern California and received degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. Her first novel of psychological suspense, The Good Neighbor, was a #1 Kindle bestseller, and was named by Harper’s Bazaar as the next Gone Girl. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and five rescued cats.

Cross-posted on Goodreads

From just Beyond My Bookshelf

Book Review: In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Nora is invited to a hen (bachelorette) party, but it’s been ten years since she’s seen or talked to the bride-to-be, Clare. After contacting Nina, the only other person she knows on the invite list, Nora begrudgingly agrees to go to the party, only to find out that Nora’s ex and the groom-to-be are one and the same.

As Nora tries her best to appear happy, her old friends and anew acquaintances remind her of why she left town after graduation without looking back.

• Clare – Nora sees, after only a few minutes, that Clare hasn’t changed much from her stuck-up, popular days
• Flo – very high strung, intense, and trying to become a replica of Clare; appears as the most psychologically unbalanced member of the party
• Nina – outspoken and uncensored Nina still hasn’t learned to watch what she says before she says it; the part of her that was once envied is now seen as her downfall 
• Melanie – too wrapped up in her six-month old to enjoy anything or be a team player 
• Tom – seems to fit right in as one of the girls 
• James – Nora’s first love that she thought she’d gotten over, and now he’s to marry Clare

In a Dark, Dark Wood is very readable with lots of suspense and thought-provoking moments slipped in throughout the story. It is very well crafted and I will definitely enjoy returning to it.

I wish to thank Simon & Schuster Canada and Ruth Ware for providing me with a review copy for an honest review.

Cross-posted on Goodreads

Book Review: Cloaked in Fur by T.F. Walsh

Cloaked in Fur, T.F. Walsh

Set in Romania, Daciana, or Daci as everyone calls her, works at the Animal Research Institute where she tracks animals and their behaviour as an animal specialist. She sometimes lends herself to the police on animal attack crimes. Her boyfriend, Connell, is on the police force and is bothered that all the latest attack victims are linked to Daci. Not to mention that Daci has been hiding any information about herself from Connell. One piece he might want to know about is that his girlfriend is a Wulfkin - half wolf, half human.

Deep in the forest is where Daci's wolf pack resides. Sandulf is the Alpha, or pack leader, and he has a few secrets of his own. One of them could be very deadly if it isn't discovered soon. Enre, Daci's friend and former lover, is still very much in love with her. He intends to help Daci get the secret elixir that will make her completely human. But time is running out, and they still have to find the recipe for the elixir and stop whatever is killing humans just outside their wolf den.

I am happily surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I love wolves, romance, and a good storyline with some mystery thrown in here and there. And that's what I received when I was drawn in by the first paragraph. Cloaked in Fur is filled with action throughout, and just when you think you have it figured out, T.F. Walsh throws a wrench in to stir it up. I like sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what the next chapter will bring. I was more than satisfied with this novel. It was fun, a quick read, and T.F. Walsh gained a new fan. I look forward to see what else this author can string together.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

~ cross-posted on Goodreads

Book Review: Cold Fear by Suzanne Brandyn

The action of Cold Fear by Suzanne Brandyn begins right away and doesn't end until the last page of the book. Macy Donavan is on the hunt to find the person who kidnapped her daughter from her bed because the police are not working hard enough to help. Faced with the impossible concept that she must start to live her life without her daughter, Macy never gives up hope. How does a mother begin to get back into daily living when her child isn't safely tucked in her arms?

I enjoyed the fast-pace of this book, the bumps and hurdles the main character went through, and the twists of surprise that left me talking to my screen as I scrolled to the next chapter. Suzanne Brandyn held me with this book all the way through, and kept me on the edge of my seat until the final word. I love a book that can make me feel for the characters and get me involved in the plot. I am happy to recommend this book for those that want an adventure, some mystery, and a plot that blasts off from the first sentence.

I was sent this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

~ cross-posted on Goodreads

Book Review: Mr. Murder by Dean Koontz

Martin Stillwater, a writer, is adored by his wife and two daughters. They live a good life until an exact double of Martin shows up with gun in hand, ready to take all that is Martin's, including his family.

I enjoyed Mr. Murder, with its quick-paced action, visual scenes, and easy point-of-view changes that added to the excitement.

I recommend this book for Dean Koontz fans, and also to anyone who enjoys to read a mystery while sitting on the edge of your seat.
I'm glad I own this one; it's sure to be read again.

~ cross-posted on Goodreads