#BooksRead2017 – Cindy's Love Of Books

Review/ The Dan Diaries

Posted on May 16, 2018May 16, 2018 by Cindy

Book Details:

Book Title: The Dan Diaries by D.D. Marx (The Beyond Series Book #4)
Category: Adult Fiction; 200 pages
Genre: Chick-Lit
Publisher: Beyond Dreams Publishing
Release date: April 6, 2018
Tour dates: May 14 to June 8, 2018
Content Rating: PG-13 (minimal swearing)

Book Description:

Dan Sullivan was the best friend of Olivia Henry when his life was taken in a tragic car accident. Shocked to be on the other side, Dan navigates his way by learning his new role in eternal life. His first assignment is as Olivia’s guardian angel. He has the crucial role of guiding her to her pre-defined destiny. Dan’s death throws Olivia into a tail-spin which causes her to veer way off course. He understands the enormity of the challenge when he hears the mechanism by which he can communicate. He’s only allowed to use signs and symbols to get her attention and cannot interfere with her free-will.

Every time he thinks he’s close, something throws her off track. He’s forced to start over by convincing her to trust in their enduring, unbreakable bond. Olivia can feel Dan’s presence but is still reluctant to believe the messages he’s sending. She is fearful of falling in love again at the risk of losing another soulmate. Can Dan persuade her to trust in his love from afar so she can finally receive the happiness she truly deserves?

This is the fourth book in The Beyond Series and the previous ones are: Beyond Believing, Beyond Love and Beyond Forever. If you click on the book titles it will take you directly to my review of the books. I don’t know if this is the last book in the series or not as I tried to look it up and so far nothing comes up.

Like the previous books this was a super quick read and I managed to read it in one sitting. Although as I am reading this I didn’t want it to end. I would definitely read more from this author in the future. I loved reading her books.

I have to say that this was the perfect book to read at the end of the series because this is Dan’s story and he filled in so many gabs that were missing from the book. The book is all about Dan but you do see Olivia and the previous characters in the book.

The book begins with Dan’s tragic car accident. You get to see things in his perspective and how he manages to cope with what has happened. He is hurting just as much as the ones he’s left behind. The one thing Dan doesn’t want is for his life to make this huge impact on the ones he left behind. So he has been tasked by God himself to help Olivia get throw this and show her that there is life after death and that even though your loved one is gone physically they are there in spirit.

There is rules that Dan has to follow to get Olivia to believe this and the ways he does this makes you realize that things like this can really happen in the every day world. I know this because after my aunt passed away quite suddenly 18 years ago I was really upset and questioned things like most people do when someone dies suddenly. I was very much like Olivia asking for a sign that things are okay and sure enough she gave me that sign I was looking for. Whenever I am in doubt I ask my aunt and she reassures me with a scent of her favorite perfume. So I am a bug believer that even though they aren’t here physically they are with us spiritually.

If you are looking for a light fun read then I highly recommend this series. But you need to read all the books in order to fully follow along with the story.

Thank you Laura from iReads Book Tour for allowing me to be a part of this book tour and for sending me a copy of the book to read for my review.

Review/ Maybe In Paris (#17DABash)

Posted on December 10, 2017December 10, 2017 by Cindy

Maybe in Paris by Rebecca Christiansen
Format: Hardcover
Published by Sky Pony Press on June 20th 2017
Pages: 240
Goodreads

Keira Braidwood lands in Paris with her autistic brother, Levi, and high hopes. Levi has just survived a suicide attempt and months in the psych ward—he’s ready for a dose of the wider world. Unlike their helicopter mom and the doctors who hover over Levi, Keira doesn’t think Levi’s certifiable. He’s just . . . quirky. Always has been.

Those quirks quickly begin to spoil the trip. Keira wants to traipse all over Europe; Levi barely wants to leave their grubby hotel room. She wants to dine on the world’s cuisine; he only wants fast food. Levi is one giant temper tantrum, and Keira’s ready to pull out her own hair.

She finally finds the adventure she craves in Gable, a hot Scottish bass player, but while Keira flirts in the Paris Catacombs, Levi’s mental health breaks. He disappears from their hotel room and Keira realizes, too late, that her brother is sicker than she was willing to believe. To bring him home safe, Keira must tear down the wall that Levi’s sickness and her own guilt have built between them.

I just quickly want to take a moment and thank Nichole from YaReads.com for putting together this huge debut authors bash. This has been happening since 2013 but my first time hearing about it so after hearing about it I quickly signed up. There was 112 debut authors taking part and its happening all this month. You can check the tour schedule by clicking THIS.

This is day 10 of the Debut Authors Bash and today I am going to talk about Maybe in Paris by Rebecca Christiansen.

About the Author:

Rebecca Christiansen tried to study creative writing at university, but kept skipping classes to write YA novels in the library, so she decided to pursue that instead. She loves boy bands and diet soda and suffers from incurable wanderlust. Rebecca lives with her boyfriend in a house packed full of books in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

When I found out that I was actually going to host Rebecca Christiansen’s book Maybe in Paris I was super excited because she is a Canadian author and the book sounded really good.

This was a super quick read and I pretty much devoured it all on rainy Saturday.

Keira has always wanted to go to Paris. She loves everything about Paris and I could relate I am like that about New York City. She even went to her prom dressed like Marie Antoinette. Now that is some serious obsession with the city of love.

Her school has hosted a french foreign exchange student all year and she has had a little crush on him. She is determined to spend the summer in Paris with him and she knows the only way she can go is if she saves up for it and she does. Every nickel and dime goes towards this trip of a life time.

Just before leaving there is a huge problem that is possibly going to put a kink in the plan. What will Keira do? Will she be going to Paris as played or will this trip go down the drain?

I can totally understand how upset she is about not being able to go but family is everything and we all take that for granted. We think we will be around for ever and sometimes we are and sometimes we aren’t. Not wanting to give up on her chance to go to Paris she comes up with a plan that will mean bringing Levi with her and following the rules her mother has set out for her in regards to looking after Levi and his medication.

Keira has their days planned out and sadly not once does she really think of Levi and what he might want to do as he just seems to be following behind her this whole trip. Before long Keira has left him behind and gone to do what she wants and not taking in to account she has left her brother for so long. When she gets back she is in for a rude awakening.

Will Keira be able to cope or does she realize she is in over her head?

Review/ Beyond Forever

Posted on December 4, 2017December 4, 2017 by Cindy

Beyond Forever (Beyond, #3) by D.D. Marx
Published by Beyond Dreams Publishing Group on December 12th 2017
Pages: 225
Goodreads

Just as their life is seemingly back on track, Finn McDaniel’s gets news that sends him into a tail-spin. He is faced with the prospect of losing Olivia Henry forever. He immediately turns to Dan, Olivia’s deceased best friend, who is her loyal and constant guardian angel from the beyond, imploring him for his help. In the midst of all of the chaos a special package is delivered that changes their lives forever.

While Finn is determined to grow his restaurant to new heights by chasing after the coveted Michelin Star, it is Olivia who finally sees her dream come to fruition in a way never thought possible. Finn is determined to support Olivia through her shocking breakthrough and even has a very special surprise up his sleeve that she never sees coming. Just as their plan is set in to motion and they settle in to their new normal, they have an earth shattering encounter. In that moment it is revealed that they have much more than just a spiritual relationship with the beyond.

This is the third and final book in the Beyond series by D.D. Marx. What a fantastic read and it was nice how D.D Marx wrapped up the series. Although I wonder if there could be a series of books on Jules and Mac? I would definitely read that one too.

What a roller coaster of emotions this was. I am so happy that I got the chance to read this series. All three books were super quick reads and it was nice to read them all one right after the other because I knew I would be going crazy if I couldn’t have read them all.

Since this is the third book I am going to keep this short and sweet.

Olivia is getting ready to have her baby but things don’t go as smoothly as the couple hopes and before long Finn is asking Dan for help because he is their guardian angel because its a matter of life and death.

Just when things seem to be getting back on track a mysterious packages arrives causing their lives to never be the same again. Is it in a good way or a bad way?

Good things come to those that wait. Finn is striving to earn that Michelin gold star rating so that he can push his restaurant to the success it truly deserves and bring it to new heights. Will he achieve that? Also receiving some good news is Olivia and she is beyond thrilled never thinking something like this could happen to her and it will change everyone for good.

Sometimes we just need to read something light and fun and that makes you think that some one somewhere is out there watching you and guiding you along the way. We all have guardian angels looking out for us, we just need to recognize the signs and welcome them.

If you are looking for a light fun read then I highly recommend this. But you need to read all three books in order.

Review/ Midnight at the Electric

Posted on November 21, 2017November 30, 2017 by Cindy

Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Format: Hardcover
Published by HarperTeen on June 13th 2017
Pages: 272
Goodreads

Divided by time. Ignited by a spark.
Kansas, 2065. Adri has secured a slot as a Colonist—one of the lucky few handpicked to live on Mars. But weeks before launch, she discovers the journal of a girl who lived in her house over a hundred years ago, and is immediately drawn into the mystery surrounding her fate. While Adri knows she must focus on the mission ahead, she becomes captivated by a life that’s been lost in time…and how it might be inextricably tied to her own.
Oklahoma, 1934. Amidst the fear and uncertainty of the Dust Bowl, Catherine fantasizes about her family’s farmhand, and longs for the immortality promised by a professor at a traveling show called the Electric. But as her family’s situation becomes more dire—and the suffocating dust threatens her sister’s life—Catherine must find the courage to sacrifice everything she loves in order to save the one person she loves most.
England, 1919. In the recovery following the First World War, Lenore struggles with her grief for her brother, a fallen British soldier, and plans to sail to America in pursuit of a childhood friend. But even if she makes it that far, will her friend be the person she remembers, and the one who can bring her back to herself?
While their stories spans thousands of miles and multiple generations, Lenore, Catherine, and Adri’s fates are entwined.

This was a book I picked up to read on summer vacation and I actually did read it on vacation. As I was reading this I realized that I have never read anything by Jodi Lynn Anderson before this and I don’t know why considering I have a few of her books sitting on my bookshelf. This will be another author that I will have to make sure I read in 2018.

Midnight at the Electric is told in three perspectives ( Adri, Catherine and Lenore) and three different time periods (Kansas 2065, Oklahoma 1934 and England 1919).

As I was reading this I was always wondering how each of the girls would play a part in the book and how it would all join together at the end and I was happy to see Jodi Lynn managed to connect them all together.

The book begins in the year 2065, and one of our main characters, Adri has been selected to be one of the colonists living on Mars. How neat would that be? Adri is sent to go live with a distant cousin in Kansas that she had no idea she had, while she completes her final training. Its there that Adri discovers the journal of Catherine, a girl living during the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma, and letters from Lenore, an English girl coming to terms with the loss of her brother in World War I, hidden away in her closet and curiosity gets the better of her and she starts reading the letters and journal.

With Catherine we discover that she is a young girl growing up in Kansas during the great Dust Bowl, which is something that actually happened and was also known as the Dirty 30s. Something that I never knew actually happened and I have to say that I found Catherine’s chapters interesting and horrifying. She is finding first love who just happens to be someone who is helping taking care of the family land and she is also watching her farm be buried in dirt and her sister’s cough not going away. How scary would that have been in that time?

It is through Catherine’s story, that we learn about her mom and how she left England during the war and how her best friend, Lenore stayed behind. Even though the friends were separated they never lost touch and wrote letters to each other. With Lenore we learn what the war was like and how she struggled with the losses her town had suffered and her need to want to flee England and go to America so that she could be with her friend.

Having not read anything before I wasn’t sure what to expect but I am happy to say that I really enjoyed the book and the roller coaster of emotions that I would feel. Seeing as I was reading this on vacation I didn’t get to read it in one sitting but over a few nights. I would definitely continue to read Jodi Lynn’s previous and future books.

Review/ Winter Solstice

Posted on November 19, 2017November 22, 2017 by Cindy

Winter Solstice by Elin Hilderbrand
Format: ARC, Hardcover
Published by Little, Brown and Company on October 3rd 2017
Pages: 304
Goodreads

*The USA Today Bestseller* Raise one last glass with the Quinn Family at the Winter Street Inn.
It's been too long since the entire Quinn family has been able to celebrate the holidays under the same roof, but that's about to change. With Bart back safe and sound from Afghanistan, the Quinns are preparing for a holiday more joyous than any they've experienced in years. And Bart's safe return isn't the family's only good news: Kevin is enjoying married life with Isabelle; Patrick is getting back on his feet after paying his debt to society; Ava thinks she's finally found the love of her life; and Kelly is thrilled to see his family reunited at last. But it just wouldn't be a Quinn family gathering if things went smoothly. A celebration of everything we love--and some of the things we endure--about the holidays, WINTER SOLSTICE is Elin Hilderbrand at her festive best.

I quickly have to thank Little Brown and Company for sending me a advance readers copy of this fourth and probably final book in the Winter series. I would only hope that Elin decides to perhaps write a fifth book to kind of just tie up some loose ends as to what happens next and I could see that there could be another book but its always hard to tell in these cases.

I loved this series and I think it was a great introduction into Elin Hilderbrand’s writing and its peeked my interested that I decided in 2018 I need to do a Elin Hilderbrand reading challenge and read her other series. Is there a series I should start off with?

Like the previous books the Quinn family heads to Nantucket for the holiday season to be together as a family in what possibly could be the last one together.

In the previous book Kelly, the father has brain cancer and has decided to stop treatment so every day could possibly be the last day. He wants to be with his family and take it all in without being sick with chemicals in his body. He wants to go on his terms not anyone elses.

The book is told in alternating voices of the Quinn family like the previous ones. In my previous reviews I have always gone in order but this time I am going to start with Bart. He is finally home safe and sound but still dealing with the lingering affects of what he endured. He is secluded in his room dealing with the fact he watched his friends being killed. Mitzi is trying everything to help her son and things having a big birthday party is just the thing. He is against it the whole time but gives in because he wants to make his mother happy and I honestly think he is happy that he let her do it because he finally gets a happy ending and this is one of the reason I think Bart needs a series of his own or at least a book. I loved Bart.

Ava is now living in NYC and has a new boyfriend. She is teaching music at a private school and is loving it. She is on the right track with the new boyfriend but hits a road bump when his ex comes to town with her new boyfriend and his son. Things get off to a rocky start between everyone. I am happy that Ava didn’t give up and throw in the towel. I think this also could be another book.

Kevin and Isabelle are the happy little family and parents to two kids and their business is starting to take out.

Finally Patrick is trying to get his own business back up but is finding it hard. His wife, Jennifer is a interior decorator and trying her best to keep the family going but hits a road blog when a client is asking for more and puts her in a awkward position. Will she tell Patrick what really happens?

As I have mentioned throughout the review I think each of these characters could have a book or series of there own and I would clearly read them because I want to know more and what happens to them. As you can see I am invested in them.

I was reading that one of the characters in the book Eddie is actually a character in the book The Rumor so I think I will need to check that out because his character was tossed into the book and he had a shady past that I wanted to know more about because its like he came in from left field.

I hope that this is not the end of the characters. I really enjoyed these quick reads and so happy I read them.

Review/ The Couple Next Door

Posted on November 12, 2017November 30, 2017 by Cindy

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
Format: Paperback
Published by Doubleday Canada on August 23rd 2016
Pages: 308
Goodreads

An instant New York Times and Globe and Mail bestseller. Look out for Shari Lapena's next thriller, A Stranger in the House, coming August 2017.
"Meticulously crafted and razor-sharp. The Couple Next Door lingers long after you turn the final page." --Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fool Me Once
A domestic suspense debut about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors--a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal and the secrets between husbands and wives. . . .
How well do you know the couple next door? Or your husband? Or even--yourself? Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all--a loving relationship, a wonderful home and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story. Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they've kept for years. What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family--a chilling tale of deception, duplicityand unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist.

The Couple Next Door is a debut novel by a Canadian author. This was one book I was super excited to pick up and read and I have to say it did not disappoint.

This was a super quick read for me and one that I enjoyed reading. I had a hard time putting the book down. It felt like I was riding a roller coaster. Just when you think you have one thing figured out something comes up to cause you to rethink it and I was like this the whole way through the book. One minute I was like I got this and then the next I am like okay maybe not. Those are my favorite kind of books to read. Expect the unexpected.

Anne and Marco are brand new parents, who live next door to neighbors/friends Cynthia and Graham. Cynthia invites the couple over for a dinner party. When their babysitter bails at the last minute they decide to go anyways with the strict rules of having the baby monitor on them at all times and doing check ups every 30 minutes and I had really strong feelings about this and I feel babies or young child should never be left alone for any amount of time without an adult in the house. So much can happen in a blink of a eye and this is exactly what happens.

Anne and Marco’s sweet baby girl, Cora goes missing after the last check in Marco did. They come home to find the front door open and Cora gone. My heart broke for Anne and Marco because who wants this to happen but at the same time I wanted to punch them both because they were the ones who caused all this to happen. Who leaves a 6 month old baby alone in a empty house with only a baby monitor on? Plus they were drinking so anything could have happened when they weren’t paying attention.

The whole time as I was reading this I kept looking for clues as to what happened and who did this? Could it have been Anne? She was a little drunk and we all know that our reflexes are common sense aren’t there? Was it Marco? As the book progresses we do get insight as to what really happened and by who.

As the story plays out you are reminded about how well do you know your neighbors, your spouse, or even yourself? So much goes on behind close doors that no one really knows about.

If your looking for your next psychological thriller then I highly recommend this one. It will not disappoint.

Review/ The Disclaimer by Renee Knight

Posted on November 10, 2017November 30, 2017 by Cindy

Disclaimer by Renée Knight
Format: Paperback
Published by Harper Perennial on April 12th 2016
Pages: 352
Goodreads

What if you realized the terrifying book you were reading was all about you?

A brilliantly conceived, deeply disturbing psychological thriller about a woman haunted by secrets--and the price she will pay for concealing the truth
When a mysterious novel appears at Catherine Ravenscroft’s bedside, she is curious. She has no idea who might have sent her The Perfect Stranger--or how it ended up on her nightstand. At first, she is intrigued by the suspenseful story that unfolds.
And then she realizes.
This isn’t fiction.
The Perfect Stranger recreates in vivid, unmistakable detail the day Catherine became hostage to a dark secret, a secret that only one other person knew--and that person is dead.
Now that the past Catherine so desperately wants to forget is catching up with her, her world is falling apart. Plunged into a living nightmare, she knows that her only hope is to confront what really happened on that terrible day . . . even if the shocking truth might destroy her.

Disclaimer by Renee Knight is her debut novel that came out in 2015 and this was a book I spotted and bought because of the cover. I mean look at it a woman holding a book in her hand why wouldn’t I buy it and find out what its about. I actually love that the cover goes with the book,

Plus the tag line on the book says “Imagine if the next thriller you read was all about you.” What would you do if you happen to pick up a book that was based on your and your secrets? I know i would be completely freaked out.

Sadly I bought this book last year and only picked it up to read recently and I am so happy that I finally decided to take it off the shelf to read. I need to do that more often.

Our main character is Catherine. She is married with an adult child and is a successful documentary film maker. Looking at Catherine you think she has it all but dig deeper into the book and you realize she is just like everyone else with a deep dark secret that no one knows about or at least that is what she thinks. Who could possibly know what it is?

Catherine decides to pick up a book that has been sitting on her bed side table. She isn’t sure how it got them but as she starts reading she realizes that this book is about her and her secret. The main character is based on Catherine and it takes places years ago. How could someone have found out about this secret?

This is told in alternating points of view. That of Catherine and that of the writer of the book that Catherine is reading. Catherine will do anything to protect her secret that she has kept buried for so long meanwhile the author of the book doesn’t care and feels like everyone should know what she has done and will do anything to get the book out. Catherine soon realizes that the author of the book is sending it out to people who are near and dear to her. If they read it will the know its about her?

I want to go on and on about it but I am afraid if I write anymore I will give the book out and spoil it.

If your looking for something that will keep you on the edge of your seat this is for you. I really enjoyed this because this was another book that just when you think you have it figured out you don’t and things don’t appear like they seem.