The Final Target by Nora Roberts

The Final Target by Nora Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
----------
He showed up at Arden Bowie’s debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that.

Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistake…

An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitude—but now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound. And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety when Dustin’s wealthy mother helps to get him a paltry five-year sentence at a psychiatric facility.

Arden decides to write a new story for herself, moving to a tiny Oregon town and befriending Gideon, an ex-LAPD detective. But while she learns to thrive, Dustin remains his delusional, twisted self, as fixated as ever and now seething with anger. He still believes Arden's purpose on earth is to serve and please him. And his job is to protect her. But who will protect her from him?
----------
No one does romantic suspense like Nora Roberts, and over the last several years, these standalone books she releases each year have become one of the highlights of my early summer reading list. Books like Mind Games and Identity still live rent-free in my head several years after I have read them. Well, they are going to have to make room for The Final Target because this is another memorable thriller from an author who continues write hits year after year.

Arden is the strong female protagonist that we can always expect in Roberts's books, and she finds herself up against a "fan" who initially appears unassuming but quickly becomes terrifying. She rebuilds her life and finds happiness, but is her foe waiting in the wings, just waiting for another chance with his favorite author?

The level of suspense in this book was perfect. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and the twists and turns had me reading straight through the day until I made it to the last page. The romance story that was interwoven throughout had a nice slow burn that did not fall into the trap of a hero rescuing a lady in distress (even though there were times that Arden was definitely in distress). I was left completely satisfied, which is exactly what I have come to expect from Nora Roberts's standalone novels and what keeps me coming back to read them year after year. This was an easy 5-star rating for me.

View all my reviews

Nantucket Second Chances by Pamela Kelley

Nantucket Second Chances by Pamela M. Kelley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
----------
Claire Shipman never imagined she'd be the single mom of a teenager, going through a contentious divorce, and unexpectedly pregnant. On the bright side, at least she's on Nantucket, where she grew up, and where her mother and grandmother welcome her home with open arms.

For years, Claire lived an enviable Manhattan lifestyle. Until her ex had a marriage-ending affair and also lost his job and all their money. Claire's high school friends invite her to their book club and an off-hand joke that she could sell one of her Hermes bags sparks a business idea.

Her friend's brother, Cody, is a furniture builder with a spare storefront. He's initially skeptical about the prospects of a "used handbag shop".

But Claire is determined. With the support of Lily, her mother, grandmother, old friends and new, she begins to build a true second chance at a new life.
----------
I have long been a fan of Pamela Kelley's books set on the island of Nantucket, and this latest offering gave me a welcome opportunity to escape once again to the summer destination of my dreams. As a divorced woman myself, I felt some empathy for Claire's need to start over after her ex-husband's affair ended their marriage, and I was all too ready to see him as a really bad guy (You will have to read the book to see if I was right!). And I was happy to root for Claire as she picked herself, moved back home to her mother's house in Nantucket, and came up with a plan to support herself, her teenage daughter, and her surprise new addition on-the-way all on her own.

Luckily for Claire, she found waiting for her on her return home the welcoming arms of some old friends, an unexpected business opportunity, and maybe even a new chance for love in her life someday. This is a real story of a Phoenix rising from the ashes of her former life, and I really enjoyed being a spectator as Claire took her victory lap. This is a perfect beach read, even if you don't make it to the beach this summer, because Nantucket is the perfect place to visit in your imagination through the pages of this very enjoyable book.

View all my reviews

Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer

Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
----------
For over eighty years, Joy Bridport has played by the rules: she's been a devoted wife and mother, contributing to the community in her small Hudson Valley town. But her quiet existence is jolted when she learns that her best friend, Hazel, only has months left to live. Hazel has always been the more adventurous one of their duo, and she seems at peace with all that she’s squeezed out of her long life. Yet Joy realizes she can’t say the same.

Determined to live boldly and make the most of the time that she and Hazel have left together, Joy steps outside of her comfort zone—and into a bit of trouble. But as her foray into rule-breaking escalates into committing petty crime, Joy must consider what kind of legacy she wants to leave behind, and whether there's a way for her to embrace the liberation that "Bad Joy" offers without losing all that she holds dear.

Is it ever too late to become who we're meant to be? With laugh-out-loud hijnks and emotional heft, Good Joy, Bad Joy is a heartwarming and wise celebration of the choices we make, the friendships we cherish, and the lengths we go for love.
----------
I have come to really enjoy reading stories that pay tribute to the enduring power of women's friendships, and Brammer's latest offering fit right into that category for me. Her lifelong friendship with Hazel served as a central theme in this book, and the way she grew as a person as their friendship experienced a kind of role reversal was explored very well. I think it will resonate with many women as it often becomes a reality for as we age and enter later stages of our lives. However, I don't think this book is only for the mature reader, as these themes of friendship are universal and can be enjoyed by all ages.

I also enjoyed Joy's transformation from "Good Joy" to "Bad Joy," as she realized that she had led a bit of a buttoned-up life and perhaps had done herself a disservice in doing so. Some of her Bad Joy moments, I have to admit, made me uncomfortable (It appears I may be a good girl at heart.), but they were key to her growth. Much like Brammer's debut novel, The Collected Regrets of Clover, this book left me with some things to think about regarding my own life and how I am living it, and in my opinion, that is a hallmark of a great read.

View all my reviews

The Library After Dark by Ande Pliego

The Library After Dark by Ande Pliego
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to Bantam via NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
----------
Aria Stokes is finally feeling settled—she lives in a tiny New York apartment, works as a bookseller at a local shop, and has even taken a leap of faith in love by indulging her attraction to bookstore regular Jasper. And he seems to already know her so well.

As a Valentine’s Day surprise, Jasper gets the two of them tickets to an exclusive, after-dark tour of the Daedalus Library—the grandiose establishment famed for its immersive genre-based reading rooms and, more notoriously, its rumored hauntings. While Aria normally loves all things ghastly, this place holds more dark secrets than she’d prefer Jasper to know. Like that the last time she was here, she left a body behind.

But when the automatic-door entry malfunctions and Aria, Jasper, and the five other people in their tour group become trapped in the library, they are forced to venture through the storied rooms and hidden passageways of the Daedalus in search of escape . . . and Aria quite literally has nowhere to hide from the shadows of her past. Then the group learns there’s a murderer in their midst.

Now, as she tries to break out of the library’s intricate reading rooms, Aria has to decide who she can trust—and what secrets are best kept buried—if she wants to make it out alive.
----------
Wow.

This book was a WILD ride.

I read Pliego's debut novel last year, and I really enjoyed it, so when I was offered the opportunity to read this one ahead of publication, I jumped at the chance. I love a good thriller, and like many readers, I love books about books, so I assumed I would like this book. Well, I didn't just like this book. I LOVED this book.

Apparently, I am a big fan of locked room thrillers. I mentioned in my review of her first novel that I wanted to read it because it reminded me of the movies Clue and Murder by Death, both cult classics, and in some ways this book had that same kind of feel to it. You stick a whole bunch of people into a building (in this case a library) that they can't escape from with a killer on the loose, and you have a book that I want to read. However, not everyone can execute a locked room thriller as skillfully as Pliego has managed to do in this book, and I spent two long reading sessions today engrossed in the pages of The Library After Dark. I had to take a break in the middle in the same way that you sometimes have to turn off a scary movie because it is getting to be too much...it's not a bad thing; it just shows that the movie is That Good. However, after a break for lunch, I got right back to it and did not set my Kindle aside until the end. There were some excellent twists that I did not see coming, and some twists that I thought I saw coming never materialized, which is the mark of a great thriller, IMO. I can't wait to read Pliego's next book!

View all my reviews

True Crime by Patricia Cornwell

True Crime: A Memoir by Patricia Cornwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
----------
Patricia Cornwell is best known for her international bestselling thriller series about forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta. Every story comes from somewhere, and Scarpetta's began when Patricia Cornwell embedded herself in a morgue.

In this achingly honest memoir, Cornwell excavates her own life, detailing her traumatic childhood being raised by neglectful parents, her father abandoning the young family on Christmas day, her mother being institutionalized twice, an abusive foster family, and developing a parental relationship with evangelist Billy Graham’s wife Ruth. Cornwell depicts a harrowing hospitalization and near-death car accident. She unflinchingly shares overcoming obstacles that later gave her the ambition to become an award-winning police reporter. From there it was research in a medical examiner’s office that would turn into a full-time job. She would become a forensic expert and worldwide publishing phenomenon.

Cornwell leaves no stone unturned in this deeply candid account of her life, offering inspiring insight into what made her into the international sensation she is today.
----------
Patricia Cornwell is a masterful storyteller, and because she writes her most well-known character Dr. Kay Scarpetta so well, I think it would be easy to conflate the two women. I went into this book realizing very quickly that I knew very little about Cornwell, and I appreciated her candor as she related details about her life. There were parts of her story that were difficult to read, and I found myself feeling great sadness for the child that she once was, as well as great admiration for the woman she has become. However, I also recognized in her some of the scars that her past have inflicted on her, and I appreciated that she was willing to let that come through in her writing.

She relayed the story of a life that began in poverty and then one day included time spent in the friendship of politicians and celebrities. She shared false starts and redirections in her career path before she came to the point when she developed the character for which she is so well-known and began the series of books that would become her legacy. She discussed frankly her history of trauma and the effects it had on her family and later on her romantic relationships. The flow of the book was sometimes a little clunky, but the material easily held my interest, especially in later chapters as we learned more about how her career as an author unfolded. Her dedication to accuracy in her novels and the research that goes into them is evident to anyone who reads them, and learning about the lengths she goes to in order to achieve this was fascinating. And although I know that she is not Scarpetta, I did recognize the parts of herself that she has injected into the character, and I enjoyed also reading about some of the inspirations she has had for other characters in her books. At the end of this memoir, I remain a big fan of the Scarpetta books, and I have a new appreciation for their author, the inimitable Patricia Cornwell.

View all my reviews

Five-Star Summer by Sarah Morgan

Five-Star Summer by Sarah Morgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
----------
Running a five-star Cornish hotel should have been Evie Hamilton’s dream job. But restoring it to its former glory is going to take a miracle. All Evie has is grit, and a hoard of unruly staff who love to speculate about her love life. She needs back-up, and fast.

Enter Abby Jones. Parachuted in by the hotel’s umbrella company for the summer, Abby thinks Evie could be the best friend she never had. But Abby has her own agenda for being in Cornwall. If her real motives are uncovered, their friendship is going to melt away faster than an ice cream in the summer sun.

Yet Abby’s arrival starts a chain reaction. With the help of a charming chef and a gruff pub owner, they begin to embrace their true selves and the bonds that unite them. But it’s not just the hotel’s five-star reputation that needs rebuilding – Evie and Abby will also have to brave tearing down their lives in order to reshape their futures…
----------
After reading several thrillers recently, I was looking for a kinder, gentler kind of book to kind of cleanse my palate, and this new offering from Sarah Morgan was all that I was hoping it would be. It had everything that is needed in a contemporary romance beach read as we head into the summer months, but it was also more than that. This was a tale of found family and women's friendship, of starting over and learning more about yourself. Told from multiple points of view, this book gave us insight into the thoughts and experiences of the three women who were at the heart of the storyline, and Morgan weaved their lives together to create a very enjoyable novel. I found myself coming to care about the small town of Cornwall, the hotel at the center of the story, and most of all the various characters (and some of them were real characters) who made up the cast of the book. There was just enough conflict to keep things interesting, and best of all, there was a HEA (and maybe even more than one!) to tie everything up in the end. I realize now that I have read very few of Morgan's books, and I want to go back and remedy that immediately.

View all my reviews