Genre: Mystery
I have such a review backlog so please be prepared for more bite sized reviews to come. I’m going to review three books which have a shooting as a central part of the storyline. They’re pretty different books but you’ll be able to see that from my reviews. I didn’t originally intend to review them all together but that thought how could I not?
Published: 5th April 2018
Source: Library
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
My Rating:
Three years after losing her brother Luka in a school shooting, Skye Gilchrist is moving home. But there's no sympathy for Skye and her family because Luka wasn't a victim; he was a shooter.
Jesse Mandal knows all too well that the scars of the past don't heal easily. The shooting cost Jesse his brother and his best friend--Skye.
Ripped apart by tragedy, Jesse and Skye can't resist reopening the mysteries of their past. But old wounds hide darker secrets. And the closer Skye and Jesse get to the truth of what happened that day, the closer they get to a new killer.
I've long claimed Kelley Armstrong as a favourite author (for at least a year or two when I discovered her books anyway). She has written so many good books series so when I saw this YA book being released I knew I wanted to read it. Even better, my library went and got a copy in so I could read it! I admit, I was wary and the reason I went to the library was because I had heard mixed reviews from folks when it came to her YA books. Considering I claim many of her books as favourites of mine that concerned me because how could she write lacklustre YA books when those marketed as adult ones were so good?
This book deals with the aftermath of a school shooting (it’s in the name guys) and rather than looking at the victims or the perpetrators this one focuses more on the unintended victim of Skye, whose brother, Luka, was one of the shooters and Jesse, Skye’s best friend and who also loses his brother from the shooting. Skye left town after the events and had no plans to return where her surname is synonymous with tragedy and where she lost a brother she loved. And she certainly didn’t want to return and face her former best friend, Jesse, now when she feels her own guilt over what happened to his family.
The book doesn’t wholly focus upon the shooting, though, although it does show how Skye feels her own sense of blame, but also on the misplaced blame others attribute to her because of her brother's actions. This book is more about the mystery of who is terrorising Skye with images and recordings of the shooting. Who is pushing her to look deeper into the shooting and why are they doing it? She doesn’t want to look at the moment her brother became a monster because that is never who he was to her and why should she have to hate him so utterly when she knew there was good to him?
I admit, I enjoyed the mystery aspect but it wasn’t as surprising as some of the mysteries Armstrong has written before. This may be due to it being a standalone book whilst I am used to her writing longer series where various mysteries are developed over several books with small hints dropped throughout. I also admit that the way the mystery was developed and everything was a little weird. I felt like there had to be a suspension of disbelief occurring and maybe that’s because it was elaborate for teenagers… but then teenagers are way smarter than we give them credit for.
I liked the book but it was flawed. I don't know if that's partly because it's a single book as opposed to a series like I'm used to from Armstrong or maybe it's the continued effect of the slump I was in. Something stopped me from loving the book, but it was a good enjoyable book and I’m glad I read it.
Published: 29th May 2018
Source: Publisher
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Thriller
My Rating:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts comes Shelter in Place—a powerful tale of heart, heroism . . . and propulsive suspense.
It was a typical evening at a mall outside Portland, Maine. Three teenage friends waited for the movie to start. A boy flirted with the girl selling sunglasses. Mothers and children shopped together, and the manager at video game store tended to customers. Then the shooters arrived.
The chaos and carnage lasted only eight minutes before the killers were taken down. But for those who lived through it, the effects would last forever. In the years that followed, one would dedicate himself to a law enforcement career. Another would close herself off, trying to bury the memory of huddling in a ladies' room, helplessly clutching her cell phone--until she finally found a way to pour her emotions into her art.
But one person wasn't satisfied with the shockingly high death toll at the DownEast Mall. And as the survivors slowly heal, find shelter, and rebuild, they will discover that another conspirator is lying in wait--and this time, there might be nowhere safe to hide.
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
This wasn’t my first Nora Roberts book and from the few I’ve read I knew what to expect. Some angst, a lot of good romance, and an interesting story. I was excited about it because it dealt with something different for me and this book began well. The book focuses on two main characters, Simone and Reed. Both were unfortunate to be at a shopping mall when shooters entered and starting opening fire. Both were there for different reasons, Simone was upset over a break from a boy who didn’t deserve her attention so was at the mall cinema with friends to cheer her up. Reed is working waiting tables. Neither expects what the day will bring and how this will shape their future.
The shooting is described in the opening pages of the book and I really think Roberts dealt with the panic and the trauma of the event and the aftermath of the event so very well. and She was sensitive to something which many will have thoughts about, especially with gun control being a key issue in the US right now. I honestly had a lot of respect for how it was written, I felt the terror and the confusion and then the guilt afterwards and the grief and the utter confusion about what’s next. The event was disjointed and filled with confusion and it’s only as the book progresses you begin to get a clear picture of what happened. Like I said, it began well with every day becoming this shocking event. The way the shooting was written with it being quick and disjointed made sense and I had a lot of respect for the initial aftermath.
Then the book began jumping about a bit and rushing forward and it began to lose me.
This book was told with multiple POV which was fine. Once I'd connected to the key characters I was fine with that. But the multiple POV also had time passing at a rapid pace. I expected to see the immediate aftermath and people's reactions but instead, it kept bouncing forwards in time seeing major events in characters lives. It made sense to progress the story forward, and I understood that, but it also meant I grew distant from these characters as I saw these glimpses to their lives but didn’t understand why it was significant to see it. and I got used to that too seeing how even through large gaps of time the shooting still had an impact. I did feel like it was rushed though until Reed and Simone met. I get that was the big romance Roberts was building to but I could have skipped the middle events if that was the case because this book felt dragged out in places and rushed in others. Like Roberts was eager for us to see what was going in their lives and how they changed, but didn’t want to waste time with that and then it felt like the story stopped at their meeting and really dragged during their romance and by that point I was more interested in the mystery, stop telling me about their romance when I wanted to know the whodunnit of who was bumping off survivors!
Oh yeah, because that’s what the plot really needed to focus on. After the shooting which Reed and Simone survived people slowly moved forward with their lives. It wasn’t immediately obvious at first but slowly those who managed to survive the shooting at the mall and move forward started getting killed. It often wasn’t labelled as murder because the killer was skilled at hiding how they did it. Making each death seem like an accident or something, and it’s only as the killer gets sloppy people begin to suspect it’s not a tragic accident but something more.
I admit, you know who the killer is because you get told, but I was eager to learn how they would be discovered and stopped. So you’d think when you reach the big finale I’d have been excited… it sort of felt flat. It went on for a while and then you kept expecting it would end and the story dragged out some more. In fact, I began to skim read because I just stopped caring, I wanted the killer to be stopped and if it has happened 50 pages earlier that would have been awesome.
I know I’m grumbling, but I did enjoy the book in some ways. I just wish it had been shorter. My issues overshadowed the good parts which sucked.
Source: Purchased
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
My Rating:
It's been twelve years since tragedy struck the senior class of Long Acre High School. Only a few students survived that fateful night—a group the media dubbed The Ones Who Got Away.
Liv Arias thought she'd never return to Long Acre—until a documentary brings her and the other survivors back home. Suddenly her old flame, Finn Dorsey, is closer than ever, and their attraction is still white-hot. When a searing kiss reignites their passion, Liv realizes this rough-around-the-edges cop might be exactly what she needs…
Liv's words cut off as Finn got closer. The man approaching was nothing like the boy she'd known. The bulky football muscles had streamlined into a harder, leaner package and the look in his deep green eyes held no trace of boyish innocence.
This book was one I wanted to read because everyone was talking about it! I eventually gave in in April and purchased me a copy because I didn’t know what I wanted to read but this angsty sounding romance seemed like it could fit. I was in a massive reading slump and I needed something. Anything! Luckily, it helped kick start my reading a touch. Or at least I made it through when I thought the angst and drama would put me off. As usual, all of my doubts about reading this book were wrong. I am always wrong, this is what I need to remember when I have bookish doubts.
This book focuses upon Liv and Finn who were both survivors of a school shooting which shocked a community (right, there’s a theme here guys) and they also have a messy past as the two hooked up a whole lot at school, up to and including the night of the shooting. A whole lot happens with the shooting and the survivors go forward with their lives.
Liv is so easy to like and connect with because she is just so nice. She tough and fun and flawed, and really who can’t relate to that? She survived that tragic event and whilst she, like anyone, intended to grasp hold of life and let nothing stop her she ends up being far more scarred by that tragedy than she let on. She was scared to live and risk really admit that she wasn’t happy with how things turned out or even say what she wanted in life. The documentary which brought everyone back to town after that shooting is actually the thing which helps her kick start her life again. Seeing the friends she gained from that tragedy helps her realise she needs to do more, and seeing Finn makes her realise she needs to go for what she wants a bit more.
Finn was more difficult for me to like. He was the romantic lead and he did grow on me, but he frustrated the hell out of me too. He was all about Liv living her best life and wanting the best for her. He pushed her to recognise her brilliance and talent and to stop putting herself down and giving into the haters who tried to tell her she was less than. But he never took his own damn advise! I wanted to shake him with his self sacrificing macho bullshit. I really did. Whilst Liv had big changes she embraced change quite well and was good about admitting what she wanted. I just wish Finn had been a bit quicker on the uptake but he got there in the end and I loved every moment Liv and Finn were together. They deserved that second chance to get it right.
This book wasn’t as angsty as I thought it might be but it was most definitely filled with good romance. I got sucked in and was so glad I read it (even if it took me a while). I was totally excited for the next book… but not because Rebecca did some things I wasn’t a fan of in this book. I’ll be reviewing that soon (I hope).
Have you read any of these books? What did you think? And do you ever find yourself inadvertently reading books with a similar focus?
Published: 6th March 2018
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
My Rating:
Never cut the drugs-leave them pure.Guns are meant to be shot-keep them loaded.Family is everything-betray them and die.
Harley McKenna is the only child of North County's biggest criminal. Duke McKenna's run more guns, cooked more meth, and killed more men than anyone around. Harley's been working for him since she was sixteen-collecting debts, sweet-talking her way out of trouble, and dreading the day he'd deem her ready to rule the rural drug empire he's built.
Her time's run out. The Springfields, her family's biggest rivals, are moving in. Years ago, they were responsible for her mother's death, and now they're coming for Duke's only weak spot: his daughter.
With a bloody turf war threatening to consume North County, Harley is forced to confront the truth: that her father's violent world will destroy her. Duke's raised her to be deadly-he never counted on her being disloyal. But if Harley wants to survive and protect the people she loves, she's got to take out Duke's operation and the Springfields.
Blowing up meth labs is dangerous business, and getting caught will be the end of her, but Harley has one advantage: She is her father's daughter. And McKennas always win.
From a powerful new voice in suspense fiction comes the unforgettable story of a young woman facing the most difficult choice of her life: family or freedom.
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Wow. Just wow. I did not expect what I got from this book. I was expecting a thriller which seemed set to take a dark turn but instead got given an awesome feminist read. It was a book filled with strong female characters and was realistic in showing women’s struggles in society both getting respect from one another when they aren’t from the right background but also getting respect from the men in their lives too. It was an amazing read which was wholly realistic of society today but also happened to have a really good mystery/thriller element to it too.
I admit I wasn't completely certain about this book when I first started reading. The characters weren't exactly the most likeable and I was questioning the actions of a lot of people and why I should care for their story. But this book was written with flashbacks to past events interspersed throughout the current day storyline and those small snippets really drew me in and made me care for the characters, especially as it was told from Harley’s perspective and so the characters she cared about (even if she grew to understand they weren’t good people) were also the people I cared about in a twisted way.
Harley is a girl who has been raised to be suspicious of everyone, trust no one and expect to forge a brutal path through life. Very few are truly close to her and she prefers it that way because too many people close to her just means she has more weaknesses. Like I said, it's kind of brutal. Her dad is Duke McKenna and he rules North County with an iron fist. He's fought dirty to get that power and control the area and he is not a man to cross. But that's exactly what Harley is doing; she is slowly dismantling his power base. I will reveal no more than that to avoid spoilers but hot damn did I cheer Harley on, especially as you see more and more flashbacks to the past seeing the way he raised her. He was in no way a soft and caring parent, but you can tell there was love there but as you see the extremes of her childhood you begin to understand why Harley has been driven to the extremes and forced to betray a man she both loves and hates.
Tess Sharpe skilfully crafts a story filled with characters you really shouldn't like but as you see Harley's own memories of her past and upbringing I found myself feeling for Duke. Even though the man raised his daughter in questionable ways (testing her by kidnapping her and forcing her to shoot a deer? He's kind of a dick) but Duke did it because he loved Harley in his own messed up way and she loved him all the same. Despite him being a villain in many people's stories he also had some vaguely good points, he'd just twisted himself up a bit. And then there were good people interspersed throughout who proved that North County wasn't a truly awful place to be and helped explain why Harley loved it there.
More than crafting likeable flawed characters, though, Tess Sharpe crafts plenty of strong female characters which make this such an amazing feminist read. These women have struggled and they don’t have life easy, but it’s realistic, especially in a struggling small town. Some of the women were on Harley's side and others weren't but they were all strong and, despite having men in their lives bringing them down or holding them back, they were powerful. From Mo, the woman Harley trusted to keep the Rubies (the girls who get safe haven in a motel owned by Harley. A refuge for women from abusive homes or for those who are addicted and struggling to get clean) safe. Mo was trusted to keep these vulnerable women safe and help them move forward and she was amazing at it. There was Harley's best friend, Brooke, who went through some awful things but same out of it strong with a friend she would do anything for and would do anything for her. She was from the good side of town who looked down on the rubies but she didn't. She was awesome. It was amazing to read a see women fighting and holding positions of power in a county overrun with men who thought they knew what was best and what was best was brutality and power and women were weak and to stay at home. This is especially obvious towards the end of the book where you will be cheering the women on because damn are they amazing. Just trust me on this one.
It was such a good book and it went in a direction I did not expect. I enjoyed every page and only wish I'd gotten around to reading it sooner.
Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Have you read anything else by Tess Sharpe?
***
Published: 27th September 2016
Source: Bought/Free
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Romance, Contemporary
My Rating:
At Holden Prep, the rich and powerful rule the school—and they’ll do just about anything to keep their dirty little secrets hidden.
When former con artist Eleanor Ames’s homecoming date commits suicide, she’s positive there’s something more going on. The more questions she asks, though, the more she crosses paths with Miles Beckett. He’s sexy, mysterious, arrogant…and he’s asking all the same questions.
Eleanor might not trust him—she doesn’t even like him—but they can’t keep their hands off of each other. Fighting the infuriating attraction is almost as hard as ignoring the fact that Miles isn’t telling her the truth…and that there’s a good chance he thinks she’s the killer.
I picked this book up for like 3 reasons.
1. I saw Sam post a positive review so I added to the old TBR.
2. There was a Veronica Mars comparison and I am a sucker for all thing VMars related.
3. It was going free for Kindle
I'm glad these things happened to get me to read, though, because it was damn fun. I do love a good mystery and although this one I figured out before the end there was still little things in there to keep me guessing.
I admit I was put off by the rich, private school setting for the book. I’ve read books where rich kids are just shown as the stereotypical over privileged, spoilt children and they are utterly unlikable. They aren’t given further personality or developed, thankfully that wasn’t the case here. Sure, there were characters who I didn’t like, but there was more depth to most of them and I knew a little about them to understand why they were or weren’t likeable. I think Ellie was one of the few not rich characters, I would have liked a couple more scholarship kids or something.
I was a little confused when I first began reading, while the set up to the story was happening. It felt like I was thrown right in there and was really lost about Eleanor’s past and her family and figuring out what was happening with her school. I had a vague idea of the premise but everything was mysterious, I figured out later the mystery surrounding Ellie’s past was probably intentional, but when I started reading I didn’t realise that so I just felt like I was missing something. Once it got going, though, I really got invested in the story to figure out both Ellie’s past but also what happened to Simon. I only wish we got to meet Simon because I didn’t really care about his death all that much and I felt like I probably should have.
Something that really sucked me in was the relationship between Ellie and Miles. They were both so fun together, Ellie all about bending the rules to get her way and Miles was strict black and white, following the rules. They were both so good together, though, with their banter and the fact they had such strong connection from the start. I loved slowly learning more about Miles and even though I did roll my eyes at pretty much all of this backstory because that was ridiculous, but I wanted a ridiculous book, so what did I expect? I did enjoy the one-upmanship happening between Miles and Ellie throughout. I was definitely reading for them and they are half the reason I'll read the next one too.
As a whole, there were flaws to this but I enjoyed myself and didn't want to stop reading. Considering I have had such a hard time reading lately I will not grumble about a couple of flaws but instead, celebrate a book I didn't want to put down.
Published: 17th April 2018
Source: Bought
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Mystery
My Rating:
Fans of Veronica Mars or Ally Carter will love the snarky, whip-smart former con artist Eleanor, in this sequel to Chasing Truth.
At Holden Prep, dirty little secrets always have a way of coming to the surface.
Eleanor Ames has never been what she seems. Average high school student on the outside, but reformed con artist trying to break free of her past on the inside. When Eleanor receives startling news about someone from her previous criminal life, plans for a new operation coinciding with her school’s upcoming field trip quickly consume her.
But operations rarely go according to plan. And this is one her irresistible teen FBI agent boyfriend, Miles, would never approve of.
Now, more than just Ellie’s reputation is at stake. If she fails, it could be her life.
I'm conflicted on this one. As you can tell from my review for the first book, I really enjoyed it. Sure, it had flaws and issues but as a whole, it was a brilliant read and I couldn’t wait to start reading it. It began quite slowly, and I was a little confused about where it was going. Much like I felt in the first book really, but once it got going I was pretty invested.
I’d been so excited to read this because I was totally invested in the relationship between Miles and Ellie. It looked like they were set to have a cute and bantery relationship so you can imagine my shock by his absence at the start of the book. I was once more reading for the mystery surrounding him. I didn’t understand why he went off the grid and when we learn why I didn’t totally believe it. I won’t spoil anything but his story in this book definitely involves a bit more suspension of disbelief. Just putting that out there. I didn’t get the cute, bantery relationship I had hoped for. There were still good moments but there was another story central to this book.
This book focused a lot more on Ellie’s past and her family. Her entire family are cons, including some ‘cousins’ and ‘uncles’ which probably aren’t related to her by blood. She is trying to redeem herself for her past actions and rectify things when it comes to her family. This book focuses on her relationship with her dad, which is rocky at best. I hadn’t understood her dislike for her dad in the first book and I’d hoped to have that clarified a little with this one but it really wasn’t. All I know is she has issues, which might have centred around her sister, but it really wasn’t clear, but I didn’t get why it was so extreme. I just didn’t get it. I actually really liked her family and would have loved learning more about all of them. You could Ellie cared about all of them in her own way.
One thing I did like about this book was the fact that characters who came across as spoiled rich kids got to come into their own and actually became real people. For me the character who really shone was Dominic. He got to grow into his own and we caught glimpses of his family and it turns out he was actually a really cool guy. The only thing which would have made me happier is if he had been honest with those around him about who he was. He was obviously a lot smarter and more caring than he was given credit for. I hated when Ellie talked down to him because he was totally badass and where more capable than he was given credit for. If there gets to be another book I want more of him, he was my favourite this time around.
I struggled with this book a bit. I found the mystery side a little ridiculous again, I just couldn’t believe Miles’s parents would be down for everything he did, it seemed too farfetched, not when they both seemed so caring and no caring parent would let Miles do what he was doing. I also felt like the story surrounding Ellie’s family was quite weak because I didn’t get her motivation for past actions when it came to them. I think if I’d binge read this one as I originally planned I may not have had so many questions and doubts. I did enjoy it, though. It was a fun read that involves you not overthinking things. I just hope there’s another book because I still have unanswered questions.
If you’ve read The Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes then I definitely think this is a series for you. Have you read this, what did you think? And what fun mystery series have you read and would recommend?
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