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40x40

Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated 56 Days in Books

Aug 20, 2021  
56 Days
56 Days
Catherine Ryan Howard | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
4.5 stars rounded down to 4.
Who would’ve thought that a book about lockdown would be something that I’d want to read and thoroughly enjoy just as things are getting back to normal after a year of lockdowns. But that is exactly what this book is!
We follow Oliver and Ciara through their whirlwind romance that’s starting just as COVID-19 is picking up pace in Dublin. They make the decision to move in together so that they can continue with their relationship during lockdown, but both of them are hiding a secret from their past.
The chapters go back and forward on Ciara’s timeline, Oliver’s timeline and then “today” when there are police officers at a scene of a murder. Although it sounds like it might be confusing going back and forth, it really isn’t too confusing and still pretty easy to follow.
There is a twist towards the end, that is sorted of hinted at, which then turns into another twist that I really didn’t see coming and had to read a few sentences a couple of times to realise what had happened. And everything is quite nicely tied up by the end of it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, the only thing I would have changed would have been some of the thought processes behind some of the actions towards the end of the book, but nothing major at all.
Thank you to Readers First for allowing me an advanced read of this book, and to Catherine Ryan Howard for writing it and for it being about something so relatable to us all.
  
40x40

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder in Books

Oct 21, 2021 (Updated Oct 21, 2021)  
Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder
Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder
Tina Kashian | 2020 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Polar Bear Plunge of Death
Every December, Ocean Crest, New Jersey, hosts a polar bear plunge as a fund raiser, and this year it is raising money for a much-needed renovation for the senior center. Most of the businesses in the town are participating, and Lucy Berberian is representing her family’s Kebab Kitchen restaurant. As expected, the water is chilly, but all that is soon forgotten when the dead body of one of the participants washes ashore. At first everyone assumes that the shock of the cold water killed Deacon Spooner, but the medical examiners determines that it was murder. Lucy had recently met Deacon, and he wasn’t a nice man. When the police look at Lucy’s friend as their prime suspect, she can’t help but nose around. She uncovers plenty of motives and opportunity, but who actually killed the man?

The book starts out strong, but it loses its way, with very little forward movement and a sub-plot taking over as we near the climax. Fortunately, we do get a logical and suspenseful ending. The sub-plot, about Lucy dragging her feet planning her wedding, would have made sense if it had been weeks between books instead of months. Still, it did allow us to see some growth in Lucy and in her relationships, which I appreciated. The book isn’t overwhelming with Christmas, but it is there, and I enjoyed that aspect as well. We get four recipes at the end of the book to enjoy later. While the book could have been stronger, as a fan of the series, I’m glad I read it.