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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Fix (Amos Decker #3) in Books

May 10, 2018  
The Fix (Amos Decker #3)
The Fix (Amos Decker #3)
David Baldacci | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
It's a typical day for Amos Decker. He is on his way to the Hoover Building in downtown Washington, DC when a man pulls out a gun and shoots a woman right in front of FBI Headquarters. Then he turns the gun on himself. What the hell just happened and most importantly for Decker to find out, why? This is Decker's second case working for the FBI and they've moved him and Jamison from Quantico up to the Washington Field Office. Why would someone choose to shoot another person in front of the FBI building? Why would a successful businessman with a family do such a thing? What did the woman he kill do? Will Decker and his team be able to answer these questions before it's too late?

Walter Dabney seems like your average businessman. He lives in a nice house, with his wife. His grown children are all out of the house doing their own things making a lives for themselves. There are so many secrets though that this family is hiding and slowly they all begin to unravel. After Dabney shoots Ann Berkshire in broad daylight and then himself, other people start to turn up dead. Are all of these deaths connected and what is the connection? When Harper Brown from the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) turns up claiming there is spy work involved, it makes Decker even more eager to solve this case. But there are secrets behinds every corner and getting different government agencies to cooperate is not the easiest task.

Government secrets, spies from decades ago, messages passed through dolls and Harry Potter books, how will it all end?

I really enjoyed this book. I love the character of Amos Decker. I like how he has no cut cards, and shoots straight from the hip. He may get up and walk out of a room without explanation. He has a unique personality with his ability to never forget and see things in color. I look forward to the next Decker adventure.
  
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Debbiereadsbook (1454 KP) rated Waking to Black (Uninhibited #1) in Books

Jun 30, 2018  
Waking to Black (Uninhibited #1)
Waking to Black (Uninhibited #1)
V.H. Luis | 2018 | Erotica, Romance
6
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
3 good solid stars
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

First person, present tense is the reason why I very nearly didn't finish this one. Not my favourite way for a book to be written, and I make no apologies for having dumped books before upon finding out they are written this way.

But I didn't dump this one. I kept at it, and I was pleasantly surprised that I liked this. I did not love it though.

Evelyn has secrets and has been hiding from the world, existing say to day. Getting held up in a bank, and meeting Adam Black made her start living. But those secrets are hard to share, and she doesn't know if Adam will share his secrets too.

Aside from the present tense thing, I wanted Adam to have a voice, I really did and he doesn't. And because he doesn't, Evelyn began to grate on my nerves. I've no particular idea WHY, she just did. That's what I'm left felling and ya'll know I'm all about sharing my feelings!

This is book one in the Uninhibited trilogy. This is, as far as I can see, also book one for this author. Do I want to read more of the trilogy?? I don't know yet. I'm waiting to find out if Adam gets a say. I'm not sure I can face two more long (400 odd pages) full only of Evelyn.

The book comes with a BDSM tag, but I saw no evidence of that. I've tagged it over 18, and darker/grittier, because of what Evelyn went through and is still dealing with. Some readers may find it difficult reading. I'm not saying here, because that is a HUGE spoiler, but feel free to message me if you wish to know.

BUT!!

For a first time author, something must have clicked because I got past the present tense thing and read it all. So well done for that!

3 solid GOOD stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
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Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated Frozen 2: Dangerous Secrets: The Story of Iduna and Agnarr in Books

Dec 29, 2020  
Frozen 2: Dangerous Secrets: The Story of Iduna and Agnarr
Frozen 2: Dangerous Secrets: The Story of Iduna and Agnarr
Mari Mancusi | 2020 | Young Adult (YA)
9
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dangerous Secrets is the greatly anticipated prequel to Frozen II which, for the first time in forever, shines the spotlight onto King Agnarr and Queen Iduna of Arendelle.

The 2019 film undoubtedly revealed some of these secrets, such as Iduna being Northuldra and saving Agnarr as a child as well as the two of them venturing to Ahtohallan to find the answers behind Elsa’s powers. Unfortunately, thanks to the film, we also know that they never completed their journey.
Cue Mari Mancusi who expertly bring the monarchs back to life through her writing and forms these little-known characters into best friends, young lovers and torn parents, always just trying to do the next right thing.


The back stories of Agnarr and Iduna are nothing short of brilliant: the reader meets both characters in the Enchanted Forest on the fateful day of the dam celebration and we experience the wonder of both worlds colliding, along with the following danger and confusion from a first-person perspective.
I thoroughly appreciated how Mari Mancusi didn’t have to explain what had happened between the Arendellian forces and the Northuldra: Mancusi knows that the reader already knows the true turn of events from the movie. All throughout Dangerous Secrets this “inside knowledge” is used beautifully: allowing us to experience events as our protagonists do, but without diluting the tension and excitement with explanations.

The reader grows up alongside the future King and Queen, seeing their friendship blossom and experiencing their respective heartbreaks and secrets. The Northuldra are widely believed to be enemies of Arendelle due to the King’s death and the rumours surrounding it. Iduna’s hardship of hiding her true identity is matched only by her grief of losing the only family she has ever known. Similarly, Agnarr has lost a father, his best friend General Matthias and now has to learn how to be a King. Even when they find solace in their friendship and the later romance that this grows into, Iduna is not royalty: their love is doomed from the start…isn’t it?


Regular readers of my reviews will know I loved Jen Calonita’s “Let it Go” but felt that towards the end the writing emulated the movie verbatim in places. I found Kamilla Benko’s “Forest of Shadows” interesting and unique but ultimately it tried too hard to insert different elements into the Frozen universe that we know and love.
In my opinion, Dangerous Secrets contains none of these criticisms.
Elements of the movie are included, of course they are! Agnarr and Iduna’s reading tree is taken straight out of Elsa’s/Ahtohallan’s ice memories; Oaken’s trading post and sauna is briefly mentioned as a rest stop during one of the couple’s adventures and the wonder of chocolate is something Elsa and Anna definitely inherited from their parents!
The difference with this novel is that any references to the movie are easter eggs: elements that we love to spot; they are not brash and in-your-face; they are subtle and add to the story rather than creating it entirely. For example, I loved the inclusion of Grand-Pabbie and the trolls. I also suspect we may have met Kristoff’s mother – perhaps opening the door to another book from Mari Mancusi?


Of course, Dangerous Secrets can only end with the fateful voyage made by the royal couple and, true to form, this made me cry my little heart out. I know from the author’s note that Mari Mancusi is a mother herself but I feel that I would have known this anyway through the sheer heartbreak she portrays through Iduna, and later Agnarr. From their first discovery of Elsa’s powers; to Anna’s accident; to acknowledging that they were endangering Elsa by asking her to “conceal, don’t feel” right up until the couple’s realisation that they will never see their daughters again: the writing is powerful, hard-hitting and, with Ahtohallan’s last gift, stunningly beautiful.


This is a five-star glimpse into the King and Queen of Arendelle and a must-read for any fan of Frozen.


Will Mancusi reveal the secret of the ice-gatherer woman’s identity next?
Only Ahtohallan knows.
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Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Little Fires Everywhere in Books

Nov 11, 2017  
Little Fires Everywhere
Little Fires Everywhere
Celeste Ng | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.3 (43 Ratings)
Book Rating
An evocative and complex portrait of suburbia
A highly readable, wonderfully absorbing tale about motherhood, secrets and lies, set in the affluent, verdant perfection of Shaker Heights - a purpose built suburb on the edge of Cleveland, Ohio.

The plot centres around two families, the well-heeled, comfortably complacent Richardsons - mother, father and four children - and the hard-up Warrens, single mother Mia and her daughter Pearl, tenants of the Richardsons with little known past. In between is a tug-of-love court case surrounding an abandoned Chinese baby adopted by friends of the Richardsons. This sparks high and conflicting emotions in Shaker Heights, forcing the town to take sides between the baby's birth mother, a desperate Chinese immigrant, and the McCulloughs. It leads nearly into the unwanted revealing of well-concealed secrets for both the Warrens and the Richardsons.

The story is skilfully told, weaving various narratives together. It is a character-led tale, well observed. The novel opens at the end, as the Richardsons' perfect home burns to the ground then takes us back to the beginning when the Warrens first arrive. The plot picks up pace as events take their toll and deeds have dire consequences. Lives begin to unravel and skeletons are revealed, and perfection of the family structure splits apart. It is a multifaceted novel full of interesting dimensions.
  
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Jennifer Roup (9 KP) rated Little Broken Things in Books

Dec 19, 2017  
Little Broken Things
Little Broken Things
Nicole Baart | 2017 | Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great Character Development and Cliff Hanger (0 more)
Jumps around, hard to keep up sometimes (0 more)
Very Intriguing Family Drama
There is nothing better than a thriller that really makes you think. You're not just reading it, you feel like you are right there with the characters, trying to figure it along with them.

Nora and Quinn are estranged sisters with secrets that they are both trying everything they can to keep hidden. Across the lake Quinn and her husband are living, their mother is secretly watching them through the telescope of her deceased husband. She's trying to figure out why Quinn is acting so strange, coming and going in the middle of the night

When Nora shows up after a year, asking Quinn to take care of something for her, Quinn is floored when she realized that "Something" is a 6 year old little girl. Without giving any answers, Nora disappears again without any explanation. So not only must Quinn figure out how to take care of this silent, helpless child, she must also come to terms with the fact that she looks unmistakably like her sister or at least someone else in their family. The same eyes... but whose child is she?

This is twisted, with unreliable characters, hidden secrets, shame and still, the undeniable bond that holds families together even when they want nothing but to be apart.
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ClareR (5906 KP) rated The Anarchists Club in Books

May 9, 2019  
The Anarchists Club
The Anarchists Club
Alex Reeve | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, LGBTQ+, Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Family secrets and murder in Victorian London.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and I think that this one exceeds the last in every way. Leo has become a much more 3 dimensional character here as we get to know him more. I love his inner voice, and while I don’t enjoy his inner turmoil, it’s written so well that you can’t help but feel for him. In fact all of the characters are written with care and understanding, so much so that you understand what drives them to act as they do.
This story is based around the murder of a woman in an Anarchists Club. Leo is implicated in the murder, and so feels compelled to try and solve the case. The murdered woman had children, and Leo for the first time, feels parental obligation and affection for them. Rosie, who was in the last book, works with Leo to solve this murder - she’s a great strong female character. A woman who runs a business and brings up her children on her own.
This is a dark story of poverty, family secrets and sibling rivalry in Victorian England. Reeve captures the atmosphere of London and the times so well. I love these stories and I’ll be looking out for more from Leo and Rosie.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for another great choice!
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Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated The House of Secrets (The Sarah Bennett Mysteries, #2) in Books

May 22, 2019  
The House of Secrets (The Sarah Bennett Mysteries, #2)
The House of Secrets (The Sarah Bennett Mysteries, #2)
Terry Lynn Thomas | 2016
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sarah Bennett has two secrets: she sees ghosts, and she is in love with a spy.
When Sarah takes a job with occult expert Dr Matthew Geisler, he promises to help her understand the sorrowful spirit that seems to have attached itself to her.
As Sarah struggles to cope with the ghostly presence, she runs into Zeke, the man who left her six months earlier and is recovering from injuries suffered in an alleged accident. But Zeke has secrets of his own, and when an attempt is made on Geisler’s life, Sarah finds herself caught in a struggle between the living and the dead.
Unsure who she can trust, Sarah must solve the mystery of the soul determined to haunt her, and save Dr Geisler and herself from an unknown threat.

This book was previously published as WEEPING IN THE WINGS

This is actually a historical fiction, paranormal, mystery, romance book. I thought it was going to be more paranormal mystery with a little hint of romance.
The characters were lovable and the story kept me wanting more!
I liked the characters and the story was well thought out. A perfect read for fans of mysteries.
This is the first book I have read by Terry Lynn Thomas and am looking forward to reading more of her books.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.
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Christine A. (965 KP) rated The Perfect Sister in Books

Feb 2, 2020  
The Perfect Sister
The Perfect Sister
Sheryl Browne | 2020 | Mystery, Thriller
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

In the Perfect Sister, Claire receives a text message that reads ‘You don’t know me, but I’m your sister’ Reading that and the rest description my interest was piqued.

When I read The Second Wife by Sheryl Browne I could not put it down. It was a roller coaster of emotions to read. I was watching for her next book to be announced. When I saw, The Perfect Sister, I immediately requested to review it. It was originally titled The Family Secret. Both titles work well for the book.

The book felt much longer than its 326 pages. I put it down several times because I did not connect with the characters and was not surprised as the secrets were revealed. I kept yelling at the main character as if I was watching a movie.

The writing style is the same I enjoyed from The Second Wife but I did not like the characters and their actions.

Based on the description, I expected The Perfect Sister to read a thriller with secrets. It was not. It was more of a family drama than a thriller. When thinking of it as a family drama, I would say it is worth reading.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 2/2/20.
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