Shelley's Book Nook

☆☆1/2 ebook, 368 pages Published August 20th 2019 by Celadon Books About the Book: After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. Featherbank. But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed "The Whisper Man," for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night. Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter's crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man. And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window. I am in the minority here but

☆☆☆1/2 ebook, 359 pages Published August 13th 2019 by Berkley Publishing Group About the Book: When Tess Clarke wakes up in the hospital the day after her son Jamie's eighth birthday, she's sure of these things: She's been stabbed, her son is missing, her brother-in-law and her grief counselor are involved. But no one is listening to her. After her husband, Mark, died suddenly in a terrible accident a few months earlier, the only thing keeping Tess together is Jamie. As they struggle to make sense of their new life without Mark, they find joy in brief moments of normalcy like walking to school and watching television together. Life is hard without Mark, but Tess has Jamie, and that's what matters. But there in the hospital, confused and surrounded by people who won't listen, Tess’s world falls apart. To save her son, she must piece together what happened between Mark's death and Jamie's birthday, but the truth might just be too much for her to bear. I

☆☆☆1/2 ebook, 316 pages Published August 20th 2019 by Montlake Romance About the Book: Dear friends and army wives Diana, Carmen, and Joanie have been through war, rumors of war, marital problems, motherhood, fears, joy, and heartache. But none of the women are prepared when their daughters decide to enlist in the army together. Facing an empty nest won’t be easy. Especially for Carmen. With emotions already high, she suffers an even greater blow: divorce papers. Diana understands the fury and tears. She’s been there. With nothing to lose and no one at home, the girlfriends impulsively accept an unexpected offer from their elderly neighbor. The recently widowed Tootsie has an RV, a handsome nephew at the wheel, and an aim for tiny Scrap, Texas, to embrace memories of her late husband. Still grieving, she can use the company as a balm for her broken heart. So can the empty nesters. Embarking on a journey of hope, romance, and healing, Diana, Carmen, and Joanie are at a turning poin

☆☆1/2 ebook, 362 pages Published August 15th 2019 by Aria About the Book: Have you ever wanted to kill your best friend? Anna was the perfect wife. Perfect mother. Perfect woman. And now she's dead. Leaving behind her husband, David, and two young children their lives will never be the same. But Vicky will make sure life goes on. These two women have been best friends forever, a lifetime of secrets lies between them and now Vicky is ready to step up into Anna’s perfect shoes. But not everything is as it seems and as David begins to question Vicky’s motives for walking in his life things might just get a little murderous. The question on everyone’s lips is, who killed Anna? And what actually happened on the night she died? A secret is only a secret until someone tells. While this book had an interesting premise, it failed in the execution. I found this to be an overly melodramatic story that required the reader to get on board with its odd plot choices without providing the

☆☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 288 pages Published August 13th 2019 by Penguin Random House Canada About the Book: Taking place over 48 hours in the year 2023, this is the story of Rory Ann Miller, on the run with her best friend because they are accused of bombing their posh Californian high school during an American Virtue Ball. There's a bounty on their heads, and a social media storm of trolls flying around them, not to mention a posse of law enforcement, attack helicopters and drones trying to track them down. Rory's mom, a social activist and lawyer, has been arrested and implicated in her daughter's "crimes" whereas her dad (who betrayed his wife and daughter in a nasty divorce) is cooperating with the authorities. The story exists in a universe of gated communities, born-again Christians, Probationary Citizens (once known as "Dreamers"), re-criminalized abortion and birth control, teenage virginity oaths and something called the Red Market, which is

☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 313 pages Published August 14th 2019 by Hera Books About the Book: Maggie and Ibby make up a happy – if unconventional – family. After meeting at university, they now live in the village of Applecroft on the beautiful West Country coast. Okay, so Ibby’s gay and prone to disastrous dates, while couples’ counsellor Maggie spends her days helping people with their relationship problems despite having no sex life of her own. Nevertheless, they’re devoted to bringing up teenage daughter Amelia – the result of a drunken one-night stand when they were students – in a stable and loving family. Until a face from the past – in the form of hard-partying rock star Jordan Nash – disrupts their quiet lives. As Jordan struggles with his personal demons and old secrets are revealed, can Maggie and Ibby stay strong? Or will bringing back the past threaten all that they’ve built in the present? She's kind of a metaphor for lost futures. The lives we might’ve lived if we’d

☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 312 pages Published August 13th 2019 by Immortal Works About the Book: Cabbage Night, 1991. The traditional night of pranks takes a disturbing turn when a violent crime rocks a small Adirondack town. Even more so when the only witness is a seven-year-old boy. Hen Trout, who had hoped to catch a pet hedgehog that night, instead sees his beloved Miss Sally become a victim. Single mom Marcella Trout is blindsided when Tyler, her seventeen-year-old, is arrested for the very crime Hen witnessed. Now Tyler’s eerie mood swings seem dark and frightening and rooted in a family history Marcella has desperately tried to bury. As the criminal investigation churns on, the tenuous fabric of the Trout family begins to unravel…and even Hen begins to question the truth. I was intrigued by the premise of this book from the beginning. This is a tough book to review without giving too much away, and I would hate to offer spoilers, but I will give it a try. The mystery part of t

☆☆☆1/2 ebook, 423 pages Published August 8th 2019 by Head of Zeus & Aria About the Book: Two women from two very different generations are brought together by life’s messes and help each other to forge new paths. Twenty-six-year-old Erin has everything she’s ever wanted – a good job, a gorgeous fiancé and a best friend who’s always there for her. But suddenly her life comes crashing down around her. Unable to return home to her parents, she takes a room in a house nearby and her life starts over in the most unexpected of ways. Seventy-six-year old Lydia, who, shocked by the sudden death of her husband, is devastated to discover that he has left her in crippling debt. With no choice but to take in a lodger, Erin comes into her life. When they find a letter hidden in the attic old secrets come to light and, with Erin by her side, Lydia finds herself going on a trip of a lifetime. Abby Williams is a wonderful story teller. Her writing caused a lot of emotions, sometimes it was

☆☆☆1/2 ebook, 312 pages Published August 8th 2019 by Midnight Ink About the Book: Marlena Altizer Durst lives in her husband's shadow. He controls her every move—what she wears, the food she eats, and the friends she's allowed to make. If she disobeys, there are...consequences. And he has all the power. To outsiders, it seems that she leads a fairy-tale life. But nobody ever wonders if Cinderella was happy after she married the prince. Marlena has traded freedom and safety for luxurious imprisonment, and most days, that seems like a bad bargain. Death may be the only exit she's allowed. Just like his first wife. And his second. Unless she flips the script. Some people just need killing. My husband thinks I’m one of them. We’ll see who dies today. Ann Aguirre has a way of grabbing a hold of you with her writing and this new book is no different. In her latest novel, Ann Aguirre knows exactly how to keep the reader on edge the entire time. The Third Mrs. Durst had a

☆☆☆ ebook, 336 pages Published August 6th 2019 by Sourcebooks Landmark About the Book: Make the wrong choice, and you won’t live to make another. When public relations executive Gem Golding becomes the victim of a carjacking at the hands of a dangerous criminal bent on her destruction, she must make a choice: Does she surrender to her attacker, or does she stand her ground and fight for her life? What follows are the two strands Gem’s life can take, and the chain of causes and effects that leads to Gem’s survival...or her eventual demise. Emphasizing the power our choices have to determine who we become, The Victim is an ingenious high-concept psychological thriller following the devastating effects of two characters as they spiral toward their ultimate fates. This book explores the concept of how actions have consequences. The story switches between two story-lines: one where Gem fights , and one where she surrenders . An interesting take on potential futures, based on the choi

☆☆☆ ebook, 448 pages Published August 6th 2019 by Redhook Books About the Book: The search for a teenage runaway sends her foster mother, a psychologist working for the LAPD, on a dangerous journey through Los Angeles' criminal underworld. You'll do anything to protect her. But you'll have to find her first. When LAPD forensic psychologist Becca Ortiz agrees to foster teenage runaway Ash, she knows she will love and protect her as her own daughter. Ash may have turned her back on her old life on the streets, but there is still one person who she can't bear to lose. Now he is about to drag her back into a dark world where nothing and no one is safe. I really enjoyed the first two thirds of this book. The problem was the last third bordered on ridiculous and you REALLY have to suspend the believably factor. The first part was definitely a four star book for me but the last part was a two star so I believe a three star rating is more than fair. I didn't really

☆ ebook, 280 pages Published August 1st 2019 by Aria About the Book: A year after the kiss that brought them together in a snowy train-station doorway, Maya and James are embarking on another journey – this time around the world. The trip starts promisingly, with an opulent and romantic Indian wedding. But as their travels continue, Maya fears that 'love at first sight' might not survive trains, planes and tuk tuks, especially when she realises that what she really wants is a baby. Trouble is, James doesn't feel the same. Meanwhile Maya's best friend Nena is struggling with the reality of being a new parent, little knowing that her friend risks losing the love of her life over her dreams of motherhood. Can Maya and James navigate their different hopes and dreams to stay together? Or is love at first sight just a myth after all. This book was definitely not for me, it was a waste of my time. The characters were poorly written, and there were too MANY characters to

☆☆☆☆ ebook, 456 pages Published August 2nd 2019 by HQ Digital About the Book: Melissa Slade had it all: beauty, money, a successful husband and beautiful twin babies. But, in the blink of an eye, her perfect life became a nightmare – when she found herself on trial for the murder of her little girls. Jonathan Hunt covered the original Slade Babies' case for the local newspaper. Now that new evidence has come to light, Jon's boss wants him back on the story to uncover the truth. With Melissa's appeal date looming, time is running out. And, as Jon gets drawn deeper into a case he’d wanted to forget, he starts to question Melissa's guilt. Is Melissa manipulating Jon or telling him the truth? Is she a murderer, or the victim of a miscarriage of justice? And if Melissa Slade is innocent, what really happened to Ellie and Amber Slade? Whoa. This was NOT what I expected. It enticed and cajoled, had me skipping blissfully down the path and then turned everything I though

☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 336 pages Published August 6th 2019 by Penguin Random House Canada About the Book: In the rolling hills of beautiful Exmoor, there’s a barn. And in that barn, you’ll find Dan. He’s a maker of exquisite harps - but not a great maker of conversation. He’s content in his own company, quietly working and away from social situations that he doesn’t always get right. But one day, a cherry-socked woman stumbles across his barn and the conversation flows a little more easily than usual. She says her name’s Ellie, a housewife, alone, out on her daily walk and, though she doesn’t say this, she looks sad. He wants to make her feel better, so he gives her one of his harps, made of cherry wood. And before they know it, this simple act of kindness puts them on the path to friendship, big secrets, pet pheasants and, most importantly, true love. It’s not helpful pondering what might have been, because you can’t change that. You can only change what will be. I really loved

☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 282 pages Published August 1st 2019 by Thomas & Mercer and Amazon Publishing UK About the Book: A vicious assault. A devastating accusation. Who should she trust, her husband or her best friend? It was supposed to be the perfect reunion: six university friends together again after twenty years. Host Ali finally has the life she always wanted, a career she can be proud of and a wonderful family with her college boyfriend, now husband. But that night her best friend makes an accusation so shocking that nothing will ever be the same again. When Karen staggers in from the garden, bleeding and traumatised, she claims that she has been assaulted—by Ali’s husband, Mike. Ali must make a split-second decision: who should she believe? Her horrified husband, or her best friend? With Mike offering a very different version of events, Ali knows one of them is lying—but which? And why? When the ensuing chaos forces her to re-examine the golden era the group shared at uni

☆☆☆☆ ebook, 365 pages Published August 1st 2019 by Amazon Publishing UK and Lake Union Publishing About the Book: They all lived through that terrible Christmas. The problem is, they remember it differently. Sisters Penny and Victoria seem to have nothing in common—except perhaps envy. Penny seems blessed with a perfect work-life balance, though only she knows how underpaid and underappreciated she is, while Victoria appears to have everything she could wish for— along with a growing list of neuroses that keep her teetering on the brink of breakdown. For years the sisters have been at odds for reasons they don’t quite understand. What they do know is that everything changed on Christmas Eve 1976, when a shocking chain of events fractured the family forever. But when a fresh tragedy strikes, it becomes clear that Victoria remembers a lot more about that horrific day than she’s letting on. As secrets from their childhood are forced to the surface, the sisters must confront the shado

☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 320 pages Expected publication: December 31, 2019 by Kensington Books About the Book: Meg Mackworth’s hand-lettering skill has made her famous as the Planner of Park Slope, designing beautiful custom journals for New York City’s elite. She has another skill too: reading signs that other people miss. Like the time she sat across from Reid Sutherland and his gorgeous fiancée, and knew their upcoming marriage was doomed to fail. Weaving a secret word into their wedding program was a little unprofessional, but she was sure no one else would spot it. She hadn’t counted on sharp-eyed, pattern-obsessed Reid. A year later, Reid has tracked Meg down to find out—before he leaves New York for good—how she knew that his meticulously planned future was about to implode. But with a looming deadline, a fractured friendship, and a bad case of creative block, Meg doesn’t have time for Reid’s questions—unless he can help her find her missing inspiration. As they gradually open

☆☆☆☆☆ ebook, 352 pages Published July 30th 2019 by Simon & Schuster Canada and Gallery-Scout Press About the Book: Natalie, a young art student in New York City, is struggling to pay her bills when a friend makes a suggestion: Why not go online and find a sugar daddy—a wealthy, older man who will pay her for dates and even give her a monthly allowance? Lots of girls do it, Nat learns. All that’s required is to look pretty and hang on his every word. Sexual favors are optional. Though more than thirty years her senior, Gabe, a handsome corporate finance attorney, seems like the perfect candidate, and within a month, they are madly in love. At least, Nat is…Gabe already has a family, whom he has no intention of leaving. So when he abruptly ends things, Nat can’t let go. But Gabe’s not about to let his sugar baby destroy his perfect life. What was supposed to be a mutually beneficial arrangement devolves into a nightmare of deception, obsession, and, when a body is found near Gab

☆☆☆☆ ebook, 432 pages Published July 24th 2019 by Bookouture About the Book: This morning, I was packing up lunches, ironing, putting on the laundry I should have done last night. Now my precious daughter is accused of murder. When ten-year-old cousins Maddy and Brianna are arrested for a terrible crime, Maddy’s mother Juliet cannot believe it. How could her bright, joyful daughter be capable of such a thing? As the small village community recoils in horror, the pressure of the tragedy blows Juliet and her sister’s lives apart. And things get even worse when their daughters retreat into a self-imposed silence. Can anyone reach Maddy and discover the truth before her fate is sealed? Juliet is crushed. Nothing will ever be the same for her darling girl. But she knows that to find out what really happened that day, she and her sister must unlock the secrets of their own terrible past, a past they swore never to speak about again. I thought this story was brilliant, this book was we

☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 368 pages Published July 23rd 2019 by Crown Publishing About the Book: In turn-of-the-20th century Texas, the Berachah Home for the Redemption and Protection of Erring Girls is an unprecedented beacon of hope for young women consigned to the dangerous poverty of the streets by birth, circumstance, or personal tragedy. Built in 1903 on the dusty outskirts of Arlington, a remote dot between Dallas and Fort Worth’s red-light districts, the progressive home bucks public opinion by offering faith, training, and rehabilitation to prostitutes, addicts, unwed mothers, and “ruined” girls without forcibly separating mothers from children. When Lizzie Bates and Mattie McBride meet there—one sick and abused, but desperately clinging to her young daughter, the other jilted by the beau who fathered her ailing son—they form a friendship that will see them through unbearable loss, heartbreak, difficult choices, and ultimately, diverging paths. A century later, Cate Sutton, a