Friday, June 29, 2018

A Merciful Silence by Kendra Elliot

Book Four of the Mercy Kilpatrick series was a great installment and slightly better than the middle two. This time Elliot tackles the Sovereign Citizens movement, and doesn’t give them the same respect as she does the preppers, and rightfully so! Truman pulls over one these wingnuts only to learn that he’s kicked a hornet’s nest and is soon abducted by them. Mercy goes into rescue mode, while concurrently trying to solve a series of grisly murders. Are they connected, and can she get to Truman before it’s too late? I was a little sad while reading the book as this was supposed to be the end of the four-book series, but in the author’s note Elliot reveals that there is more to come. Yay! I just hope it doesn’t involve either Mercy or her beau being on the brink of death again… I think they’ve been through enough for a while.

Friday, June 22, 2018

The Ever After by Sarah Pekkanen


Josie finds out that her husband, Frank, is having an affair. This story could go so many ways, but Sarah Pekkanen tees it up for a reconciliation right from the start. They didn’t actually sleep together. It was only a couple of times. He’s so sorry. He is a five-star human, going to church and volunteering at a homeless shelter. He’ll be her punching bag forever as long as she takes him back. By the end of the book, Josie starts to look like the “bad guy” because she used to go to bed early to avoid hanging out or having sex with Frank! The other example of an “affair” is equally weird, with Josie’s best friend admitting that another guy kissed her once. Huh? That’s not an affair people! There are some funny moments about motherhood tucked in between (Josie notes that she can easily fill up a half hour chit chatting about nothing with an acquaintance so as to avoid talking about her separation) and you’ll feel happy for them all at the predictable conclusion. 

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

The Summer Children by Dot Hutchison


If the Roses of May was a bit of a letdown after The Butterfly Garden, The Summer Children brought the level of the trilogy back up again. Told from Agent Ramirez’s perspective this time, this installment really brought home the agony that working with abused children must bring, particularly for someone who experienced it herself. I liked Mercedes’ point of view, and her connection to the “subjects” is heartbreaking. Bloodied children keep showing up at Mercedes’ door, after an “angel” killed their abusive parents in front of them. The killer is clearly someone who was abused herself, and she trusts Mercedes to take care of these kids after she gets rid of their abusers. The identity of the killer this time is still pretty obvious (obfuscation is not the author’s strongest skill), but the rest of the plot is well done. There is a new addition to the team as well, so maybe the trilogy will be expanded? One can only hope.

Friday, June 15, 2018

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hiller


Georgina Shaw was involved with covering up the murder of her high school best friend, Angela, by her boyfriend, Calvin. When the truth comes to light years later, she goes to prison for five years for her role, and Calvin gets a life sentence but soon escapes. When it’s time for Geo to be released, more bodies start turning up, killed the same way as Angela, and it seems as though Calvin is on the hunt again and coming back for Geo. All is not as it seems in this suspenseful novel though. Told in alternating timelines between present day and the days leading up to Angela’s murder, the truth slowly and eerily unravels. Complicating matters is Geo and Angela's other best friend, Kaiser, who still carries a torch for Geo but was responsible for sending her to prison. Can they reconcile and move forward, or will Geo's past and her terrible deeds haunt her forever? The final ‘denouement’ is rather sad, with Geo having to make a heartbreaking but necessary decision. A worthy “summer” read!