Shatter Me: a young adult dystopian novel with suspense and a bit of romance

Shatter Me is the first book in the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi. Juliette is cursed. She cannot touch anyone. Her touch is lethal. When she accidentally touches someone, she is locked up in prison for murder by the Reestablishment, a government in power. No one knows why she has such a lethal touch. For 264 days, she is alone in her prison cell because she is a monster and the world is falling apart. However, when the whispers of war and resistance become too loud to ignore, the Reestablishment decides that Juliette will become their weapon to keep the people in line. They placed Adam in her cell and they learned something interesting that sets a chain of events in motion that changes the course of her life. Juliette must decide if she will become their weapon or fight back and become a warrior against those who imprisoned her.

Shatter Me is a young adult dystopian novel with great suspense and world building. I usually don’t read dystopian novels and I have heard good and bad reviews on Shatter Me. There is a small bit of romance and plenty of action. I enjoyed Juliette as she tries to deal with the isolation and struggles to find her place in the new world around her. The printing style is interesting and unique. It is not an earth shattering, mind blowing type of story. It was an engaging read and the story flowed fairly easily. I look forward to the rest of the series. However, this story is not for everyone. If you are looking for a story with a lot of depth, Shatter Me may not be the story for you. However, if you enjoy engaging dystopian stories, you may enjoy this story. I recommend Shatter Me. 

Shatter Me is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook. 

What a Bride Wants: can a joking want ad lead to a forever love?

What a Bride Wants is the first book in The Great Wedding Giveaway series by Kelly Hunter. Ella Grace Emerson adores her widowed father, but he keeps hounding her about marriage and sets her up with any and every eligible man. The final straw was when he put an ad in the local paper on her behalf. An ad for a docile house-husband. In retaliation, Ella puts an ad out of her own called for the perfect lover. Cam Sawyer is a newcomer to Marietta, Montana and he is perfectly willing and able to be the lover Ella wants. However, what she needs is a strong and loving partner and Sawyer is running from a past he wants to hide. Will he stop running and be the man she wants and needs? 

The title is a little misleading as Ella has no intention of getting married and is doing everything she can to persuade her father to drop the matter. This story is fairly short, a novella really and I felt the story was very rushed. I would have liked more of a slower burn. I didn’t care for Ella and Sawyer was okay but the reason why he was running was a bit of a let down. The “monkey wrench” in their relationship didn’t quite fit either. The Great Wedding Giveaway is an anthology series in which each title is written by a different author. I usually enjoy these types of series; however, What a Bride Wants wasn’t a great start that I am unsure if I will continue this series. Overall, I did not enjoy What a Bride Wants. 

What a Bride Wants is available in paperback and eBook. 

Say You Remember Me: could a fake engagement turn into a real relationship?

Say You Remember Me is the second book of the Kings of Eden Falls series by Judy Corry. Maddie Stevens thought a harmless spontaneous kiss with a gorgeous stranger would be simply an impulsive act. However, when she arrives for her first day at a new job as an executive assistant, she is shocked to learn that the man she kissed is none other than her new boss, Ian Hastings. Ian is captivated by Maddie as her simple kiss ignited a spark in him that he thought was far gone. However, he is determined to keep their relationship professional going forward. When they attend a business conference together, Ian comes face to face with an ex-fiancée, he panics and asks Maddie for an unusual favor: a fake engagement. It doesn’t take long before their fake romance starts to feel very, very real. When their fake engagement reaches beyond the conference, will they be willing to risk everything for the chance to make this fake relationship real? 

The Kings of Eden Falls brings Judy Corry’s Eden Falls Academy and Ridgewater High Romance series together into a great new series. While I haven’t finished either series yet, it was great to see the characters pop in. I also have not read the first book in The Kings of Eden Falls series, and yet, I was able to enjoy Say You Remember Me. Any references to the previous series is subtle and does not take away from enjoying Say You Remember Me. It is a slow-burn romance with great tension and sweet moments between Ian and Maddie. There are moments of laughter especially with Maddie and her friends and Ian and his friends. There is a bit of drama and scandal that tests Ian and Maddie and asks the question “will they make their fake relationship real?” I look forward to future books in this series as well as going back and reading the books in the previous series. I highly recommend Say You Remember Me. 

Say You Remember Me is available in paperback and eBook

Second Chance Sweethearts: a short but sweet and powerful novella

Second Chance Sweethearts by Liwen Y Ho is a novella about two high school sweethearts finding a chance for love. When Missy Clark left her small town of Sun Valley, Texas, she left her first love behind. Five years later, she returns, battered, bruised and harboring a secret that will tarnish her reputation in the small town. Nate Dawson never stopped loving Missy, praying she would return to him. Now that she is back, he sees his prayers as being answered. However, he doesn’t realize that she hides a secret that hinders their reconnection. Nate is determined to show Missy she is worthy of love, despite her mistakes. Can he help her realize that he is willing and able to stand by her side? Can they find hope and healing for their future in the Lord?

Second Chance Sweethearts is a novella, short but very sweet and packed with love, the power of forgiveness and love with the Lord. It is a quick read as I was pulled into Missy and Nate’s story. Missy feels like damaged goods, coming back to her small town a failure. However, she doesn’t realize that one man has been praying for her return. Nate is a true sweetheart who sees the girl he fell in love with in the woman before him. Ms. Ho packs a lot in such a short story. The character development is wonderful. My heart broke for Missy from the first page and I cheered for them as they reconnected. If you are looking for a wonderful story of love and forgiveness for a quiet afternoon of reading, I highly recommend Second Chance Sweethearts. 

Second Chance Sweethearts is available in eBook. 

Chasing China A Daughter's Quest for the Truth: a search into the past and one's roots

Chasing China: A Daughter’s Quest for Truth by Kay Bratt is one woman’s determination to discover her roots. Mia left China as a child, adopted and loved by an American family. While she is grateful for the family she loves and the life she has been given, she still feels this nagging feeling that something is missing. Determined to learn as much as she can about her past, Mia heads to China and tries to follow the path that led to her being placed in an orphanage and eventually adopted. As she seeks information, she soaks up Chinese history and culture, and she feels the officials are hiding something. They know more than they are telling her. Even more determined to discover the truth, she might have to find a different route to discover the truth. Will she be able to find her family? Is she ready for the truth? 

Chasing China is a fast paced, suspenseful story as Mia fights to learn the truth. It is heartbreaking to see the condition of the children in and out of the orphanage. I loved how Ms. Bratt truly captured the turmoil raging inside Mia as she wants to know her birth family and feeling she is betraying the family who has raised and loved her. The story also doesn’t shy away from the careless and yet prejudiced comments from Americans about an adopted Chinese child. Mia is truly an individual between two worlds, not fully feeling belonging to either. There were quite a few surprises in this story which led to a few tears falling as I closed the book. There are a lot of details about Chinese culture, the people and the orphanages which I appreciated. I truly felt as if I was there with Mia. I highly recommend Chasing China. 

Chasing China: A Daughter’s Quest for Truth is available in paperback and eBook. 

The Queens of Crime: five women, one murder case and a chance to prove themselves

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict is a story of four women fighting for a place in literature as they race to solve a murder. It’s London, 1930, five women crime writers band together to form a second society with the goal to prove they deserve to be recognized, the Queens of Crime are Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Nagio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. How do they prove they are worthy of recognition? Solve the real life murder of May Daniels was a young English nurse who discovered during a trip to France with her friend, seemingly vanishing into thin air. When her body is discovered months later in nearby woods. There are so many questions and inconsistencies that the women know that someone is hiding something. As they get deeper into their investigation, the killer targets Dorothy Sayers with a dark secret from her past. 

The only Queen of Crime I am familiar with is Agatha Christie. I have heard of Dorothy L Sayers by name only. The other ladies I had not heard of. I was looking forward to a fictionalized story of a true story from Sayers’ life, especially her unique relationship with Agatha Christie as a professional “rival” and friend. Unfortunately, I struggled with this story. I had no interest in the murder investigation and the constant girl-power, “I can’t believe he thinks that” attitude was annoying. I was also surprised there was no author’s note at the end of the story giving some insight into the author’s inspiration or thoughts on the real women. Author’s notes are usually very insightful and add more to the story. It was disappointing not to see it there. By the end of the story, I felt I did not know more about these women. I do not recommend The Queens of Crime. 

The Queens of Crime is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

Calm & Bright: can the miracle of Christmas bring this family back together?

Calm & Bright is the first book in the Huckleberry Lake series by Autumn Macarthur. Brad Hughes hopes for some Christmas magic as he hopes he can convince his ex-wife that he has changed and is ready to be the husband and father he needs to be. Maddie came home to Huckleberry Lake, Idaho to care for her ailing grandmother. She sent Brad the divorce papers as he was a workaholic city boy and she wanted to stay in her hometown community. As he comes for the holidays for their son, Jacob, he only needs to convince Maddie that he has changed. Will Maddie take that chance again? Will Brad’s career once again come between them? Will God help them heal their broken marriage and hearts for a deeper relationship and faith? 

The Huckleberry Lake series is advertised as stories of the trials and joys of love, deepening faith and living happily ever after. I expected a heartwarming, inspirational story of faith, hope and love. Right off the bat, I did not care for Maddie. I found her to be childish, self-centered and expected Brad to be a mind reader. She was unhappy with their marriage and living situation, understandable. Does she even attempt to tell him she was unhappy? Divorce was her first and only option? The lack of communication bothered me. Overall, I did not care for these characters or this story. I usually enjoy a good second chance romance, however, I did not enjoy Calm & Bright. I will not continue with this series. I do not recommend Calm & Bright. 

Calm & Bright is available in paperback and eBook