Monday Reading Report

Trying to get back into the groove of blogging while enjoying my new granddaughter! Brooke Penelope was born July 31, and we are thrilled with all of the new baby snuggles. It’s so fun, but I have a difficult time finding a balance between reading and everything else I need and want to do.

I voluntarily reviewed complimentary copies of many of these books. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, see disclosures for more detail.

If you want to see what other people have been reading, click over to The Book Date for more lists

What I Read This Week:

A Glitter of Gold by Liz Johnson

About the Book: Anne Norris moved to Savannah, Georgia, for a fresh start. Now her pirate-tour business is flagging, and paying the rent requires more than wishful thinking. When she discovers evidence of a shipwreck off the coast of Tybee Island, she knows it could be just the boon she needs to stay afloat. She takes her findings to local museum director Carter Hale for confirmation, but she runs after a disastrous first meeting.

Carter has been searching for the location of the wreck detailed in the worn pages of an 18th-century diary, the discovery of which could open the door to his dream job at a prestigious museum. But convincing Anne to help him fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle is no easy task. And working with Carter means that Anne will have to do the one thing she swore she’d never do again: trust a man.

Finding a monetary backer and sticking with a search that’s turning up nothing will take all their dedication–and every secret they’ve tried to hide. If they can find the lost ship, they may discover a treasure worth more than all the pirate gold in the world–love.

My Thoughts: I gave this book 4 stars

Johnson’s second Georgia Coast Romance is absolutely delightful. 

Anne is a woman who unwittingly got involved with a terrible situation and is now suffering the consequences of her choices. She carries a load of shame and does not feel worthy of love or forgiveness. When she finds a gold artifact on the beach, she comes into contact with Carter, the man who runs the local museum. He too has brokenness from his past and guards his heart. As the two use the pages of an 18th century diary to try to locate a shipwreck, they grow closer, but they both have walls around themselves that are difficult to break down.

I loved the themes that resonate throughout this book dealing with trust, forgiveness, and shame. The adventure of the tale and the investigation are just icing on the cake for me as I adore a good treasure hunting story, but the relationships are what makes this book glitter with gold. The faith message is integral to the story, but is never preachy or overwhelming.

The Killing Tide by Dani Pettrey

About the Book: When one Coast Guard officer is found dead and another goes missing, Coast Guard Investigative Service special agent Finn Walker faces his most dangerous crime yet. His only clues are what little evidence remains aboard the dead officer’s boat, and the direction the clues point to will test Finn and the Guard to their limits.

When investigative reporter–and Finn’s boss’s sister–Gabby Rowley arrives, her unrelenting questions complicate an already volatile situation. Now that she’s back, the tug on Finn’s heart is strong, but with the risks she’s taking for her next big story, he fears she might not live through it.

Thrown together by the heinous crime, Finn and Gabby can’t ignore the sparks or judgments flying between them. But will they be able to see past their preconceptions long enough to track down an elusive killer, or will they become his next mark?

My Thoughts: I gave this book 3.5 stars. This is the exciting first novel in Pettrey’s Coastal Guardians series. It starts with action and doesn’t let up until the last page. That’s not to say that the book is short on romance, because it delivers a hefty amount of that as well.
I really liked and identified with Gabby’s character and appreciated the journey she needed to travel in order to trust again. 
One slight shortcoming is the sheer number of characters introduced. I get that it’s necessary in the beginning of a series, but I thought that giving back story for so many of them was confusing. I hate to admit that when the ultimate villain was revealed, I had to turn the pages back in my book to figure out who the person was. 
Overall, this is the truest definition of a heart-pounding romantic suspense novel–both the action and adventure and the love story make the heart beat in their own ways. I am looking forward to the next books in this thrilling series.

I Spy by Claire Kendal

About the Book: Holly Lawrence always wanted to be a spy, but the experience proved more dangerous than anything she imagined. Now, Holly lives under an assumed name, hiding from the man who nearly destroyed her life. She avoids relationships and trusts no one.

But Holly’s new life begins to unravel when she encounters a young mother and her two-year-old child… a child who reminds her of a past she has tried hard to forget. This time, someone is spying on her, and Holly will need to decide how far she is willing to go to survive.

My Thoughts: I gave this book 3 stars. Overall, I liked this thriller. It is quite complex and has a great number of twists where you just aren’t sure who is good and who is not. It could have been a 4 star for me, but I really didn’t like the ending, and there was a lot about Zac that I didn’t care for, and many things I found completely implausible about him.

It’s an overall great thriller, but you’ll have to overlook some eye-rolling conveniences. Core story is decently written. TW: Domestic abuse, including that of a pregnant woman.

Ghosted by Rosie Walsh

About the Book: When Sarah meets Eddie, they connect instantly and fall in love. To Sarah, it seems as though her life has finally begun. And it’s mutual: It’s as though Eddie has been waiting for her, too. Sarah has never been so certain of anything. So when Eddie leaves for a long-booked vacation and promises to call from the airport, she has no cause to doubt him. But he doesn’t call.

Sarah’s friends tell her to forget about him, but she can’t. She knows something’s happened–there must be an explanation.

Minutes, days, weeks go by as Sarah becomes increasingly worried. But then she discovers she’s right. There is a reason for Eddie’s disappearance, and it’s the one thing they didn’t share with each other: the truth.

My Thoughts: I gave this book 4 stars. Listened to the audio of this book. It was a lot better than I was expecting, but in such different ways.
The premise makes it seem like a mystery–a couple has an intense connection over a week’s time, and then the man completely disappears. What happened to Eddie?
Yet…it’s so much more than that. Yes, that’s a part of the story, but at its core, this book is about family, love, loss, grief, and learning how to forgive and start over. I was in tears by the ending because the tenderness was quite unexpected. 
I hope when others read this book, they have fewer expectations and just prepare to go with it. Are some of the twists contrived? Yes. Do some things that happen require suspension of disbelief? That too. However, I have experienced some things that happen in this book firsthand, and some turns of even that seem kind of out there on the surface are pretty realistic overall.
Great book, I really loved it.

Because You’re Mine by Rea Frey

About the Book: Single mother Lee has the daily routine down to a science: shower in six minutes. Cut food into perfect squares. Never leave her on-the-spectrum son Mason in someone else’s care. She’ll do anything―anything―to keep his carefully constructed world from falling apart. Do anything to keep him safe.

But when her best friend Grace convinces her she needs a small break from motherhood to recharge her batteries, Lee gives in to a weekend trip. Surely a long weekend away from home won’t hurt?

Noah, Mason’s handsome, bright, charismatic tutor―the first man in ages Lee’s even noticed―is more than happy to stay with him.

Forty-eight hours later, someone is dead.

But not all is as it seems. Noah may be more than who he claims to be. Grace has a secret―one that will destroy Lee. Lee has secrets of her own that she will do anything to keep hidden. And what will happen to Mason, as the dominoes begin to fall and the past comes to light?

My Thoughts: I gave this book 2 stars. This book didn’t work for me for many reasons. The biggest problems I had were the two things that the story hinges on: deliberate hiding of “secrets” for much longer than necessary and outlandishly convenient coincidences disguised as “twists.” I literally rolled my eyes so many times during the reading of this book because I thought some of the contrived situations were so ridiculous.
My favorite parts of the book were those featuring Mason, because his quirky personality was really appealing and interesting. I didn’t feel like the author did a very good job depicting the way things went after the death, because it seemed like the craziness of the adults outweighed all of the real emotions.
Overall, if you can suspend disbelief (I just couldn’t do it in this book) then you might enjoy this twisted tale.

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

About the Book: Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she’s seen her fair share of them, and she’s a total pro at other people’s tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to give up her whole life and move to Boston, Cassie suddenly has an emergency of her own.

The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie’s old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren’t exactly thrilled to have a “lady” on the crew―even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the infatuation-inspiring rookie, who doesn’t seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can’t think about that. Because love is girly, and it’s not her thing. And don’t forget the advice her old captain gave her: Never date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping…and it means risking it all―the only job she’s ever loved, and the hero she’s worked like hell to become.

My Thoughts: I gave this book 4.5 stars. Ooh, I loved this book. Center has done it again for me. Such a beautiful, heartfelt story. 
And she uses a trope that I usually despise in a book (someone wrongly accused of something), but with her superb writing skills, she made me love the book anyway.
It’s obvious she has done her research about firefighting (the dedication to her husband, a volunteer firefighter, shows her resources). I had never before considered exactly how much goes into that type of job. And Cassie is a full-fledged bad-ass at her job and her life, even though she has some old baggage to deal with.
The main theme of this book is forgiveness and learning how to forgive, even when things are so painful that you don’t want to face them. Even if the other person absolutely positively doesn’t deserve your forgiveness. The reader goes on a journey with Cassie and it’s not always a pretty one, but it’s both real and meaningful and everyone will be able to identify with parts of it.
So glad I spend my time with this wonderful novel.

Currently Reading:

The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins

About the Book: Sarah Dove is no ordinary bookworm. To her, books have always been more than just objects: they live, they breathe, and sometimes they even speak. When Sarah grows up to become the librarian in her quaint Southern town of Dove Pond, her gift helps place every book in the hands of the perfect reader. Recently, however, the books have been whispering about something out of the ordinary: the arrival of a displaced city girl named Grace Wheeler.

If the books are right, Grace could be the savior that Dove Pond desperately needs. The problem is, Grace wants little to do with the town or its quirky residents—Sarah chief among them. It takes a bit of urging, and the help of an especially wise book, but Grace ultimately embraces the challenge to rescue her charmed new community. In her quest, she discovers the tantalizing promise of new love, the deep strength that comes from having a true friend, and the power of finding just the right book.

Take Back Your Time by Morgan Tyree

About the Book: We all get 24 hours in a day–but it never seems like quite enough time, does it? Morgan Tyree wants to help you take back your time with her proven time management system. With energy and enthusiasm, Morgan shows you how to organize and manage your time using her simple three-color time zone system of green, yellow, and red–moxie time, multitasking time, and me time. She shows you how to 

– identify your most productive times each day
– regulate between essentials and nonessentials
– schedule your three time zones
– match your time zones with your capacities
– welcome the season of life you’re in
– set achievable goals that align with your values

If you’ve struggled to find balance and direction in your overloaded life, let Morgan’s system help you discover the freedom of less hustle and more harmony.

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

About the Book: Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, rookie cops in the NYPD, live next door to each other outside the city. What happens behind closed doors in both houses—the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne, sets the stage for the explosive events to come.

Ask Again, Yes is a deeply affecting exploration of the lifelong friendship and love that blossoms between Kate Gleeson and Peter Stanhope, born six months apart. One shocking night their loyalties are divided, and their bond will be tested again and again over the next 40 years. Luminous, heartbreaking, and redemptive, Ask Again, Yes reveals the way childhood memories change when viewed from the distance of adulthood—villains lose their menace and those who appeared innocent seem less so. Kate and Peter’s love story, while haunted by echoes from the past, is marked by tenderness, generosity, and grace.

What’s Up Next:

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

About the Book: When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unravelling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant.

The Whisper Man by Alex North

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…

What are you reading currently?