A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"London, 1887. After burying her spinster aunt, orphaned Veronica Speedwell is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as with fending off admirers, Veronica intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.

But fate has other plans when Veronica thwarts her own attempted abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron, who offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker, a reclusive and bad-tempered natural historian. But before the baron can reveal what he knows of the plot against her, he is found murdered—leaving Veronica and Stoker on the run from an elusive assailant as wary partners in search of the villainous truth."

My Thoughts:

I started reading this one and just instantly adored it!  Really I was mentally kicking myself for waiting so long to read it because it was just so fun!  I kind of had it in my head that I was going to move on to the second book in the Lady Julia Grey series before I started this one.  I kept hearing this series mentioned though in podcasts I love so I decided that I just couldn't wait any longer to read this book.  I can officially say that it was the right choice for me and I absolutely loved this one!  I feel like I read this book with a smile on my face.  Veronica is just such a great main character.  She doesn't ever apologize for the woman that she is but instead embraces her "eccentricities".  She isn't afraid to say what she thinks and I just absolutely adored her as a main character!  She also was the perfect type of woman to stand up to Stoker at every other turn.  The chemistry between these two was absolutely perfect in every sort of way.  I really, really hope that in future books we get the chance to see their relationship develop into something more but the banter between them was just priceless.  I found myself laughing out loud at different times throughout the entire book.  I just loved every minute of my time with this book!  I was actually sad to see this one end because I just enjoyed my time with these characters so much!  Thankfully I have two more books to look forward to and I won't be waiting long to read those!

Overall I really enjoyed my time with this book and found it to be a five star read for me!  I really loved it that much!  It was the perfect mix of genres and just sucked me into the pages with such ease.  I couldn't stop reading this book and really didn't want to.  The characters were great and I'm so thankful that I have more books to look forward to whenever I'm ready to pick them up.  Books like this make me want to read more historical mysteries and find new authors to follow.  Because this book was just so good and made me want to read more books just like it!  I don't know what else to say other than read this book!  Fans of mysteries and suspense should give this book a try!  I also think romance readers who particularly like historical romances will like this one.  To be clear - there isn't yet a romance between Stoker and Veronica (I don't think it is too much of a spoiler to share that) but it is definitely building in the most delicious of ways!  I cannot wait to pick up the next book!  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  I loved this one so much!  Enough said!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. These are my honest thoughts on this book.

All The Beautiful Lies by Peter Swanson (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Harry Ackerson has always considered his step-mother Alice to be sexy and beautiful, in an “other worldly” way. She has always been kind and attentive, if a little aloof in the last few years.

Days before his college graduation, Alice calls with shocking news. His father is dead and the police think it’s suicide. Devastated, he returns to his father’s home in Maine. There, he and Alice will help one another pick up of the pieces of their lives and uncover what happened to his father.

Shortly after he arrives, Harry meets a mysterious young woman named Grace McGowan. Though she claims to be new to the area, Harry begins to suspect that Grace may not be a complete stranger to his family. But she isn’t the only attractive woman taking an interest in Harry. The sensual Alice is also growing closer, coming on to him in an enticing, clearly sexual way.

Mesmerized by these two women, Harry finds himself falling deeper under their spell. Yet the closer he gets to them, the more isolated he feels, disoriented by a growing fear that both women are hiding dangerous—even deadly—secrets . . . and that neither one is telling the truth."

My Thoughts:

I went into this book knowing next to nothing about it other than I had enjoyed another book by this author previously.  This book is completely different than The Girl With a Clock for a Heart (which is the 1st book that I read by this author) but just as good.  I actually got a vibe similar to My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier when I was reading this one although yet again two completely different books.  Maybe it was the haunting way that Alice is portrayed that reminded me of Rachel - that unreachable quality about both of them which had me as the reader questioning their intentions the entire time.  The main difference though is that in this book the story switches back and forth from the present day to when Alice was a young girl.  We may not know Alice's intentions in the current day but we do get the chance to learn more about her through reading about her experiences while growing up.  Trigger warning that some of those experiences are disturbing and may not be for all readers.  I felt like learning more about Alice explained so much but yet gave me so many questions as well.  What I kept trying to figure out was how everything from Alice's past tied into Harry's father's death.  I was so strangely compelled by this book even when I wasn't sure how I felt about the characters.  I liked Harry well enough but some of his choices had me wanting to pull my hair out.  This isn't your typical mystery or thriller - I felt like the focus was more on the characters and their intentions rather than on the actual mystery itself.  What I really enjoyed though was the ending which was completely unexpected but yet felt so right.  I won't say any more than that but if you've read this book - let me know so we can discuss!

Overall after enjoying both of the books that I've read by this author so much I plan on catching up with the other books of his that I haven't yet read.  I feel like this is a book that will stay with me for awhile just because it is so different from the other books that I've been reading.  I'm eager to see what other readers think of this one because I just feel like some of it begs to be discussed.  Like the ending for one!  I appreciated that with this book I was so immersed in it even when I wasn't as focused on the mystery portion.  Just the why's behind the characters and their actions had me hooked which is why I couldn't stop reading.  I would recommend this one to readers who enjoy suspenseful reads and mysteries.  A solid four out of five stars!

Bottom Line:  A book that lingered with me after I finished it!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss.  Honest thoughts are my own. 

The Sunday Post #47 (Sickie Edition)

"The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme"

Happy Sunday folks!  It has been a few weeks since my last reading update...I haven't posted one since March.  I can't even really remember why I didn't post now but this past week I didn't as I was down and out with a sinus infection.  I've had this for a week now and am just starting to feel like I'm on the flip side of it.  I honestly can't remember the last time I was this sick - it has been awhile which I'm grateful for even if I'm still wishing that I felt closer to a 100%.  No more whining though, I'm planning on taking it very easy today and getting lots of rest to help with that.

I was reading up a storm for awhile there.  Being sick has definitely slowed that down as there were times when I didn't even want to think about reading.  Sleeping though - definitely a different story!  LOL!  I've got lots of books to share about today though since I skipped a few weeks of posting a reading update.  In all honesty, I'm surprised I even managed to finish one book this week but I really did.  In other news, the weather here has been wreaking havoc on my daughter's softball schedule.  Three tournaments cancelled so far which means she hasn't played a single game yet.  Baseball starts up this week for my youngest (if the weather cooperates) and he is thrilled.  I don't have much else new to share about - just PLEASE can we have more spring like weather!?!?

Since my last reading update I finished the following books (this is 3 weeks worth of books):

Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine - This was such a heart-pounding thriller and SO compulsively readable!  I could not stop reading and felt like I was reading it at an almost frantic pace at times.  I loved it and am so excited that I have the sequel to look forward to in my very near future.  I will work on writing up my thoughts on it soon!

Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells - This is my first reread of the year I believe.  I decided that it is beyond time to finally finish this series so I'm rereading the earlier books first.  I enjoyed this one just as much as I did the first time around.  I had almost forgotten how much I love the characters in this series.  I won't be writing up another review since I reviewed this one the first time I read it but I am really looking forward now to book two!

Murder by Suicide by Veronica Heley - Last year I read and enjoyed the first book in this series.  I was in the mood to continue on so grabbed book two from the library.  I enjoyed this one (as I did the first) but didn't love it as much as book one.  I guess that I just hoped that by this book Ellie would stand up for herself more but that wasn't always the case which made me slightly crazy.  I did overall enjoy it and plan to move on to book three eventually but just a three star read for me.  Full review to come.

How I Lost You by Jenny Blackhurst - I enjoyed this thrilling read so much!  It's one of those books where you spend your entire time reading just trying to figure out what is going on.  There are just so many questions and I really loved every minute of it!  I'm looking forward to reading more by this author soon.  Review to come.

Year One by Nora Roberts - I feel like I was waiting for this hold to come in from my library for forever.  In reality it wasn't that long and I jumped all over reading this one as soon as it came in.  It was a really good read although I did have a few complaints here and there.  I'm really looking forward to reading the second book and am glad I don't have a ridiculously long wait until it releases.  (This is the book I managed to read while still being sick - thank you Mrs. Roberts)

I'm now currently reading the following:

I was feeling kinda uninspired on what to read next due to just not feeling well yet.  Plus, Year One was pretty epic and it's hard to choose what to follow up with after that.  I decided to grab one off of my own shelves for a change and dive back into one of my very favorite series.  I'm just barely begun this one (I don't think I'm even a chapter in) but I already know that this was the perfect choice.  I haven't yet figured out my next kindle read but I'm leaning towards a review copy of some sort.  I'll figure that out later though.

Plans for today include basically nothing.  I don't plan on moving much from my bed other than to take a nice hot bath.  I can see a nap and some uninterrupted reading time in my future.  My husband is planning on cooking us a good dinner which is always exciting.  I was motivated and feeling good yesterday so my house is clean and I've got a good start on the laundry.  Today is a day of relaxation and not much else to make sure that I"m physically and mentally ready for the upcoming week.  I do plan on working on scheduling out some reviews hopefully because I keep reading - the reviews needing to be written are stacking up.  It all depends on how motivated I feel though!

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!

 

The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"You can feel it in the woods, in the school and in the playground; you can feel it in the houses and at the fairground. You can feel it in most places in the small town of Anderbury . . . the fear that something or someone is watching you. 

It began back in 1986, at the fair, on the day of the accident. That was when twelve-year-old Eddie met Mr Halloran - the Chalk Man.

He gave Eddie the idea for the drawings: a way to leave secret messages for his friends and it was fun, until the chalk men led them to a body.

Thirty years later, Ed believes the past is far behind him, until an envelope slips through the letterbox. It contains a stick of chalk, and a drawing of a figure.

Is history going to repeat itself?

Was it ever really over?

Will this game only end in the same way?"

My Thoughts:

This book was totally not what I expected it to be!  I don't mean that in a bad way at all but it is really the best way to describe my reading experience.  I picked up this book expecting a thriller which it definitely was.  That being said - the twists and turns this book took and everything that happened within its' pages was definitely not what I originally expected.  This book starts out with a bang and really doesn't let up.  Sure there are times where maybe the author lulls you into thinking that you might know what is going on but I definitely didn't.  I loved how this book switched back and forth between when Eddie and his friends were younger and then back to present day.  It gave the book a similar vibe to Stephen King's It (which I have not yet finished but do plan on getting back to soon).  I also really appreciated the fact that it felt like two separate mysteries and I was fully invested in both of them.  Like so fully invested that I think I managed to finish this book in less then three days.  I just could not stop reading this one!  I don't think that it is too spoilery to say that the author manages to tie everything up beautifully.  I feel like there were a few things that I was able to guess but there was so much more that I didn't.  I enjoyed my time with this book immensely and cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next!

Overall, I found this to be such a great book and I'm glad that I didn't let it linger on my TBR list.  I realize that I didn't tell you a whole lot about it in specifics but I really think this is a book that you should just pick up knowing as little as possible.  Just go on the ride that the author takes you on, it is completely worth it in my opinion!  This is a dark read with a few very uncomfortable moments but it was also oh so good!  I also really enjoyed the fact that this book was a standalone thriller.  I'm basically a series addict if you haven't noticed but I loved that this book stands on its' own.  It's a reminder for me that I need to read more books like this that aren't part of a series once in awhile.  I think that the thing that will stick most with me after finishing this book is the tense and haunting atmosphere that the author created.  There were times that I knew that something bad was going to happen but yet I just couldn't stop reading as I needed to know what would happen next.  I would highly recommend this book to fans of thrillers and mysteries!

Bottom Line:  If I gave actual ratings, I would rate this one 4.5 stars - it was a read that I won't be forgetting about any time soon!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.