Tag: abuse

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#BookReview: The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

Twisty Thriller. Maybe Not The Best Read The Day I Read It. Without spoiling *too* much, I read this book on the same day that United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was murdered in cold blood – and given many peoples’ opinions of that murder, opinions echoed by one of our characters within this text… it was a bit much to read on that exact day.

But since *you* won’t be reading it *that* day (and, hopefully, not on any similar day), know that this book is actually one of the twistier, more inventive books I’ve read this year or even in quite some time, really. By the end of it, you’re going to feel very sad for certain characters and you’re likely to want to pull a gun on other characters yourself. Still other characters come off as incredibly sleezy basically every time they are “on screen”, and other characters you’re going to wind up actively cheering certain actions, at minimum.

If you enjoy twisty thrillers where nothing is ever as it seems… there is quite a bit to like here. If you’re a fan of more straightforward books… this may not be your cup of… well, whatever you prefer to drink. (As an American of the Southern US, the only tea I drink is sweet and iced, and I’m fairly sure the idiom “not your cup of tea” refers to that disgusting British stuff that we rightfully dumped into Boston Harbor all those years ago – which is all that stuff is good for. But I digress. :D)

Complex. Thrilling. Titillating (to a degree) even. If those are things you like in your books, congratulations. You’ve found a book that is *right there*. If a more Hallmarkie approach is more your speed… there are a lot of those stories out there, but this aint that.

Overall truly one of the more enjoyable and interesting books of the near 200 I’ve read this year, it will likely be on my Top 24 Books I Read In 2024 list. 🙂

Very much recommended.

This review of The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia was originally written on December 12, 2024.

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#BookReview: The Cruise by Christina Delay

Down Down Deep, Indeed. For those unaware, this book was previously titled Down Down Deep, and that may actually be a superior title to its more generic one it currently has (The Cruise).

Here we get a psychological, almost supernatural, thriller that becomes all too human indeed. The tension ratchets up as weird things start happening on this sailing of this cruise ship, and there are quite a few even horror elements to be had here.

There are twists a plenty, so much so that it sometimes feels like you’re on Velocicoaster – they’re coming so hard and so fast, and yet you’re enjoying every freaking second of it. And, like Velocicoaster, as fun and intense as this read is… it is also fairly shortish, at just around 250 pages. Meaning it is yet again great for those with limited amounts of reading time.

Definitely one of the more inventive books within its space I’ve encountered, so much so that when I saw that this is actually in a series of sorts and that the other book is currently, as I write this review on November 14, 2024, just $0.99… yeah, I picked it up immediately just on the strength of this book. (Fwiw, that book – The Best Friends – is also a reprint/ retitle, formerly called Truth Truth Lie.)

One warning: There is a fair amount of pretty brutal action in this book at times, and it *does* deal in certain assaults that some may find more troubling than others. So be aware of that going in… and read it anyway. Yes, it really is that good.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Cruise by Christina Delay was originally written on November 14, 2024.

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#BlogTour: The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a book that is *just* on the right side of being labeled as “deceptive marketing”, based on its title. For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (Hardcover.app / BookHype.com / BookBub.com / TheStoryGraph.com / Goodreads.com):

*Almost* Deceptive Marketing. This is one of those books where the title has *just* enough to do with the book itself that it isn’t *actually* deceptive marketing… but you can look to the lower starred reviews and see that many readers felt that the title and book had little to do with each other. (And they’re right.) There is really nothing in this tale about banning books or anything related to the topic, other than a sentence or two of setup that is also (currently, as of publication day) in the description of the book.

Instead, the tale we *actually* get is a version of the Prodigal Son. One sister left years ago after having her world shattered in HS, the other sister stayed in their hometown and has now been taking care of their mother as her mother’s health rapidly fails. As mom’s time is nearing its end, the prodigal sister is convinced to return… and now, *everyone* in town is going to have to come to terms with the fallout from all those years ago.

In the process, we get a lot of different things, some discussed more than others – spousal abuse/ controlling spouse, sexual harassment/ teen molestation (to be clear, the age of the student in question is *not* “child molestation” in all States), breast cancer, coming home, uncovering family secrets, really quite a bit, such that even in a 350 ish page book… like I said, not all of it is covered n much depth.

And of course we also get a romance plot here… and maybe more… because, well, why not? 😉

Overall, for what it *actually* is, this tale is actually quite strong in many ways. Yes, it has its weaknesses at times, but I think overall this ultimately comes out on the stronger side of resiliency and overcoming your demons. But this is also a tale where your mileage truly will vary, so give it a read and make your own call.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak”

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#BookReview: The Next Mrs Parrish by Liv Constantine

Sociopathy vs Psychopathy vs Revenge. If the first “Mrs Parrish” book was a study in psycopathy vs sociopathy with a “normal” person caught in the middle – and it was -, this one is in some ways more of the same, but with the added twist of adding a new character who is just as cunning as both the sociopath and the psychopath, but a more ‘normal’ person with the added motivation of pure revenge.

Thus, the action tends to be just as despicable here as in the first book, and for that reason many who did not like the first one may in fact not like this one either – so if that is you, seriously, just spare the author the 1* review and skip this one.

But for those who are willing to endure the despicable acts knowing that this book *is* more revenge focused and *does* have some significant (and seeming conclusive, for at least some of the players involved) payoffs… this book is actually quite delicious. Where the first one was more slow and methodical, this one almost seems like a director who has only now learned about quick scene cutting, particularly relative to just how slow the first book was. Almost like an old school, plodding, hours long chess match… and then the next match is over in a brilliant storm of lightning. Not one that will necessarily leave you breathless, but absolutely one where you begin to wonder just how much you’ve seen and how fast you’ve seen it. Particularly, again, after the utterly glacial pace of the first book.

Whereas the first book had almost no redeemable qualities about almost none of the characters, here we do get to have a bit more sympathy for at least some of the characters, and that alone will make this book better than the first one for some readers – but you absolutely have to read the first book to be able to fully understand this book.

Ultimately, this was truly well done, and some parts of the ending were truly delicious indeed given all that had happened to that point.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Next Mrs Parrish by Liv Constantine was originally written on June 26, 2024.

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#BookReview: The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

Slow Burn Examination Of Sociopathy vs Psychopathy. Have you ever wanted to read a fairly slow, in depth, rather brutal look at what happens when a psychopath and a sociopath cross paths… and someone else is caught in the middle?

Well, then I have the book for you!

I’d owned this book for quite some time before finally reading it as its sequel, The Next Mrs. Parrish, was released – directly in preparation to read *that* book as an Advance Review Copy. While normally I do recommend that people go ahead and start series books early…. in my defense, I thought I *had* read this one a while back before realizing I hadn’t. 🙂

This noted, any readers new to this series will be glad that the sequel is out now, as with the particular manner that this one ends… having the next one readily at hand was actually a great thing indeed.

Just, again, be warned that this is a S L O W book, where even the twists can seemingly take a few dozen pages to reveal themselves. And in the end, virtually *no one* looks overly great *and* there is quite a bit of abuse and other injustices discussed and actively shown. So if darker books aren’t your thing… may want to rethink this one.

In the end though, this really was a fun book that I’m glad I finally read.

Recommended.

This review of The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine was originally written on June 25, 2024.

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#BookReview: The Wild Road Home by Melissa Payne

All The Feels – Including A Few Very Dusty Rooms. Payne is very much making a career out of intricate character stories that pack a lot of emotional depth and complexity in with a fair amount of drama and action, and this book is exactly in that vein. Here, we get truly visceral looks at the emotions surrounding death and abandonment, emotions which will be difficult for some and will cause the aforementioned dusty rooms for more. The way Payne can bring these things to life via her words is truly remarkable, and that she can do so in such a story without ever appearing preachy – if anything, pretty much the exact opposite – is even more remarkable.

If you’re looking for a light and breezy “beach read”, this isn’t that. If you’re looking for a “beach read” in that you can read this book while on a beach… and bawl your eyes out in the process… yeah, this is that kind of book.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Wild Road Home by Melissa Payne was originally written on June 25, 2024.

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#BookReview: Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

Excellent Twisty Thriller With Uniquely Broken Characters Will Be Far Too Difficult For Some. Straight up, I loved this one. It was so *oppressively* dark, yet done in such a way that even though there is truly little light to be had and also with no supernatural element to the darkness at all… you still want to see exactly what happened to make this tale this way.

The reason it will be difficult for some, perhaps many, is because of the *rampant* child abuse, including some sexual abuse and even a rape – though while “on screen” it is more “dark room” based. Still described, but not as… vividly… as it could have been. Showing that Hepworth *does* show restraint when going even more explicit doesn’t add anything further to the actual story. There is also a rather horrifying birth scene, though this is far from the “splatterpunk” / “horror” that one reviewer described it as. Though going further would perhaps spoil what happens there *too* much, so I’ll show the same restraint in the review that Hepworth did in the text. If such scenes are difficult for you… this may not be the book for you.

The reason I actually enjoyed the book though was because of how the central characters – three chosen sisters bound not by blood, but by shared trauma and survival- were both broken… and how they used that brokenness as adults, showing that even some of the most difficult times, the darkest times of someone’s life, *can* be overcome to varying degrees. Not that any of our adults are truly “normal” healthy – again showing a great deal of reality here – but that they’re still, to use a term used to describe Autistics that I truly despise but fits here, “functional”. Ish.

Ultimately this is one of those books that will likely prove divisive in at least some groups, but I thought was done well, with the author using so many real world horrors (and yes, in my own work through my church as a teen and just generally being an observant adult, I’ve seen this and so much worse on occassion) to craft the story she is trying to tell… while showing restraint where further graphic details don’t add any more needed information to extract the desired emotions from the reader. Showing that Hepworth truly is a master of her craft, even when she is somewhat intentionally pushing some buttons of some people.

Very much recommended.

This review of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth was originally written on April 24, 2024.

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#BookReview: California Golden by Melanie Benjamin

Moving Coming Of Age For Two Sisters During Surfing’s Golden Years. Another dive into the 1960s, with stops in the 1950s and 1980s as well, this is one of those books that takes that period and adds a flavor not always seen as readily. Yes, even when we eventually go to Vietnam with a couple of characters here, the book manages to show-without-showing the horrors there while focusing on its own spin on the story and era – in this case, how to move on from insta-fame and transition back to “normal” life while still in love with the surf. There is a lot going on in this book, as there was in the era, and the book manages to treat all of it in the same faded golden tones of the current (release day) cover. Note that if you have personal problems with reading about any of the common problems of the era – racism, cults, abuse, the Vietnam war, neglect, unhealthy doses of narcissism, etc… eh, maybe this book isn’t for you. But for the clean/ sweet romance crowd (and yes, this book meets every qualification I’m aware of for that genre), know that there isn’t much if any sex shown “on screen”, and even the worst of the domestic violence is actually off-screen. Overall a fairly realistic while still clearly fictional take on the era, and one fans of surfing’s Golden Age on the untamed shores of Southern California in the early 1960s and Hawaii in the mid 1950s will absolutely love. Very much recommended.

This review of California Golden by Melanie Benjamin was originally written on August 8, 2023.

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#BookReview: One Night by Georgina Cross

Solid “Locked In” Mystery Asks Serious Questions. This is one of those “everyone is trapped in the house, and everyone has secrets” kind of mysteries that classic mystery lovers will love, and newer mystery lovers that are all about the shock value/ twist… eh, your mileage may vary. I personally thought the ending was particularly well done and while not *overly* shocking in *who* was involved, was brilliantly executed in *why* they were involved. Which gets to the whole “asks serious questions” bit, as the “questions” indicated in the description… are *NOT* the only questions raised. This book has a lot of meat there for those who *want* a deeper psychological dive, particularly in probing their own consciences – but it also offers enough directly in the text that if all you want is a few hours of classic mystery escapism… that is all you have to take from this particular tale. Which is usually a sign of a particularly strong storyteller, when they can give both readers what they want in the same story. This was my first book from Cross, and most likely will not be my last. Very much recommended.

This review of One Night by Georgina Cross was originally written on August 1, 2023.

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#BookReview: And Then There Was You by Nancy Naigle

Slow Burn Hallmarkie Southern Romance. This is another of those books that almost seems destined for the small screen on the Hallmark Channel or one of its newer competitors. But here, the romance is *very* slow burn, taking nearly all of this books 350 or so pages to finally get the couple together – and even then, they barely kiss, much less anything else. So this is definetly more for the “sweet” and/ or “clean” crowd than the crowd that wants damn near erotica level sex in the first chapter. (You know what I mean, and you know who you are.) Cursing is next to non-existent here, and may even be completely non-existent – I certainly don’t remember any. Prayers, church attendance, mentions of God and Jesus… those are far more plentiful – and just as accurate to the Southern small mountain town setting as the broken families, abuse, and alcoholism that are also discussed, but which take place long before this book and are only discussed – not shown “on screen”.

Indeed, the bulk of the tale is a woman being conned… and then trying to re-establish her life after very nearly everything other than her breath is taken from her. Here, the book truly shines as the reader feels quite viscerally everything our lead is going through, as well as just how much the investigator assigned to her case wants to solve it for her. Naigle uses this structure to first get our lead to the point of being willing to move – and then to show the small town that will serve as the basis for the rest of this series (more on that momentarily) as an outsider would see it, for all its wonders and faults.

Really the only thing quite obviously missing here is an obvious second book, as this is listed as “number one” in a new series. As the series name is the same as the town name, clearly the town itself will be central to this series, and thus its establishment here is quite solid indeed. There’s just no real obvious “oh, this is who we’re tracking in the next book” set up. Or maybe I just missed it?

Overall a solid tale of its type, one that some will absolutely adore and others will find… the nearest window to throw it out of. Still, for what it is, truly a good tale, well told. Very much recommended.

This review of And Then There Was You by Nancy Naigle was originally written on June 8, 2023.