Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris: A Review

Grace has met the perfect man in Jack Angel.  He showers her with gifts, compliments her and is affectionate towards her sister, Millie, who has Down's Syndrome.  When Jack tells Grace that he would be happy to help Grace with Millie, inviting her into his home and paying for her expensive boarding school, Grace agrees to marry him even though the couple have known each other for less than six months.  Jack buys Grace's dream house for her as a wedding present and the couple embark on their honeymoon to Thailand.  But the life that everyone sees in public is very different from the one that plays out at home and Grace soon finds herself living her worst nightmare instead of her dream.

This book floored me!  The suspense built slowly but it was so wonderfully written and had me wondering what would happen to Grace and Millie that I read this in one sitting.  This was the perfect psychological thriller and plays on the fears that we all have.  Fears that raise questions like, "How well do I really know this person?" and "Will everyone think that I'm crazy?".   Paris writes so fluidly that it was easy to finish this book quickly.  This story feels very authentic which makes it all the more frightening.  Excellently written psychological thrillers, like this one, remind us that the boogieman is not under the bed or hiding in the closet, they are already in the room.

The characters are very real and complex.  Jack, as an attorney, has fashioned himself into a defender of women, making it difficult for anyone to believe that he could ever be less than perfect.  Grace has done nothing wrong but her very rational reactions to an irrational reality make her appear mentally unstable.  I don't want to give too much away but anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers can count on this to keep you up at night.  I look forward to reading The Breakdown, which will be released in July of this year, and anything else that Paris releases.  

Reviews of books like this one:
Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel
Baby Doll by Hollie Overton
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

This book is currently available and can be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Read more reviews on this book on Goodreads.

This is my honest opinion of this book.  I am a participant in the Amazon Affiliates program.  By clicking on the Amazon link and purchasing this product, I receive a small fee.  I am not associated with Goodreads or Barnes and Noble in any way and the links provided are available strictly for your convenience and not to imply a relationship of any kind. 


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Once in a Blue Moon Lodge by Lorna Landvik: A Review

    

Nora doesn't know she is pregnant with Sena, Ulla, and Grace, triplets that she conceived during a one night stand, when she visits Norway with the family matriarch, Ione.  Ione is visiting Norway to visit Berit, the cousin the stole her first love, Edon, from her.  On the trip, Nora meets doctor, Thomas, and falls head over heels for him while Ione and Edon rekindle their relationship.  Patty Jane has just closed her salon and social club in order to spend more time with her artist boyfriend, Clyde Chuka, and son, Henry, when she gets a call for Nora with an offer to buy a lodge.  The lodge is so generously priced that Nora can't help but take the owner up on the deal.  Soon, the lodge becomes a meeting place for the entire family.

This was a sweet story, very reminiscent of chick-lit, and I enjoyed the characters.  Ione is an outspoken, cinnamon bun baking grandma that has something to teach each and every one of her family members.  Patty Jane is still married to Thor, a man who disappeared around Nora's birth and didn't materialize until she was fourteen with a head injury, but she, Thor, Clyde, and Ione still create a cohesive family for Nora and Henry, one in which Ione rejects the idea that she is not Henry's real grandmother simply because he is not Thor's son.  Ione and Edon's relationship is one we all wish we will experience when we are older; dancing at home on Valentine's Day and making sure to spend every morning and evening together.  I fell in love with the characters, even though there were quite a few and some readers may find them difficult to keep straight.

Landvik's writing style was just not my cup of tea.  It is kind of choppy and the stories felt very rushed and manic, jumping between characters and stories.  I didn't find it funny or witty, which the synopsis made it out to be.  I was exposed to a culture that I was not previously familiar with (the family lives in Minnesota but is originally from Norway) but there wasn't much there, besides mentions of baked goods, to really help me understand the culture.  Issues like love, death and eating disorders were glossed over for strange jokes that didn't work.  I wish that the story had stayed with with the falling out between Ione and her cousin and wouldn't have rushed into other stories.  I think that this novel would be good for readers who enjoy light chick-lit but don't demand that romance (or any one theme) dominates the story.  It was an interesting, light read but one I could not find the humor or importance in.

Reviews of books like this one:
What To Do About the Solomons by Bethany Ball
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
The Patriots by Sana Krasikov

This book is currently available and can be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Read more reviews on this book on Goodreads.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in order to review it but that did not have an effect on my review of the book.  This is my honest opinion of this book.  I am a participant in the Amazon Affiliates program.  By clicking on the Amazon link and purchasing this product, I receive a small fee.  I am not associated with Goodreads or Barnes and Noble in any way and the links provided are available strictly for your convenience and not to imply a relationship of any kind.

Windy City Blues by Renee Rosen: A Review

              
Leeba's passion is music, blues in particular, even though she is a Polish Jew.  She falls in love with blues player, Red Dupree; a love that is forbidden by her family and the society that they live in.  Leeba works at Aristocrat, a record company that is partially owned by Leonard Chess who also owns the Macomba Lounge, a club for the local African-American community.  Leonard and Leeba believe in a new music genre and want to product "race records".  Leeba encourages Leonard to record music by then unknown, Muddy Waters, and to explore more blues music.  This leads to Leonard starting Chess Records, a record company that specialized in promoting race records.  Windy City Blues is historical fiction that touches on race relations, music and love.      

I found the cursing in this book unnecessary and excessive for the subject matter.  It made it difficult to appreciate the story of African-American and Jewish relations in Chicago.  While Leeba and Red speak, they realize that the Jews and the African-Americans had a lot more in common at the time than they realized.  It was a fun read, even though there were some important and hard issues addressed in the book.  I appreciated that interracial relationships and race relations were a part of a story that was woven so seamlessly in with a backdrop of an iconic genre of music.  The music took some of the heat off of the drama of the civil rights movement, without downplaying the importance of the movement and the people who were effected by it.  I loved the characters, especially Red and Leeba, who were so vibrant and alive.  This story is unlike many of the others that I have read about the civil rights movement.  You can feel the music while reading the book and I think it would be a great read for anyone that is interested in historical fiction, especially fiction set during the civil rights movement, but is looking for something lighter.  I also recommend it to those who want to learn more about the relations between African-Americans and Jews in the 1940s and 1950s.

If you are interested in learning more about Chess Records, there is a documentary that is available on the company:

Reviews of books like this one:
The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams
Little Deaths by Emma Flint
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

This book is currently available and can be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Read more reviews on this book on Goodreads.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in order to review it but that did not have an effect on my review of the book.  This is my honest opinion of this book.  I am a participant in the Amazon Affiliates program.  By clicking on the Amazon link and purchasing this product, I receive a small fee.  I am not associated with Goodreads or Barnes and Noble in any way and the links provided are available strictly for your convenience and not to imply a relationship of any kind.

What To Do About The Solomons by Bethany Ball: A Review

  The Solomon family is dispersed all over the globe and seems to be falling apart.  Marc lives in Los Angeles and is accused of using his financial business to cover up a gambling ring.  His brother-in-law, Guy Gever, fancies himself an artist but others see him as mentally ill.  His sister, Shira, ignores her son to attend to her own needs.  Father, Yakov, and mother, Vivienne, try to keep the family together but they have problems of their own.

This was a very interesting story.  There is a the immigrant element, both to Israel and to the United States (and elsewhere for other characters that we don't hear too much about), the family drama and unfair accusations made.  There were also a lot of characters in this book and a lot of jumping back and forth, both between different characters and times.  It could be a little bit frustrating but I found myself enjoying the book, anyway. 

The characters were fascinating.  They were very complex and easy to relate to.  Even though most of the characters were directly related to each other, all of them were very different and unique. 

I enjoyed the different settings of the book, especially the setting of the kibbutz.  It offered a window into a lifestyle that is very different from that which I have experienced here in the United States and I think very different from most people's experiences in the world.  I also enjoyed that the book represented more of the ethnic groups that make up Israel and the Jewish people than just the Ashkenazim.  A lot of non-Jewish people don't know about any Jewish culture outside of the Jews that immigrated from Germany to the United States and Israel after World War II, but there are Sephardim and Mizrahim that come from Spain and the Middle East, Jews from Ethiopia and other groups from all over the world.  This book represented some of those groups, especially Vivienne, who was from Algeria.  I appreciated that because so many books feature only characters who are Ashkenazi and not from any other ethnic group.

The writing was decent.  It wasn't very fluid but it also wasn't overly choppy and difficult to read.  I think some readers may have difficulty with the number of characters and the jumping back and forth but I enjoyed it despite these issues.  I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys family dramas and books from other cultures.  In addition, this book is highly recommended for those who are interested in what life on a kibbutz is like.  I enjoyed reading this book and I look forward to reading more by Ball.      

Reviews for books like this one:
Thee Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

This book is currently available and can be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Read more reviews on this book on Goodreads.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in order to review it but that did not have an effect on my review of the book.  This is my honest opinion of this book.  I am a participant in the Amazon Affiliates program.  By clicking on the Amazon link and purchasing this product, I receive a small fee.  I am not associated with Goodreads or Barnes and Noble in any way and the links provided are available strictly for your convenience and not to imply a relationship of any kind.

New Books For the Week of April 11th

These are just a few of the books that are being released this week.  Which books are you most excited about for this week?  Tell me in the comments.

The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova


  

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The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the People's Temple by Jeff Guinn

 

Buy on Amazon

One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline



Buy on Amazon

Once in a Blue Moon Lodge by Lorna Landvik



Buy on Amazon

The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda



Buy on Amazon

The Widow of Wall Street by Randy Susan Meyers

 

Buy on Amazon

The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White

 

Buy on Amazon

The Twilight Wife by A.J. Banner: A Review

     
Kyra suffers from amnesia after a scuba diving accident and must rely on her doting husband to help her remember so many things that she has forgotten.  Kyra can't remember much of what has happened before the accident and even forgets what happens after the accident, making relationships with others difficult.  Jacob gave up his job to take care of Kyra and moved her to an island home.  He seems to be her dream husband, as so many people tell her.  Soon, Kyra begins to question the memories that Jacob has tried to help Kyra remember as she begins to have memories of her own.

This story moves a bit slowly, for my tastes.  There was too much about scuba diving and marine biology that I felt didn't contribute much to the story.  The book is pretty short but it just didn't move as quickly as most thrillers that I read do.  I did enjoy the story, though, and there was plenty of suspense.  The characters were interesting.  Kyra is likeable and Jacob is strange, but in a way that is fun to read about.  The twists at the end made this book worth it and I would encourage any reader that is struggling with the slow start to continue, as it was a real thrill, in the end.

Reviews of books like this one:
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian
The Fall of Lisa Bellow by Susan Perabo

This book is currently available and can be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Read more reviews on this book on Goodreads.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in order to review it but that did not have an effect on my review of the book.  This is my honest opinion of this book.  I am a participant in the Amazon Affiliates program.  By clicking on the Amazon link and purchasing this product, I receive a small fee.  I am not associated with Goodreads or Barnes and Noble in any way and the links provided are available strictly for your convenience and not to imply a relationship of any kind.

Baby Doll by Hollie Overton: A Review

 

Lily Riser was abducted as a teenager and has spent the last eight years trapped in the basement of a cabin, her every move controlled by sadistic Rick.  The only brightness in her life is her daughter, Sky.  When Rick forgets to lock the door behind him when he leaves for home one night, Lily takes the chance to escape and runs with her daughter all the way to her childhood home.  Now, she has to navigate the justice system and her relationships with her mother, twin sister and high school boyfriend. 

Baby Doll is very similar to Room by Emma Donoghue.  A little too much like Room but without the authentic feel of Room.  The justice system part of the story was very unrealistic.  The characters were also very unrealistic and one-dimensional.  The writing felt clunky and awkward.  I wouldn't really describe this as a psychological thriller or a mystery, as some have, because there really weren't any twists and turns.  There were some parts of the story that I did enjoy, such as the relationships between Lily and her sister and Lily and Sky but, for the most part, this novel just wasn't my cup of tea.


Reviews of books like this one:
June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
Edgar and Lucy by Victor Lodato

This book is currently available and can be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Read more reviews on this book on Goodreads.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in order to review it but that did not have an effect on my review of the book.  This is my honest opinion of this book.  I am a participant in the Amazon Affiliates program.  By clicking on the Amazon link and purchasing this product, I receive a small fee.  I am not associated with Goodreads or Barnes and Noble in any way and the links provided are available strictly for your convenience and not to imply a relationship of any kind.