#MMBBR #Review #FirstLine #TheViolence by @DelilahSDawson via #RiverdaleAvenueBooks and @Netgalley who provided a free review copy!

The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#FirstLine ~ Chelsea Martin sits in a perfect sunbeam at her perfect kitchen table, staring at the piece of paper that's going to destroy her life.

Ok, so there is a warning about this books contents right at the start of the book, so you will be warned right away before you start that this book is heavy and has some things in it that require a trigger warning. Do not skip it, make sure to read that part before you start, so you are fully informed.

This book is not for everyone. It is graphic and violent. Some will be overwhelmed by it and others will lean into it and get so entrenched in the story. It was a tough read and admittedly I had to start and stop several times. But, I went into the book knowing what it was and I have to say that there is a good story in this book. You will be pulled into this thriller, will feel that the story comes from the authors heart and the themes are important and timely. This is a book I may never forget!

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#MMBBR #Review #LifeAndOtherShortcomings by @CorieAdjmi and @shewritespress who gifted me a copy

Life and Other Shortcomings by Corie Adjmi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A super fun book of short stories! I loved this book because all the stories were related, but could be enjoyed in their own! What a delight to be able to pick up a book, read a bit, and then come back to it and continue the adventures of the characters in bite sized installments. There is depth, characters who are interesting and stories that make you think.

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#MMBBR #Review #FirstLine #TheHouseOfTongues by @jamesdashner via @riverdaleavenue who gifted me a free copy!!

The House of Tongues by James Dashner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#FirstLine - Prologue ~ I am an old man.

This book…is really something and I LOVED it. It starts off in a way that grabbed my attention immediately. The story is told to you, the reader. You feel like you are sat down and get to hear, first hand, the horrors that took place back in the day and the horrors that re-emerged many years later. I was sucked in. I could literally not put it down and when life forced me to do so I was still thinking about the story. It is so beautifully told, which may seem weird for a book in the horror genre. There is is just something about the choices of words, the descriptions, the timing of jokes, the storytelling, the dialogue, the fleshing out past and present. It was truly brilliant. This book is also scary, really scary. I could not stop thinking about it. I dreamt about it several nights. I read this book thinking about what I would have done as a teen and as a parent. Both scared me to my core!!! It is probably one of my all time favorite YA horror/thriller/mystery books. I will not soon forget this book. I want everyone to read it so I can talk to everyone about it! So if you do read it, which I HIGHLY recommend, please come back and tell me your thoughts. I need to know. I REALLY need to know!!! So don’t leave me hanging, please!

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#MMBBR #FirstLine #Review #ReadyOrNot by @Alexlakeauthor via @Harper360 and @netgalley who provided a free review copy

Ready or Not by Alex Lake
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#FirstLine - The damn baby is crying again.

I loved this book. I love this author. I am such a fan of the pace and plotting of this story. It reads quickly and easily. I loved the characters, the mystery, the twists, the turns. It was just one of those books that kept me buzzing through the pages! LOVED IT!!!

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#MMBBR #Review #FirstLine #SuchAPrettySmile by #KristiDeMeester via @StMartinsPress and @Netgalley who provided a free review copy

Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi DeMeester
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#FirstLine ~ There was blood in the water - a dull pink bloom - the morning Lila Sawyer heard about the first missing girl.

I think it is safe to say this will be a book you either love or it was too much for you. I don't think there is an in-between since the topics and themes are hard to reconcile. I enjoyed this book because I appreciated the themes and the way the author used them in the story. It was a tough read and I had lots of feeling when reading. It was original and dark and also hard to put down!!!

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#MMBBR #Review #FirstLine #LastSeenAlive by @JoannaWrites via @MinotaurBooks and @Netgalley for the free copy

 

About the book:

Last Seen Alive is the fifth book in Joanna Schaffhausen's heart-poundingly Ellery Hathaway mystery series.

Boston detective Ellery Hathaway met FBI agent Reed Markham when he pried open a serial killer’s closet to rescue her. Years on, their relationship remains defined by that moment and by Francis Coben’s horrific crimes. To free herself from Coben’s legacy, Ellery had to walk away from Reed, too. But Coben is not letting go so easily. He has an impossible proposition: Coben will finally give up the location of the remaining bodies, on one condition―Reed must bring him Ellery.

Now the families of the missing victims are crying out for justice that only Ellery can deliver. The media hungers for a sequel and Coben is their camera-ready star. He claims he is sorry and wants to make amends. But Ellery is the one living person who has seen the monster behind the mask and she doesn’t believe he can be redeemed. Not after everything he’s done. Not after what she’s been through. And certainly not after a fresh body turns up with Coben’s signature all over it.

REVIEW:

#FirstLine ~ Prologue: Her mother had warned her not to go to the window.

This book was intense and hard to put down. I am a lover of thrillers and this book did not disappoint. I was so invested from page one, to the very last page. I love when a writer can pace a book with such ease and the dialogue meets the pace in perfect unison. You will be swept into the story and will find it hard to put down. I have not read all the other books in this series, but you believe I will be going back to read them now!!! So good!

#MMBBR #Review #FirstLine #TheSilentFriend by @dianefjeffrey via @Harper360 and @netgalley who gifted me a copy

 

The Silent Friend by Diane Jeffrey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#FirstLine ~ Prologue: I wonder how you knew.

This book was so good. I loved how it made me think and was also so gripping. I enjoyed it cover to cover. It was both heartbreaking and hopeful. It was complex and filled with emotions. There was a depth to the story that left me thinking of this book well after I closed the book. I highly recommend this book!!!! A must read!!!!

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#MMBBR #Review #TheAppeal by @JaniceHallett via @AtriaBooks wo gifted me a copy!

 

This book was unlike anything I have ever read and it was wildly fun! You are given all the information and are tasked with figuring out who-done-it. It was such a neat way to read through the emails, texts and documents to figured out what really happened. It was one of those reads that you cannot help but keep reading to determine what is what! I loved it and recommend it highly!!

#RemindersOfHim by @colleenhoover via @grandcentralpub I #won a copy on @goodreads and then bought an #audiobook on @audible #MMBBR #FirstLine

#FirstLine- “There’s a small wooden cross staked into the ground on the side of the road with the date of his death written on it.”

— Reminders of Him: A Novel by Colleen Hoover

Wow, this book…seriously! It was so good. It had all the emotions and feelings! I read/listened to this book and was blown away by each version. I noticed that I tend to be two readers in one…one reader is the young me and the other reader is the older me/parent me. The heart of both of my internal readers were torn apart. The way the story allows you to be at the heart of that terrible night and to witness and feel what it was like with the additional information on the collateral damage that was caused was so beautifully and seamlessly woven together. I will not soon forget this story. I think these characters took some residence in my heart and are permanently part of me now. It was just so, so, so good! You must read it…NOW…what are you waiting for??? Go and grab and copy and plan on doing nothing else until you close that book!

#MMBBR #Showcase #FirstLine #WinterWater by #SusanneJansson via @GrandCentralPub who provided a free copy!

 

#FirstLine ~ It was the skies, so many, so vast.

An atmospheric and compelling Swedish suspense of a parent's greatest fear realized, written by a master storyteller.
Martin, who has always been drawn to the ocean, moves his wife Alexandra and their two young children move to his family's idyllic summer cottage in the picturesque island village of Orust, on the west coast of Sweden. Martin begins to cultivate a mussel farm, where he soon runs into trouble with the locals.

One January weekend, when Martin is distracted by a ringing phone, he discovers that in those few moments, his young son has gone missing and his little red bucket is bobbing in the waves. Though his body is never found, it's ruled an accidental drowning. Martin's grief is all-consuming as he falls into a deep depression, withdrawing from his family and community.


When former police photographer Maya Linde arrives to Orust, she learns of the little boy's disappearance and decides to do some investigating of her own. Martin and Maya grow closer as they learn the hidden truths of this town and the locals who have always mythologized the ocean.


Together they make a macabre discovery: other children have tragically died in the these waves, all on the same day in January, all in the exact same spot, though decades apart. Can it really be a coincidence, or is the ocean luring the children into its depths? As Maya and Martin grapple with a threat far greater than they ever imagined, they soon realize that the truth is actually much stranger than fiction...


Set against a backdrop of the whispering ocean, Winter Water is an atmospheric and gripping suspense novel of the nature of grief and the many acts is can make us capable of.

#MMBBR #FirstLine #Review #RecklessGirls by @LadyHawkins via @MacmillanAudio and @StMartinsPress Copy provided by @Netgalley

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#FirstLine ~ Sometimes I wonder if people on vacation think they're actually on another planet.

This book was SO good. I was engaged from that first line. I could not help but put younger me in the place of the characters. I was constancy thinking about how I would have handled myself throughout the course of this unforgettable story. This book was jam packed with adventure, thrills and intrigue, as well as a few twists and turns that I DID NOT see coming! The ending was, Whoa!!!! I think everyone needs to read this book! Reckless Girls would make a perfect book club choice.

The audiobook was awesome too. The narrator did a fantastic job bringing the story to life! 

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#MMBBR #Review #FirstLine #HelloTranscriber by #HannahMorrissey via @MinotaurBooks #won a copy #WisconsinAuthor #WisconsinPride

Hello, Transcriber by Hannah Morrissey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#FirstLine - I shouldn’t be here.

This book was really great. It was a wonderful story to read as I entered the new year. It was well written, well paced and the story contained mystery and intriguing characters. I am excited to see where Morrissey takes us and what else happens in Black Harbor. I know I will be watching for more books from this talented debut writer. Additionally, it is set in my home state, so that is always a fun aspect to a read!!! Well done!!

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