One Mile Under by Andrew Gross

 

Being a white water guide ​was Dani’s dream job, but finding a dead body of a friend as she was completing a run put a whole different light on her dream job.

Was her friend's ​death an accident or was it murder? Too many things happened after she found the body to convince her that it was simply an accident.

The tension and the action escalated once Dani and her Uncle Ty decided to investigate.  They became involved in an unscrupulousness scheme by environmentalists.  ​Murder, corruption, and folks being paid off made ONE MILE UNDER an​ action-packed thriller.

Dani and Uncle Ty were likable ​characters ​along with the folks that were being victimized by ​the ​environmental corruption.  ​Most of the other characters were deadly,​ frightening, dishonest, and cunning.

ONE MILE UNDER took a few pages to get interesting, but once it got going you won't want to put the book down. The ​detailed action was intense, and will have you feeling the fear and sharing the fear of the characters.  The book had me on the edge of my seat.

Any reader who enjoys fast-paced, gripping, page-turning thrillers will definitely enjoy ONE MILE UNDER.  4/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.​

Follow Friday Four Fill-in Fun - 4/3/15

 

Love this meme....I hope you can join in the fun.  

Each week, Feeling Beachie lists four statements with a blank for you to fill in on your own blogs.  

The statements: 

1.  I require a lot __________
2. ___ is ___
3. Sometimes I _____
4. One word to describe _____ is _____

My Answers:

1.  I require a lot of sleep and exercise.

2.  Having my son home for a visit is wonderful.

3.  Sometimes I wish my son lived closer.

4.  One word to describe me is organized.

 

Review and Giveaway of DON'T TRY TO FIND ME by Holly Brown

To celebrate the release of the paperback copy of

DON'T TRY TO FIND ME  

Harper Collins has a copy for one lucky reader

REVIEW:

Meeting someone online and falling in love is wonderful.  Yes, it is wonderful but not when you are fourteen and he is twenty-nine and has lied to you about a lot of things including his name.

Marley met Brandon on a social media site, and he talked her into leaving her family and joining him for a life together.  But...she couldn't take her computer, her phone, or even go out of the house once she arrived.

As Marley traveled by bus to meet Brandon, on the other side of the country, her parents were frantically looking for her with no clues at all.  Marley wiped out everything on all devices so no trace of where she was could be discovered.

This nightmare was real for Marley’s parents, Rachel and Paul.  They used social media to start a site named FindMarley.com

This book discussed a lot of social issues and showed the dangers of social media’s influence on youth as well as its ability to aid in getting cross-country exposure about a runaway.

The characters were difficult to like. I wanted to shake Marley. I definitely disliked Brandon.  I wasn't even fond of Rachel or Paul.

But, despite the unlikeable characters, DON’T TRY TO FIND ME had me glued to the pages and had my heart racing.  The suspense was quite high.  My fear for Marley had me tense while I was reading the book as well as when I was waiting to return to see what was going to happen.  I still am anxious as I am writing this...definitely the sign of a GOOD book.

If you like to be kept on the edge of your seat, don’t miss reading DON’T TRY TO FIND ME.  It was a quick read, but very intense.  It could even be called a thriller.

My rating is going to be a 4/5 because parts of the book were a bit too descriptive, but the anxiety and apprehension as each scene took place made it a terrific read.

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.


GIVEAWAY:

April 2 - April 9

USA entries ONLY

Click here to enter the contest. 

CONTEST HAS ENDED.

**The Celebrate image courtesy of:

http://www.experiencetheride.com/nyc/news/celebrate-1500-ride/ 

 

Book Blogger Hop - 3/27 - 4/2

 Question of the Week:

Which books have you read in the past month that still have you thinking back to the storyline and the characters? 

My Answer:

A few of these books were read in February.

Night, Night Sleep Tight by Hallie Ephron was a book that was non-stop suspense.

The Pocket Wife by Susan Crawford was a good read too.  It was a psychological thriller. 

A Memory of Violets by Hazel Gaynor is wonderful.

The Reluctant Midwife by Patricia Harman is very heartwarming and homey.

Whisper Hollow by Chris Cander was a great historical fiction with strong female characters.

Reviews are in the titles.

What about your books?

Whisper Hollow Review and Giveaway

About Whisper Hollow

WHISPER HOLLOW is an evocative portrait of life in a small West Virginia mining town redolent with secrets and desires that are at odds with the looming shadow of moral standards.  

Spanning fifty years, WHISPER HOLLOW explores the irrevocably intertwined lives of three memorable women, and what happens when they’re forced to excavate deeply personal unspoken truths.   

About the Author 

 

Chris Cander is a novelist, children’s book author, freelance writer, and teacher for Houston-based Writers in the Schools. Her novel 11 Stories, published by a small press in Houston, was included in Kirkus’s best indie general fiction of 2013.

Chris received the 2014 IPPY award for her novel 11 Stories, and was a featured speaker at World Book Night 2014 at Brazos Bookstore in Houston.  The publication of WHISPER HOLLOW heralds the arrival of this exciting new female voice into the literary mainstream.

My Review 

WHISPER HOLLOW whispered nothing but sadness, loneliness, ​secrets, ​and isolation.
 
Myrthen's isolation and sadness began after the death of her twin sister and then her marriage.  Alta's sadness began ​upon her marriage to the man she didn't love or have anything in common with.

Both women have desires that break rules and traditions.  Myrthen and Alta are traditional on the outside, but on the inside are very strong women with very strong convictions. Tragedy brings these two women farther apart instead of closer together and leaves them both lonelier than before.
 
WHISPER HOLLOW is set in the coal mining town of Verra, West Virginia,​ ​before, during, and after WWII ​with traditional marriages of the wife at home and the husband working.
​
Ms. Cander's writing pulls you in with her marvelous descriptions of characters and scenes.  The characters are very authentic with some you will feel sorry for.  You will definitely not like Myrthen as the years go on, and your heart will go out to Alta and Lidia.  When Lidia arrives, the strong women of Verra, West Virginia, have another woman with a secret to take into their fold.
 
The beginning was a bit slow, but the characters, situations, writing style, and time period kept me going.  ​I would recommend this book to anyone who likes secrets and family sagas.  It is historical fiction and women's fiction rolled into one.
​
WHISPER HOLLOW i​s an interesting look into the lives of the characters with circumstances that are very plausible.  You will become attached to the women and to their situations. 

The ending is redeeming in certain ways and definitely a page turner.  ENJOY if you read WHISPER HOLLOW.  I think you will.  4/5
 
This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review. 

CONTEST HAS ENDED

THE WINNER IS:  JUDY #11

CONGRATS!!

The Giveaway

USA Entries Only Please

March 26 - April 2

Click here to enter the giveaway

Best of Luck to All Who Enter

 

Night, Night Sleep Tight by Hallie Ephron

 

How could coming home to help your father get the house ready to sell turn into such a nightmare?

Deirdre dutifully said she would help her father with the house, but when she arrived, she found him at the bottom of the swimming pool. When did this happen? Who could have done this? Could she have done it and not realized it considering her past that she was just finding out about?

NIGHT, NIGHT SLEEP TIGHT was quite gripping and suspenseful.  All of the things that were happening made me wonder if they were really by chance or if someone had planned them to frame Deirdre.  After all, Deirdre's brother was sound asleep in their childhood home when she arrived.  And what was it with folks from her past coming out of the woodwork and secrets about what actually happened the night of her car accident being revealed?

The characters were quite colorful with most of them on the untrustworthy side.  They all seemed likely suspects in the  murder and subsequently the garage fire.  Deirdre seemed to be the only honest one and the one being blamed.

I really enjoyed NIGHT, NIGHT SLEEP TIGHT.  The suspense began with the first few paragraphs, and it didn't stop.  

NIGHT, NIGHT SLEEP TIGHT was a mystery and character analysis all rolled into one.

If you enjoy uncertainty, excitement, and tension at its finest, don't miss reading NIGHT, NIGHT SLEEP TIGHT.   

NIGHT, NIGHT SLEEP TIGHT was ohhh so good and a book I couldn't wait to get back to.  5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

 

Follow Friday Four Fill-In Fun - 3/20/15

 

Love this meme....I hope you can join in the fun.  

Each week, Feeling Beachie lists four statements with a blank for you to fill in on your own blogs.  

The statements: 

1.  I’ve not been ____ much because ____ 

2.  ____ is _______ 

3.  Jumping to conclusions_________ 

4.  It's_____ when_____

My Answers: 

1.  I've not been visiting blogs very much because my mom has been in the hospital.

2.  Reading is bliss.

3.  Jumping to conclusions is something we all do, but we should not do.

4.  It's sad when you finish a book you really like.