ARMCHAIR BEA

I can't make it to Chicago this year, and am going to try the ARMCHAIR BEA.  

Looking forward to participating.

1.  What is the name you prefer to use? 

Elizabeth 

**********

2.  How long have you been a book blogger? 

I have been blogging since 2010 so it will be 6 years in July. 

**********

3.  Have you participated in ABEA before? 

No I have not participated before.  I usually am at the BEA. 

**********

1.  What is your favorite genre and why? 

My favorite genre is historical fiction.  It is my favorite because I always learn something that I never knew before. 

**********

2.  Which day of ABEA are you looking forward to the most? 

I am most excited about the first day...I love meeting other bloggers.  

I am also excited about Thursday's Book Cover topic - I LOVE covers.

And Friday's Beyond The Blog topic sounds awesome.

**********

3.  How do you arrange your bookshelves? Is there a rhyme or reason? Or not at all? (#ABEAShelfie) 

I have my shelves arranged in the order of completed books.  

I like to keep the books according to the date I read them just because.  :) 

The books waiting to be read are arranged by size.  :)

I also have a separate shelf of books that are waiting to be read for publishers.  :) 

Really no rhyme or reason except I like to be organized and know when I read the book. 

**********

4.  What book are you most excited for on your TBR? What are you most intimidated by? 

I am excited about Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford.

I was super excited about A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams and just finished it this evening, but it turned out to not be a favorite until the end.  :)  Love all of her other books, though.

I don't feel intimidated by any books.  I love every book I choose to read.  :)

I read a book that came to me as a surprise and absolutely LOVED it.  It was The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper.  A sweet read.  There is a giveaway for the book that ends today if you want to enter.

A book I just finished was a terrific read, and I think it is going to be the book of the summer...just my opinion.  That book is I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh. 

**********

Thank you to THE TEAM for putting all your efforts into making ARMCHAIR BEA fun and possible for us.

What She Knew by Gilly MacMillan

Ben is missing, Rachel his mother is frantic as well as a suspect, and the police are doing all they can but have no good leads at first.

WHAT SHE KNEW is told in alternating voices...Rachel and Jim. 

Jim is the detective assigned to the case.  We find out that Jim has problems of his own that may have affected the case, but he is a good detective. 

Rachel also finds out that her sister has kept a family secret  since their childhood and once she reveals the secret, it adds more stress to the kidnapping situation.

WHAT SHE KNEW kept me glued to the pages.  

Ms. MacMillan turns the nightmare of a missing child into a thriller that had me suspecting one person and then another, but I still ended up not guessing who the kidnapper was.

The characters were portrayed exactly as I would suspect they would have felt and would have reacted in a situation such as this.  

Ben's mother continued to look for clues even though the police asked her to not do so.  A mother’s love and persistence kept her from listening and Rachel kept on with her own investigating.

As WHAT SHE KNEW continued, you are as edgy and anxious as the book's characters and hope that even the smallest clue will lead the police to Ben.

TENSE is the word I would use to describe WHAT SHE KNEW with it being more tense as the book neared its end.

WHAT SHE KNEW is a marvelous debut filled with intrigue, dread of the unknown, and which addresses a situation that would cause anyone to fear the worst.

Read and Enjoy!!  4/5

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

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

Two minutes sooner, two minutes later....it would have made a difference.

Two minutes sooner, two minutes later....it would have saved the horrible pain.

Two minutes sooner, two minutes later....it would have saved Jacob's life.

Two minutes sooner, two minutes later....it would have kept​ ​J​acob's mother ​from seeing a car hit her son, kill her son, and see the driver run from the scene leaving her with this unending pain.

We meet Kate and Ray the detectives, Jenna who leaves Bristol after the accident, and a town in Wales where everyone would want to live and where Jenna goes.​
      
We learn about Jenna's life past and present, and we learn about the lives of the police detectives both personal and professionally. Jenna's past life was not a pleasant one.  

I LET YOU GO takes off like a speeding train and doesn't stop with the suspense until the last page. 
 
I LET YOU GO is a thriller ​with many twists and some unpleasant surprises and revelations.  It addresses domestic abuse and its disastrous effects.

Most of the characters were believable and likeable, but one of them was definitely evil.​  I flinched and feared for Jenna as she dealt with this evil character. 

I never guessed the twist at the end. 

Ms. Mackintosh wrote a brilliantly crafted, chilling debut that you won't want to put down.

Do not miss reading I LET YOU GO​, but be ready for some disturbing situations in this overall excellent thriller. 5/5

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

Review and Giveaway of The Blue Bath by Mary Waters-Sayer

Remodeling an old mansion, finding an old flame, ​having a very successful husband and young son, ​and dealing with it all.

THE BLUE BATH goes back and forth in time from when Kat was in Paris at art school, living with her lover, Daniel,​ then to present day with her husband, her son, and the resurgence of her lover.

​Kat sees Daniel ​20 years later ​at the opening of a gallery with paintings of her ​that Daniel had done ​from when they were together.  Would anyone recognize her in the paintings?  Kat needed to escape the gallery and she did, but would it be as easy to escape the memories and Daniel himself?

What did all this mean for Kat?

Can what you do during your younger years haunt you later in life?  This is a question Kat needed to consider since her life was definitely not what it was when she was young and in love in Paris.

THE BLUE BATH is a book that artists and art aficionados will enjoy and connect with.

THE BLUE BATH is for anyone who has experienced unending love​.​

THE BLUE BATH is for those readers who have been to London or Paris.

The characters were somewhat likable and some were definitely unlikable.

The story line was predictable, but overall THE BLUE BATH is a thoughtful, introspective book. 

The book has marvelous description, and the author has a beautiful writing style.  Ms. Waters-Sayer can vividly describe anything and pull you in.
 
The totally absorbing, gorgeous cover of THE BLUE BATH definitely pulled me in, but the story line needed a bit more pizzazz even though the book became quite intriguing as the ending neared.

ENJOY, and find out the significance of the cover.  4/5

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

 **********

GIVEAWAY: 

CONTEST HAS ENDED.

THE WINNER IS BARBARA from PENNSYLVANIA.

CONGRATS, AND THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED.  

ENTER HERE

MAY 9 TO MAY 16

USA ONLY

So Close To Home by Michael J. Tougias and Alison O'Leary

A very well written and thoroughly researched historical account of The Heredia that was bombed and sunk by the Germans in the Gulf of Mexico during World War II that had civilians on board.

Mr. Tougias and Ms O'Leary detailed the military aspects and described all scenes so vividly that you could feel the cold and dampness and the fear all crew members and the Downs family was experiencing as they escaped from the wreckage.

You could actually put yourself with the survivors as they clung to a small makeshift raft, feared the sharks, suffered sun burn, craved water and food, and prayed for rescue boats to arrive.

The technical aspect was a bit too much for me to absorb, but the human element added in made for an excellent read.  If you are a military buff, SO CLOSE TO HOME will be a book you will want to read.

The personal aspect of the survivors, and especially the Downs family held my interest.

I normally do not read non-fiction, but I am glad I read this book.  It is an event in history that I knew nothing about.  4/5

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

Review and Giveaway of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

How could a charm bracelet stir up so many emotions and curiosity?

After Arthur's wife passed away and he was cleaning out her things, his discovery of a hidden charm bracelet had him curious about what each charm meant.  He also wanted to know ​why he never saw Miriam wearing it and why she had it hidden ​in the toe of a boot.

This charm bracelet pulled him out of his hermit slump and onto adventures he never dreamed of as he traced where each charm came from and what their meaning was to Miriam.  He had a few surprises.

Every adventure made him wonder what his wife's life was like before she met him. He couldn't stop searching for the meaning of each charm. These adventures also made him feel guilty he never took Miriam anywhere.

Arthur's finds and discussions with the people he met left him happier and more confident.  He also was helping those he met come to grips with what they were dealing with.

Arthur was an ​absolutely endearing, charming, sweet character for me.  I really enjoyed his antics and his thinking​ and especially the adventures he took us on.​  We traveled the globe with him.  I wanted to know the answers about the charms too and loved sharing Arthur's days.

THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER is an adorable, enchanting, uplifting read.  Be prepared to fall in love with Arthur Pepper.
 ​
​THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER has a very clever, enjoyable story line that gives you a nice cozy feeling.  It felt like a big hug that you didn't want to end. 

Give yourself a marvelous treat, and don't miss reading THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER.  

There aren't enough delightful words to describe this book.  5/5

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

*********

Giveaway:

CONTEST HAS ENDED.

OUR WINNER IS:

Priscilla from Pennsylvania

CONGRATS!! 

USA ONLY

May 4 to May 11

Enter Here

********* 

Wilde Lake by Laura Lippman

The famous Brandt family....could they do anything wrong or were they not able to because of their status? Or...did they do it anyway?

The Brandt family was made up of attorneys and secrets.​  Lu and her brother AJ were eight years apart with Lu admiring AJ and his friends.  The secrets kept all of those years of the night AJ saved someone's life along with another secret and how it affected their lives became apparent as the book continued.​

Wilde Lake tells the story through flashbacks.​  The flashbacks allowed us into the Brandt family's history.​

Lu Brandt tells of her motherless childhood, how she admired her older brother, and of her adult life raising twins alone and being the ​first female state's attorney of Howard County, Maryland,  trying a homeless man for murder.

​As this trial moved forward quickly and then ended quickly, things that had happened in the past slowly creeped up.​
    
WILDE LAKE seemed more of a family saga than a mystery.  ​I enjoyed the characters even though they all were a bit socially awkward.

WILDE LAKE dragged a little at times because I kept waiting for the mystery.  

I can’t say I didn’t like the book, but it took a while to get to the mystery, but it was worth the wait. 

ENJOY when you read WILDE LAKE.  4/5

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