Show Me Your Books - November

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I read one book last month. I started a second one and got half way through it. But hopefully I finish it this month and read another or two. 

So what did I read this month?

Every Vow You Break - Peter Swanson
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense 
Rating: 4 Stars

Every Vow You Break - Peter Swanson

A fellow blogger posted about this book one day and the next I was reading it. It had no wait in my library que. I read it in 2 days. I love when a book captures your right away. 

Abigail and Bruce meet in New York City right before Abigail decides to move home, back to Massachusetts. It is a whirlwind romance and within a year they are getting married. But when Abigail goes on her bachelorette party, she has a drunken one night stand. Should she tell Bruce?

The two get married and go to an island for their honeymoon. It seems perfect. No computers, no cell phones and the most amazing food. But then her one night stand appears and threatens to ruin her. But something isn't right. 

This book had me guessing the whole time what was really going on behind the scenes. I only guessed part of it and it really isn't the twist of the book. There are some touchy subjects in it, but nothing bad. I read this quickly and would recommend it.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

Abigail Baskin never thought she would fall in love with a millionaire. Then she met Bruce Lamb. He’s a good guy, stable, level-headed, kind—a refreshing change from her previous relationships.

But right before the wedding, Abigail has a drunken one-night stand on her bachelorette weekend. She puts the incident—and the sexy guy who wouldn’t give her his real name—out of her mind, and now believes she wants to be with Bruce for the rest of her life. Their honeymoon on a luxurious, secluded island will be the beginning of their blissful lives together.

Then the mysterious stranger suddenly appears—and Abigail’s future life and happiness are turned upside down. He insists that their passionate night was the beginning of something much, much more. Something special. Something real—and he’s tracked her down to prove it.

Does she tell Bruce and ruin their idyllic honeymoon—and possibly their marriage? Or should she handle this psychopathic stalker on her own? To make the situation worse, strange things begin to happen. She sees a terrified woman in the shadows one night, and no one at the resort seems to believe anything is amiss… including her perfect new husband.

Have you been slacking on reading as much as I have? I find it harder to read during the holidays, but I should read more to unwind from all the chaos going on.

Show Me Your Books - September

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

I read two books last month. I started another book, Rock Paper, Scissors, but I haven't had time to finish it yet.

So what did I read this month?

Not A Happy Family - Shari Lapena
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense (but I feel like it is read like a Mystery)
Rating: 4 Stars

Not A Happy Family - Shari Lapena

I had been waiting three months for this book to arrive in my que. Everyone I knew said they really liked it. And I did as well, but I was a bit disappointed in who did it. I kind of figured out who did it and why, and then when it came out that I was right, I think that is what disappointed me the most. I love when I am left flabbergasted. But all in all, the book was enjoyable.

The book is about a wealthy family who has their children over for Easter dinner. But just two days later, the parents are found brutally murdered. Who did it? Everyone thinks it is an inside job and each child has motive. 

What really happened to the Merton's?

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live. You have to be rich to have a house there, and Fred and Sheila Merton certainly are rich. But even all their money can't protect them when a killer comes to call. The Mertons are brutally murdered after a fraught Easter dinner with their three adult kids. Who, of course, are devastated.
 
Or are they? They each stand to inherit millions. They were never a happy family, thanks to their vindictive father and neglectful mother, but perhaps one of the siblings is more disturbed than anyone knew. Did someone snap after that dreadful evening? Or did another person appear later that night with the worst of intentions? That must be what happened. After all, if one of the family were capable of something as gruesome as this, you'd know.
 
Wouldn't you?

Survive the Night - Riley Sager
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Rating: 3 1/2 to 4 Stars

Survive the Night - Riley Sager

I love reading Riley Sager's books, so when I saw this one coming out, I added it to my list right away. It did take a few months for it to show up in my que. Now I enjoyed the book, but it wasn't my favorite. It was predictable, but that is maybe because I watch too my true crime shows. Though there was one twist that I did not see coming at all.

Charlie wants to move back home after her roommate is murdered by the Campus Killer, but she has no ride home. So she seeks out someone to drive her home through the campus notification board. Soon she meets Josh who agrees to drive her home. But as she gets to know Josh more, the more it seems like he could be the Campus Killer. Will Charlie make it home?

As I said, I guessed part of the ending, but there was a twist I didn't see coming. 

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

Josh Baxter, the man behind the wheel, is a virtual stranger to Charlie. They met at the campus ride board, each looking to share the long drive home to Ohio. Both have good reasons for wanting to get away. For Charlie, it’s guilt and grief over the shocking murder of her best friend, who became the third victim of the man known as the Campus Killer. For Josh, it’s to help care for his sick father—or so he says.
 
The longer she sits in the passenger seat, the more Charlie notices there’s something suspicious about Josh, from the holes in his story about his father to how he doesn’t want her to see inside the trunk. As they travel an empty, twisty highway in the dead of night, an increasingly anxious Charlie begins to think she’s sharing a car with the Campus Killer. Is Josh truly dangerous? Or is Charlie’s jittery mistrust merely a figment of her movie-fueled imagination?
 
One thing is certain—Charlie has nowhere to run and no way to call for help. Trapped in a terrifying game of cat and mouse played out on pitch-black roads and in neon-lit parking lots, Charlie knows the only way to win is to survive the night.

What books did you read this month?

Show Me Your Books - August

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

I only read one book in August. I started others, but ran out of time reading them. And then I started another book, but didn't finish it before August 31st. But I did get most of the way through it. I will save that for next month's Show Me Your Books.

So what did I read?

Local Missing Woman - Mary Kubica
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Rating: 4 Stars

Local Missing Woman - Mary Kubica

I went back and forth on how many stars to give this one, but I ended up with four stars. I have read several other books by Mary Kubica including The Other Mrs. and Pretty Baby which I enjoyed both. But I feel this book should come with a disclaimer in that parts of it are tough to read. As in if you have a small child, this will freak you out. If I wasn't paranoid before, I am now.

Two women and a child go missing within weeks of each other. First, Shelby Tebow. Then Meredith and her daughter, Delilah. Eleven years later Delilah is found. What happened in those eleven years? You will read about the torture that Delilah goes through and the last months before Meredith and her daughter go missing.

The book goes back and forth between Delilah, Meredith and Kate (Meredith's neighbor) and also present and eleven years ago. It is a very easy read, and keeps you turning the pages, but the twist of the book was a bit of a let down, but part was redeemed at the end.

It is a good book and one I would read, but read with caution.

Here is Amazon' synopsis:

People don't just disappear without a trace…

Shelby Tebow is the first to go missing. Not long after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, vanish just blocks away from where Shelby was last seen, striking fear into their once-peaceful community. Are these incidents connected? After an elusive search that yields more questions than answers, the case eventually goes cold.

Now, eleven years later, Delilah shockingly returns. Everyone wants to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they'll find…

What have you read recently?

Show Me Your Books - July

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

June was a great month of reading for me and July wasn't bad either. I read two books in July. First up...

The Last Mrs. Parrish - Liv Constantine
Genre: Thriller, Suspense
Rating: 3 1/2 to 4 stars

The Last Mrs. Parrish - Liv Constantine

This book has been on my to be read list for months. I have received it many times in my library que, but I was always reading one or two other books at the time. But I finally had time to read it. And it was good.

Amber is the classic nobody who moves around a lot. She comes to a Bishops Harbor, a small rich Connecticut town, and befriends Daphne who seemingly lives the perfect life. Amber wants to be a part of this life. She wants Daphne's life. And she has a plan to take it. 

She interjects herself into Amber's life and tries to make Daphne's husband, Jackson fall for her. But will it work out how she wants?

I did guess parts of this book as I feel like I have watched too many shows that have similar plot lines. But I did enjoy reading it and seeing how far Amber would go. There are definitely some trigger moments (abuse, etc) in this book, so proceed with caution.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

Amber Patterson is fed up. She’s tired of being a nobody: a plain, invisible woman who blends into the background. She deserves more—a life of money and power like the one blond-haired, blue-eyed goddess Daphne Parrish takes for granted.

To everyone in the exclusive town of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut, Daphne—a socialite and philanthropist—and her real-estate mogul husband, Jackson, are a couple straight out of a fairy tale.

Amber’s envy could eat her alive . . . if she didn't have a plan. Amber uses Daphne’s compassion and caring to insinuate herself into the family’s life—the first step in a meticulous scheme to undermine her. Before long, Amber is Daphne’s closest confidante, traveling to Europe with the Parrishes and their lovely young daughters, and growing closer to Jackson. But a skeleton from her past may undermine everything that Amber has worked towards, and if it is discovered, her well-laid plan may fall to pieces. 

The Last Thing He Told Me - Laura Dave
Genre: Mystery, Suspense

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

The Last Thing He Told Me - Laura Dave

This is another book that I have been eagerly awaiting. Everyone has raved about it and within good reason. The book is about Hannah and her life before Owen and her life with Owen. Hannah met Owen while living in New York City. She is a furniture designer, more like she hand carves all her furniture pieces. One day Owen comes in and captures Hannah's heart. But Owen has a life back home with his daughter Bailey. Bailey is everything to Owen.

Until one day Owen goes missing and Hannah and Bailey get small clues as to why. Hannah is questioned by the FBI and other agencies when it is found out that the company that Owen works for has done some shady things. Did someone take Owen out? Did he go missing on his own? What happened to Owen and why is this all going on?

Over time, Hannah and Bailey start to unravel what happens. I did not guess what happened entirely and the book kept me wanting to know more. I would definitely read this book.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.

As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.

Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they’re also building a new future—one neither of them could have anticipated.

What have you read recently?

Show Me Your Books - February

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.  

This month was another bad month of reading. I read one full book which I really enjoyed and then the other book, I have been reading for the last month and I am only 20% in. It is not that it isn't a good book, it is just that with surgery and my lack of wanting to read, I haven't finished it. Luckily, no one else is wanting to read this book right now, so I can keep renewing it. But I have had to push out the holds on several other books.

Anyways, here is what I read this month and also the current book that I am reading.

The Wife Stalker - Liv Constantine

The Wife Stalker - Liv Constantine

I enjoyed this book more than the reviewers on Amazon did. It gets 4 starts on Amazon and I would give it 4 1/2 stars. And this is because I did not see the end coming. 

The book is about Joanna and and Leo and their life together. Leo fell into a depression and Joanna suggests that Leo, a lawyer, goes back to the retreat he is checking out for a case he is working on. She suggests that he take some classes there to help him get back to his normal self. Leo does take her advice, but he meets Piper there. Piper owns the retreat and starts a romance with her.

Joanna is devastated, and pushed out of Leo's life. But he assures her that she will still be a part of the children's lives. And then there is a big twist at the end that I did not guess. And that is what makes a really good book for me. 

I definitely recommend this book.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

Breezing into the upscale seaside paradise of Westport, Connecticut, gorgeous thirtysomething Piper Reynard sets down roots, opening a rehab and wellness space and joining a local yacht club. When she meets Leo Drakos, a handsome, successful lawyer, the wedding ring on his finger is the only thing she doesn’t like about him. Yet as Piper well knows, no marriage is permanent.

Meanwhile, Joanna has been waiting patiently for Leo, the charismatic man she fell in love with all those years ago, to re-emerge from the severe depression that has engulfed him. Though she’s thankful when Leo returns to his charming, energetic self, paying attention again to Evie and Stelli, the children they both love beyond measure, Joanna is shocked to discover that it’s not her loving support that’s sparked his renewed happiness—it’s something else.

Piper. Leo has fallen head over heels for the flaky, New Age-y newcomer, and unrepentant and resolute, he’s more than willing to leave Joanna behind, along with everything they’ve built. Of course, he assures her, she can still see the children.

Joanna is devastated—and determined to find something, anything, to use against this woman who has stolen her life and her true love. As she digs deeper into Piper’s past, Joanna begins to unearth disturbing secrets . . . but when she confides to her therapist that she fears for the lives of her ex-husband and children, her concerns are dismissed as paranoia. Can she find the proof she needs in time to save them?

And the book I am reading right now is: One Little Secret by Cate Holahan.

One Little Secret by Cate Holahan

Show Me Your Books - November

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

I am a little late getting this post out. I wanted to get out my gift guides first because I know that shipping delays are real this year. So I wanted to get those out before Thanksgiving.

Anyways, onto what I read last month.

The Girl from Widow Hills - Megan Miranda

The Girl from Widow Hills - Megan Miranda

The Girl from Widow Hills was a book I had interest in since I enjoyed Miranda's previous book The Last House Guest. I think this book is even better. 

Arden survived a tragedy when she was growing up. She slept walk and was swept away in a flood. She survived, but her life was never the same. She changed her name as she got older, so she could live a normal life and not be Arden..the girl who was saved. But as the anniversary comes up, people start connecting Olivia (her new name) to Arden.

Arden also sleep walks again 20 years later and this time someone from her past is found dead at her feet. What happened? This book captivated me. I wanted to know what happened. Also what really happened 20 years ago. I liked the twist and didn't see how everything would unfold. 

I would give this book 4 1/2 stars.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

Everyone knows the story of “the girl from Widow Hills.”

Arden Maynor was just a child when she was swept away while sleepwalking during a terrifying rainstorm and went missing for days. Strangers and friends, neighbors and rescue workers, set up search parties and held vigils, praying for her safe return. Against all odds, she was found, alive, clinging to a storm drain. The girl from Widow Hills was a living miracle. Arden’s mother wrote a book. Fame followed. Fans and fan letters, creeps, and stalkers. And every year, the anniversary. It all became too much. As soon as she was old enough, Arden changed her name and disappeared from the public eye.

Now a young woman living hundreds of miles away, Arden goes by Olivia. She’s managed to stay off the radar for the last few years. But with the twentieth anniversary of her rescue approaching, the media will inevitably renew its interest in Arden. Where is she now? Soon Olivia feels like she’s being watched and begins sleepwalking again, like she did long ago, even waking outside her home. Until late one night she jolts awake in her yard. At her feet is the corpse of a man she knows—from her previous life, as Arden Maynor.

The Last Flight - Julie Clark

The Last Flight - Julie Clark

Someone had recommended The Last Flight to me, but I can't remember who. I really enjoyed this book. It is told between two different people, Claire and Eva. Claire is a socialite who is married to Rory. Eva is a girl who lives in Berkeley. But one day they meet in the airport and switch tickets and lives. But something goes wrong...Claire's flight to Puerto Rico crashes into the ocean and now she is left living Eva's life. But is Eva's life all that it seemed?

I really enjoyed this book. I kept wondering what Eva was hiding and as it unfolded, I felt bad for Claire. Which life is worse, the one she left or the one she came into. I think the book lacked a bit at the end, but it is still worth the read. I would give it 4 stars.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns as bright as his promising political career, and he's not above using his staff to track Claire's every move, making sure she's living up to his impossible standards. But what he doesn't know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish.

A chance meeting in an airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision to switch tickets―Claire taking Eva's flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They believe the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away. But when the flight to Puerto Rico goes down, Claire realizes it's no longer a head start but a new life. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva's identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.

A Good Marriage - Kimberly McCreight

A Good Marriage - Kimberly McCreight

I had never heard of this author until I heard about this book. Everyone recommended it and said it had a good twist to it. Lizzie is a lawyer, Zach is a friend from law school, and now Zach's wife is dead and Zach is the main suspect. Zach calls upon his friend to help defend him. The problem is: Lizzie doesn't defend murder suspects, she hasn't seen Zach in years and Zach used to be in love with her. But Lizzie's life isn't all it seems to be. She is stuck in a lawyer job that she hates thanks to her husband. Lizzie's boss likes the case and tells her to take it. 

The book goes back and forth between Lizzie and Amanda. Amanda is Zach's wife. I liked the format of the book and I kept wanting to know more. There is a good twist to it like everyone says. I couldn't read this fast enough. I would give it 5 stars.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

Lizzie Kitsakis is working late when she gets the call. Grueling hours are standard at elite law firms like Young & Crane, but they’d be easier to swallow if Lizzie was there voluntarily. Until recently, she’d been a happily underpaid federal prosecutor. That job and her brilliant, devoted husband Sam—she had everything she’d ever wanted. And then, suddenly, it all fell apart. 

No. That’s a lie. It wasn’t sudden, was it? Long ago the cracks in Lizzie’s marriage had started to show. She was just good at averting her eyes. 

The last thing Lizzie needs right now is a call from an inmate at Rikers asking for help—even if Zach Grayson is an old friend. But Zach is desperate: his wife, Amanda, has been found dead at the bottom of the stairs in their Brooklyn brownstone. And Zach’s the primary suspect. 

As Lizzie is drawn into the dark heart of idyllic Park Slope, she learns that Zach and Amanda weren’t what they seemed—and that their friends, a close-knit group of fellow parents at the exclusive Brooklyn Country Day school, might be protecting troubling secrets of their own. In the end, she’s left wondering not only whether her own marriage can be saved, but what it means to have a good marriage in the first place.

What did you read this month?

Show Me Your Books - October

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

This month I read three books. I had the chance to read more, but I felt a bit burnt out on reading. All of my holds were coming up at the same time and I put extenders on my holds. I did get three good books. And one of the authors, Janelle Brown was new to me. Her books are really good. They are mystery style. And these two have roots/connections to Lake Tahoe, so it was fun reading about where I live and seeing if things match up. Most of it did, but some of the names and lingo is a bit off. But nonetheless, you wouldn't know unless you lived here.

The Other Mrs. - Mary Kubica

The Other Mrs. - Mary Kubica

Sadie and Will have moved to a small town after Will's sister has passed away. She leaves behind a daughter, and they try to make the new family dynamic work out. Not long after arriving to their new home and life, their neighbor Morgan dies and the police suspect murder. Sadie becomes paranoid and thinks the murderer is lurking around the neighborhood ready to kill at any moment.

The book goes into Sadie and Will's life along with Morgan's life (the one who was murdered). Who killed Morgan? Was it the husband? Was it a stranger? Was she having an affair? The book has some big twists that I only partially figured out. 

I liked this book a lot. It had me guessing until the end. Read it. I would give it 4 stars.

Here is Amazon's sysnpsis:

Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to small-town Maine when their neighbor Morgan Baines is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie.

But it’s not just Morgan’s death that has Sadie on edge. And as the eyes of suspicion turn toward the new family in town, Sadie is drawn deeper into the mystery of what really happened that dark and deadly night. But Sadie must be careful, for the more she discovers about Mrs. Baines, the more she begins to realize just how much she has to lose if the truth ever comes to light.

Sadie - Courtney Summers

Sadie - Courtney Summers

I read about 15% of this book. I had ever intention of reading the whole thing, but as I was reading, I just couldn't get past the stutter. A podcaster named West gets a phone call to look into a missing girl, Sadie. Her sister was brutally murdered and Sadie hasn't been seen since. It sounds like a book right up my alley. BUT when Sadie talks (what you read) is constant stutter. I just had a hard time reading it and gave up.

Has anyone else read this? Does it get better?

Watch Me Disappear - Janelle Brown

Watch Me Disappear - Janelle Brown

The Flanagan family seems perfect. Billie is the traditional SAHM, Jonathan is the dad who works too much and their daughter Olive is finding herself through high school. Billie loves going on adventures. She used to be an activist in her early days. Billie goes on a hike in the Lake Tahoe area and goes missing. After a year, her family seeks to declare her dead, so they can move on and get back on their feet.

But Billie's life starts to come out and her family wonders if they even knew her. Did she really die? Her daughter Olive seems to think not as she sees visions of her. Jonathan finds her computer and a secret file on it. Could this let him know of a life she had that he never knew about? Is she really alive? 

I enjoyed this book. I would give it 4 stars. It is a long book, but so worth the read.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

Who you want people to be makes you blind to who they really are.

It’s been a year since Billie Flanagan—a Berkeley mom with an enviable life—went on a solo hike in Desolation Wilderness and vanished from the trail. Her body was never found, just a shattered cellphone and a solitary hiking boot. Her husband and teenage daughter have been coping with Billie’s death the best they can: Jonathan drinks as he works on a loving memoir about his marriage; Olive grows remote, from both her father and her friends at the all-girls school she attends.

But then Olive starts having strange visions of her mother, still alive. Jonathan worries about Olive’s emotional stability, until he starts unearthing secrets from Billie’s past that bring into question everything he thought he understood about his wife. Who was the woman he knew as Billie Flanagan?

Together, Olive and Jonathan embark on a quest for the truth—about Billie, but also about themselves, learning, in the process, about all the ways that love can distort what we choose to see. Janelle Brown’s insights into the dynamics of intimate relationships will make you question the stories you tell yourself about the people you love, while her nervy storytelling will keep you guessing until the very last page.

Pretty Things - Janelle Brown

Pretty Things - Janelle Brown

When I read the synopsis of this book, I knew I had to read it. It takes place mostly in Lake Tahoe which is basically my backyard. It was so much fun to read about the places I visit, see how things match up and say, "hey I hiked that hike too". 

Nina grew up with just her mother. They always moved around from place to place. Fast forward twelve years and Nina's mother is sick and they need a lot of money to pay for her treatments. She turns to her friend, Lachlan, to run the ultimate con on Vanessa. 

Vanessa's family wronged Nina when she was in high school. Nina and Vanessa's brother were very close. They both had families who made them live in Lake Tahoe and were the weird new kids. For revenge, Nina and Lachlan plan to steal from Vanessa and make her pay for her families wrong doing so many years ago. 

Of course things don't go as planned.

This book is a long one, but a good one. I enjoyed everything Lake Tahoe, the character build and wanted to see how it played out. I give this book 4 1/2 stars.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

Nina once bought into the idea that her fancy liberal arts degree would lead to a fulfilling career. When that dream crashed, she turned to stealing from rich kids in L.A. alongside her wily Irish boyfriend, Lachlan. Nina learned from the best: Her mother was the original con artist, hustling to give her daughter a decent childhood despite their wayward life. But when her mom gets sick, Nina puts everything on the line to help her, even if it means running her most audacious, dangerous scam yet.
 
Vanessa is a privileged young heiress who wanted to make her mark in the world. Instead she becomes an Instagram influencer—traveling the globe, receiving free clothes and products, and posing for pictures in exotic locales. But behind the covetable façade is a life marked by tragedy. After a broken engagement, Vanessa retreats to her family’s sprawling mountain estate, Stonehaven: a mansion of dark secrets not just from Vanessa’s past, but from that of a lost and troubled girl named Nina.
 
Nina’s, Vanessa’s, and Lachlan’s paths collide here, on the cold shores of Lake Tahoe, where their intertwined lives give way to a winter of aspiration and desire, duplicity and revenge.

Currently, I am reading The Girl from Widow Hills.

Show Me Your Books - September

 *This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

Last month I read three books and this month I read 4 1/2 books. One of them I did not finish, but I made it half way through. I almost finished another book before I published this post, but I didn't quite make it through to give you a full review.

The One - John Marrs

The One - John Marrs

When I heard this book was being made into a Netflix show, I had to read it. I love reading the books before the film/tv series comes out. This book hooked me right away. It goes back and forth between several characters - five to be exact. Each one of their stories unfolds and when you think you know what happens to each, you don't.

The One is about finding your one true soulmate. Even if you are married and think you have the right one, your body chemistry could tell you different. Would you dump your husband/wife to go meet your chemically chosen soulmate? 

I went back and forth on loving the main characters and hating them for the choices they make. But in the end, this book gripped me in and had me wanting to figure out what happened. I would give this book 4 1/2 stars.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

A simple DNA test is all it takes. Just a quick mouth swab and soon you’ll be matched with your perfect partner—the one you’re genetically made for.

That’s the promise made by Match Your DNA. A decade ago, the company announced that they had found the gene that pairs each of us with our soul mate. Since then, millions of people around the world have been matched. But the discovery has its downsides: test results have led to the breakup of countless relationships and upended the traditional ideas of dating, romance and love.

Now five very different people have received the notification that they’ve been “Matched.” They’re each about to meet their one true love. But “happily ever after” isn’t guaranteed for everyone. Because even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking than others…

You Are Not Alone - Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

You Are Not Alone - Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

I loved the Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks, so I have added any books I can find of hers to my to be read list.

The book is centered around Shay Miller. She leads an ordinary life, but wants all the things life has to offer. She wants a family, a nice house, nice things and more friends. But at what cost will she get those friends? Shay witnesses a horrible accident and soon two sisters, Cassandra and Jane enter Shay's life. They befriend her quickly and Shay couldn't be more ecstatic. She would do anything for them. But why are these two rich, beautiful and kind woman befriending Shay? What does Shay know that could get them in trouble?

I thought this book was really good. I wanted to know what really happened, but I just kept wondering why Shay was so gullible and couldn't get over things? I enjoyed this book and would give it 4 stars.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

Shay Miller wants to find love, but it eludes her. She wants to be fulfilled, but her job is a dead end. She wants to belong, but her life is increasingly lonely.

Until Shay meets the Moore sisters. Cassandra and Jane live a life of glamorous perfection, and always get what they desire. When they invite Shay into their circle, everything seems to get better.

Shay would die for them to like her.
She may have to.

The Hunting Party - Lucy Foley

The Hunting Party - Lisa Foley

After reading The Guest List last month, I added the Hunting Party to my list. I received it quickly and got to reading it. I made it about half way through the book and I just couldn't read anymore. The first half of the book just builds the characters, but I felt that I was reading the same thing over and over again. You get a glimpse into what happened, but not enough to keep me reading. I got bored with the book and just couldn't stick it out.

 A group of friends celebrates NYE with each other every year. Most of them are former classmates, but some bring their spouses each year. This year Emma organizes everything. She brings them to a remote estate in the Scotland Highlands. The only people who work there are a woman who is hiding from something that happened in her former life and a former marine who also seems to be hiding from his past. 

The gatekeeper finds a body one day while the Oxford group is staying with them. But I never got to find out who died and what happened as the book just wasn't going anywhere. If you read this book or get through it, let me know if it is worth it. I may try to read it again if it gets better.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.

The trip begins innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps, just as a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world.

Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead. . . and another of them did it.

Keep your friends close, the old adage says. But how close is too close?

DON'T BE LEFT OUT. JOIN THE PARTY NOW.

The Wives - Tarryn Fisher

The Wives - Tarryn Fisher

The Wives was definitely not what I had expected out of the book. Maybe I forgot what it was about when I put a hold on it, but I was surprised when I started reading it. Thursday (this is the main characters name) has a husband named Seth. Seth has two other wives. He splits his time with each wife. Thursday doesn't like this arrangement anymore, so she starts to look into the lives of his other wives. She also befriends them since they don't know who each other is. Thursday slowly unravels who her husband is, what secrets he holds and more about the other wives.

I read this and just kept wanting to slap Thursday. Why get yourself into this situation willingly? Then the story unfolds and you realize what is really going on. I liked this book, but the ending was flat for me. I would give this book 3 to 3 1/2 stars.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

Thursday’s husband, Seth, has two other wives. She’s never met them, and she doesn’t know anything about them. She agreed to this unusual arrangement because she’s so crazy about him.

But one day, she finds something. Something that tells a very different—and horrifying—story about the man she married.

The Night Swim - Megan Goldin

The Night Swim - Megan Goldin

When my app said this book was available, I didn't even remember putting it in my que, but after reading the synopsis, I thought it was right up my alley. No wonder I added it. I read this book in a day. I just had to know what happened.

Rachel has a successful podcast. She talks about previous murders in seasons 1 and 2 of her podcast. But with season 3 approaching, she wanted to do something in real time. She wanted to cover a trial as it happens. This means going to court everyday and writing about it on a blog and then recording episodes every few nights.

The podcast is about a rape trial. The star Olympic swimmer is accused of raping a teenage girl. But as Rachel is exploring the trial, she gets letters from Hannah asking her to help find out what happened to her sister, Jenny, about 25 years ago. 

The book goes back and forth between the trial and the crime 25 years ago.

I thought this was well written, captivated me and had me guessing what happened to Jenny and could it all be related? I would give this book 4 1/2 stars. If you love podcasts, you will love this book.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

Ever since her true-crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall has become a household name—and the last hope for people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.

The new season of Rachel's podcast has brought her to a small town being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. A local golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season 3 a success, Rachel throws herself into her investigation—but the mysterious letters keep coming. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insist she was murdered—and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody in town wants to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases—and a revelation that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.

What did you read this month?

Show Me Your Books - August

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August was a good book reading month for me. I finished three books and started on my fourth, but didn't get done before this blog was posted. I did get a few books all at once and I started one (Columbine), but just couldn't finish it. I think it will take me a bit to get through that one. 

What did you read this month?

Home Before Dark - Riley Sager

Home Before Dark - Riley Sager

This was another book on my TBR list. I had it on hold before it even came out this year. I am a huge Riley Sager fan, so I knew I wanted to read this book.

The book is about a family who moves into a haunted house. They live there for about 20 something days and leave. Ewan writes a book about what happened to them at the haunted house and it has stuck with them forever. Fast forward 25 years and Maggie is an adult and her father has just passed away. She is left with money and the house that they abandoned 25 years ago. But why hadn't her family sold it when it was so haunted that they left and her dad wrote a very successful book off of it?

Maggie plans to renovate the house and sell it. But as she stays at the house, she sees that her dads book was telling the truth. This book has plagued her her whole life. She hated the book and never believed it. But she slowly starts to remember things. But it isn't all that it seems.

The book goes back and forth between present day and 25 years ago. I did enjoy the book. I think I have liked some of his other books more, but this was still a good one. I would give this 4 stars.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

What was it like? Living in that house.

Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism.

Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father's book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father's death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.

The Guest List - Lucy Foley

The Guest List - Lisa FoleyThis has been on my reading list for quite some time. One of my blogger friends even wrote about it a few weeks ago and said how good it was. Well she was right. This was a good one. 

This book takes place mostly out on a small island off of Ireland. This is an old island that is supposedly haunted, as people have perished in the bogs. Jules is a successful blogger who turned her blog into a magazine. Her fiance, Will, is a star of a survival reality TV show. They plan to marry on this island as no one has ever done that before and Jules wants to be the first.

Will's friends arrive on the island and we start to find out about their past when they were in high school and at uni. Everything unfolds as the book goes on and we start to see who people really are.

The book goes back and forth between several characters from the point of when they were going to the island and all the way through the wedding night. We know someone has died during the wedding night, but we don't know who until almost the end of the book.

At the end, so many surprises come out. I had guessed little ones throughout the book, but the end was just full of them. This is definitely a must read. I give it 5 stars.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner  – The bridesmaid – The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

Little Secrets - Jennifer Hillier

Little Secrets - Jennifer Hillier

This book gave me a nightmare the first night I read it (while in Graeagle). This book starts off with a mom at the Seattle Pike Place Market and while she is texting her husband, she lets go of her four year old sons hand and he goes missing. The only evidence they have is that he was taken by Santa (a few days before Christmas) and given the lollipop that he was about to get from a fancy candy store at the market. They have surveillance of him leaving, but nothing else. As you can see, that is why it kept me up the first night. It is every parents worse nightmare.

But I kept reading and had to know what happened to Sebastian. As the story unfolds, it just blows your mind what people are capable of. This is a great book, but it tugs at your heart, so beware. I would give this book 4 1/2 to 5 stars.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

ll it takes to unravel a life is one little secret...

Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They're admired in their community and are a loving family—until their world falls apart the day their son Sebastian is taken.

A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding Sebastian, she learns that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman. This discovery sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix.

Permanently.