Silver's Reviews

Two women coming home for two different reasons to the place they loved and the place with many memories.

Linnea had finished college, and Cara was coming home to be with family.

Linnea came home from college and had no choice but to return, and really didn’t want to be in her childhood home with all the drama and the rules.

Cara came home because her husband had passed away a few years earlier, she adopted a friend’s baby, and she wanted to have her daughter grow up where she grew up with family and summer beach memories.

Both women needed something, and with Linnea being Cara’s niece, the problem was solved because Linnea was going to be Cara’s nanny.  That would save Linnea from staying with her parents all summer and would be a warm remembrance of her childhood times at the beach house, Primrose Cottage.   Cara would get to spend time with her niece to catch up and have someone to finally help her so she wasn’t alone.

BEACH HOUSE REUNION was a very pleasant, heartwarming read that made you want to for the most part be in the Rutledge family and in Primrose Cottage as well as Sullivan's Island.

Everything about the book was comfy and inviting.

The characters and the beachy setting were quite pleasant.

Learning about loggerheads, surfing, seeing the love between family members and others, and joining in the family fun are some of the reasons you will want to read this book.

I actually want to learn more about the sea turtles (loggerheads). It sounded fascinating, and the excitement the characters had about them had me wanting to learn more.

BEACH HOUSE REUNION is an easy, sweet read that will be a perfect addition to your summer reading list. 5/5

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

Finding her childhood friends and making amends was one of Josephine Bettendorf Warrick’s dying wishes.  Josephine and her two childhood friends had created THE HIGH TIDE CLUB during one night of fun.

The girls were lifelong friends until Josephine had words with them.   Brooke Trappnell was hired by Josephine to find these women or their descendants because she wanted to leave her island to them since she had no children of her own. 

Josephine is an ornery woman who wants what she wants.  Brooke desperately needs the money so she takes this job. 

Brooke wasn’t sure she would legally be able to take on this assignment because she and her mother surprisingly were named in the inheritance that included twenty acres of land and a pink mansion.

    
THE  HIGH TIDE CLUB is set in Georgia and has eccentric, fun characters.  We follow Brooke as she goes on her search for these women and/or family members.


We also get the treat of going back to 1941 and seeing first hand all of the antics and mischief THE HIGH TIDE CLUB girls got into along with secrets kept and heartaches.  

Ms. Andrews smoothly goes from one time period to another linking both stories and keeping your interest with her marvelous, detailed writing style and story line.

The fun of finding these friends and/or family members made this book delightful.  I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the story line. 

The story line became better every time I turned the page and especially when secrets were revealed about Josephine’s life and those in it.  
 
The characters were the highlight for me as well as the location.

The island, its history, and its description made you want to be there with the characters.

I enjoyed the lives of the characters in 1941 as well as the present-day family members. 

This was my first book by Mary Kay Andrews, and it was a very pleasing, entertaining read.  

If you enjoy family sagas, secrets, and mysteries, you will want to read THE HIGH TIDE CLUB. 5/5

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

Eliza and Dot - one is a real person, and the other is a character in Eliza’s book.

The similarities are striking and a bit confusing.

We follow both Eliza and Dot as they move through situations both in real life and in Eliza's book.

The book begins as Eliza was pulled out of a swimming pool, and no one believes that it was an accident since she previously tried to commit suicide.  Doctors and family members also question her story and her memory about many things, but are they just trying to make her think she can’t remember things?

THE ELIZAS was odd, but interesting.  The characters seemed to be trying to put Eliza in a bad light even though Eliza’s publicist met with her and said the stunt with the pool was a brilliant tactic for publicity.

Were they really worried about Eliza or their book sales? Was anyone really worried about Eliza or just themselves?

Eliza couldn't let everyone think she had purposely jumped in the pool and was more interested in clearing up the story the police are telling everyone about the pool incident than worrying about publicity for her book.

Each chapter was titled Eliza or Dot, and the ending of the chapters about Eliza seemed to have someone questioning her memory. When Eliza asks a question about a situation since she can't remember, the other characters confirm that it is someone she knew or a situation that had happened.  Each chapter parallels each other with a similar situation for each character.

THE ELIZAS was a psychological fest.  Did I or didn't I do that?  Did I or didn't I remember that situation?  Is the character in my book really me?

THE ELIZAS was a bit confusing at first and kept me guessing. Once a few things were revealed, the tension mounted and things came together, but the oddness continued.

More than one story seemed to be going on at once throughout the book.

Be patient and read carefully when you read THE ELIZAS. You never know who may be lurking.  4/5

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

An apartment hidden for 73 years and forbidden by the owner to be known to anyone, but why?

The children didn't even know about it until the apartment was broken into.

Once the apartment was revealed to the children, in comes Flora and Angus, well-known art dealers and auctioneers. And what a find in that apartment closed for 73 years...famous paintings, artifacts, and the home left as it had been when the family lived there.

Flora was in her domain and in her glory over this, but some things didn't seem right with the Vermeil family - the children were obnoxious, and their parents seemed excited but a bit disinterested in the apartment and its contents. Something else must be behind all of this.

We follow Flora as she investigates the contents of the apartment and the path of sales of the Renoir from the painter to each seller. She came to a standstill when she found out that a dealer who dealt with the Nazis was the last recorded owner of the Renoir. If that was where it ended, no one would want the painting. Then when Flora went to Vienna to meet someone who had the companion painting to the Renoir, another surprise awaited her.

Mystery, intrigue, and deceit abound in THE PARIS SECRET.

I truly enjoyed THE PARIS SECRET. It was a bit of mystery mixed in with history. I was impressed at how much research goes into checking the authenticity of paintings. It actually was quite fascinating along with the excitement of recognizing the names of famous painters.

This was my first book by Karen Swan and am sorry I have never read anything else by her. The story line is interesting, the writing is marvelous and very descriptive.

If you love Paris, drama, art, finding treasures in old buildings, and a bit of romance, THE PARIS SECRET won't disappoint.

The secret revealed in the ending pages was excellent. 5/5

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

A whirlwind romance opposed by her mother, a marriage made in heaven, and a move across the country.  Was the move part of Ryan’s plan to have no family around for Cass?

A second chance with a man that she never dreamed would come into her life after her husband died was what Cass needed, and Ryan fit the bill.

Everything was perfect wasn't it? A perfect marriage, three perfect kids, and a loving relationship until..…

The Connor family looked perfect on the outside, but the Connors were not perfect at all.  Ryan and Cass started out as the dream couple until Ryan showed his true colors of physical as well as psychological abuse.  When Cass would confront him with things that happened, he would turn it around and make her feel as if she were the guilty party.

Ryan went from the perfect loving husband and father to an abusive monster that Cass put up with and even denied.

POISON had good writing that pulled you in, but it seemed to drag on and brought up one crazy situation after another.

Domestic abuse was the main theme of POISON and very upsetting, but not as upsetting as some domestic thrillers.  It definitely is frightening how often domestic abuse occurs and how many books have this as a theme.

Cass made some very stupid decisions that put herself and her children in danger when she knew she should have just left.  It was pretty tense at those moments.

POISON was not a bad read, and the ending was unexpected, but it could have been shortened.

It definitely is a psychological thriller and makes you wonder who you can truly trust.

I would not recommend reading this book if you have been in a similar situation.

If you like intense situations, you will enjoy POISON.  

I read it very quickly because I was nervous about what would happen. 4/5

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

What could possibly have motivated a murderer to leave his victims in such horrific positions?  Revenge?  Payback? Or just plain evil?

The murderer would hang the victims upside down with items in their mouths that would indicate something about what they had done.

TAHOE PAYBACK opens with a murderer walking the victim to her place of death.  The method of death was pretty grizzly, and this wasn't the end of the terror.

When McKenna is approached by a man who says his girlfriend is missing and needs McKenna’s help, he gets involved in this and other similar cases. This woman was the unlucky first victim hung upside down with roses in her mouth.

Victim Number Two was also hung upside down with a tennis ball  in his mouth along with a plastic tennis player wedged in the side of his mouth.

Victim Number Three was hung upside down from an Amtrak train and had military medals in his mouth.

We follow McKenna as he investigates in his unorthodox, but workable ways.  It always is a treat to see how he looks for clues and works alone as well as with his Great Dane, Spot.

As McKenna investigates, he finds corruption in a huge charity that Victim Number One was in charge of.  The victim ran a multi-million dollar collection scam and kept all the money herself.

TAHOE PAYBACK seemed a bit more gruesome than Mr. Todd's other books.  The murder scenes were chilling. Can you imagine being hung upside down?

Despite the extra grizzly scenes, the writing was marvelous as always, had a great story line, and hinted at the unscrupulous dealings of some charities.

We also get to re-visit with Street, McKenna’s girlfriend, and her dog Blondie.

If you have never read a Todd Borg novel, you need to...non-stop action, tension, lovable characters, and you always learn something new.  

TAHOE PAYBACK is another Todd Borg mystery you won't figure out.  

If this is your first book by Todd Borg or you are a loyal fan, you won't be disappointed.   

ENJOY!! 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Seven days of togetherness along with secrets and tension make up the Birch family's Christmas holiday this year.

Emma has a health secret.

Andrew has a really big secret from his past.

Olivia has something she has to keep secret while in quarantine.

Phoebe really doesn't have a secret but is very self centered.

Staying in Emma's family estate is a bit challenging since Emma doesn't like to change anything from when she spent time there as she grew up.  Things are old and decaying, and the technological side of it is very slow.

I wasn't sure what this book was going to be like at first, but once each chapter began to reveal things about each character, it became a very good read for me.

I laughed a lot as well as worried a lot.  The funniest thing was that each year they planted the Christmas tree back in the same spot and uprooted it again for the next Christmas.  The worries about their secret were intense for some of the characters, and I worried along with them.

SEVEN DAYS OF US was well written and a light read even though some of the issues were not light. The family grew on me to the point that I would have liked to be quarantined with them. 

An enjoyable read that will have you wondering what decisions you would have made about your secrets and situations.  SEVEN DAYS OF US also has some heart wrenching events.

Excellent debut novel - marvelous writing and detail as well as a great story line. 4/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher, NetGalley, and Great Thought's Ninja Review Team in return for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.  

Arianna and Ben had the perfect life...childhood sweethearts, family-owned business, and most importantly each other.

Their perfect life was shattered when Ben was diagnosed with dementia at a young age. As the disease progressed, it became more and more difficult to cope with the illness to the point of Arianna's children worrying that they were going to lose her too.

The children booked their mother a trip back to her beloved France where she had spent a month or so during college. The trip was for two weeks at an art retreat to try to take her mind off of the stress of Ben and her loss of him even though he was still living.

Arianna met wonderful people at the art retreat, but would the trip and the time away help her to realize she is alone and must learn to cope with the loneliness?

DRAWING LESSONS has absolutely marvelous descriptions that put you right into the story and into France soaking in the landscape and drooling over all the delicious-sounding food.

The characters were ones that would be great to be with. They all had their quirks as well as their endearing qualities that made the group well-rounded and enjoyable as companions.

If you enjoy traveling, reading about France's beautiful landscapes and life of the French people, French artists especially Vincent Van Gogh, making new friends, and helping another person to feel welcome and overcome a problem, then DRAWING LESSONS will be an enjoyable read for you.

DRAWING LESSONS was a beautiful, heartfelt story about truly examining your life for the pleasures you have enjoyed and the pleasures you need to look for and experience. 4/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the author in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

An authoress and a dressmaker on the loose.

Nellie and Lucy were sisters and were mischievous from the start.  They went through thick and thin together.

The time was early 1800's and women were to be wed and not be in a trade, but the Sutherland girls didn't abide. Well Lucy didn't.  Nellie sort of did, but  she still had high hopes of her books being published, and they were published.

We follow both girls from their childhood to becoming adults.  The writing pulled you into the story line and kept your interest with the antics of Nellie and Lucy.
 
Both women are delightful, strong, and enthusiastic about their chosen choices for what they decided they wanted to do.

They both had "it" - charisma and charm.

I enjoyed how excited Lucy was about her dressmaking business and how Nellie was happy or seemed happy with her life with her husband in the beginning.

Lucy's gowns were named for passion further increasing the moving forward of women.  Some thought the names and her products were scandalous.

Nellie’s books were considered scandalous as well.

One of the gowns was titled:  DO YOU LOVE ME.  

Along with the gowns and the scandalous books her sister has been writing, the two women kept moving forward making a name for themselves.  :)

We follow their business dealings and their love life.

THE IT GIRLS is set in the late 1800's when these two feisty women want to change from only being homemakers to being able to handle a career as well.

If you enjoy cheering on women who most likely led the way for all women to make a name for themselves, then you won't want to miss reading THE IT GIRLS.

The cover is dazzling just like the two main characters.  

My only complaint was that the story line dragged out a bit at times.

If you enjoy determined women, fashion, and books, you will love THE IT GIRLS. 4/5

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

A husband, a father, a teacher, a coach, and now a suspended teacher accused of having an affair with a student.

Did it really happen, though, or did Lucia make it up?  

Nate was always involved with this students on a personal level and helped the ones who appeared to be in distress.  Did this backfire on him?

THE BLACKBIRD SEASON is mainly about the characters and their lives after the blackbirds fell and after Lucia disappeared.  Did Lucia have anything to do with the blackbirds falling from the sky or did the blackbirds have anything to do with Lucia's disappearance?  Her fellow students do call her a witch.

THE BLACKBIRD SEASON is considered a thriller, but it didn't seem like a thriller to me.  I saw it more as an investigation into people's lives and what some people have to go through on a daily basis or during a crisis.

Addressing teenagers and their behavior was a major theme as well.

The book has four main narrators, and we hear from each one and how each one is connected to each other and to the situation.

The intrigue for me was in the behavior of the characters. The characters did grow on you toward the end as you became familiar with their lives instead of feeling annoyed with them.

Nate seemed to be too helpful for his own good.

Poor Alecia was so overwhelmed with her special needs child and had no clue about anything her husband, Nate, did.

Bridget, still mourning the loss of her husband, seemed genuine and a bit shaky about the situation Nate was in since he was a good friend.

Lucia was a troubled teenager with a bad home life and a teenager who needed attention and got attention in the wrong way.

The flocks of blackbirds seemed to serve as the background for the ominous situations that occurred in the small, gossip-ridden, mill town of Mt. Oanoke, Pennsylvania.

The book kept my interest because I wanted to see what happened to Lucia and if Nate would be found innocent.  The suspense definitely was not edge-of-your-seat.

If you enjoy digging into the lives of folks and their emotions along with a lot of questionable choices, THE BLACKBIRD SEASON should be a good read for you.

Let me know what you think of this book.  I started out with a rating of 3/5, but raised it to a 4/5 because the ending was suspenseful.

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

Best friends sometimes do unexpected things.  Abdi and Noah were best friends and did something that no one would expect.

The unexpected incident obviously brought the police in along with the two silent friends.  Noah was put into a coma because of his injuries, and Abdi wasn't talking.

ODD CHILD OUT was definitely a study of personalities and human emotions.  Each character seemed to not fit with each other, and I thought it was odd that they were family members as well as friends.  I did like the "bucket list" that Noah and his father compiled, but one part of the bucket list is what caused a problem the night of the incident.

ODD CHILD OUT has us following along with the police in their investigation after Noah is found in the canal and an eye witness says she saw the best friends arguing.  When Noah who is terminally ill with cancer is found floating in the canal and Abdi, his best friend, had been with him, no one knows what to think.  It is difficult to imagine these boys doing anything out of the ordinary because they were star pupils.

We also follow the story being told by Abdi and Noah about what really happened as the friends silently re-live it in their minds.

The descriptions and the character development are very good and help you visualize the scenes and totally experience the emotions of each character which were mostly fear, loss, and questioning. You also feel the weight of lies and silence, truths untold, and prejudices.

ODD CHILD OUT is an emotional, tense book that will make you think and question.  

Another excellent read by Gilly MacMillan.  4/5

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

Being away from Ireland for 16 years had not eased the feelings a few of Liam Taggert's cousins had for him.

Liam had moved to Chicago from Ireland 16 years ago on bad terms, and now that his uncle had been murdered, he returned for the funeral.

What Liam returned to was his being chosen as the Trustee of his uncle's will and a task that was both dangerous for Liam as well as his family.  There were a lot of stipulations set in the last will and testament for distribution of the estate as well as hard feelings because Liam had been out of touch and was now in charge.

Liam now wished he hadn't answered that phone call not more than a week ago.  If he had ignored it, he may not be in the legal predicament he was put in by his uncle nor the danger it was causing the entire family both in Ireland and the United States.

Being Trustee carried a lot of responsibility as well as legalities family members didn't want to understand. The family also couldn't understand why Liam wouldn't break the rules and tell them the details of the last will and testament of Uncle Fergus.

To further complicate things, the Taggert family was getting threats and notes indicating payback time. No one was sure who was murdering members of the Taggert family, but forty years of hatred, vengeance, and fighting still ran deep among the Northern Ireland residents.

The Taggert family was an interesting lot, and the murders and family mystery were intriguing.

THE TRUST is beautifully written and so well written that you smoothly move along and become captured in the story line and the characters.

If you enjoy books set in Ireland, mysteries, murders, and family drama, you definitely do not want to miss reading THE TRUST.

I truly enjoyed the book and found it difficult to put down. ​ 5/5

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

Leaving your mother at age five, going with a stranger, and living in the bowels of a boat to America was not something anyone would wish for a child but what was done back in 1909.

Yung had to leave his mother because they both were starving, and her hope was for a better life for her son.

When Yung got to America, his name was changed to Ernest, and he spent his first few years at a school where he was always the underling even though a rich woman, Mrs. Irvine, was paying for his room and board.

One day Mrs. Irvine told Ernest she was taking him to the World's Fair.  She didn't take him to enjoy it, but to be auctioned off in a raffle as a strong, healthy boy.

Ernest ended up being won by the owner of a brothel as a houseboy, and the place he met his wife.

Now his childhood and his life before children and marriage were coming to light.  His daughter is a reporter and is investigating the World's Fair and stories she heard about those who attended.  She knew her father had been there and wants to know everything.

Ernest didn't want to tell his daughter his story because then she would find out about her mother's life at that time.  It was a life that wasn't anything to be proud of.  Gracie was now suffering from dementia, and Ernest was hoping she wouldn't accidentally remember the life she led when she was young and tell her daughter.

We follow Ernest from his childhood to present day and learn what life was like for him in both times.  We get a well-researched glimpse into everyday living during the early 1900’s as well as the life in a brothel.

LOVE AND OTHER CONSOLATION PRIZES is another marvelous, stunning, beautifully told story by Jamie Ford with  characters that will steal your heart.

Mr. Ford knows how to tell a story and keep your interest with his meticulous historical research, his history lesson, and his superb writing style.   

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - I hope you are able to also read it.  5/5

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

When Drew Bishop gets the phone call any spouse would dread, he never knew how awful things would be.

Drew's wife, Jennifer, was shot during a robbery simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The robber, Tom, had a twin that was in prison for worse crimes.  When the twin, Eddie, was released, the evil continued where they had left off because Eddie wanted revenge for the death of his brother.

The characters in SILVER THREADS were all lovable, gentle, and people you would love to have in your life except for Eddie who caused grief.
The little that we read of Jennifer showed her to be the best mother, wife, and person anyone could wish for.

Brooke was a sweet girl who had to deal with the loss of her mother who was her very best friend.



A life without her mother is extremely traumatizing for Brooke as she tries to work her way through it all and as her father tries to be both mother and father and still make a living.

Ms. Crosby's books are filled with love and family and carry a theme of a sweetness for life. You are pulled in as always by the story line and the characters.

Ms. Crosby’s books are filled with goodness and a zest for life and knows how to turn bad into good.  I needed tissues for some of the parts because they were such heartwarming situations.

SILVER THREADS was a beautiful, heartfelt read as all of her books are.

Don’t miss reading yet another touching, uplifting book by Ms. Crosby.  5/5

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

A conscience - we all have one, but do we know what may be on another person's conscience or even on ours that may bother us?

When a hooded figure appeared on the green in Three Pines and stayed without moving for three days, all the residents were tense and wondered what he was doing there.   Did the hooded figure date back to the historical Cobrador who collected debts?

Armand Gamache, Chief Inspector, kept an eye on the figure and could do nothing within his powers to remove him. But...why is Armand Gamache now on the witness stand testifying about a death that occurred during the time the hooded figure was present?

We follow the situation by being introduced to the trial and then back again to the events in Three Pines with the hooded figure standing on the village green. The trial has something going on besides the trial, though, and the judge seems to be picking up on it.

Louise Penny has given us another beautifully written, intellectual, intriguing plot that will have you glued to the pages, thinking about what a conscience really is and how it helps or hinders one's choices, and feeling for Gamache as he must defend all that happened in the quiet village of Three Pines.

GLASS HOUSES had me confused during the first few chapters, but once GLASS HOUSES got going another fantastic Louise Penny read and outcome awaits you with the endings always being brilliant and unexpected.

Don't miss reading the latest from Louise Penny. 4/5

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

 
Jessica was talked into going to a concert at The Bataclan Concert Hall in Paris with her friend, Vonda, instead of to an art show with Patrick, and it proved to be the wrong choice.

Jessica and her friend were caught in the terrorist attack at the 2015 Concert Hall, but thankfully Jessica and Vonda were only harmed.

After Jessica was released from the hospital, her parents insisted she return home to the United States, but Patrick insisted more heavily that she stay in France and go on their planned trip.

While staying at a bed and breakfast and as she was antique hunting, a sewing box caught Jessica's eye.

As Jessica pried the bottom of the sewing box off, she noticed a piece of red yarn sticking out from under the box's bottom and found pages torn from a Bible that triggered something in Jessica’s mind that she couldn't understand.

The Bible pages turned out to be a marvelous treasure with secrets of their own and also something that brought Jessica to a reality she hadn't been aware of.

I was intrigued when Jessica found the sewing box and the pages of handwritten notes.  I love finding out origins of things and especially diaries or notes from a  real person.  

The pages from the Bible spurred the characters to do research and find family members who fled France during the time in history when The Huguenots were forced out because of their religious beliefs.

THE SPACE BETWEEN WORDS moved from present to past telling the story of the Huguenot persecution and their flight out of France.  This is another part of history I had heard about but never studied.

I didn't know what to expect when I first started to read THE SPACE BETWEEN WORDS, but the story line quickly went from an OK read to a WOW read as the characters uncovered more history of the handwritten notes in the Bible pages.

THE SPACE BETWEEN WORDS also addressed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

If you enjoy historical fiction, finding treasures at flea markets, a marvelous story line, and detailed character description, you will not want to miss THE SPACE BETWEEN WORDS.

Ms. Phoenix paired two horrific historical events and created a marvelous book that will stay with long after you turn the last page.

4/5

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