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karenmsecrest's reviews
303 reviews
The Doctor by Nikki Sloane
Did not finish book. Stopped at 44%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 44%.
Library book. Had to return.
Super hot, but I’m not a fan of the “hook up with your boyfriend’s dad” story.
Super hot, but I’m not a fan of the “hook up with your boyfriend’s dad” story.
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Beautiful Lawman by Sophie Jordan
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Steamy but cheesy.
She’s the guardian of her teen sister and works as a waitress in a strip club to make ends meet. Of course she would never take her clothes off for money, because strippers are bad, I guess?!? He’s a sheriff. The story is ok. The writing is predictable (“shaking like a leaf”).
If you’re in the mood for a quickie, this might work.
She’s the guardian of her teen sister and works as a waitress in a strip club to make ends meet. Of course she would never take her clothes off for money, because strippers are bad, I guess?!? He’s a sheriff. The story is ok. The writing is predictable (“shaking like a leaf”).
If you’re in the mood for a quickie, this might work.
The Edge by David Baldacci
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Travis Devine fills a Jack Reacher sized hole in the thriller/murder mystery genre:
- Super investigator skills
- Former military
- Killer at fighting (literally)
… But Devine is a little younger and smaller (more normal sized?) than Reacher.
2nd book in a series, easily read as a stand alone. I liked this one better than the first. Highly recommend the audio book; the narrators captured the tension and drama.
Content warning: A central character survived a sexual assault years before the events in the book. The survivor has no memory of the event and eventuallyfaces her attacker and fights him, stabs him.
2nd book in a series, easily read as a stand alone. I liked this one better than the first. Highly recommend the audio book; the narrators captured the tension and drama.
Content warning: A central character survived a sexual assault years before the events in the book. The survivor has no memory of the event and eventually
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault
Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A Viennese hotelier and an American treasury investigator fall in love while surviving multiple assassination attempts.
If this sounds like a lot of story to jam into one book… it is. So many characters and illegitimate family members were hard to keep track of. The main characters Maria and Eli were both supremely competent, but overall I wish the Coco Chanel philosophy about style had been used here: “Before leaving the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory” or tertiary character or murder plot.
If this sounds like a lot of story to jam into one book… it is. So many characters and illegitimate family members were hard to keep track of. The main characters Maria and Eli were both supremely competent, but overall I wish the Coco Chanel philosophy about style had been used here: “Before leaving the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory” or tertiary character or murder plot.
Surely You Can't Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
Library book. Too busy.
A Notorious Countess Confesses by Julie Anne Long
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Changing my rating to a 4.25 from a 3 because I’m just now realizing the deeper allegory in this story about Adam (a vicar) and Evie (a former courtesan) in a charming village.
While the villagers have no trouble judging her for rumors of a salacious past, she has no regrets about the choices made to keep her siblings safe. Better yet, Adam appreciates Evie’s past, because those choices have made her the woman he loves today.
This would have been boring in the words of a different writer, but Julie Anne Long spins a good tale and is a master of character development and declarations of love. Part of the Pennyroyal Green series, so reading in order is recommended.
While the villagers have no trouble judging her for rumors of a salacious past, she has no regrets about the choices made to keep her siblings safe. Better yet, Adam appreciates Evie’s past, because those choices have made her the woman he loves today.
This would have been boring in the words of a different writer, but Julie Anne Long spins a good tale and is a master of character development and declarations of love. Part of the Pennyroyal Green series, so reading in order is recommended.
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
2nd in a series, definitely need to be read in order. More graphic than a cozy mystery, but also more fun. Fun characters, fun twists, fun crimes. I’ll read about these antics of these British pensioners anyday!