We Came Here To Shine Review

Author: Susie Orman Schnall
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: St. Martins Press
Release Date: June 16, 2020
Order Link: Amazon

My Rating: 3.5 Inspirational Hearts

*Special thanks to the publisher for an arc of this book via Netgalley

Synopsis & Author Bio can be found following the review


Review:
We Came Here To Shine is the inspiring story of two women who challenged the role and limited expectations of women in the 1930's.  Inequality in the workplace was common with all prestigious jobs held by men.  Women who dared speak of the disparities were viewed as disgruntled employees and most often dismissed.  The title "We Came Here To Shine" says it all . . . Vivi, an aspiring actress, and Max, a journalist intern, are intent on confronting and conquering a misogynistic world to shine brightly on their own merits.  Under circumstances beyond their control, both women find themselves "demoted" to work the 1939 World's Fair in their respective professions for the summer.  Both are ambitious, tenacious, and optimistic.  Both determined to take control of their own destiny by challenging their designated roles in a male-oriented society.  When the two women cross paths, they recognize something in each other and a bond of sisterhood forms.  The story that unfolds is told through alternating chapters and points of view as these two women join forces, daring to reach for the stars.

Readers are transported back in time to the vibrant 1939 World's Fair in We Came Here To Shine.  Schnall's historical details and descriptive passages engage all five senses with all the excitement and anticipation associated with this place and time in history.  You can see and feel the sense of awe and wonder on fair-goers faces as they enter this new magical place.  The story progresses at a steady pace as readers watch both women persevere and grow stronger in their purpose.  The plot line focuses mainly on these two women and their journey to be recognized as equals and reach seemingly unachievable goals.  Fans of historical fiction will love We Came Here To Shine.  Highly Recommended!

My Rating:  3.5 Historical Hearts

Cross My Heart . . . xxx

♥Sandra♥

Synopsis:
Vivi Holden is closer than she's ever been to living her dream as a lead actress in sun-dappled L.A., but an unfair turn of events sends her back to New York, a place she worked so hard to escape from. She has one last chance to get back to Hollywood--by performing well as the star of the heralded Aquacade synchronized swimming spectacular at the World's Fair. Everything seems to be working against her, but her summer in New York will lead to her biggest opportunity to find her own way, on her own terms...

Maxine Roth wants nothing more than to be a serious journalist at the iconic New York Times, but her professor has other plans. Instead, she's landed a post at the pop-up publication dedicated to covering the World's Fair--and even then, her big ideas are continually overlooked by her male counterparts. Max didn't work this hard to be the only--and an unheard one at that--woman in the room. 

When Max and Vivi's worlds collide, they forge an enduring friendship. One that shows them to be the daring, bold women they are, and one that teaches them to never stop holding on to what matters most, in the most meaningful summer of their lives.
Author Bio:

I am the author of two works of historical fiction: WE CAME HERE TO SHINE and THE SUBWAY GIRLS along with two earlier works of contemporary fiction: THE BALANCE PROJECT and ON GRACE. I grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. My writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Huffington Post, POPSUGAR, Writer’s Digest, and Glamour. In addition, I have spoken extensively on work-life balance and I'm the founder of The Balance Project interview series. I live in Purchase, NY, with my husband and our three sons. I love to read, hike, see movies, and make elaborate cheese plates for Friday night happy hour at my house. I'm learning how to watercolor and trying to figure out how to knit. For more about me, please visit www.susieschnall.com or follow me at:

Instagram: @SusieOrmanSchnall
Facebook: SusieOrmanSchnall
Twitter: @SusieSchnall 

The Silent Wife Review

Author:  Karin Slaughter
Series:  Will Trent #10
Genre:  Suspense Thriller
Publisher:  Willian Morrow
Release Date:  Aug. 4, 2020 (USA)
Preorder Link:  Amazon

My Rating:  5 Brutal Hearts

*Special thanks to publisher William Morrow for an arc of this book via Edelweiss.plus
**Synopsis & Author Bio available following review.

Spoiler Free Review:
Eight years ago, most Grant County authorities were confident they had locked a serial rapist and murderer away for life.  Recent brutal cases of misogynistic attacks on women bearing the same horrifying MO suggest the serial killer is still out there preying on women.  The convicted inmate's declaration of innocence and disturbing accusations of dirty cops add fuel to the flame indicating a deadly mistake and gross injustice may have occurred.  In a race against time, GBI Agent Will Trent and team, including girlfriend Medical Examiner Sara Linton, begin the monumental task of sifting through disturbing past GC cases in search of an illusive missed detail that links past with present.  As a result, ghosts from the past escape, old wounds flare, and painful memories surface straining the fragile relationship between Will and Sara.  That is all I can say about this story without huge spoilers.  Do yourself a favor by going into this story blind.  It'll spear you straight through the heart if you do!

The Silent Wife is another raw, gutsy, graphic, glorious addition to the Will Trent series.  The riveting story unfolds through alternating periods of past and present that served to keep me burning through pages to reach the end.  I admire and appreciate Slaughter's gift for setting scenes that pull readers in via all five senses, but consider yourself forewarned that graphic crime scenes may be disturbing to read as they are brutally realistic leaving no doubt the author has once again done her homework right down to the most meticulous detail.  This author's signature sharp prose and intimately woven plot lines propel characters and readers forward at a frantic life or death pace.  Readers can count on being plummeted into the chaos of characters' minds while finding themselves charged with unmasking a deadly predator hiding in plain sight . . . before he kills again.  Those familiar with the Grant County series will recognize past characters they love . . . or love to hate. There's not much more I can say about this author's characterizations without sounding like a broken record.  They're amazingly accurate, detailed, dimensional, and alive with main characters who are deeply flawed, vulnerable and so unbelievably real that my heart aches for them whenever I'm back in their world.  
  
The Silent Wife is everything I hoped it would be and more. I started it with anticipation, read with trepidation, and finished it with cautious optimism.  It's gritty, graphic, emotional, heartbreaking, and what does it say about me that I can't wait for the next book?  I applaud Slaughter for shining a light on assault survivors who struggle to escape the darkness and overwhelming sense of loss and grief to find their path forward again.  Their strength and will to live are an amazing inspiration to all.  Needless to say, The Silent Wife has a place of honor on my Favorites Shelf.  I'll even venture to say it's the best of the series thus far!  This story embodies everything I love about suspense thrillers . . . and complicated love stories.  Highly Recommended!

5 Brutal Hearts

Cross My Heart . . . xxx

♥Sandra♥

Synopsis:
Atlanta, Georgia. Present day. A young woman is brutally attacked and left for dead. The police investigate but the trail goes cold. Until a chance assignment takes GBI investigator Will Trent to the state penitentiary, and to a prisoner who says he recognizes the MO. The attack looks identical to the one he was accused of eight years earlier. The prisoner’s always insisted that he was innocent, and now he’s sure he has proof. The killer is still out there.

As Will digs into both crimes it becomes clear that he must solve the original case in order to reach the truth. Yet nearly a decade has passed—time for memories to fade, witnesses to vanish, evidence to disappear. And now he needs medical examiner Sara Linton to help him hunt down a ruthless murderer. But when the past and present collide, everything Will values is at stake . . 

Author Bio:

Karin Slaughter is one of the world’s most popular and acclaimed storytellers. Published in 120 countries with more than 35 million copies sold across the globe, her nineteen novels include the Grant County and Will Trent books, as well as the Edgar-nominated COP TOWN and the instant NEW YORK TIMES bestselling novels PRETTY GIRLS, THE GOOD DAUGHTER, and PIECES OF HER. Her most recent book, THE LAST WIDOW, features Sara Linton and Will Trent. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, Karin Slaughter lives in Atlanta. Her standalone novels PIECES OF HER, THE GOOD DAUGHTER, and COP TOWN are in development for film and television.


Facebook: Facebook.com/AuthorKarinSlaughter

Website: http://www.karinslaughter.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karinslaugh...

Hideaway Review

Author: Nora Roberts
Genre: Romance Suspense
Publisher: St. Martins Press
Release Date: May 26, 2020
Purchase Link: Amazon

My Review:  3.5 Familiar Hearts

A special thank you to St. Martins Press for a paperback arc of this book.

A family ranch in Big Sur country and a legacy of Hollywood royalty set the stage for Nora Roberts’ emotional new suspense novel, Hideaway.
(Synopsis & author bio can be found following review.)

Review:
The Sullivans of Hollywood fame have all returned home to Big Sur to celebrate the life of their patriarch Liam Sullivan who has passed.  Nine year old Caitlyn is playing with her cousins out back when she's kidnapped.  Authorities believe it's an inside job because of the tight security in place on the estate. Cate manages to escape her captors, running through the woods until stumbling upon a house with a light. Little does Cate know this harrowing ordeal and the after shocks will follow her the rest of her life.  Hideaway is her story of living with the ultimate betrayal and eventually, over the years, finding her way to overcome it.

Nora Roberts excels at writing family sagas - the complicated relationships, family dynamics, love, betrayal.  Her books have a comforting familiarity to them that I find enjoyable.  While I found Hideaway a bit predictable, it is a good, solid read that unfolds at a steady pace.  The suspense and angst are low key as is the romance.  It's a story of deceit, manipulation, and vengeance, but even more . . . a story of strength and the ability to move beyond adversity to find true happiness.  Characters are well-fleshed out as relationships develop slowly making them more believable.  I will say that the reveal of the villain early on dampened the suspense a little more than I would have liked.  I missed not having a last minute surprise or shocker at the end.  Having said that, Hideaway is an engaging, enjoyable read that reminded me of some of Roberts earlier works.  It will be a great summer read, maybe on the beach.  Highly Recommended!

My Rating: 3.5 Familiar Hearts
Cross My Heart . . . xxx
♥Sandra♥

Synopsis:
Caitlyn Sullivan had come from a long line of Hollywood royalty, stretching back to her Irish immigrant great-grandfather. At nine, she was already a star—yet still an innocent child who loved to play hide and seek with her cousins at the family home in Big Sur. It was during one of those games that she disappeared.

Some may have considered her a pampered princess, but Cate was in fact a smart, scrappy fighter, and she managed to escape her abductors. Dillon Cooper was shocked to find the bloodied, exhausted girl huddled in his house—but when the teenager and his family heard her story they provided refuge, reuniting her with her loved ones.

Cate’s ordeal, though, was far from over. First came the discovery of a shocking betrayal that would send someone she’d trusted to prison. Then there were years spent away in western Ireland, peaceful and protected but with restlessness growing in her soul.

Finally, she would return to Los Angeles, gathering the courage to act again and get past the trauma that had derailed her life. What she didn’t yet know was that two seeds had been planted that long-ago night—one of a great love, and one of a terrible vengeance…

Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Come Sundown, The Obsession, The Liar, and coming in December 2017, Year One -- the first book in The Chronicles of The One. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

In The Deep Review

Author: Loreth Anne White
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Montlake
Release Date: Oct. 27, 2020
Preorder Link: Amazon

My Rating:  5 Vengeful Hearts


*A special thank you to the author for sharing an early arc of this book with me via Netgalley.



I hope you don’t find him. And if you do, I hope he’s dead and that he suffered…  (The full synopsis & author's bio can be read following review.)

Review:
Author Loreth Anne White has gifted readers with another complex, compulsive five star psychological thriller.  Go ahead and pre-order In The Deep today as it's destined to be that book - the one everyone's raving about upon release in the Fall of 2020.  From the courtroom in which heiress Mrs. Cresswell-Smith stands accused of the cold-hearted, grim murder of her husband Martin to the gruesome crime scene deep in the dark lagoons of coastal Australia, In The Deep unfolds at a brisk pace through extraordinarily unreliable narrators and varying chapters of Then and Now.  Courtroom testimonies and first hand opinions conflict.  Some see a cunning, conniving black widow out for vengeance while others see a woman on the edge of mental collapse - a victim with a sad history of unbearable loss and grief. She once survived her worse nightmare to find happiness again with real estate mogul Martin Cresswell-Smith only to now stand charged with his horrific murder.  What happened to her between Then and Now?  Is she victim or villainess?  Who will you believe?

Author Loreth Anne White has a gift for delivering stories that are all-consuming for characters and readers alike and In The Deep is another compelling illustration of her limitless talent.  Her signature descriptive prose mentally transports readers into highly sensual settings employing all five senses - the overwhelming sight, sickly smell and bitter taste of blood and death, the emotional turmoil forcing fear to escape the lips, the eerie sounds forewarning imminent danger - all wrapped up in a landscape of immeasurable beauty.  All serve to propel readers through scenes and pages spiraling toward an unknown ending and fate.  Sharp, tightly woven plot lines and deeply flawed characters lure readers through a maze of deception, betrayal, abuse, and vengeance.  Through smoke and mirrors, readers are charged with seeking the truth - guilty or innocent?  And just when you think you have it all figured out, the final shocker will be revealed!  

In The Deep is a dark, gripping tale of manipulation, broken trust, and emotional distress.  White's story gives voice to the many stereotyped victims and survivors of substance, mental, and physical abuse and illness as well as to those who are or ever have been lost in the dark, bottomless pit of inconsolable grief.  After finishing this book, I sat and thought about what I had read and came to the realization there are times in life when a person may find themselves adrift in the deep without an anchor.  If you're ever lost there, I pray you'll see and reach for the light and become a survivor.  Fans of mystery, suspense, and psychological thrillers are going to be over-the-moon over this book.  It's shelved on my 2020 Favorites Shelf.  Highly Recommended!

My Rating:  5 Vengeful Hearts
Cross My Heart . . . xxx

♥Sandra♥

Synopsis:
Real-estate mogul Martin Cresswell-Smith is the best thing that has ever happened to Ellie. After her daughter’s devastating death, a divorce, and an emotional breakdown, he’s helped her move as far as possible from the grief, the rage, and the monsters of her past. Ellie imagines her new home with Martin in an Australian coastal town will be like living a fairy tale. But behind closed doors is another story—one that ends in Martin’s brutal murder. And Ellie seems almost relieved…Naturally, everyone thinks Mrs. Cresswell-Smith is guilty.

Senior Constable Lozza Bianchi has reasonable doubt. She sees evidence of a twisted psychological battle and a couple who seemed to bring out the worst in each other—adultery, abuse, betrayal, and revenge. If anything Ellie says can be believed, that is.  As the case takes twist after spiraling twist, Lozza can’t shake the gut instinct that she’s being manipulated. That Ellie is hiding something. That there are secrets yet to surface. Lozza has no idea.

Asthecasetakestwistafterspiralingtwist,Lozzacan’tshakethegutinstinctthatshe’sbeingmanipulated.ThatEllieishidingsomething.Thattherearesecretsyettosurface.Lozzahasnoidea.Asthecasetakestwistafterspiralingtwist,Lozzacan’tshakethegutinstinctthatshe’sbeingmanipulated.ThatEllieishidingsomething.Thattherearesecretsyettosurface.Lozzahasnoidea.Loreth Anne White is an award-winning, bestselling author of romantic suspense, thrillers, and mysteries.

A three-time RITA finalist, she has also won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Romantic Crown for Best Romantic Suspense and Best Book Overall, in addition to being a Booksellers’ Best finalist, a multiple Daphne Du Maurier Award finalist, and a multiple CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award winner.

A former journalist and newspaper editor who has worked in both South Africa and Canada, she now resides in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest with her family. When she’s not writing, you will find her skiing, biking, or hiking the trails with her Black Dog.

Visit her at www.lorethannewhite.com

IWSG: In The Zone!

A database resource site and support group for writers and authors. Featuring weekly guests and tips, a monthly blogfest gathering, a Facebook group, a book club, and thousands of links – all to benefit writers! #IWSG

Website / Facebook Group / Twitter / Book Club

Make sure to stop by to visit each of our awesome co-hosts as well as all of our other awesome members!  A big thank you to:  Feather Stone,  Beverly Stowe McClure,  Mary Aalgaard,  Kim Lajevardi, and Chemist Ken!

May IWSG Question:  Do you have any rituals that you use when you need help getting into the ZONE? Care to share? 

So, here's the deal.  I had a post almost finished, including videos, until a few minutes ago  when everything suddenly went blank.  Nothing left on-screen but a blank white page!  I've tried everything to recover it, but it's time to face the music . . . it's gone.  I don't have it left in me to recreate it all tonight so here's the short version:

What puts me in the writing zone?  In a word or two . . . mood music.  I'm a huge fan of several genres of music and have always found that listening to the right songs can help put me in the head space I need to be in for writing a particular scene.  I put in my earbuds and tune in Christina Aguilera (or anyone's version) singing "Say Something" to get in that desperate, dark, lonely place and write those type scenes.  Love gone bad?  Vince Gill's "Nobody Answers When I Call Your Name" does it for me everytime.  I'll go old school and say anything by Maurice Gibb & The Bee Gees gives me a melancholy vibe.  I could go on and on and on, but the bottom line is my go-to choice of rituals for setting the mood for a scene is music.  Sometimes, I listen to a song for hours or days over and over until it fills my senses.  Only then am I ready to write the scene.

So sorry my attempt to post videos for you went awry.  Maybe next time!

How about you?  What helps put you in your writing zone?

Hard Cash Valley Review

Author: Brian Panowich
Series: Bull Mountain #3
Genre: Southern Noir (Grit Lit)
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Release Date: May 5, 2020
Purchase Link: Amazon

My Rating: 5 Astounding Hearts

*Special thanks to Minotaur Books for a paperback arc of this book! #MinotaurInfluencers
FB & Twitter: @MinotaurBooks
Instagram: @Minotaur_Books

Return to McFalls County and Bull Mountain in Hard Cash Valley, where Brian Panowich weaves another masterful tale of Southern Noir. The synopsis can be read following my review.

Review:
Two things occurred as I read the final page of Hard Cash Valley - I wiped the tears off my face and struggled with a deep rooted desire to start over at the beginning and read it again.  Wow. Just wow.  This story is a powerfully moving illustration of Southern Noir at its finest.  This is why I read and love Grit Lit, especially from authors who can deliver it with heart as Brian Panowich has done in Hard Cash Valley.  Not only has he rendered a dark, gritty, graphic tale of anguish, vengeance, and tragedy, he's also spun a tale of redemption, hope, and love.  A story that will linger with me for some time.  One I know I'll eventually reread.

The story begins with lowlife scum Arnie Blackwell on the run with a suitcase full of money and improbable dreams.  When his mutilated body is later found in a Florida motel, GBI Agent Dane Kirby is called away from the crime scene of another murder in McFalls County, Georgia, to investigate. Despite his protests, Kirby's ordered to partner up with reluctant FBI Agent Roselita Velasquez to find Blackwell's missing eleven year old brother who has Asperger's syndrome and an uncanny gift for numbers, before the killers do.  With time running out, the agents are astounded to realize where the dark, bloody, twisted trail leads - a place where morality is sorely lacking and hard cash and swift vengeance are abundant.  A place where violence is bred and law is scorned.  A place where Dane Kirby has history . . . and a score to settle.  That's all you'll get from me about the story other than to say it's intense, raw, gutsy, and absolutely riveting. While it's listed as book 3 of the Bull Mountain series, it tells the story of a completely different family and stands alone.

Panowich is a skillful master of tightly woven plot lines brought to life through vivid prose and dimensional characters who are deeply flawed - some worthy of redemption, some not.  The author pairs Kirby - a good man with a broken heart and a strong sense of justice who's killing time while mourning ghosts from the past with Roselita - a smart and spunky spitfire of a woman with a chip on her shoulder who often speaks before she thinks. Together, they form the perfect odd couple who bicker a lot and trust little.  Through graphic prose, Panowich's authentic descriptive settings tease all the senses, emphasizing the contrast between the beauty of the valley and the dangerous reality of The Farm while a dark tone of trepidation and malice intensifies at a steady pace.  All of it together adds up to one of the best Southern Noir books I've read in a long time.  Hard Cash Valley claims a spot on my 2020 Favorite's Shelf.  Highly Recommended!

My Rating:  5 Astounding Hearts

Cross My Heart . . . xxx

♥Sandra♥

Synopsis:

Dane Kirby is a broken man and no stranger to tragedy. As a life-long resident and ex-arson investigator for McFalls County, Dane has lived his life in one of the most chaotic and crime-ridden regions of the south. When he gets called in to consult on a brutal murder in a Jacksonville, Florida, motel room, he and his FBI counterpart, Special Agent Roselita Velasquez, begin an investigation that leads them back to the criminal circles of his own backyard.

Arnie Blackwell’s murder in Jacksonville is only the beginning – and Dane and Roselita seem to be one step behind. For someone is hacking a bloody trail throughout the Southeast looking for Arnie’s younger brother, a boy with Asperger’s Syndrome who possesses an unusual skill with numbers that could make a lot of money and that has already gotten a lot of people killed―and has even more of the deadliest people alive willing to do anything it takes to exploit him.

As Dane joins in the hunt to find the boy, it swiftly becomes a race against the clock that has Dane entangled in a web of secrets involving everyone from the Filipino Mafia to distrusting federal agents to some of hardest southern outlaws he’s ever known.