Carries Book Reviews

The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Alice and Jake have come to a time in their lives where they believe they are ready for that next step of getting married. Alice was once a singer in a band but now is settling into her career as a lawyer while Jake has been busy setting up his practice with his partners as a psychologist. The pair had planned on keeping the wedding somewhat small and simple but at the last moment Alice invites a wealthy client and his wife on a whim.

Once invited to the wedding Alice’s client sends a mysterious package to the couple as a wedding present. After the honeymoon it’s explained to Alice and Jake that the present is an invitation to join an exclusive and mysterious group known only as The Pact. The Pact is supposed to be a group that helps couples succeed at marriage and keep them happy and intact so Alice and Jake don’t see the harm in joining but had no real idea of what they would really be in for.

The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond is one of those thrill rides that I find myself unable to put down once I’ve started reading because I honestly could see this happening in real life. Alice and Jake while both successful at their careers are both a bit worried about married life so it seemed logical for them to jump at a chance to help make sure they succeed. Once the story gets into the depths of just what they have agreed to I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see just what would happen to them next.

My one complaint leading me to rate this book at 4.5 stars would be I so wish the author had added an epilogue to the story. I suppose though when I want to to continue reading when a book is over that is somewhat of a good thing though as I was clearly hooked on Alice and Jake’s story. The ending after all that had happened just didn’t seem as satisfying to me as I would have liked and felt it needed a bit more.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Exploited by A. Meredith Walters
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Haunted by events from her past Hannah Whalen has become freed0mov3rdr1v3 or “Freedom Overdrive” a cyber hacker wanted by the FBI that’s main mission has been to shed light on the corporate and government lies. Hannah has managed to keep her online identity a secret as she has gone about her mission so far but now an FBI agent named Mason has walked into her life.

Mason has made it his mission to track down Freedom Overdrive and he feels he’s been getting closer. That is when he meets Hannah and there is something about her that draws Mason in. Hannah sees getting close to Mason as an opportunity to find out how close he’s getting to her secret identity but what she didn’t count on was him getting into her heart.

Exploited is the first book of a new series, Zero Day, by A. Meredith Walters. I really wanted to love this story when I picked it up and began reading but in the end I’m giving this one 2.5 stars. The biggest problem is probably something I should have expected but Mason just came across as completely clueless instead of a hot shot FBI agent. I couldn’t see a real agent not being suspicious and careful so the whole story seemed a bit off.

Hannah is a pretty good character on the other side of things. She’s been through a lot in her life and has come out of it stronger and out to right what she feels are the wrongs in the world. To be honest the hacking/cyber side goes over my head since I’m the type to be lucky to log in to things on the internet so I can’t tell if that is realistic or not but her hacker side seemed a lot better than Mason as an FBI agent. Couldn’t help but think he was thinking with the wrong “head” too much of the story.

Overall, I may have liked this more if Mason had been more realistic but that threw me off for the read. It was a decent suspenseful plot to follow along with that readers may enjoy but I wouldn’t warn that the book just leaves the reader hanging with a cliffhanger to lead into the next book.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Paintbrush
Hannah Bucchin
Published by: Blaze Publishing
Publication date: July 11th 2017
Genres: Romance, Young Adult

Mitchell Morrison and Josie Sedgwick have spent their whole lives at the Indian Paintbrush Community Village, a commune full of colorful characters tucked in the mountains of North Carolina, and they aren’t particularly close–at least, not anymore. Josie wishes she could spend all of her time at Paintbrush planting tomatoes, hiking the trails, or throwing giant communal birthday parties, while Mitchell can’t wait to escape the bizarre spiritual sharing and noisy community dinners. Luckily for both of them, high school graduation is just around the corner.

But when Mitchell’s mother makes a scandalous announcement that rocks the close-knit Paintbrush community, and Josie’s younger sister starts to make some dangerously bad decisions, the two find themselves leaning on each other for support – and looking at each other in a whole new light. Their childhood friendship blossoms in to something more as they deal with their insane families, but as graduation approaches, so does life in the real world, forcing Josie and Mitchell to figure out what, exactly, their relationship is – and if it can survive their very different plans for the future.

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SNEAK PEEKS:

Mitchell

“Hi.” I tighten my grip on her waist, and she moves her hand from my shoulder, sliding her fingertips slowly, until they rest on the back of my neck. I close my eyes.

When I open them again, she’s staring at me, her face so close I can see the flecks of brown in her green eyes. It would be so easy to kiss her. Just a few inches. It would be the easiest thing in the world.

Josie

“We’re a mess, aren’t we?” He grins at me.

I can’t help it—I lean into him, pressing my shoulder into his, wanting to feel his warmth and his soft sweatshirt, wanting to be a part of that smile.

I shrug. “All the best people are messy.”

Author Bio:

Hannah has spent her life falling in love with beautiful places, both real and fictional. She grew up in charming Bethlehem, PA, went to college in sunny Chapel Hill, NC, spent a summer studying wildlife in Tanzania, volunteered on organic farms across New Zealand, and hiked all over Acadia National Park in Maine. When not writing, reading, or adventuring, she likes to daydream about the dog she’ll adopt someday, listen to music from the sixties, and exchange ridiculous texts with her parents and siblings. Paintbrush is her first novel.

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Cat About Town by Cate Conte
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maddie James has returned home to Daybreak Island, just off the coast of Massachusetts, to attend her grandmother’s funeral. An animal lover Maddie spies a stray cat during the funeral and decides she is going to befriend him and give him a home. After the funeral though Maddie finds out that her grandfather is in debt and being threatened to sell the home that has been in their family for years.

Maddie decides to speak with the Frank O’Malley who has been pressuring her grandfather but things don’t go well. Then as Maddie is out with her new cat the cat gets away only for her to chase him to the location of a dead body. Frank O’Malley has been murdered and now she needs to clear her name since she was last seen with him.

Cat About Town is the first book in a new cozy mystery series, Cat Cafe Mystery, by Cate Conte. Maddie is a successful business woman who has returned home only to find herself in the middle of a mysterious murder. She pokes and prods and questions her way to the answer she needs to clear her name.

This was a typical cozy in probably all areas that you would expect, the cute set up with the stray cat who steals part of the show, someone looking for answers because the police will expect them and plenty of places to point the blame too to keep a reader guessing. I questioned why involving a bit of a love triangle in here but hopefully that will get worked out in future reads. Otherwise, it was a fun start to the series and I would definitely continue on with Maddie and her adventures.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Bone White by Ronald Malfi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the remote little town of Dreads Hand, Alaska a man walks into the local diner covered in blood and obviously not having bathed in weeks or months even. One of the locals recognizes the man as old Joe Mallory who hasn’t been seen for quite a while in the small town. Joe shocks the others claiming he needs the local law called as he has killed people.

Seeing the story of old Joe Mallory turning himself in on the news and the police finding numerous unidentified bodies Paul Gallo knows he needs to travel to Dreads Hand and see if he can get news on his twin brother who he hasn’t heard from. When Paul arrives in the strange little town he can’t seem to get the answers he needs with everyone seeming to be covering something up.

Picking up Bone White by Ronald Malfi I knew that one thing I could expect and would be rewarded with is the creepiness he’s known for. The story did not disappoint in that regard as he brought this weird little remote town to life with some sketchy residents and creepy town stories.

I did however find this a bit slow paced for my taste as really the entire book is the lead up to finally finding out what sort of strangeness had been haunting the pages. I also preferred Paul’s point of view a bit more than when it switched at times in the story. I suppose that is because Paul seemed like the normal person in the creepy little town though. As usual though with this author I did enjoy the book when all was said and done.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.