Carries Book Reviews

The Stepmother by Claire Seeber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jeanie knows that when she and Matthew marry it won’t be easy blending their two families together. Jeanie has a teenage son and Matthew a son and daughter. Matthew’s daughter is somewhat resentful of her new stepmother but Jeanie is determined to make things work between the families.

However, Jeanie also has a secret that in the rush of her and Matthew’s relationship she never actually told Matthew the truth of her past. Now that secret is coming back to haunt her as someone is determined to let the truth out.

The Stepmother is somewhat of a retelling of Snow White but even though it’s loosely based on that tale this is a dark and twisty version that is completely original. It’s easy to say this story is one that will have the pages turning rather quickly as it had me completely engaged in it from start to finish.

There were several different things going on in the plot with this one that had me guessing from start to finish. Jeanie has her secret past that slowly gets revealed plus you have the relationship of the new blended family then on top of all that there are a lot of strange things going on that had me wondering are we turning this into a ghost story? But in the end it all gets a great wrap up after all the twists throughout.

Overall, definitely one I’d recommend. This is the second book I’ve read from Claire Seeber and I’ve quite enjoyed them both.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Defending Jagger
Amanda Mackey
(Search & Seek, #1)
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: July 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Jagger Reed has a secret that could destroy lives…

And one life that could be destroyed is his disabled brother’s. Jagger is in jail for a crime he didn’t commit, and believes it’s a small price to pay to protect his family.

Rosalind McAllister is the newest creative writing teacher at Arizona State Prison…

Rose is determined to prove herself to her criminal students and not let them break her—like they did the last teacher. But when she meets Jagger Reed, she immediately knows the line between student and teacher could be easily blurred. Tall, intimidating, and way too handsome to be incarcerated, she vows to keep him at a distance.

A creative writing assignment turns into the discovery of Jagger’s innocence…

When Rose reads Jagger’s creative writing piece, she’s both astounded and impressed. His written words call to her, providing a window into his private world. But as the assignment continues, she discovers facts about Jagger’s conviction that change everything.

Determined to piece together clues that leap out from the pages, she finds much more than an articulate prisoner.

How can she save a man who doesn’t want to be saved? And can she stop her heart from getting involved while…

Defending Jagger?

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Author Bio:

Amanda Mackey was born in New Zealand and moved to Australia when she was 12 years old with her family, where she has lived ever since. She has loved books since an early age and is an avid reader. This has helped lay the foundation for her writing. She’s published 7 novels to date with plenty more on the way. An author with Limitless Publishing, she loves to spend time with family when she’s not writing or reading.

Amanda hopes to make writing her full time career and travel in the near future.

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The Departed by Kristy Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As Gwen is getting ready for school she finds it odd that her best friend Lana isn’t answering her texts but Lana’s parent are very religious so she also thinks that Lana is probably just in trouble yet again. But Gwen gets to school that day and finds that Lana is not there so when she starts hearing that there have been a lot of missing people being reported Gwen begins to worry.

The news stations are reporting that hundreds of thousands of people disappeared that night. There was never a trace of them anywhere, no hint of struggles, not even their shoes are gone from their homes. Authorities check cameras and look for witnesses but after not finding anything to lead them to any of the missing the top theory becomes that the rapture has begun and people start turning to the church for answers.

I will admit that when I read the synopsis for The Departed it was one of those books that while I thought it sounded like it might be an interesting read I never expected to actually love the book. When finished though I had to give this one five stars, I flew right through this read hooked on every page.

I think for me the biggest draw to this story is just how realistic this could actually be. We’ve all seen news stories of different religious rights debates from abortion to gay marriage and many other things there is always something being talked about. There are debates on the varying religions, there have been different cults featured in the news stories that had their own beliefs. Just so many different things in the media over the years that when reading this book I thought wow, I’m surprised some group hasn’t actually tried this.

When finished with this first book in this series I immediately had to grab the short story that the author offered at the end the is a companion read and definitely plan on continuing on with the series. Definitely a book I’d recommend checking out.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Aligned: Volume 4
Ella Miles
Publication date: June 30th 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

I know who tried to kill me.

The same man that raped me is the same man that tried to kill me. Twice. I have some evidence, but not enough. I want revenge, but every step I take towards getting that revenge I feel myself drifting further from Landon.

I’m going to lose him.

I’m going to lose everything that I care about. All I can focus on is revenge. Maybe then I will be able to put the past behind me. Maybe then I can truly heal. I just hope I don’t lose him and myself in the process.

__ __

She’s pregnant.

Caroline has always held my deepest darkest secrets, but now she thinks she has another one. One that could control me. I can’t be a father though.

I’m a monster.

The baby can’t be mine. If it is, I already know my future. I’ll lose the woman I love. The only woman I’ve ever wanted.

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—

SNEAK PEEK:

I tried to get rid of the monster. I thought we could escape the darkness by starting over. I thought we could put our pasts behind us.

The demons found me, though. The urges came back. There is no such thing as redemption. I can’t be saved.

I tried to put my urges to rest. But the need to inflict pain is too strong to resist. I can’t hold back any longer.

I can’t be saved from the monster because I am the monster.

Author Bio:

Ella Miles writes sexy romance with strong females that could kick your butt if you piss them off, which they often do to the men that fall for them. She’s currently living her own happily ever after near the Rocky Mountains with her high school sweetheart husband. Her heart is also taken by her goofy two year old black lab that is scared of everything, including her own shadow. Ella is the author of the Aligned series. Get a free book by visiting her website. Or by stalking her on Twitter or Facebook.

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These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jo Montfort is a beautiful young woman from a wealthy family that will be expected to marry someone up to her family’s standards as soon as she finishes finishing school. Jo however has always idolized the trailblazing Nellie Bly so Jo really wants to be a newspaper reporter but that is harder than it sounds in the 1890’s.

When Jo receives news that her father accidentally shot himself while cleaning his gun Jo immediately questions just what had really happened. Jo’s father had been very familiar with gun safety and there was just no way Jo believes he would accidentally leave the gun loaded. Jo decides that in order to get the answers she will start investigating herself.

These Shallow Graves was a rather well written historical mystery novel that features a strong female that doesn’t want to go with the arranged marriage that is expected of her and wants to live the life she has always dreamed of regardless of her being a woman. The death in her family gives her the opportunity to get a taste of what it’s like to be a reporter and also introduces her to a lot of colorful characters.

As far a the historical factor and the romance I really enjoyed this story. I found the mystery part of it a tad bit easy to figure out though but there are a few twists and turns to the wrap up that were a nice surprise. Perhaps the book also could have been a bit shorter as it did seem to slow down a bit for me in the middle with it being so lengthy but overall it’s a really good read.