Derby Horse~Mara Dabrishus | Review

Title: Derby Horse (Stay the Distance #3)
Author: Mara Dabrishus
Genre: YA Contemporary
Length: 202 Pages
Release: January 2018

A copy of this novel was received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review

It can be hard to find good equestrian fiction. More times than not, there is something off in the balance of the story. Either the horse bits are glaringly wrong, the writing is stilted, or the horses end up making a very minimal appearance, serving as little more than a plot device. After this, the fourth novel of Mara's that I have read, I still believe she gets it right. 

Here we follow July Carter as she embarks on new adventures both at the track and in the dressage arena. This is the third in a five book series, and while I do think that it is slightly weaker than the preceding novels, it's still a solid addition to the story. Middle books, which are often the "bridge" books in a series, connecting the beginning to the end, often fall a little short, but this one clearly sets us up and points us toward what has the potential to be a great conclusion.

I don't want to go into too many details about the plot, since this is a later book in the series, but it deals with just what the title says: will they have a horse in the Kentucky Derby? 

All of the horse stuff made me itch to get back in the saddle. It also made me think about what my life could have been, had I followed any of those crazy daydreams I had as a teenager. Some of those dreams are still attainable, and I still have my horses to ride, so they haven't all died over the years. 

July is very relatable, even some of the more negative aspects of her character. She always feels that she has to fix things, or that she understands more than might be reality, or that she is integral to everything working. Some of these things can get a little grating, but sometimes it's because they hit too close to home and not because they are over the top. 

Beck is still the Beck that I grew to love in Stay the Distance, just a little more grown up now. I was glad that we got so much of him in this installment and hope that there is more to come in the future. 

This was overall an excellent read and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read about horses or enjoys young adult contemporary/romance fiction. The setting might be a little different than you are used to, but I think a lot of people would enjoy it if they give it a chance.

Troubled Waters~Susan May Warren | Review

Title: Troubled Waters (Montana Rescue #4)
Author: Susan May Warren
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Length: 352 Pages
Release: January 2018

A copy of this novel was received through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Review

In Troubled Waters by Susan May Warren Sierra Rose and Ian Shaw have been waiting a long time for a happy ending. After Ian’s niece, Esme, went missing, he put all his resources into finding her with no luck. Then a series of explosions and wildfires put him in hot water with the government for his work causing him to lose the fortune he has worked so hard for. And to top it all off, the woman he loves is now refusing to speak to him. Sierra Rose didn’t think the day would come when she had to give up on Ian Shaw, but his obsessive search to find his niece left no room for her. The solution to her problem comes when she finds Esme, who doesn’t want her uncle or anyone else for that matter, to know where she is. These problems get put on hold for Sierra when the PEAK rescue team needs funds and Sierra arranges a fundraiser using Ian’s yacht in the Caribbean. Towards the end of the excursion, the ship is irreparably damaged, and the passengers end up overboard in the churning sea. Ian and Sierra must tests the boundaries of the relationship they have left along with their own survival skills in order to come out alive and help the others in any way they can.

Book four in a series can be very difficult. Your audience needs something new and fresh to stay interested but also want to continue the story of the characters they have formed a bond with over the previous books..The story of Ian and Sierra has been developing slowly with each of the previous books in the Montana Rescue series and goes full force as they finally have their own story. Fans of Warren’s writing will not be disappointed. She has brought these characters to life more than any in the series so far and the tension was at a whole new level. With the PEAK rescue team, there is always tension with someone being in danger and the team having to work together to save them, but the danger here hit home with all the characters, and not just Ian and Sierra being in a tough spot. It is nice that these books come out quick enough together that readers aren’t left waiting too long to find out what is coming next. I recommend this book to readers that are wanting a great romantic suspense with heart and a story they will not be able to put down.

Lucinda's Secret~Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi | Review

Title: Lucinda's Secret (Spiderwick Chronicles #3)
Author: Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
Genre: Children's Fantasy
Length: 108
Release: October 2003

Review

Yet another fun adventure with Jared, Simon, and Mallory as they explore more of the faerie world. They meet their aunt Lucinda Spiderwick, hoping to find answers, but things might be more of a mystery than ever. What started out as a fun adventure is becoming more and more dangerous the more the children learn. 

For being such short stories, these really pack in a lot and manage to develop the characters very well. Each of the three siblings has their own distinct voice and you can pick that up as you read. You can also see how each of them deals with their frustrations over their situation and it makes them more relatable. 

This third installment escalates the mystery that has been building, making me eager to continue onto the penultimate novel.

Vanishing Point~Lisa Harris | Review

Title: Vanishing Point (Nikki Boyd Files #4)
Author: Lisa Harris
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Length: 322 Pages
Release: November 2017

A copy of this novel was received through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Review

Vanishing Point is the 4th and final book in the Nikki Boyd series by Lisa Harris. While the first three books follow Nikki's life and come from her perspective, this book starts about 10 years before the others and gets to the point of her sister's abduction, which is the reason that Nikki left her teaching career and went to the Police Academy, later joining the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's (TBI) Missing Persons task force. This is the driving point in all of the books - seeking to find what happened to her sister and helping other families in the same situation as hers at the same time. Although this book introduces new characters - those who were working the case when her sister was abducted - and works primarily around their story, the last 3rd of the book takes place in modern day. Though Nikki is more of a background character in this book, we still get some closure on her story - we find out how things turn out with Tyler (her love interest in the other books) and most importantly, we find out what happened to Sarah all those years ago. This book is filled with action, suspense, romance and deep emotional turmoil. The characters are well developed and easy to like and the book was very well written. Because of the suspenseful nature, it was a pretty quick read as well. While this one could easily stand alone and be enjoyed on its own basis, if you plan to read the other books, I would recommend reading this one last as it does spoil some of the major plot points in the other books. I really enjoyed this one and would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good clean romantic suspense/thriller.

The Seeing Stone~Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi | Review

Title: The Seeing Stone (Spiderwick Chronicles #2)
Author: Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
Genre: Children's Fantasy
Length: 108 Pages
Release: 2000

Review

This second installment in the Spiderwick Chronicles held up well with the first one. The characters were once again a great group to tag along with. Mallory, Jared, and Simon seem like real siblings that I am joining on these adventures. 

The plot continues to build on information we received in The Field Guide as Jared and his siblings delve deeper into the faerie world. And things are not always nice. This time we deal with goblins, trolls, kidnapping, and a few other unpleasant things. 

These are very magical and quite superbly written, so I don't want to delve too deeply into the story and plot. They might be for children, but anyone can enjoy them and I highly recommend that you give the series a read. I can already tell that I will revisit them many times in the future.

False Witness~Andrew Grant | Review

Title: False Witness (Detective Cooper Deveraux #3)
Author: Andrew Grant
Genre: Suspense
Release: January 2018

A copy of this novel was received through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review

Set in Birmingham, Alabama in the present day, the story involves the murder of two young women (and, later, a third) on their twenty-first birthdays. The only thing they seemed to have had in common was that they had both had babies that were given up for adoption at birth, and that they died on their twenty-first birthdays. Cooper Devereaux is the lead detective on the case. Devereaux is dealing with his own demons as he works his way through the evidence and the witness interviews to solve his case. His father had been a known criminal who had been killed by the police when Cooper was a child himself. The trauma resulting from his traumatic learning of his father’s death, and of his criminal record, led to a troubled childhood for young Devereaux. Thankfully, he was helped by the cop who had handled his father’s case, even to the extent of sponsoring Cooper’s entry into the Birmingham Police Academy. Unfortunately, Alexandra, his girlfriend and mother of his daughter Nicole, has learned of his troubled past and left him for the second time after an eight-year separation to think things through. 

The story is well-told. The action is consistently fast-paced. Because of the beginning of the novel readers will be pretty certain they know who the murderer is, but this is a police procedural story, and the police have not figured it out yet. At least, readers might think they know the identity of the killer. But they can’t really be sure. The author keeps us guessing right up to the end of the story, which has a few plot twists. The plot is easily able to hold your interest as Devereaux and his partner, working with an FBI agent and more-senior police officers grind through the complex, and sometimes contradictory, evidence. Unfortunately, more innocents must die before the murders are solved, but Devereaux does everything in his power to prevent that.

A Quiet Kind of Thunder~Sara Barnard | Review

Title: A Quiet Kind of Thunder
Author: Sara Barnard
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 Pages
Release: January 2017

I received a copy of this novel through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review

I was really excited to read this novel. A few years ago I became very interested in learning American Sign Language (ASL) in order to be able to communicate with the deaf community, so novels that include deaf characters are always intriguing to me. Note: This story takes place in the UK, so they use BSL instead of ASL. The main character is also selective mute, which I have been curious about for the past few months, so the overall concept of these two characters' lives connecting was an interesting one for me. 

Parts of this really worked for me and others did not. I will outline some of my likes and dislikes below. Although there are certain aspects of this that I don't like, I know that a lot of readers would enjoy this novel. 

What I liked

Steffi, our main character's, anxiety was presented really well and overall made her easy to relate to. I found myself able to relate to a lot of her thought processes and fears and appreciated that she had highs and lows as the story progressed. 

Rita, Steffi's dog. It was nice to have this grounding for Steffi and to see her at ease with Rita and the other animals she worked with at the shelter. 

I also really liked how being deaf, and the deaf community in general, was presented here. Rhys was a believable teenager and his struggles with finding his place in the world were completely understandable. 

Some of our side characters were fairly likable as well, particularly Steffi's dad (and her other parents), who, for the most part seemed like real individuals. 

What I didn't like

At times characters were introduced purely as plot devices, which I didn't like. This was mostly true of Rhys' friend Meg. 

While Steffi and Rhys had a mostly cute relationship, I didn't like how it seemed to quickly devolve to almost an entirely physical attraction. In the beginning they were getting to know each other and it was cute, but that didn't seem to last long. 

The overly clean ending was one of the more frustrating aspects of the novel. The conclusion was rather sudden and didn't have a lot of conflict. Steffi had just done things that she thought would bother her parents, she and Rhys had a somewhat negative experience together, and Tem, her best friend, was angry with her for various reasons. All of that was thrown at you there in the last 10-15% of the novel and the resolution happened within pages. It didn't make you think that everything was going to be perfect, but it also didn't give satisfactory resolution to the conflict. 

So overall this wasn't terrible, but I found myself being frustrated and annoyed rather than actually enjoying the story. The writing was also a little choppy for me. This started out well, but as I read it lost some of that initial spark and toward the end I just wanted to be finished. 

There were things that I liked, but overall this was not a favorite for me. 

The Field Guide by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi | Review

Title: The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles #1)
Author: Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
Genre: Children's Fantasy
Length: 112 Pages
Release: May 2003

Review

About a year and a half ago I found this entire five book series at a thrift store and decided to buy them. I didn't know much about the series, other than that there was a movie made, but for five bucks I decided to take a chance. And now, over a year later, I have finally started reading them. And I'm really glad I have. 

This first book is about the Grace children: Mallory, Jared, and Simon. Their lives have changed quite drastically in a short amount of time and they find themselves in a new home. Things get interesting when they hear things in the walls and Jared discovers a field guide to faeries. 

The plot is simple because this is focused toward children, but well detailed and clever. The writing is also really excellent and engaging. Although targeted at a younger audience, this can easily be enjoyed by adults. My sister and I read this first book together and plan to continue reading the series in the coming days/weeks. I hope that the remainder of the series holds the same charm as this first installment. 

We're excited to share these books with our six and seven year old niece and nephew, who we think will really enjoy the story and humor. 

The illustrations are also really great and should work well when trying to engage younger children in the story. I highly recommend this first book.

The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter~Michael J Sullivan | Review

Title: The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter (Riyria Chronicles #4)
Author: Michael J Sullivan
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 480 Pages
Release: December 2017

Review

"I have a friend and I think about killing him all the time."

"Oh, so you admit it now. We're friends?"

"I never said anything about you. Don't be so presumptuous."

Really, what is there to say that I haven't already highlighted in my reviews of the previous nine Riyria books I've reviewed on goodreads? Not a lot, aside from the fact that these stories never get old. You would think they might lose momentum, but they don't. 

This is the fourth installment in the Riyria Chronicles, which is a prequel series to the Riyria Revelations and tells various adventures of Royce and Hadrian before we meet up with them in that series. It also has some great connections with the main series, so there is always something to pick up on aside from the greatness of these two. 

Sullivan is excellent at creating great characters. Royce is, and will likely always be, my favorite of his characters, but there isn't a single one that I don't enjoy in some way. This novel introduces several that will likely never show up in any of the other stories, but they were all well rounded and really worked. 

If you have read the original Revelations series then you know that this story involves Genny, the Duchess of Rochelle, who was introduced in those stories. And I absolutely loved getting to know her better. She was interesting to me before, but this added a lot of depth to her character that I never would have guessed was there. 

And that brings me to another point: Sullivan has the bestfemale characters in fantasy. Seriously, I don't know how he creates them, because I have a hard enough time writing believable women and I'm a woman, but he does an excellent job. And Genny is just another great female added on top of a long list. 

If you've enjoyed the other stories with Royce and Hadrian you will likely enjoy this one as well. If you haven't read any of them yet--what are you doing? Go read them now. Right now. Christmas is in a week, ask for the entire set. Just do it now. And fall in love with Royce as much as I have. Hadrian is cool too.