Peeking Between the Pages

...escape into the pages of a good book

Just What Kind of Mother Are You? by Paula Daly (Audiobook)

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Goodreads Description

A searing and sinister thriller for readers who liked Gone Girl.

What if your best friend’s child disappears? And it was all your fault.

A searing and sinister thriller for readers who liked Gone Girl.What if your best friend’s child disappears? And it was all your fault. This is exactly what happens to Lisa Kallisto, overwhelmed working mother of three, one freezing December in the English Lake District. She takes her eye off the ball for just a moment and her whole world descends into the stuff of nightmares. Because, not only is thirteen-year-old Lucinda missing, and not only is it all Lisa’s fault, but she’s the second teenage girl to disappear within this small tightknit community over two weeks. The first girl turned up stripped bare, dumped on a busy high street, after suffering from a terrifying ordeal.

Wracked with guilt over her mistake and after being publicly blamed by Lucinda’s family, Lisa sets out to right the wrong. But as she begins peeling away the layers surrounding Lucinda’s disappearance, Lisa learns that the small, posh, quiet town she lives in isn’t what she thought it was, and her friends may not be who they appear, either.

My Thoughts

Yet another good psychological thriller. Lisa Kallisto is one of those moms who is torn in all directions being busy with family and work. That’s what leads her to, one day, forgetting that her daughter’s friend Lucinda was supposed to come and spend the night. She never thought of checking with her best friend Kate, Lucinda’s mother, because she assumed Lucinda would be home with her but she’s not. She’s missing and it’s all Lisa’s fault.

Lisa is having a hard time dealing with the overwhelming guilt but as she attempts to do what she can to help and to find Lucinda she begins to learn disturbing things about the town she lives in and the people she thought she knew. So what is real truth of Lucinda’s disappearance? The truth of it will rock Lisa’s world.

Audio Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book in audio. It is narrated by Laura Brattan and she does a fabulous job. I adore her British accent and for me it made the story even better.

Recommendation

Once again if you’re a fan of psychological thrillers here’s another good one to add to your list.

Source: Library Copy

Wednesday Book Love – The Glovemaker by Ann Weisgarber

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Every Wednesday I’m going to highlight a book I’m really excited about and hope you’ll pop in and tell me what you’re excited to read as well. This week my pick us The Glovemaker by Ann Weisgarber which releases on February 5; 2019. I’ve read and loved her previous two books The Promise and The Personal History of Rachel DuPree and can’t wait to sink into her new one.  There’s two different covers out there but I’m going to go with the Goodreads one.

Goodreads Description

In the inhospitable lands of the Utah Territory, during the winter of 1888, thirty-seven-year-old Deborah Tyler waits for her husband, Samuel, to return home from his travels as a wheelwright. It is now the depths of winter, Samuel is weeks overdue, and Deborah is getting worried.

Deborah lives in Junction, a tiny town of seven Mormon families scattered along the floor of a canyon, and she earns her living by tending orchards and making work gloves. Isolated by the red-rock cliffs that surround the town, she and her neighbors live apart from the outside world, even regarded with suspicion by the Mormon faithful who question the depth of their belief.

When a desperate stranger who is pursued by a Federal Marshal shows up on her doorstep seeking refuge, it sets in motion a chain of events that will turn her life upside down. The man, a devout Mormon, is on the run from the US government, which has ruled the practice of polygamy to be a felony. Although Deborah is not devout and doesn’t subscribe to polygamy, she is distrustful of non-Mormons with their long tradition of persecuting believers of her wider faith.

But all is not what it seems, and when the Marshal is critically injured, Deborah and her husband’s best friend, Nels Anderson, are faced with life and death decisions that question their faith, humanity, and both of their futures.

Goodreads Link
Pre-order on Amazon

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros – The Huntress by Kate Quinn

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Each Tuesday, Vicki from I’d Rather Be At The Beach, hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros.  This is a fun way to share your current read or reads with others and all you need to do is post the first paragraph or two of what you’re reading or going to read.  My pick is The Huntress by Kate Quinn which releases on February 26 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon now.

Prologue
Autumn 1945
Altaussee, Austria

She was not used to being hunted.

The lake stretched slate blue, glittering. The woman gazed over it, hands lying loose in her lap. A folded newspaper sat beside her on the bench. The headlines all trumpeted arrests, deaths, forthcoming trials. The trials held in Nuremberg , it seemed. She had never been to Nuremberg, but she knew the men who would he tried there. Some she knew by name only, others had touched champagne flutes to hers in friendship. They were all doomed. Crimes against peace. Crimes against humanity. War crimes.

Grabbed me from this first paragraph. How about you – would you keep reading?

Source: Uncorrected advance copy, final printed copy may be different.

Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding (Audiobook)

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Goodreads Description

The author of the bestselling novel The Party—lauded as “tense and riveting” by New York Times bestselling author Megan Miranda—returns with a chilling new domestic drama about two women whose deep friendship is threatened by dark, long-buried secrets.

Frances Metcalfe is struggling to stay afloat.

A stay-at-home mom whose troubled son is her full-time job, she thought that the day he got accepted into the elite Forrester Academy would be the day she started living her life. Overweight, insecure, and lonely, she is desperate to fit into Forrester’s world. But after a disturbing incident at the school leads the other children and their families to ostracize the Metcalfes, she feels more alone than ever before.

Until she meets Kate Randolph.

Kate is everything Frances is not: beautiful, wealthy, powerful, and confident. And for some reason, she’s not interested in being friends with any of the other Forrester moms—only Frances. As the two bond over their disdain of the Forrester snobs and the fierce love they have for their sons, a startling secret threatens to tear them apart…because one of these women is not who she seems. Her real name is Amber Kunick. And she’s a murderer.

In her masterful follow-up to The Party, Robyn Harding spins a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal, asking the question: Can people ever change? And even if they can, is it possible to forgive the past?

My Thoughts

Oh my I really liked this book! Of course it’s another psychological thriller. Eight and a half hours just flew by as I listened to this one. I promise to start reviewing something other than thrillers for you all though. It’s probably time for me to mix things up a bit before I hit a slump. I can’t see it though. This genre is right up my alley. Very few are boring and listening to them is like having a movie play in my head.

Anyhow let’s move on to the book. Frances Metcalfe has her hands full with her son who has a few issues. When he’s accepted into Forrester Academy she thinks that this will be the turning point for him. It’s an uppity school and Frances struggles to fit in with her low self-esteem. Things don’t get much better when her son does something that makes it even harder, if not impossible for her to ever fit in.

And then she meets Kate Randolph. Kate embodies everything that Frances would like to be. She’s beautiful, confident and couldn’t care less what others think of her. With Kate, Frances finally starts to feel better. They form a strong friendship as do their sons. Yet there’s another side to Kate that Frances struggles with. As time goes on it becomes clear that there are long buried secrets lurking everywhere. Is Frances who she seems? Is Kate? Or are neither of them really the women they portray to the outside world?

Audio Thoughts

This was a fantastic audio. Yet another one I couldn’t and didn’t want to stop listening to. It’s narrated by some fantastic narrators as anyone who listens to audios will know. They are definitely three of my favourites: Cassandra Campbell, Rebekkah Ross and Kirby Heyborne. Need I say more – no I didn’t think so but I will. These three made a really good book even better!

Recommendation

Yes! The audio version is great and I’m sure the book would be as well. I listened to The Party by this author a while back and loved it as well. She’s definitely on my list of authors to watch!

Source: Personal copy.

Sunday Ramblings

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Happy Sunday all!  What has everyone been up to this weekend?  Ours has been a quiet one but that’s exactly what I like. Walking the dog and relaxing with books or tv is an awesome way to spend a few days. Last weekend was horrible here.  We got well over a foot  of snow.  It just kept falling and falling.  Poor little Sam doesn’t do so well without us shovelling paths for him.

As you’ve seen from the past week I’ve been getting back into blogging. I hope to keep it up this time around. I’ve missed it and really I’ve missed the connections I had to everyone in the community. So the past week was a busy one with these reviews going up:

I Know You by Annabel Kantaria (Audiobook)
Keep Your Friends Close by Paula Daly (Audiobook)
Wednesday Book Love – The Huntress by Kate Quinn
The Ex-Wife by Jess Ryder (Audiobook)

I’m currently listening to When You Find Me by P.J. Vernon narrated by Amy McFadden and Bahni Turpin. It doesn’t get any better when you have a good book and two narrators you really like. I’m reading The Huntress by Kate Quinn and I Invited Her In by Adele Parks which releases February 5/2019. Both are very good so far.

As far as television goes I have a few series going on. I’m watching Parenthood which I really like and Orphan Black which is really good as well. I’m really hoping to get out next weekend to see the new Clint Eastwood movie The Mule. I’ve always really liked him and I’m so looking forward to seeing it.

That’s it for me this week. I’m going to settle in and finish my audiobook and have some coffee. Pop in and let me know what you’re reading or watching. I’m always on the lookout for new books or good shows. Hope you all have a great week ahead!

The Ex-Wife by Jess Ryder (Audiobook)

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Goodreads Description

You’ve got everything she wants …

Newly married Natasha has the perfect house, a loving husband and a beautiful little girl called Emily. She’d have it all if it wasn’t for Jen, her husband’s ex-wife who just won’t leave them alone …

Then Natasha returns home one day to find her husband and Emily gone without trace. Desperate to get her daughter back, Natasha will do anything even if it means accepting an offer of help from Jen. But can she trust her? And do either of them really know the man they married?

If you loved The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl or The Couple Next Door then this dark, twisting psychological thriller from Amazon chart bestseller Jess Ryder is guaranteed to have you gripped.

My Thoughts

The Ex-Wife was another great listen for me. I love the minds that think up these great storylines for psychological thrillers. I love the audios I can start in the morning and absolutely have to finish by the end of the day because I can’t stop listening.

Natasha is living the life she’s always dreamed of. She’s married to her wonderful husband Nick and now they have their daughter Emily not to mention a beautiful home. The only thorn in Natasha’s side is Nick’s ex-wife Jen who all of Nick’s family thought was perfect. A title Natasha does not hold in their eyes.

Everything in her life comes to a screeching halt when she learns that Nick has failed to drop their daughter off at pre-school. She rushes home  only to find that Nick is gone along with her daughter. Natasha has no idea where to turn but she’s even willing to turn to Jen for help if she has to but how can she trust that woman.

Audio Thoughts

I’ve seen the audio didn’t have the best reviews on Audible but I can’t figure out why. I really enjoyed it and thought the narrator, Annette Chown, did a great job. I liked her tone and enjoyed listening to her.

Recommendation

There are a lot of twists and turns in this book that certainly kept me guessing and trying to figure out just what was going on. It was an enjoyable listen for me and if you like psychological thrillers add this one to your list!