Genre: Mystery

Slide by Jill Hathaway (Book Review)

Posted March 14, 2012 by Jana in Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 4 Comments

Slide by Jill Hathaway (Book Review)Slide by Jill Hathaway
Series: Slide #1
Published by Balzer + Bray on March 27, 2012
Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Suspense
Pages: 250
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth--her sister's friend Sophie didn't kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn't actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else's mind and experiences the world through that person's eyes. She's slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed "friend" when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie's slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can't bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting distant lately, especially now that she's been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

What an interesting take on a paranormal story, huh? A narcoleptic body snatcher on a quest to solve a murder she witnessed while inside and unknown killer. I was very excited to read this book, as I’ve heard great things about it. I liked it a lot, and was surprised (both positively and negatively) by the small details and plot elements of the story. As always, my main points are bolded. :)

1. The unique storyline was very well done and explained in great detail. The author did a great job describing the sliding process and what that meant for Vee. I almost felt like I was the one doing the sliding, because each event was painted out for us so well. These moments were my favorites of the book. I liked the opportunities Vee had to explore the people she thought she knew so well. It’s like she and I were both flies on the wall. Sneaky!

2. I was hooked very quickly. The reader is immediately submerged in the story. Time is not wasted mapping out every single detail, and things just keep on going from there. There’s not a lot of down time, and I was turning pages very quickly.

3. I liked Vee, but her personality is a bit forgettable. Perhaps the next book in the series will let us get to know her more, but this book focused so much more on all the supporting characters than the main one. I think this had a lot to do with the fact that Vee was sliding so much. Naturally, that would focus the story more on the people who are slid into rather than the one who does the sliding. What we do know about Vee is sad. She does not really discuss happy memories or fun times, so she’s kind of one-dimensional.

4. This book is much darker, heavier, and more emotional than I had expected. I’m not sure how I feel about this. When Vee is not sliding, she’s focused mainly on comforting other people or putting herself in tough situations to try and discover who the murderer is. Her little sister’s best friend is the victim of the murder, so Vee spends a lot of time trying to pull her sister out of a deep depression. The grief in this book is very real. The characters do a lot of mourning, which actually started to depress me a lot. This is not a light read.

5. I liked Rollins, the best friend. However, I’m starting to tire of the endless love triangles where the best friend is ignored for the bulk of the story. This storyline is getting a bit old, in my opinion. Rollins obviously cares about Vee a lot, and I think he’s really sweet. He has a hard home life and some secrets, which both add a lot more depth to him than any of the other characters. He and Vee bonded in a very special way long ago, and their relationship is sweet when they actually get to sit and have fun rather than worry about who will die next. Zane, the newcomer, is mysterious and exciting, but I don’t see why that automatically makes him the immediate love interest. I mean, if Rollins is the best friend, why does Vee start distancing herself as soon as someone new enters her life? Friends don’t do that, and I feel bad that best friends are frequently treated badly, or just flat-out ignored in books like this.

6. I loved how complex the storyline was. There was a ton of stuff going on, page-gripping suspense, lots of characters and emotions, interesting twists, and a really convoluted mystery. We’re constantly being introduced to new things, new people, new facts, etc.

7. The mystery was my favorite part of the story. It was not predictable like some mysteries are. I wanted so badly to find out what happened, and kept reading until I was done. Suspense and danger were involved, and I love it when books do that, rather than focus mostly on romance, with a little mystery on the side. The romance was definitely minimal, and not important to the story’s flow.

8. The book did not end in a cliff-hanger! I was worried that since this is book #1, it would end in a frustrating cliffhanger. Everything was resolved, though, which I liked. This novel could be a standalone. Hopefully book #2 does not ruin that!

Overall, this was an interesting, unique, and emotional read. It was darker than I had expected, but the mysteriousness of the book needed that. I actually liked the storyline and the sliding better than any other aspect of the book, including the characters and the romance. I’d recommend this to people who enjoy paranormal thrillers with a tiny bit of romance.


A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter (Book Review)

Posted March 8, 2012 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Blog Tour, Book Review / 3 Comments

A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter (Book Review)A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter
Series: Elemental Mysteries #1
Published by Self on October 18, 2011
Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher (Mail)
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"No secret stays hidden forever."

A phone call from an old friend sets Dr. Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery he'd abandoned years before. He never expected a young librarian could hold the key to the search, nor could he have expected the danger she would attract. Now he and Beatrice De Novo will follow a twisted maze that leads from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation they never could have predicted.

I was really excited to sign up for this book as part of the Elemental Mysteries Blog Tour, celebrating the third book’s release. The premise sounded pretty awesome. I loved the idea of the main character being a librarian, and there being such a focus on extremely old literature. And Giovanni is totally an Italian name, and combining that with the mention of Renaissance Florence, I was sold! Books and Italy. What more could I ask for? A Hidden Fire had its moments, but overall I was a little disappointed. It fell short of its potential, and I feel like it could have been so much better than it was.

1. The whole beginning is pretty mysterious. Beatrice is a librarian at the Houston University in the Special Collections reading room, picking up a new shift where she ends up spending time with Dr. Giovanni Vecchio, who is translating a very old document. He’s a unique person with a hidden past, and we go a while in the book before we find out who he is and why he’s connected to bunch of old literature. Beatrice is more to him than a librarian. Danger surrounds her, plus he’s developing feelings for her.

2. I liked the main characters. Beatrice is smart, shy, and bookish.She’s extremely level-headed, all things considered. I love her sarcasm and quick wit. I think we’d be friends. Giovanni is a sexy bad boy. He’s also very scholarly and is always reading or researching something. He’s also reclusive, with a very rich past that is coming back to haunt him. I loved the banter between the two of them. The sexual tension was definitely there. I just with they had done more with it.

3. The romance is kind of silly and unbelievable. You can tell Gio and Beatrice care about each other, but it’s weird. He treats her like a child he needs to protect, and she treats him like a knight in shining armor. They never really hash out their feelings or intentions. Sometimes they have to put on a steamy act in front of spectators, but then they avoid one another for quite a while after. They are always holding back, but never indicate to each other why. So they always appear to mad at the other, when in reality they are lusting after one another. It wasn’t really romantic to me. It was just frustrating and never really got resolved. I guess that’s book 2’s job.

4. The supporting characters were great. Gio’s butler, Caspar, is so sweet and grandfatherly, especially with Beatrice. He’s also very protective and caring towards Gio. He’s clearly part of the family. I love his cat, Doyle, as well. Caspar starts a cute little something up with B’s grandma, who is also a strong character with a lot of spunk. Gio has a friend named Carwyn, who is definitely my favorite character in this book. He’s a Welsh priest who has been around for quite a while, and has a lot of life experience. He’s funny, flirtatious, and becomes a great friend to Beatrice. He always seems to know how she’s thinking and feeling, and knows just what to say to put her mind at ease. I’m kind of envious of Beatrice. She has so many sweet men keeping an eye on her!

5. The settings were unique, and I liked them. I enjoyed all the library time, and it was fun to picture what everything looked like and smelled like. I love libraries! Gio’s house sounds pretty cool. We also get to explore Greece and Chile in this book, which was cool.

6. I laughed a lot. There was a lot of joking around, sarcastic remarks, flirtatious moments, and interesting tastes in clothing. The characters lovingly made fun of each other. It was refreshing, since the underlying story is a bit dark and dangerous.

7. I liked the incorporation of the elements (fire, earth, wind, and water). Each book in the series focuses on one, and this one obviously focused on fire. And I liked the paranormal elements. I’m not going to say what those are, for fear of spoiling things for you, but it’s an interesting twist.

8. Really, my only complaint is that some of the plot dragged on and on, and was rather repetitive. There was a lot of sitting around and talking, with not a lot of action until the last part of the book. This is a long book, yet the bulk of the story felt rushed at the end. Nothing was tied up for us.

I would recommend this to people who enjoy paranormal urban fantasies with a tiny bit of romance. I’m thinking book 2 will open things up a lot more, and I’m curious to see what happens next! Book 2 (This Same Earth) is already out, book 3 (The Force of the Wind) is out this month, and the concluding book (A Fall of Water) has a tentative release date in June of this year.

To visit more stops with reviews of books 2 and 3, interviews with the author and characters, book excerpts, and chances to win all three books, click here


Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry (Book Review)

Posted January 28, 2012 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 5 Comments

Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry (Book Review)Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry
Series: Troy Chance #1
Published by Broadway Books on February 22, 2011
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Mystery
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher (Mail)
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“If I’d blinked, I would have missed it. But I didn’t, and I saw something fall from the rear deck of the opposite ferry: a small, wide-eyed human face, in one tiny frozen moment, as it plummeted toward the water.”

When she witnesses a small child tumbling from a ferry into Lake Champlain, Troy Chance dives in without thinking. Harrowing moments later, she bobs to the surface, pulling a terrified little boy with her. As the ferry disappears into the distance, she begins a bone-chilling swim nearly a mile to shore with a tiny passenger on her back.

Surprisingly, he speaks only French. He’ll acknowledge that his name is Paul; otherwise, he’s resolutely mute.

Troy assumes that Paul’s frantic parents will be in touch with the police or the press. But what follows is a shocking and deafening silence. And Troy, a freelance writer, finds herself as fiercely determined to protect Paul as she is to find out what happened to him. What she uncovers will take her into a world of wealth and privilege and heedless self-indulgence—a world in which the murder of a child is not unthinkable. She’ll need skill and courage to survive and protect her charge and herself.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been able to read a good mystery. The first author I ever loved was Mary Higgins-Clark. Her mysteries made me fall in love with the genre, and I’ve been seeking out good ones ever since. When this book popped up in an e-mail to The Broke and The Bookish, I jumped at the chance to read it. It sounded so intriguing, and exciting. Picture this… you’re on a ferry, it’s crispy cold outside, and in the distance you see a bundle thrown off the back of another ferry at the exact moment you pass it. It could have been trash, right? Or a hoodie that blew off the deck. But no, you just can’t shake the feeling that it is so much worse than that. Without thinking you, not even a very good swimmer, jump into the frigid Lake Champlain and make a beeline for the diminishing ripples in the water where the mysterious bundle hit moments before. As you frantically search the murky waters around you, your eyes meet the eyes of a scared, drowning little boy. You grab him, swim a grueling one-mile swim, hoping to avoid the hypothermia creeping into your very bones, and pull him to the rocky shore. He’s not breathing, so you try to remember the CPR lesson you had a LONG time ago. You succeed. He’s breathing. As his eyes open, he looks at you, lets out a little sigh, rests his sleepy head on your arm, and murmurs, “Merci.”

This is what happens to small town newspaper journalist, Troy, on the way to visit her boyfriend. She scoops the little French-speaking guy up, runs to her car, warms him up, and tries to push away the fact that someone tried to murder this little boy. Using her very limited education in French, she learns from him that his name is Paul, he’s 6, he was kidnapped, and they killed his mom. Rather than turning him over to the police, she assumes the role of temporary mother and takes him home with her. As she learns more about him, she begins to search for his father, investigate the horrible kidnapping on her own, and finds a special place in her heart for him. The more searching she does, the more dangerous her simple life in Lake Placid becomes. She can’t let go, though. She has to know that Paul is safe, and she will do anything in her power to ensure he is.

OH MAN, right? I was hooked from the first line, “If I’d blinked, I would have missed it.” It totally sucked me in, and I read the entire thing on the way home from vacation. I really do love long car rides sometimes. No obligations but reading. The story was so unique. A six-year-old is not usually the most important character in a book, but Paul was definitely the star. He is incredibly sweet, impeccably well behaved, and cute as a button. I fell in love with this little guy, so I can totally understand why Troy did too. And yes, her name is Troy. It threw me for a while, but then I got used to it.

I really like Troy. She lives in Lake Placid with several men that rent rooms from her during high season. She’s one of the guys, but in a feminine way. They respect her, and she’s kind of like a mom to them even though they’re about her age. She has a brother who is a police officer in Florida, and she calls on him when she needs help. I loved reading about the process she went through to dig out information. She’s smart, brave, daring, fearless, and very likeable. I enjoyed reading her story (especially her bond with Paul, his dad, and their housekeeper), and she’s a great heroine who doesn’t whine when life gets tough.

The guys she lives with are hilarious. They act like stereotypical college athletes. Troy can’t keep food in the house, they have all kinds of funny things to say, and they really are just big softies. I really liked them. They were concerned about Troy, and were always willing to help her if she needed them.

The story was gripping, to say the least. The mystery was not a fast-paced as some I’ve read, but that actually made the story more believable to me. Troy ran into some snags, everyone was in some danger… but just enough to make it real. Some mysteries seem a bit too far-fetched to be taken seriously. This story could have happened. I am SO excited for the next book! Go buy this one. You’ll love it.


Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale (Book Review)

Posted January 16, 2012 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 3 Comments

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale (Book Review)Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale
Series: Austenland #2
Also in this series: Austenland, Christmas in Austenland
Published by Bloomsbury on January 31, 2012
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Mystery, Romance, Suspense
Pages: 277
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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When Charlotte Kinder treats herself to a two-week vacation at Austenland, she happily leaves behind her ex-husband and his delightful new wife, her ever-grateful children, and all the rest of her real life in America. She dons a bonnet and stays at a country manor house that provides an immersive Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors who cater to the guests' Austen fantasies.

Everyone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte isn't sure where roles end and reality begins. And as the parlor games turn a little bit menacing, she finds she needs more than a good corset to keep herself safe. Is the brooding Mr. Mallery as sinister as he seems? What is Miss Gardenside's mysterious ailment? Was that an actual dead body in the secret attic room? And-perhaps of the most lasting importance-could the stirrings in Charlotte's heart be a sign of real-life love?

Midnight in Austenland is the companion novel to Hale’s Austenland (read my review), which I have been gushing about across the Internet for EVER. Lucky for you, the release date was pushed up a few days, so you can grab yourself a copy of it even sooner than I had originally said! Oh, and I love the cover. It’s so pretty!

Austenland is one of my favorite books in life, so I knew it would take a lot to supersede (or even meet) my really high expectations for its companion. I went into this knowing that it was a companion novel and not a sequel, so I would not be reunited with my beloved characters from book 1. No biggie, I just miss them. Midnight focuses less on the romance, and more on an underlying murder mystery, which was pretty exciting (although the romance is totally there). It was a cute book, but I’ll always love the first one better. Seriously, though, when is the second book ever better than the first one? I think it all boils down to the fact that the heroine in Austenland (Jane) was so much better and more likeable than the one in Midnight (Charlotte). I still liked Charlotte, I just didn’t identify with her as much as I did Jane (seeing as how I’m not a divorced mother of two, but I am a closet Mr. Darcy Lover with a desire to hide my overly used BBC copy of P&P like Jane did.). I don’t have a ton to say about this book, but I broke up my thoughts into several different sections:

1. I loved the mystery/murder/suspense aspects that were woven throughout the book. It was a bit spooky, and I know I’m a chicken, but… I had a hard time reading after the family went to bed! When I started the book, I really was not expecting this. The characters sat around in the parlor playing mindless little games, and this mystery was a game initially. Then it broke out into the truth, and really blindsided everyone, including me.

2. The “Inner Thoughts” drove me nuts. The heroine’s inner thoughts speak to her a lot in this book, and she has frequent conversations with them. I hated it. It was so cheesy and done in a rather unnecessary, bulky sort of way. It was like she had multiple personalities that talked to each other. Kinda weird.

3. I did enjoy the romance. I ALWAYS enjoy the romance, and this love story is pretty dang cute. Charlotte is divorced, and her ex-husband recently re-married. So she decided to get away. The “resort” hires men to be love interests for the female paying customers. Just like in the first novel, a true romance bloomed… but a less predicable one. Hales is great at writing love stories. I would get butterflies in my stomach, like I was the one who was in love! Haha.

4. I love the idea of a themed vacation. I want to go find a company that actually does this, and book my trip! It would be so much fun to fly off to England, wear regency clothing, and live in an old mansion with chivalrous men hanging on your every word. Both Austenland and Midnight in Austenland made me feel like a vacation like that was really possible!  

If you loved the first one, I think you’ll really enjoy this one too. I recommend it to lovers of Jane Austen, a little mystery, and a sweet love story.