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amandasbookreview's Reviews (966)
I have been reading so many historical fictions lately. This thriller was a nice change of pace. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen is difficult to summarize because that will give away some major twists. The book is broken up into three parts. At the end of each part, there is a new revelation about the main characters. There is an obsessed ex-wife, a loving husband, and his innocent fiance. But is the ex-wife really obsessed? Is the husband loving? And is the fiance innocent? What is the truth in the dangerous love triangle?
This review will be awfully short. I can’t divulge much information without giving away spoilers. Overall, I enjoyed the characters. They were not what they seem. I loved not knowing what the characters were going to do next. The authors really know how to play with suspense. There were moments where I was completely tense but unable to stop reading. Unfortunately, I felt this novel is a bit wordy. Some moments were repetitive and would slow the pace of the novel down. There were even some moments that I felt were unnecessary. However, I will say that the ending is not predictable. I did not see it coming! If you enjoy thrillers, definitely check out this book.
Thank you Goodreads and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This review will be awfully short. I can’t divulge much information without giving away spoilers. Overall, I enjoyed the characters. They were not what they seem. I loved not knowing what the characters were going to do next. The authors really know how to play with suspense. There were moments where I was completely tense but unable to stop reading. Unfortunately, I felt this novel is a bit wordy. Some moments were repetitive and would slow the pace of the novel down. There were even some moments that I felt were unnecessary. However, I will say that the ending is not predictable. I did not see it coming! If you enjoy thrillers, definitely check out this book.
Thank you Goodreads and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
"This book is absolutely impossible to put down! The story is filled with action, suspense, and romance that will have readers swooning!"
Check out the rest of the review at:
http://magazine.indtale.com/magazine/2018/september/viewer/desktop/#page/66
Check out the rest of the review at:
http://magazine.indtale.com/magazine/2018/september/viewer/desktop/#page/66
"Dive into this incredibly detailed historical epic! The history is so precise and the characters so unique!"
Check out the rest of the review at:
http://magazine.indtale.com/magazine/2018/september/viewer/desktop/#page/62
Check out the rest of the review at:
http://magazine.indtale.com/magazine/2018/september/viewer/desktop/#page/62
I had never even heard of this book until I saw the Netflix preview. The preview showed many of my favorite actors from Downton Abbey. So naturally, my book club and I decided to read the book for August. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows simply grabbed me from the very first page. This story is told through a series of letters, mostly written Juliet. Juliet is an author and quite spirited. She soon learns of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society on the island of Guernsey and is just fascinated by the people. She corresponds with the members and learns about their brave founder, Elizabeth and all the hardships they endured during World War II. Soon she plans to visit the island of Guernsey to meet her correspondents. She is not prepared for how this trip will change her life forever.
Is there a word stronger than love? I cannot express how much I enjoyed this book. I am in fact tempted to read it all again, even though I just finished it a few hours ago. Within the first 20 pages, I just knew I loved Juliet. She is spirited and just absolutely delightful. She has a sharp wit about her in her letters. I love the relationships she has with those close to her. She does not hide her feelings. Her character development is just amazing, which really gives way to the true heroine of the story, Elizabeth. Goodness, her bravery, and tenacity go beyond all the other characters in the book. She not only changes the lives of those around her but changes Juliet's as well.
However, all the characters are truly delightful. They are all unique. One of the most powerful points of the story is how reading saved their lives during the war. Each character has a book or author that has a profound effect on them. Books mean the world to these characters and it truly shows how reading can be an escape.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars, but I would give it 10 if I could. This story touched my soul and will stay with me forever. I can't wait to watch the Netflix movie! I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance, historical fiction, or just books in itself.
Check out my other reviews at www.amandasbookreviewsite.wordpress.com
Is there a word stronger than love? I cannot express how much I enjoyed this book. I am in fact tempted to read it all again, even though I just finished it a few hours ago. Within the first 20 pages, I just knew I loved Juliet. She is spirited and just absolutely delightful. She has a sharp wit about her in her letters. I love the relationships she has with those close to her. She does not hide her feelings. Her character development is just amazing, which really gives way to the true heroine of the story, Elizabeth. Goodness, her bravery, and tenacity go beyond all the other characters in the book. She not only changes the lives of those around her but changes Juliet's as well.
However, all the characters are truly delightful. They are all unique. One of the most powerful points of the story is how reading saved their lives during the war. Each character has a book or author that has a profound effect on them. Books mean the world to these characters and it truly shows how reading can be an escape.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars, but I would give it 10 if I could. This story touched my soul and will stay with me forever. I can't wait to watch the Netflix movie! I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance, historical fiction, or just books in itself.
Check out my other reviews at www.amandasbookreviewsite.wordpress.com
I didn’t realize it at first, but A Daring Venture by Elizabeth Camden is the sequel to A Dangerous Legacy. Then I discovered that is a series!! The third book is set to release in February 2019! This second installment introduces Dr. Rosalind Werner, a biochemist, determined to stop deadly microorganisms in the water supply, like cholera. Cholera destroyed her family as a young girl and now she is determined to make sure it won’t happen to anyone else. When Rosalind and her associates discover a way, they are pushed back by the handsome Water Commissioner, Nick Drake. The last time we saw Nick in the first book he was just a plumber, now he is working his way up the ladder to provide for his daughter. Nick is apprehensive about Rosalind’s work but she will stop at nothing to make sure the water supply is clean. The only problem is that she may lose her heart to Nick in the process.
I really enjoyed the first book in the series, but I must say that this one is even better! I loved it all! I love how Elizabeth Camden writes such strong female characters. Rosalind is smart! However, due to the time period, Camden demonstrates the adversity many women face. Rosalind has figured out a way to prevent disease accumulating in the water supply but she is often viewed as just a pretty face. She is subjected to awful rumors to smear her reputation all because men don’t want to believe her. I think discussing this concept is so important and something that women still face today.
Then there is Nick. I am so torn about his character. He is kind and devilishly charming! However, he has his faults as well. However, his character development is absolutely wonderful. Nick and Rosalind also have amazing chemistry that will keep readers rooting for them, despite all the hardships they go through.
I love how Elizabeth Camden writes about such unique characters with unique jobs. At first glance, readers might think that the plot doesn’t sound that interesting. However, she writes with such detail and passion that it is impossible not to fall in love with the story. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars! This is just a delightful read with beautiful historical detail!
Thank you Bethany House for a copy of this book in an exchange for an honest review!!
I really enjoyed the first book in the series, but I must say that this one is even better! I loved it all! I love how Elizabeth Camden writes such strong female characters. Rosalind is smart! However, due to the time period, Camden demonstrates the adversity many women face. Rosalind has figured out a way to prevent disease accumulating in the water supply but she is often viewed as just a pretty face. She is subjected to awful rumors to smear her reputation all because men don’t want to believe her. I think discussing this concept is so important and something that women still face today.
Then there is Nick. I am so torn about his character. He is kind and devilishly charming! However, he has his faults as well. However, his character development is absolutely wonderful. Nick and Rosalind also have amazing chemistry that will keep readers rooting for them, despite all the hardships they go through.
I love how Elizabeth Camden writes about such unique characters with unique jobs. At first glance, readers might think that the plot doesn’t sound that interesting. However, she writes with such detail and passion that it is impossible not to fall in love with the story. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars! This is just a delightful read with beautiful historical detail!
Thank you Bethany House for a copy of this book in an exchange for an honest review!!
The Slave by Anand Dilvar is a spiritual self-help book mixed with fiction. The narrator is a John Doe, brought to the hospital after a car accident. The accident has left him in a coma but he can see and hear what is going on around him. During this time, he has spiritual conversations with his guide. His guide is a part of himself that has accessed and learned from all the knowledge over time. He is in the coma for over 8 months. He soon discovers that this girlfriend is pregnant with his child. Right when he discovers this, an evil nurse wants to turn off life support, harvest his organs and sell them. The narrator must come to terms with death and the concepts of life.
This spiritual manifesto asks several questions regarding life, morality and free will. The narrator and the guide talk about life and death, overcoming guilt, understanding love and the true purpose of life. The parts I found most interesting are when the narrator and the guide are discussing how everyone’s experiences are true but not true for anyone else. The way we experience life if different than anyone else. No one will ever have the same opinions, beliefs, and experiences as anyone else.
However, this book really didn’t dive into anything new. I feel that all the wisdom that is expressed in this short book has been said several times over. Not that the information isn’t important, it really is, but I have heard it all before. The conversations made up the majority of the book, while the plot made up very little. In that regard, the pacing of this book is extremely slow. If you are a spiritual person and are looking for a unique mix of self-help and fiction then this book is definitely for you. Overall, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.
Check out the rest of my reviews at www.amandasbookreviewsite.wordpress.com
This spiritual manifesto asks several questions regarding life, morality and free will. The narrator and the guide talk about life and death, overcoming guilt, understanding love and the true purpose of life. The parts I found most interesting are when the narrator and the guide are discussing how everyone’s experiences are true but not true for anyone else. The way we experience life if different than anyone else. No one will ever have the same opinions, beliefs, and experiences as anyone else.
However, this book really didn’t dive into anything new. I feel that all the wisdom that is expressed in this short book has been said several times over. Not that the information isn’t important, it really is, but I have heard it all before. The conversations made up the majority of the book, while the plot made up very little. In that regard, the pacing of this book is extremely slow. If you are a spiritual person and are looking for a unique mix of self-help and fiction then this book is definitely for you. Overall, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.
Check out the rest of my reviews at www.amandasbookreviewsite.wordpress.com
I received this book a beta read. The book is in its final stages of stages of publication and will be out in October! Keep an eye out for the cover reveal and in the meantime put this book on your Want to Read List. If you haven't read the series, there is still plenty of time to catch up!
Overall, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars! As always, Aviva Vaughn's story is filled with colorful characters, a little Jane Austen inspiration, good food and wonderful music!
***SPOILER ALERT: Do not read below this line if you don't like spoilers***
The story continues! Beckoned, Part 5: Adrift in Costa Rica by Aviva Vaughn picks up with a broken-hearted Soren. In Beckoned Part 4, Soren suddenly decides to fly to Los Angelos for his ex-girlfriend, Angela's book release party. He has a small sliver of hope that she might want to resume their relationship but she is madly in love with the bookstore owner, Kieran. At that moment Soren decides that he doesn't want to live his life the way his family expects him to...and that is where Part 5 begins! Soren finds himself in a small fishing village in Costa Rica. He learns to surf and meets the alluring Elena after a surfing accident. He didn't realize someone could encourage him, heal him and change him the way Elena has. However, not all is well in paradise as Elena has secrets of her own. Secrets to protect herself and her family. Can Soren and Elena break through the walls and see where this attraction leads?
Good heavens, Ms. Aviva Vaughn has done it again! I believe this has to be my favorite out of the whole series. I was distraught when Soren and Angela broke up. However, after being introduced to Elena, the pieces all come together. It isn't just the sexual chemistry between Elena and Soren that is unbelievable, it is the way they lift each other up. Soren is introduced to a whole new world and way of living. Because of this experience and meeting Elena, he learns and adapts. I love how far his character has developed since we met him in the first installment of the series. When we first meet Soren, he is stern and cold, kind, but cold. By the time he meets Elena, he is warm and actually living his life.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1 by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill takes place in Victorian London. Now, imagine many popular Victorian Literature characters coming together to join a superhero group of sorts. Yes. Wilhemina Murray as seen in Bram Stoker’s Dracula is approached by a government official named Bond to put a team together to go on missions for the sake of England. She is joined by Captain Nemo of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Allan Quatermain from King Solomon’s Mines, Dr. Henry Jekyll from Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Dr. Griffin from The Invisible Man. They believe they are working to help the government but they discover that it is someone known for their evil schemes.
Check out the rest of my review at:
amandasbookreviewsite.wordpress.com/2018/08/07/the-league-of-extraordinary-gentleman-vol-1-by-alan-moore-and-kevin-oneill-graphic-novel-review/
Check out the rest of my review at:
amandasbookreviewsite.wordpress.com/2018/08/07/the-league-of-extraordinary-gentleman-vol-1-by-alan-moore-and-kevin-oneill-graphic-novel-review/
“Perhaps when you helped someone to achieve happiness that you yourself would no longer experience, you also gained a small piece of that happiness.” -Yoav Blum, The Coincidence Makers
The Coincidence Makers is a unique story written by Yoav Blum. The readers are introduced to what looks like a college course informational sheet about setting up coincidences. There is a secret agency that is set up to determine someone’s future. Bring in, Guy, Eric and Emily, level 2 coincidence makers. They set numerous coincidences like bringing two people together in a relationship, or make an accountant realize that they were truly meant to be a poet. The general public is not aware of this agency and sees these moments as fate or destiny, however, because of Guy, Emily, and Eric, it is not fate. However, how does this life affect a coincidence maker? What happens to free will and true love?
I love the premise of this novel. The plot immediately intrigued me to the point where I did not want to put the book down. This book has a very intricate storyline filled with mystery and sudden twists. I really appreciate what the author wanted to convey in this story. There is this moment in the book when one of the characters puts reality and fate into perspective by saying that there are 8 billion people all making decisions at every moment that could affect another person, which affects another, and another and so on. That moment truly stood out to me while reading the book. Even the tiniest decision can alter the course of someone’s life.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t love the whole book. I felt I never really got to know the characters. They seem very one-dimensional. I felt he could have really taken this plot to the next level by making unforgettable characters. I wanted to be able to put this book down and just be in awe. However, that did not happen. Like I said, the premise was great but the execution left something to be desired. For this, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.
However, I truly encourage people to check this book out because there are many moments and quotes in the book that really make a person think!
Thank you, Goodreads and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The Coincidence Makers is a unique story written by Yoav Blum. The readers are introduced to what looks like a college course informational sheet about setting up coincidences. There is a secret agency that is set up to determine someone’s future. Bring in, Guy, Eric and Emily, level 2 coincidence makers. They set numerous coincidences like bringing two people together in a relationship, or make an accountant realize that they were truly meant to be a poet. The general public is not aware of this agency and sees these moments as fate or destiny, however, because of Guy, Emily, and Eric, it is not fate. However, how does this life affect a coincidence maker? What happens to free will and true love?
I love the premise of this novel. The plot immediately intrigued me to the point where I did not want to put the book down. This book has a very intricate storyline filled with mystery and sudden twists. I really appreciate what the author wanted to convey in this story. There is this moment in the book when one of the characters puts reality and fate into perspective by saying that there are 8 billion people all making decisions at every moment that could affect another person, which affects another, and another and so on. That moment truly stood out to me while reading the book. Even the tiniest decision can alter the course of someone’s life.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t love the whole book. I felt I never really got to know the characters. They seem very one-dimensional. I felt he could have really taken this plot to the next level by making unforgettable characters. I wanted to be able to put this book down and just be in awe. However, that did not happen. Like I said, the premise was great but the execution left something to be desired. For this, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.
However, I truly encourage people to check this book out because there are many moments and quotes in the book that really make a person think!
Thank you, Goodreads and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is a poignant novel that takes place during World War II. The book jumps back and forth between 1934 and 1944 and follows 6-year-old Marie-Laure LeBlanc and 8-year-old Werner Pfennig. Marie-Laure is blind by the age of 6 and lives with her father who is a locksmith. He works for a museum that is rumored to have a precious diamond called Sea of Flames. It is believed that the person who holds this stone will be alive forever but their family and loved ones will be afflicted with some disaster or accident. Werner Pfennig is an orphan who is fascinated with radios and proves to be quite talented with them. He is brought to a Nazi training school that is brutal and horrific. As both children grow during World War II and struggle to survive, unknown to them, their paths will soon cross.
Check out the rest of my review at:
https://amandasbookreviewsite.wordpress.com/2018/07/27/all-the-light-we-cannot-see-by-anthony-doerr-review/
Check out the rest of my review at:
https://amandasbookreviewsite.wordpress.com/2018/07/27/all-the-light-we-cannot-see-by-anthony-doerr-review/