Keep You Close by Karen Cleveland – Review

Published on July 25, 2019July 24, 2019 by Rukky @ Eternity Books3 Comments

Welcome guys! Today’s review is of Keep You Close by Karen Cleveland. This was an interesting and quick thriller with an intriguing conspiracy plot and meh characters. I originally gave this 4 stars, but I’ve reduced my rating to 3.

Book: Keep You Close

Author: Karen Cleveland

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Summary: Stephanie Maddox makes tough decisions every day. She has her hands full heading the FBI’s Internal Investigations division, policing wrongdoers within the Bureau. But, as a single mother, the most important thing in her life is her teenage son Zachary, who’s anxiously awaiting college acceptance letters. So when she discovers a gun concealed in Zach’s room, her world reels. And then an FBI agent on the domestic terrorism squad shows up at her door and utters three devastating words: “It’s about Zachary. . . .”

Has she been wrong about her near-perfect son? Is Zach embroiled in something criminal–something deadly? And, if so, what is her greater duty: To protect him? Or to protect her country?

*Plot. I was completely engrossed in the novel and didn’t want to put it down. The conspiracy plot was intriguing and a lot bigger than a simple terrorist plot. I couldn’t figure out who was or wasn’t guilty. There was a lot of action which also made this a fantastic thriller. Steph’s past helped enhance the story and added a lot of suspects.

*Steph. Stephanie Maddox is an FBI agent who is the head of the Internal Investigations unit. She doesn’t have many friends, and she is estranged from her son, though she likes to believe otherwise. Her world swiftly comes crashing down and I sympathized with her a lot and really wished that there was a way for her to get out of this mess. Her broken relationship with her mother also meant that she didn’t have any real support besides her self.

*The Ending. I, personally, felt as though the ending could have been wrapped up more neatly, or at least an epilogue could have been added so that we could find out what eventually happened to the characters.

*Zach & Steph’s Mom. I didn’t like either of them at all. Zach was annoying, and though I understand why he was drifting away from his mom, I felt like he should have told her what he did, especially after all she’d done for him. Steph’s Mom was kind of judgmental in my opinion, so I didn’t like her either.

*Characters. This book was more about the plot than it was about the characters. That isn’t necessarily bad, but I would have liked the story to explore Steph’s character, and maybe Scott’s as well. But the mystery is great nonetheless!

In the end, I liked this, I would recommend it if you’re looking for a quick thriller, and I hope you enjoy it if you read it! The characters were okay, the plot and mystery intense, and there was a lot of action. It is also relatively short so you can read it quickly. I originally had this as 4 stars, but I’m going to bring it down to 3.

One sentence summary: A quick thriller with okay characters.

Overall, 3 stars

★★★☆☆

Have you read Keep You Close? Did you like it? Have you read any other books by Karen Cleveland? Let’s chat in the comments below!

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing – Review

Published on June 24, 2019June 25, 2019 by Rukky @ Eternity Books8 Comments

Hi friends. Today, I will be reviewing My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing. This was a disturbing, yet amazing read. I found it a bit similar to a book I’ve already read, but it was still interesting and unique in it’s own way.

Book: My Lovely Wife

Author: Samantha Downing

Rating: ★★★★☆

Summary: Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We’re your neighbors, the parents of your kid’s friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.

Some spoilers are marked and hidden!!

Quote: “But I keep my mouth shut, because that’s what friends do. We don’t point out each other’s faults unless asked.”

*The Husband. At first, I was annoyed by the way he was narrating the story, but I eventually got used to it, and began to enjoy his POV. His true name is never mentioned, and his alias is Tobias, however, I decided to call him, The Husband. He is like any other father in his rich neighborhood, teaching golf at the local club, with a wife who is a realtor and two kids. However, his secret hobby is murder. As the story continued, I sympathized with him, and also tried to make excuses for him in my head. By the end of the book, I was rooting for him, which makes me just a tad bit worried about my mental health 😉

*Millicent. She was an interesting character who was constantly full of surprises. She also seemed to be the main brains behind the murders, and a bit controlling of her husband. But what can you expect from a serial killer? Though I didn’t like her, it was interesting to learn about her through her husband’s POV.

*Mystery and Plot. The mystery wasn’t much of a mystery, since we already knew who did it and why – well, you think you know why. I was surprised how things turned out, and couldn’t guess the ending. There was a good amount of suspense, and I was also constantly worrying that Millicent and her husband would get caught which I guess I should have been happy about, but I was still nervous. Most of the book wasn’t very fast-paced, but the end was more of a thriller.

Quote: “You didn’t think we were going to stop, did you?”

*The Husband is a bit stupid. Honestly, I don’t plan murders, and I stay on the right side of the law, yet I felt like I knew that he shouldn’t have made such a ridiculous mistake. I think it’s a bit of a spoiler, so I’m going to hide it in the drop-down.

SPOILER!! BEWARE!! Do not click the arrow unless you want to reveal the spoiler!

After Trisha (?? I think that’s her name) told him that she dated Owen, and she gave some details about his house, The Husband wrote a letter, pretending to be Owen and used pretty much the exact same words to prove that he is indeed Owen and not a copycat. I expected Trisha to notice that those exact words had been used and that that would have been The Husband’s downfall. It seemed very obvious to me that he should not have done that.

*Justice. I personally would have liked for The Bad Guy to suffer a lot more than they did at the end of the book, but I guess justice was still served in its own way.

*Similarities. After I finished reading the story, it occured to me that this book was a bit similar to another book I have read, especially with the ending twist. You can see which book in the drop down below!

SPOILER!! BEWARE!! Do not click the arrow unless you want to reveal the spoiler!

I think it was similar to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Both wives got cheated on, and then they planned an elaborate revenge that included framing the husband for a crime they didn’t commit. However, while I liked My Lovely Wife, I didn’t like Gone Girl.

Quote: “My name is not Tobias. I use that name only when I want someone to remember me.”

Overall, I liked this, I would recommend it, and I hope you enjoy it if you read it. This was a dark and twisted thriller with an unconventional narrator and a surprising ending. For a debut thriller, I think Ms. Downing did a very good job.

One sentence summary: A twisted and surprising thriller, with an unusual narrator.

Overall, 4 stars!

★★★★☆

Have you read My Lovely Wife? What did you think? Have you read any other thriller from the point-of-view of the killer? Let’s chat in the comments below!

No Exit by Taylor Adams – Review

Published on April 26, 2019June 25, 2019 by Rukky @ Eternity Books8 Comments

Welcome back friends! Today, I’m going to review No Exit by Taylor Adams. This was a short action-packed thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I liked the main character Darby and was cheering for her the whole way. It was also gruesome and definitely not for the faint of heart.

Book: No Exit

Author: Taylor Adams

Rating: ★★★★☆

Summary: A brilliant, edgy thriller about four strangers, a blizzard, a kidnapped child, and a determined young woman desperate to unmask and outwit a vicious psychopath.

A kidnapped little girl locked in a stranger’s van. No help for miles. What would you do?

On her way to Utah to see her dying mother, college student Darby Thorne gets caught in a fierce blizzard in the mountains of Colorado. With the roads impassable, she’s forced to wait out the storm at a remote highway rest stop. Inside, are some vending machines, a coffee maker, and four complete strangers.

Desperate to find a signal to call home, Darby goes back out into the storm . . . and makes a horrifying discovery. In the back of the van parked next to her car, a little girl is locked in an animal crate.

Who is the child? Why has she been taken? And how can Darby save her?

Some spoilers are marked!

Quote: “There’s refuge in normalcy — if you can hold onto it.”

*Thriller. This. Was. A. Thriller. My heart was pounding through-out the story and it was so “edge of your seat” amazing that I went from my bed to the floor. I’d suggest you not read this before bed.

*Darby. I really liked reading about Darby’s struggle to save the kidnapped girl. Her pain and suffering was immense and yet she still came back and fought to save her. I kind of related to her, since she felt it her responsibility to save the girl herself. I probably would have done the same thing and it made the story more “real”.

*Setting. If you are caught in a winter-storm, dubbed Snowmageddon, and you see a tiny hand moving in a crate in the back of a truck, what would you do? The setting of this story was amazing. Dark, cold, snowy, it all added to the level of despair and made Darby’s attempt to save the girl even harder. I loved the atmosphere and it really enhanced the story!

*Gruesome. This was VERY painful. The amount of pain and torture shocked me and in a twisted way, added to my enjoyment of the story (no I’m not weird….or am I?). I felt the pain of the characters, and the agony that they were in, since it was described and it hurt. Trust me, after this, you will be terrified of door hinges, rest stops, and nail guns for life.

*Short. This book is short, and that helped because I wouldn’t have been able to put it down had it been a long novel. I got through it in about two and a half hours and I still enjoyed it.

Quote: “Sometimes God puts people exactly where they need to be. Even when they don’t know it.”

*Implausible? At the end, there is a shocker, and if you’d like you can read a spoiler below, but I thought that the end was quite implausible.

SPOILER

Darby was shot at, with both a gun and nail gun, had two of her fingers smashed in a door hinge, was out in Snowmageddon for several hours, had been doused in gasoline, twisted or maybe broken her leg, and in general, been battered and hurt about a thousand times, yet she still survived? During the ending, it seems as though she died, however, if you read it twice, you can see that they are talking about her mother who also died on that day from cancer (that’s why she was driving in Snowmageddon anyway). I just think that it is a little of a stretch because she’d been shot, and her fingers had been smashed and she’d lost A LOT of blood, she was NOT wearing a coat, and she’d been running up and down in the cold and well, I really think that she couldn’t have possibly survived (though it would have been nice, but it’s not plausible).

*Gruesome. I also added gruesome in The Bad section because I think that it was a little too much and could have been turned down a notch. But I think it was bearable.

Quote: “Darby preferred to live her life wide-eyed, tormented, running, because nothing can catch you if you never stop.”

Overall, I really enjoyed this, though I’m shifting my original five stars, down to 4. It was an amazing and thrilling ride and I’d definitely recommend it. However, be warned that it is gritty and gruesome and might be too much for some people. This book will probably end up on my” Favorite books of 2019″ list.

One sentence summary: An action-packed thriller with a determined, and courageous main character.

Overall, 4 shining stars!!

★★★★☆

Have you read No Exit? What did you think? Have you read any other books by Taylor Adams? Let’s chat in the comments below!

One of Us is Lying By Karen M. McManus – Review

Published on February 21, 2019February 18, 2019 by Rukky @ Eternity Books9 Comments

Welcome back to another book review! Today, I shall be reviewing One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus. This novel had a very interesting plot, amazing characters, and a twist that blew me away. I gave it five super shining stars.

Book: One of Us is Lying

Author: Karen M. McManus

Rating: ★★★★★

Summary: Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
AndSimon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

Quote: “Things’ll get worse before they get better.”

The Good:

Characters. Maeve and Nick are my favorite characters in this book. Maeve because she is super nerdy and loves to hack anything and everything! Nick because he is the wonderful bad boy with a broken home and no family to speak of. ~~(is it bad that I love any character who is a criminal and comes from a broken home?)~~ Bronwyn and Addy were okay. I really felt for Cooper after his secret came out. People can be very petty and nasty sometimes.

Plot. The idea of five kids in a room together when one of them dies and the others are suspects in his murder is amazing. It builds tension, and a sense of distrust, especially since everyone in that room had a good reason to want the last kid (Simon) dead. Simon annoyed me because he’s such a gossipy meddler. My private life is my private life and I see no reason for you to publish it for the world to see. And considering how toxic high-school can be, he is one cruel character. People make mistakes and they should be allowed to learn from them without it being broadcast to the world.

THAT ENDING!!!! I was completely blown away, and shocked. I wasn’t able to guess it and I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t be able to either. I don’t know what I was doing when I didn’t want to read this before..😭😭

Suspense. The tension in this book was super high. At times in the story, you will question everyone’s motives and you’ll wonder whether your previous thoughts about who or who didn’t killed Simon were correct.

Favorite quote:

“Bronwyn Rojas, I solemnly swear not to murder you today or at any point in the future. Deal?”
“You’re ridiculous,” she mutters, going even redder.
“It concerns me you’re avoiding a promise not to murder me.”

Quote: “I know what it’s like to tell yourself a lie so often that it becomes the truth.”

The Bad:

How the mystery was solved. I’m a little skeptical about how X (I’m not gonna ruin it, you’ve gotta read it to know who I’m talking about) connected all the dots when no one else did. It was just too easy, ~~and maybe I’m just jealous that I wasn’t able to connect them before X did.~~

Quote: “That’s the kind of person you can get away with killing: someone everybody else wants dead.”

The Wrap:

In the end, I loved this, I’d definitely recommend it, and I hope you love it if you read it!

One sentence summary: A suspense filled novel with an amazing twist and shocking ending.

Overall, five outstanding stars.

Have you read One of Us is Lying? What did you think of it? Did that ending blow you away like it did to me? Let’s chat in the comments!

The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti – Review

Published on February 7, 2019February 7, 2019 by Rukky @ Eternity Books4 Comments

Hi guys! How are you doing today? ~~I’m fine, in case you asked~~. Today’s review is of The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti. I gave this four stars because the end surprised me even though I was pretty sure I knew who villain was.

Book: The Vanishing Year

Author: Kate Moretti

Rating: ★★★★☆

Summary: Zoe Whittaker is living a charmed life. She is the beautiful young wife to handsome, charming Wall Street tycoon Henry Whittaker. She is a member of Manhattan’s social elite. She is on the board of one of the city’s most prestigious philanthropic organizations. She has a perfect Tribeca penthouse in the city and a gorgeous lake house in the country. The finest wine, the most up-to-date fashion, and the most luxurious vacations are all at her fingertips.

What no one knows is that five years ago, Zoe’s life was in danger. Back then, Zoe wasn’t Zoe at all. Now her secrets are coming back to haunt her.

As the past and present collide, Zoe must decide who she can trust before she—whoever she is—vanishes completely.

Quote: “There is endless psychological research on evil people. But in my experience the average sociopath has no idea they are wrong. They’re born this way, not made.”

The Good:

*Secrets. This is kind of like a typical story of a wife keeping secrets about her past from her husband and vice versa, and then it all explodes in everybody’s face. The MC, Zoe Whittaker has just hosted a successful dinner for a charity when she gets a blast from the past. Her roommate happened to be at the dinner and she recognizes Zoe’s past self, formerly named Hilary Lawlor. Everything goes from bad to worse from then on.

*Characters. Zoe’s former best friend, Lydia, is somebody I kind of want for a friend too. She’s understanding, sarcastic (I imagine her to be), and this amazing force that you can’t tame. She’s so wild and it’s pretty sad that she doesn’t get much attention in this book. Zoe herself is okay. I understood the mess in her life, and I sympathized with her a lot. Cash was meh at best. I didn’t really like him, but I didn’t hate him either. Henry is subtly overprotective. Zoe doesn’t do anything that she actually wants to do because she always worries, what will Henry think?

*The end. Even though at around the 70 to 80% mark I was pretty sure I knew who the bad guy was, I didn’t know how, or why. So I felt really sick when I found out. The ending was full of so much tension, I felt so much for Zoe, and good job Ms. Moretti for making it good even though I thought it would be meh at best.

Quote: “The greatest risk is not taking one.”

The Bad:

*Dates. The days didn’t jump around much, but when they did, I was left confused because, let’s be honest here: how many of you read the date that is posted under the chapter heading? Especially when it’s just listing the days like, Monday 26, Monday 27, Monday 28, etc…? I don’t, so when the story jumps back a few years, I have to go back to find out what exactly is going on.