Mary, Mary by James Patterson

Alex Cross thinks he is finally able to get a nice vacation away with his family. After catching The Wolf, he tries to take some time off and visits Disney Land in California with his kids and Nana Mama.

Then he gets the call.

Famous women in California are turning up dead after being brutally murdered. A gun shot wound to kill them, and grisly slashes across their faces to take their beauty away.

Even more disturbing, they are all mothers. The killer doesn’t harm anyone else in the family, only the women and leaves a strange signature of children’s stickers that are the letter A, A, B.

The person behind the killings – Mary Smith. The killer has been writing emails to a local newspaper writer detailing the killings and why they have happened. They don’t include all of the details though. The details are special. They are the killer’s story.

Who is Mary Smith?

Is Mary Smith even a female at all? The LAPD seem to be convinced it is a woman carrying out these crimes. Based on the email signatures and one single piece of hair found at only one murder site, which is all they need to be convinced that they are dealing with a female serial killer.

Alex Cross isn’t convinced.

The Storyteller

The story teller is the one committing the murders. The storyteller is very interesting character because of how they handle themselves.

Being afraid before committing murders

Getting upset about committing some

Ultimately getting addicted to killing

I was honestly shocked to read who the killer was. I was not expecting it at all. I think I may have entertained the idea earlier in the book but then forgot about it.

It was an interesting twist in the story.

This was one of the better books I have read in awhile as well. The story line is crazy, the murders are brutal, and it really keeps you guessing up until the very end.

And what more could you ask for than a bad ass fight scene where Alex is just awesome?

This is a high point in the series. It is emotional, hectic, and shocking.

5/5 Stars.

Memorable quote: "'I thank God for you every single day of my life, Alex, and I thank him for letting me raise you, and see you turn into the man you did. But I want you to think about why you came to me in the first place, what was going on between your poor parents before they died. Simply put, Jannie and Damon and Ali deserve better than you had. Don't make them orphans, Alex."

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Soul on the Run by Robin Korth

Soul on the Run is a book of self-discovery; A story of coming from a dark and damaged path to finding hope and light in life.

It is not a book that is going to sugarcoat everyday struggles, and that is apparent from the very beginning. The introduction sets the tone for what Robin Korth has to say to her readers.

Soul on the Run is basically a collection of the author’s thoughts and feelings about different things in life. They are little tid-bits of suggestions, advice, or questioning.

I think I expected a bit more out of this. Instead of just little thoughts, I thought she was going to talk about her life experiences and how she recovered.

I think that may have been the intention of this, but it sort of gets lost. It seems more like a pick-me-up book rather than a book about coming out of the dark to see the light.

One good point I found form this book is that the author is directly talking to the reader. You can almost hear a voice behind the words. It makes reading the book very personal, and some people may need that if they are going through a rough time and are seeking some sort of guidance.

I received an advanced review copy, so the final piece is not out yet. When it is released, I would like to see some nice formatting on the pages. Since there is so much white space available on the pages, there is a chance for some nice framing and typography to be added.

Whether this is going to happen or not, I do not know.

Overall, from the intro, I was expecting a bit more from this book.

3/5 stars

Memorable Quote: “To truly hate another human being, we must have a dead spot within ourselves.”

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HOT DEAL: River of Desire by J.K. Winn

An exciting new release from one of my favorite authors! 

River of Desire is available on Amazon for .99 for a couple of days only!

I have not read the book yet, but it is going to be read and reviewed within the up coming weeks. 

Knowing J.K. Winn's previous work, I would definitely recommend picking up a copy while it is on sale. I highly doubt you will be disappointed. 

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Synopsis:

Imagine traveling deep into the Amazon Jungle, where every step is a struggle through thick undergrowth, any rock or tree may mask a venomous creature and somewhere, at some time, you will run up against a mysterious Hemorrhagic Fever.
River of Desire tells the tale of Leah Roberts, a reporter on assignment in Peru, who hires professional guide, Dylan Hart, to escort her into the Amazon jungle on the trail of a deadly Hemorrhagic Fever. On the river, Leah and Dylan encounter treacherous rapids and carnivorous creatures, but what they fear most is the attraction growing between them. Their travels finally lead them to a reclusive doctor who holds the answer to the sudden appearance of the lethal viral strain.
Don’t expect the ordinary when you begin a trip down the River of Desire. So, hop on board the boat and take a thrilling, sometimes life threatening, but always action-packed ride down the mighty Amazon with Leah and Dylan, who face daunting adventures, but know that love is the most amazing adventure of all.

Previously authored under the name J.S. Winn, here are my reviews of her previous titles

Out of the Shadow

The Spirit Keepers

London Bridges by James Patterson

London Bridges was full of the action and drama I expect from an Alex Cross book. The past couple had taken a little of that away; they were more about Alex and Sampson’s personal lives with a side of action and crime fighting.

In London Bridges, two of Alex’s worst customers team up to cause mass destruction for seemingly no other reason than being terrorists. The Weasel and The Wolf are back and they are stronger than ever.

Alex has a few days and a strict deadline to meet The Wolf’s monetary demands, or major cities around the world will be blown to pieces. With the weight of that and trying to keep his family happy on his shoulders, Alex has to fight through the stress and keep his mind focused on catch The Weasel and The Wolf.

The Wolf is one of the most dangerous villains Cross has ever come up against. Even with him being crazy and mysterious, I just really couldn’t like him as a villain. I liked the story line of Alex trying to figure out the case, but The Wolf himself was kind of uninteresting to me.

But, on the other hand, he was also super mysterious and it made me want to know who he was and why he was so set on causing to harm to so many people.

I have to say I was pretty disappointed by the end of the book. Alex finally encounters The Wolf, but we as readers learn absolutely nothing aside from a name. If the next book doesn’t at least give some follow up story then I am pretty confused as to why The Wolf was around for two whole novels.

Spoiler for my reason under the read more further down the page

4/5 I really liked this book, but I still don’t really understand The Wolf, and depending on how the next one starts, the ending seemed like a bit of a cop-out

Also, I already have a HUGE fear of bridges, so reading about bridges being blown up wasn't the most delightful thing in the world!

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Read ahead for spoilers!

Dream by Kyra Selby

Dream is best described as a magical young-love story.

Dream is about two individuals being drawn together under unique circumstances. They are as close to soul mates as you can get.

Miles has been dreaming of Ava for the last four years. Coincidentally, the dreams started after tragic events in both of their lives.

When Ava moves into town and Miles sees her for the first time, he feels like he is seeing a ghost.

After the initial shock wears off, they become inseparable. They are drawn together and cannot get enough of each other. The funny thing is, both of them have doubts about how the other feels about them.

Once the truth comes out about Miles’s dreams about Ava after a near-death experience for her, everything about their relationship begins to make sense and it becomes stronger than ever.

The first half seems to be a character build up for both Ava and Miles. Pixie and Jesse are the supporting characters here and add to the story with friendly dialogue and party experiences.

There is not much action between Ava and Miles in the first have, but from reading the excerpt it was evident that things change for those two eventually.

It is a cute story from the beginning. It is nice for a young adult novel. Sometimes a cute young love story is a nice break from some denser books you may pick up to read.

It was written really well aside from a few spelling mistakes. One more round of editing and it will be good to go.

The characters were really well rounded. Even Jesse and Pixie who were more of a supporting cast had some nice character depth to them.

4/5 Stars.

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Poll!

Hey guys. 
I have just put up a poll on the right side column of the page here. Since I have so many reviews to get through, I would like to know which genre you would like to see more of on here, and I will get to those reviews quicker. 
If there is one you would like to see that isn't listed on the poll, go ahead and leave a comment. I will look through my requests to see if I have some. 

Thanks! I look forward to seeing the responses

Courtney

Vigilare by Brooklyn James

When the authorities do not handle cases in an acceptable way, who is going to get justice on those who have caused irreversible damage to a victim’s life? Who will step up when no one else will to punish rapists and sex offenders? Vigilare.

Vigilare is watching over everyone in Vanguard. Vigilare punishes sex offenders for their crimes when they get off too easy in the court system.

When Detectives Gina DeLuca and Tony Gronkowski are assigned to a case that appears to be serial murders, the details get weirder and weirder. There is talk of a vigilante, a superhero of Vanguard who is punishing these men for raping women in the city. The name they give this superhero, Vigilare.

They talk about Vigilare having glowing green eyes that captivate its victim. It can look into their soul.

When Detective Gronkowski goes investigating on his own one night in pursuit of a known molester, what he finds turns the case completely upside-down.

This book is completely different from Brooklyn James’s other book that I reviewed recently, The Boots My Mother Gave Me. That one was heavy and memoir-esque.

Vigilare is pure fiction mixed with paranormal and science fiction story lines.

It builds suspense well, and while I guessed the twist, I was never 100% positive that was it until it happened. I always love a good twist.

Also I am a sucker for a good courtroom scene, and this book delivered that.

The writing was great. It pulls you in right from the beginning. I really like how Brooklyn James goes into plenty of detail in her books, but it isn’t so overdone that the chapters drag on. Every detail is important to the story in some way and that really keeps it interesting.

It ended sort of abruptly, but there is a sequel to it so it makes sense to leave off where it does.

The character development was spot on. I liked the characters that you are supposed to root for, and I disliked the ones you are supposed to be skeptical about.

The dialogue flows naturally, it doesn’t feel forced which is one of my biggest turn offs with reading sci-fi/paranormal books. Sometimes the dialogue is really forced and hinders the flow of the novel. The dialogue complements the novel and was written very well.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of sci-fi books or “superheroes” you might want to pick this one up.

It has a very strong female character, so if you like all of those things, I do not think you will be disappointed with this read.

4.5/5 stars

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The Broken Bottle by Sally Wiener Grotta

Have you ever had some small even in your life change you forever?

That is what this short story documents.

One small even changes Joanne for the rest of her life.

When she and her husband were dining out at a Chinese restaurant, Joanne witnessed an act of violence against two men.

There were a group of men sitting around a table, and a man she calls Black Jacket. He breaks a bottle on one of the mens’ faces and throws another man out of the restaurant through the door.

Joanne is traumatized by this experience and it starts to enter her relationship. She does not have the same relationship that she had with her husband on that night.

She feels they are two completely different people because he did not witness the events like she did.

It just tells the story of how one small event can change your life forever. It doesn’t have to be a huge event; it can be small like witnessing something that doesn’t even involve you.

Other than the main take away from the story I mentioned above, there wasn’t much to it. It wasn’t very deep. There wasn’t very much character building.

It seemed more like the prelude to a longer story than just a stand-alone short story. I feel that this would be a solid starting point for a novel, but as a stand-alone, it seems a bit lacking.

3/5 Stars

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