Book Review: Why She Died by J.G. Roberts

Why She Died 

by J.G. Roberts

Amazon / B&N / GP / Kobo / Apple

It was a person after all, but she was suspended in mid-air. Abi’s heart began to thump against her ribcage as the full horror of what she was seeing became apparent. Her shrill scream pierced the silence, startling birds into taking flight. ‘Help me!’ she cried. ‘Somebody please help!’

When beautiful and bright Hannah is late for their morning run, her best friend Abi thinks nothing of it. Hannah isn’t always that reliable – she’s probably just overslept.

But as Abi runs through the woods, following the same route she always does, she is greeted by a horrifying sight: Hannah’s body, swaying in the breeze.

Detective Rachel Hart is called to the scene. Something seems wrong from the start. Hannah’s friends and family insist that she had everything to live for, and no one has a bad word to say about her. But when murder is confirmed, and Rachel starts digging, she soon realizes that there were plenty of people with reasons to want Hannah dead.

Then a second woman is found strangled in the same woods, and everything Rachel thought is thrown into doubt. Is there a serial killer at work?

Rachel is determined to find answers before another life is lost – all the time unaware that the killer’s sights are focussed firmly on her.

Can Rachel unravel the deadly game before she walks into a trap?

A breathtakingly twisty thriller for fans of Rachel Abbott, Cara Hunter, and Angela Marsons.


My Rating:

Favorite Quote:




Quicker than a heartbeat, Lucie grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back and had him pressed up against the wall. Phil was stunned into silence. ‘The first rule of combat, Phil, is to know your opponent. I might look like a fragile little Bible-thumper, but when I’m not singing in the choir or going to church services, I do martial arts so I can deal with idiots like you,’ she said, forcing his arm further up his back to press home her advantage.

My Review:



The premise and storylines were well-conceived, smartly paced, well-plotted, and twisty. The identities of the guilty parties were not at all ones I had suspected, and I love it when that happens. However, I had an issue with the variability of the writing which at times seemed as if written by two different people at dissimilar levels of skill development due to the quality being noticeably jagged and uneven in emotional depth and at the most crucial of times felt oddly flat and one-dimensional. Although, it may just be that I’ve recently been spoiled by an exceptionally superb lineup of extraordinary scribes that would make even Hemingway pale in comparison.

About The Author

Having signed with Bookouture in late 2018, my first book with them, Little Girl Missing, was published in June 2019 followed by the second in the Detective Rachel Hart series in October of the same year. The third book in the series, my seventh novel overall, is called Why She Died and is on pre-order prior to publication in May 2020.

I'm originally from Nottingham, where I have based a couple of my novels, but I am now resident in Berkshire and have used Reading and the surrounding area as the location for the DCI Rachel Hart series.
From the age of ten I had wanted to write fiction but left it until I was fifty-seven before self-publishing my first novel, Life's a Beach and Then, proving it's never too late to start something new.

When I'm not writing, I am a full-time presenter on QVC, the UK's most successful shopping channel where I have worked for over twenty-six years. I also enjoy cooking, watching football, in particular my team Crystal Palace, gardening, and Pilates which is helping with my rehabilitation following recent ankle surgery. I'm an animal lover and a committed vegetarian for the past thirty-five years. 

@JuliaRobertsTV

Book Review: Pointe By Brandy Colbert

Title: Pointe

Author: Brandy Colbert

Genre: Young Adult

Find It On: 

Amazon | Goodreads | Barnes & Noble 

Synopsis:

Theo is better now.

She's eating again, dating guys who are almost appropriate, and well on her way to becoming an elite ballet dancer. But when her oldest friend, Donovan, returns home after spending four long years with his kidnapper, Theo starts reliving memories about his abduction—and his abductor.

Donovan isn't talking about what happened, and even though Theo knows she didn't do anything wrong, telling the truth would put everything she's been living for at risk. But keeping quiet might be worse.

My Review:

The name of this book is so simple, but the story within its pages are so complex you wonder how just one word can encompass all this tale tells you. I was captivated as I read, wishing to never put it down. When you thought one thing to be true, you next find yourself questioning the very thing you believed moments before. I rooted for the protagonist, clapped for her, screamed at her, cried for her, and at times thought she was just plain stupid. It felt like I was reading from prospective of an actual teenager, her thoughts and voice did not feel like the forced writing of someone trying to mold a character they cannot relate to.
Something I did not like was I felt as thought it was too detailed. I found myself at times reading sentences that I felt lent nothing to the story. Other times it helped me believe I was right there with them, so its double sided coin.
It's hard to put into words how amazing I thought this book was. A story unlike anything ive read before, a tale of love, heartbreak, realizations and a past that can change the future. I enjoyed the fact that we saw development with Theo at the end, almost proud to see her grow more as a person as there were times I wanted to strangle her.
Overall it's a gripping and compelling story, not the typical coming of age story of most young adult stories.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes: 

 "I don't know how to say ballet is the only thing in this world that makes me feel alive, that doesn't disappoint me."

"I wondered if they knew how marvelous it felt to truly take control of your body, to possess the kind of daily discipline most people won't know in a lifetime."

"And maybe I am special, but it's not because he said so."

About the Author:

Goodreads | Website | Amazon

Brandy Colbert was born and raised in the Missouri Ozarks and has worked as an editor for several national magazines. She lives and writes in Los Angeles.

Slammed - Colleen Hoover Review

Book: Slammed

Author: Colleen Hoover

Genre: Romance

Book Synopsis:

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.
Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.
Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.

Book Review:

Have you ever found a book that made you feel things you probably shouldn't feel? After all, who gets all worked up over a book?
Well, if you've ever read any of Colleen Hoover's books then you would know that's pretty much the norm. You've probably also grabbed your pitchforks against her at one point, but that's not important right now. 
Something incredible was created within the pages of Slammed. From the beginning I found myself tearing through the book, need to know what happened next. I felt the pain, shock, and anger of the characters at their situations. Rooting for them to get their much deserved happily ever after. Colleen's writing style in this book is unique with her inclusion of Slam Poetry, as it brings more feeling and emotion into the novel then could be done by simply slinging together words into the creation of a paragraph. The characters were relatable in their actions and reactions to situations. The story seemed to just throw me all over sometimes, and I loved every second of it.

Book Review: Mason by Kemmie Michaels

Mason

by Kemmie Michaels

*Intended for an adult audience*

Second Chance Novels book 2

Goodreads

Amazon

For Mason, every smile is forced. Every joke represents effort. Bartending stands as a calculated decision to be a regular guy. In spite of his best efforts, life at such an easy pace is painful…because Mason was raised on a diet of crushing adrenaline and fierce, strategical thinking. His time in the Special Forces ended two years prior, but his drive and skill remained the strongest part of his being. 


When his skills are needed again, Mason wakes up from a two-year haze and rescues the damsel. Mission accomplished. Victory had. 


…Devastation returns. 


Mason has no idea how to return to his everyday existence, not after flexing every strength he'd pushed aside. The simple truth is he can't. Balance, he decides, is the key: remain his joke-cracking self with his friends, and indulge in some ass-kicking on the side. 


Together with Sofia 'Dig' DiGiacamo, Mason plans to eliminate every point of corruption they can uncover. A life of purpose fills him again, but the pressure threatens to rip him painfully apart. The turmoil stirs ugly memories of his Army career, adding an explosive element to his world.


Every day he fights corruption, every evening he fights himself. But still, Mason grits his teeth and grins. He's determined to keep his life, love, past, shame, desperate need, and suppressed anger all hidden behind his smiling, regular guy, bartender self. His fight remains an unending circle, and Mason battles on every front.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

“With a love this basic, this solid, this simplistically true, the pace doesn’t need to be slow or romantic to prove the depth behind the connection.”

“I can’t imagine living life any stronger than loving Sofia, than being loved by her.”

My Review:

 

The plot of Mason starts near the end of the story of Ledger, and was an active adventure romance chocked full of corrupt government officials, dirty cops, personal assault, rape, property damage, harassment, espionage, and murder.  Mason is not a sweet and tender man like Ledger, although he is highly skilled, of genius intelligence, and loves his woman just as fiercely.  Lucky for him, he finds a fierce woman to love (Sophia), who tells him not to use endearments such as calling her baby, or to dare tell her she is special.  One of my favorite lines in the book, which Mason uses to tease Sophie with is, “Baby, you are so special.”   Mason and Sophia’s love story is my favorite type, they are not fighting each other, but pulling together and finding each other in the process.  The conflict in the story is not with each other but in righting a wrong, and I totally admire that trope.  The writing and story-line are intriguing, well plotted, and smart.  Callen is up next, and I am ready for the challenge. 

Empress DJ