Book Review - Motherless by Erin Healy

When you read the back cover of a book, you get a pretty good idea of what you are getting into. When I read the summary for Motherless by Erin Healy I was intrigued and ready to strap in and take a ride. Here are a few details for you:

About the book (back cover):

A whispering voice at the back of my mind reminds me that I’ve been this way for some time. Dead, that is.

The dead have a very broad view of the living, of actions performed out of sight, of thoughts believed to be private. I would know. Losing both parents is a trial no child should endure, and Marina and Dylan have endured enough. They deserve the one thing I could never give them: a mother’s love.

A mother’s love, and the truth.

My children have believed a lie about me for years and years. After all this time I can still feel their hurt in my heart. But the tether holding me to them is frayed from years of neglect . . . and I have to find a way to make my confession before it snaps.

But when the truth comes out, what other beasts will I unleash?

“Why do we lie to the children?” someone asked me once.

“To protect them,” I answered.

How terrible it is that they need protection from me.

My Review:

When I finished reading Motherless by Erin Healy, I was emotionally spent, swept away and found myself wiping tears from my eyes. There are very few books that have had that kind of impact on me. I found myself leaning into the story to absorb as much as I could.

Motherless takes off from page one and grips the reader. It immediately immerses you into the story and you are invested in what is going on. Motherless combines the supernatural with a thriller and mystery and does it with such heart. I found myself trying to unravel what was going on and even when I knew what was happening, I would turn the page to a surprise I did not expect. Everything was well-thought out and well executed.

Highlights - 
Characters who were imperfect. How nice it is to read about individuals that you can relate to. Things aren't wrapped up in a simple bow of misunderstanding. It can be hard to read about flaws, but it is also hard to ignore them in real life. I appreciate that Healy went there with realistic characters that were perfectly fleshed out.

Location, location, location. I was blown away by the descriptions of real locations I grew up going to in California. From the vineyards to Monastery Beach, I felt like I was right there. Even the homes and businesses were so perfectly described without imposing them on the reader. I saw it, I smelled it and I felt it.

Truly engaging, There were a lot of unanswered questions bouncing about in this story and each and everyone was answered. There were no rabbits pulled out of hats (in other words the story wasn't tweaked unbelievably to make things work). Everything made perfect sense.

All in all, I can say that I am glad that I read Motherless. It was a story that entertained me, made me think and gave me a new perspective on getting away and running away (you'll have to read the book to know what I'm talking about there). I would definitely give Motherless 5 Stars.

In full disclosure, I was given a copy of Motherless through a promotional team and publisher to facilitate my honest review.  I was not required to give a positive review.  This review reflects my honest opinion.

Book Review - Poison Town by Creston Mapes

Do you love a series?  I adore them.  I am a person who gets extremely attached to characters so if I can cozy up to them for more than one book, I will do it gladly.  In fact, the more books the better! This is just one of the reasons why I was absolutely delighted to read and review "Poison Town" by Creston Mapes which is book 2 in The Crittendon Files.

Poison Town: A Novel (The Crittendon Files #2)
Author: Creston Mapes
Publisher: David C Cook 
Format: eBook

About the Book (from Goodreads): 
There’s More Than One Kind of Poison in This Town People are sick and dying. Rumors are swirling. Some claim chemicals leaking from a manufacturing plant are causing the cancer that’s crippling people on the poor side of Trenton City, Ohio. Yet nothing at the plant appears amiss. The problem remains a mystery until reporter Jack Crittendon’s long-time mechanic falls ill and he investigates. Soon Jack becomes engulfed in a smokescreen of lies, setups, greed, and scandal. The deeper he digs, the more toxic the corruption he uncovers. As he faces off with the big-time players behind the scenes and tries to beat the clock before more people die, he realizes the chillingly unthinkable—he knows too much.

My Review:  
Hold onto your hats and watch your back!  Poison Town is a story fueled with even more tension than the first novel in this series "Fear Has A Name."  Jack Crittendon is hot on the heels of a story that seems almost too bad to be true and he is dealing with a far larger problem than one or two mere men.  The high profile Demler Corporation has provided jobs for decades in the city of Trenton, but at what cost?  

Somehow Jack and his co-worker Derrick have a story on their hands that is so big, they have to split time trying to put all the pieces together.  Something terribly wrong is going on in the small community surrounding the Demler Corporation's fiberglass plant, and people Jack cares about are suffering in more ways than one.  For Derrick this story could mean big things for his career as a journalist, for Jack the story could cause him to lose much more than time with his family.  Both are learning quickly that nothing is as it would seem.

I loved that things did not wrap up in a nice neat little bow after the first story.  First of all, that is kind of boring.  It is also totally fake.  Sure, as much as I would like to see life going smoothly again, the reality is not everyone heals or forgives the same way at the same time.  There is residual.  Some of us move on swiftly where others can take months or even decades to recover from life's tragedies.  

The minor characters in "Poison Town" are equally engaging.  I found myself rooting for the Randall family, and enjoying the time spent with them in the book.  They made me smile and hope.  They also made me quite nervous.  There were even a few times where I felt like I would smack someone silly if anything happened to the elder of the family.  

This thriller will keep you guessing and quite literally on the edge of your seat.  The characters will engage you and enrage you, but you will be glad for it.  There is even a bit of slow and easy romance without being over the top.  This is a story of faith in action in many forms.  

All in all, I actually enjoyed the book so much, I had a hard time putting it down.  Then I got to the point that I knew it would end soon, and I just HAD to put it down.  I just didn't want to disconnect with the characters.  "Poison Town" is an exceptional follow up to the first book in the series "Fear Has A Name."  If the third book in the series "Sky Zone" follows suit, I just may have to start adding past five stars.

I received this book for free in eBook format from the author and the publisher as a kindness and to facilitate my review.  This had no impact on my review.  The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

If you would like to pick it up for a great price, the Kindle version and Nook version are available for just $4.99 right now or get a bigger bargain at Christianbook.com their eBook version is $3.99 (not sure how long that will last).

Review - Blink by Bradley Convissar

SHORT STORY REVIEW

I love short stories.  There is something keenly satisfying about picking up a short story and knowing that before you are through, you will have payback.  I wish there were more short stories out there.  Well, I suppose there, and I just need to get out there and find them.  

My love of the short story began when I was quite young and sleeping over my grandma's house.  I always read my grandma's books and had just finished Jaws (yep, granny had a taste for a thriller or two).  I decided to look for another book and discovered Stephen King's "Night Shift."  I admit, I was pulled in by the cover.  It was a picture of a heavily bandaged hand with eyes on it.  That was enough for me.  I began to read.  In a word or three...it was love.  I have devoured short stories ever since from romantic to horror.  It is a nice way to spend a short amount of time.  Anyway, I decided to share my reviews of the shorties I come across here.

Blink by Bradley Convissar

Info from Goodreads:   
Meet dentist Brian Mallory. He's always considered himself a grounded man. A rational man. A reasonable man. But what he finds in the mouth of nineteen year old Amy Gladwell one afternoon during a routine cleaning makes him begin to question his own sanity.

It's amazing how quickly everything can change in a a blink of an eye.

From the author of the Pandora's Children collection of short stories, the novellas Dogs of War and King of the Merge, and the short story Last Dance of a Black Widow, comes Blink, a chilling, 3500 word short story about a simple day gone horribly wrong.
  
My Review:  
I picked this up for free via Barnes & Noble for my Nook. When I grabbed it, I didn't realize it was a short story, although the cover pic certainly states it.  It was free and it looked kind of creepy, and that worked for me.  I loved that it was a short story. We need more short stories. I actually forgot it was on my Nook until standing in a long line at the post office. This was the perfect read for that line. 

It was a quick science fiction type story. I liked how the story flowed without really knowing what was going on until the very last bit. Having once worked in a dental office, I liked the idea of a little thriller in that setting.  The doc was the perfect pic of dentists I worked with in the past.  The ones who work with the young really do develop kind of  like a caring uncle thing.  They see these kids grow up.  Dr. Mallory was like that.  He is picking up the slack in the office and filling in for the hygienist when one of his long time patients, Amy comes in.  Things go from every day to not so much.  I do not want to spoil anything here soooo stop reading now. 
 
Or continue...I kind of wish Amy was completely unaware. I would have liked that better. It was a good story though, and I will definitely look for more from the author.  

Blink is available for free download from Barnes & Noble and Amazon right now.