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Showing posts with label Pocket Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pocket Books. Show all posts

Thursday, September 13, 2018

#Book #Review: 3 out of 5 stars for Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs @KathyReichs @Pocket_Books

TITLE: Deja Dead
SERIES: Temperance Brennan, Book #1
AUTHOR: Kathy Reichs
PUBLISHER: Pocket Books
PUBLICATION DATE: October 23, 2007 (first published 1997)
FORMAT: Paperback, 10th Anniversary Edition
LENGTH: 416 pages
GENRE: Mystery
ISBN: 9781416570981
Her life is devoted to justice—for those she never even knew.

In the year since Temperance Brennan left behind a shaky marriage in North Carolina, work has often preempted her weekend plans to explore Quebec. When a female corpse is discovered meticulously dismembered and stashed in trash bags, Tempe detects an alarming pattern—and she plunges into a harrowing search for a killer. But her investigation is about to place those closest to her—her best friend and her own daughter—in mortal danger. . . .

MY REVIEW:

I'm a big fan of the TV series Bones, and I've always wanted to read the books that inspired the series! I've read Reichs before, having really enjoyed Two Nights, but not yet tried the Temperance Brennan series.

 Tempe is a forensic anthropologist. When Hydro workers uncover some bones, Tempe is called in to investigate. She finds a dismembered body that has similarities to other cases, but the police won't hear any of it. They think she's grasping at straws, until more bodies appear.

 I do have to admit that I struggled to get into this one. Reichs is very detail-oriented, and her writing is very descriptive. For me, this made for slow reading. When it came to her analysis of the corpses and the instruments used, it got very technical. I probably would have enjoyed this one better on audio, as it took me a while to get through.

 I also need to add that Tempe in the books is not like Tempe in the TV show! If you are hoping for Emily Deschanel to be in these pages, you are going to be disappointed. I think the only similarities between the Tempes is that they are both career-oriented, driven, fastidious, and very intelligent. However, I think TV Tempe is more quirky than bookish Tempe. 

 Towards the end of the book when everything was coming together, I did get caught up in the excitement. I'm planning to continue on with the next book in the series, Death du Jour.

MY RATING:

3 stars!! It was good, and I enjoyed it.

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Wednesday, August 22, 2018

#Book #Review: 5 out of 5 stars for Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie @agathachristie @Pocket_Books

AUTHOR: Agatha Christie
PUBLISHER: Pocket Books
PUBLICATION DATE: September 3, 1982 (first published 1939)
FORMAT: Paperback
LENGTH: 173 pages
GENRE: Mystery, Classics
ISBN: 0671467212 
Considered the best mystery novel ever written by many readers, And Then There Were None is the story of 10 strangers, each lured to Indian Island by a mysterious host. Once his guests have arrived, the host accuses each person of murder. Unable to leave the island, the guests begin to share their darkest secrets--until they begin to die. 
MY RATING:

Why have I waited so long to try Agatha Christie?! I absolutely loved this book and need to read more of her!

A group of people, unknown to each other, have been invited to Indian Island all for different reasons. Strangely, none of the individuals personally know the presumed owner but somehow that doesn't stop any of them from making the journey, first by train and then by boat. The members of the group are all strangers to one another, except for the husband/wife duo who are the hosts and act as butler and cook. A framed nursery rhyme of The Ten Little Indians hangs over the fireplace, which is an important piece of the story. After the first evening's dinner, the guests find out the real reason why they are all there. A recording addresses the guests and names them one by one, with accusations of each one being responsible for having killed or causing the death of someone. The guests think it is preposterous and a sick joke until, one by one, they are bumped off.

Wow, this book deserves ten stars! What a clever mystery!! I loved the isolated setting, and the suspense and anxiety that built up as each person because suspicious of the others and the fear of who would be killed next.

This is my first Christie novel, but it won't be my last!

5 stars!! It was superb, and I loved it. I will likely reread it. You should definitely put it on your TBR if you enjoy mysteries!

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Sunday, December 31, 2017

#Book #Review: 4 out of 5 stars for A Very Gothic Christmas by Christine Feehan and Melanie George @AuthorCFeehan #MelanieGeorge @Pocket_Books

PUBLISHER: Pocket Books
PUBLICATION DATE: October 31, 2017 (first published 2001)
FORMAT: Paperback
LENGTH: 432 pages
GENRE: Fantasy/Paranormal, Holiday/Christmas
ISBN: 9781501160981
From the “magnificent storyteller” (Romantic Times) Christine Feehan and USA Today bestselling author Melanie George comes two wickedly sexy novellas for the holiday season!

In Christine Feehan’s After the Music, Jessica Fitzpatrick is terrified by mysterious threats. Determined to keep her twin wards safe, she flees to the remote island mansion of their reclusive, widowed father. With Christmas approaching, the spark between him and Jessica might light the future, but there are those whose evil machinations may plunge the family into darkness—unless a Christmas miracle occurs.

In Melanie George’s Lady of the Locket, the echoes of history and romance lure Rachel Hudson to Glengarren, the Scottish castle where her parents met many Christmases ago. But it is the portrait of fierce Highlander Duncan MacGregor that sparks a deep desire inside her. On a storm-tossed night, as lightning cracks across the castle’s turrets, Rachel finds herself face-to-face with MacGregor himself, astride a mighty stallion. Now, stepping into Rachel’s time—and her heart—the warrior from the past is pursued by an ancient, evil enemy.
MY REVIEW:

I'm a fan of Christine Feehan's Sisters of the Hearts series. When I saw this one at the library with holiday romances featuring a story by Feehan, I grabbed it! Feehan writes the first novella in the book, After the Music, while Melanie George (a new-to-me author) writes the second novella, Lady of the Locket.

 After the Music is about a former rock star, Dillon, who has lived in seclusion for the past seven years after a fire burned down his home on his private island, which killed his wife and six other people. Dillon thought his six year old twins, Tara and Trevor, were still inside the house and he rushed back in to save them. Unbeknownst to him, the twins had already been safely ushered out of the house by the nanny's daughter, Jessica. As a result, Dillon was burned horribly and lived for a year in the hospital undergoing treatment for his burns and skin grafts. Simultaneously, he was also on trial for the murder of his wife who apparently was shot before the fire started. However, he was cleared of the crime. Dillon left his twins in the care of the nanny, Rita, and Jessica.

 Now, seven years later, after Rita was killed in an automobile accident, Jessica returns to the island with the twins so that they can spend Christmas with their father. Jessica is hoping for a Christmas miracle and that the family can become united. She and Dillon had always had a close relationship, and the twins look to Jessica as a mother.

 I have to say that it was a little strange, with Dillon having feelings of unrequited love over Jessica who was his nanny's daughter, who was just 18 years old at the time. It was almost like a bit of a taboo relationship. However, now that seven years have passed and Jessica is now 25 years old, the relationship works because of the role that she is to the twins. Dillon is touched by her love and protectiveness towards his children, and he envies that and wants to be part of it. Feehan's couples are always very passionate, and Dillon & Jessica are no exception. There is also a bit of a paranormal aspect to the story.

 Lady of the Locket is about a 27-year-old woman named Rachel Hudson, whose parents had the type of romantic love that most people dream about. Tragically, they die within six months of each other just shy of their 30th wedding anniversary. Rachel is bereft at the loss of both of her parents, but she is determined to carry out their dying wish. They were planning to celebrate their 30th anniversary at the place where they met, Glengarren Castle in Inverness, Scotland. The castle was once owned by her father's friend, and it is now owned by his son. She intends to release her parents' ashes at the castle on her parents' anniversary. When she arrives at Glengarren, she is awe-struck at the gorgeous Highlander featured in the portrait hung over the stairs. The name at the bottom of the painting indicates that the man is Duncan MacGregor from 1745. The caretaker, Fergus, tries to convince Rachel to rent a room in town and hints that there are strange goings-on at the castle and is concerned that she will be staying there alone. She assures him that she'll be fine. However, one evening during a storm, she is awakened by shouts and the sounds of fighting. She comes face to face with the warrior from the painting, Duncan MacGregor! 

 I quite enjoyed this reverse time-travel romance. In other time travel romances that I've read, it's the woman who is thrown back hundreds of years. This time around, it's the man who is brought into the present. Poor Duncan is so confused. He recognizes that he is in his home, yet it is not his home as he knew it because of modern conveniences like electricity and appliances. He thinks that Rachel is a witch and has someone put a spell on him, and he is rather enchanted by her as well. Rachel finds with Duncan the kind of rare love that her parents had, but how can it last when they are from two different worlds?

 I read Lady of the Locket in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down! I will definitely read more from this author!

MY RATING:

4 stars!! It was really good, and you should put it on your TBR list if you enjoy holiday romances with a touch of paranormal.

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Thursday, November 30, 2017

#Book #Review: 5 out of 5 stars for The Troop by Nick Cutter @TheNickCutter @Pocket_Books

TITLE: The Troop
AUTHOR: Nick Cutter
PUBLISHER: Pocket Books
PUBLICATION DATE: July 22, 2014
FORMAT: Mass Market Paperback
LENGTH: 520 pages
GENRE: Horror
ISBN: 9781476717722
Once a year, scoutmaster Tim Riggs leads a troop of boys into the Canadian wilderness for a three-day camping trip—a tradition as comforting and reliable as a good ghost story and a roaring bonfire. But when an unexpected intruder—shockingly thin, disturbingly pale, and voraciously hungry—stumbles upon their campsite, Tim and the boys are exposed to something far more frightening than any tale of terror. The human carrier of a bioengineered nightmare. An inexplicable horror that spreads faster than fear. A harrowing struggle for survival that will pit the troop against the elements, the infected...and one another.

MY REVIEW:

I think I just found a new horror author to love!

The story starts off with a news article about an emaciated man nicknamed “Starvin’ Marvin,” who stole a waitress’ truck. What made the man so memorable was his voracious appetite. The waitress said that he ate the diner out of eggs! Marvin drives to the coast and steals a boat to cross the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. He just wants to get away, and he’s heading towards Falstaff Island which is uninhabited by humans. Marvin doesn’t realize that Scoutmaster Tim is already on the island with his troop of 14-year-old boy scouts for their annual weekend trip. The troop has been together since the boys were five years old, so they are a tight-knit group...or so they seem. Marvin’s presence will test their loyalty to each other.

Wow, I just loved this book! Cutter made me squirm (there are a lot of ewwww moments), and I really liked the diabolical aspect of the story where the characters turned on each other. I really enjoyed how the author added dimension to the tale through the addition of newspaper articles and interviews to shed light on what is going on.

I already own Cutter’s The Deep, and I can’t wait to read it!

MY RATING:
5 stars!! I loved it and will likely re-read it! You should definitely read it if you enjoy horror.

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Thursday, August 10, 2017

#Book #Review: 4 out of 5 stars for Beyond Exile by J.L. Bourne @jlbourne @Pocket_Books

TITLE: Beyond Exile
SERIES: Day by Day Armageddon, Book #2
AUTHOR: J.L. Bourne
PUBLISHER: Pocket Books
PUBLICATION DATE: July 13, 2010
FORMAT: Paperback
LENGTH: 277 pages
GENRE: Horror/Zombies
ISBN: 9781439177525
Armies of undead have risen up across the U.S. and around the globe;there is no safe haven from the diseased corpses hungering for human flesh. But in the heat of a Texas wasteland, a small band of survivors attempt to counter the millions closing in around them.

Survivor, Day by day, the handwritten journal entries of one man caught in a worldwide cataclysm capture the desperation; and the will to survive;as he joins forces with a handful of refugees to battle soulless enemies both human and inhuman from inside an abandoned strategic missile facility. But in the world of the undead, is mere survival enough?
MY REVIEW:

 Even better than the first one in the series!

The story continues from Day by Day Armageddon, which spanned approximately four months from January to April following a viral outbreak that turned people into flesh eaters. This next installment in the series spans a seven-month time period from May to November. The main character (“MC”) and the people he rescued from Day by Day Armageddon are holed up in an abandoned military bunker known as Hotel 23. The MC continues to do what he does best, which is rescue other survivors. First, he finds a senior woman in her 60s and her young grandson named Danny. Then, he rescues a group of Marines who have been cornered by a mob of the undead. When a larger group of Marines return to claim the right to take over the facility, the MC is forced to identify himself for self-preservation because he outranks the men trying to infiltrate his base. He becomes the official man in charge, and with that comes more responsibility. He sets out on a recon mission with some of the Marines, but it ends badly and the MC is injured and alone and has to fend for himself and find his way back to Hotel 23.

I loved the MC in Day by Day Armageddon, and he continues to shine. He has had to make some very tough decisions, and he does so with what is in the best interests of his group. He is very selfless that way and often self-sacrificing. About three-quarters into the book, there was a lot of description on weapons and such that pretty much went over my head! The MC’s sidekick from the previous book, John, plays a very minor role here and I missed his presence. However, I thought the ending was a great set-up for the next book in the series, and I am very excited to see what happens next in Shattered Hourglass.
MY RATING:

4 stars!! It was really good, and you should put it on your TBR if you enjoy horror/zombie or science fiction/apocalyptic stories!

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