Monthly Wrap Up: July 2017

Happy last day of July!

I really struggle in the summer; I am not a fan of the heat so I really spend most of July complaining and wishing Bath and Body Works would put out their fall candle selection.

I felt like I was incredibly busy this month and not doing much reading at all so I was surprised when I counted up my July titles and realized I managed to get 32 titles read!

I also hit my Goodreads Reading Challenge Goal!  I have read 213 books so far this year and that ain’t too shabby!

Keep reading to see what books I read this month…there were quite a few gems!

Book Review: Girl in Snow (Dayna Kukafka) @danyakukafka @SimonBooks

I read a lot of thrillers and mysteries; it is very hard for me to find any originality in texts. Enter, Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka, which felt like a breath of fresh air for me.   From the character development to the POV, I felt like this novel had something that others are lacking for me lately.

The plot opens with the discovery of a young girl (Lucinda), neck snapped, buried in the snow. From here, everything changes. Small town cop, Russ, begins to investigate while dealing with his own personal issues.   A social pariah, Jade, is irritated with the hype; she hated Lucinda. Cameron, struggling with her death, and what he knows about it, is forced to face parts of himself that he longs to keep buried.   Each character with a secret, each character seeking solace, Kukafka’s tale is weaved creating an unnerving story of love, loss and obsession. 

Book Review: The Party (Robyn Harding) @SimonSchusterCA

I was hesitant to pick up The Party, by Robyn Harding, based on a number of mediocre reviews I was reading. Well, now that I have finished, it just goes to show you that entertainment truly is in the eye of the reader because I loved this novel.

Jeff and Kim host a sweet sixteen party for their daughter, Hannah, with some rules: no alcohol, no drugs, no boys. However, rules are broken and the party turns tragic. In the aftermath, relationships are tested, secrets are revealed and nothing will be the same.

 

I found this one absolutely unputdownable; I binge read it over the course of a couple of hours. Harding has an uncanny ability to captivate her reader with quick prose and eloquent story telling. I loved the way the book was narrated; quick chapters told through the eyes of alternating characters (both teenaged and adult).

Book Review: In A Dark Dark Wood (Ruth Ware)

In A Dark Dark Wood, the debut novel by Ruth Ware, seemed to be a book that I had seen popping up everywhere over the last couple of years; I had purchased this book wayyyyyyy back when it had first released and it had sat on my shelf.

Poor thing.

After reading Ruth Ware’s newest release, The Lying Game and enjoying it (you can check out my review for that one HERE), I dusted off my copy and dove in!

Book Review: Sweet Pea (C.J Skuse) @CJSkuse

Every so often, I stumble across a book that gives me extreme book envy. Usually, this is caused by books that release in the UK wayyyy before their North American arrival and, in the case of Sweet Pea by CJ Skuse, this was the case!

Janel, my pal from Keeper of Pages, told me this one was a must read, so I began to hunt it down and eventually persuaded my local library to order a copy.

Sweet Pea follows Rhiannon, your average woman (average job, average boyfriend, average home, average friends) who goes about her daily life. Making kills lists and murdering men in the park. You know, average stuff.

Book Review: The Last Place You Look (Kristen Lepionka) @KMLwrites @FaberBooks

I am always looking to add a new crime series to my repertoire so I was thrilled to discover The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka. This novel, the first book featuring private detective, Roxane Weary, followed Brad Stockton, a boy from a rough neighbourhood, who sits on death row after being convicted of murdering the parents of his girlfriend, Sarah Cook. Sarah disappeared that night and was never seen again. Now, as his execution approaches, his sister hires PI Roxanne Weary to try and find Sarah. Reeling from her own personal tragedies, Roxanne finds herself drawn into the investigation when she sees parallels between Sarah and one of her own father’s investigations into that of an unsolved murder.   With time running out and danger lurking around every corner, Roxanne must use all of her resources to try and find out the truth.

Book Review: The Lost Ones (Sheena Kamal) @sheena_kamal @WmMorrowBks

I first discovered the work of Sheena Kamal when I read Eyes Like Mine, which was previously published in the UK. Now that book is being published in North American under the title The Lost Ones and I am thrilled that #cjsreads decided to read this for one of our July picks.

Not only is this book amazing, but it also features tons of Canadian content- which- let’s get real- I am completely biased about!

The book, which appears to be the first in a series, introduces a brand new anti-heroine with flawed, recovering addict, Nora Watts. Working as a PI and journalist, Nora finds herself caught up in the case of her missing daughter. Along with the help of her ex-sponsor, her employers and her sister, Nora begins the hunt for her daughter and gets wrapped up a parallel crime when one of her co-workers is murdered. This one had me glued to the pages and flipping rapidly to understand how all these moving pieces fit together.

My original review of this book can be found HERE, but since this is a #cjsreads title, keep reading to see what Jessica and Chandra thought of this one!

Blog Tour: The Freedom Broker (K.J Howe) @KJHOWEAUTHOR @midaspr @headlinepg

Back in January, I read The Freedom Broker by K.J Howe and found myself seriously impressed with this action thriller; it had me on the edge of my seat!  Intense, fast paced and with a strong, female protagonist, I was talking about this book to everyone.

So, when I was approached to take part in the blog tour for this book, it was a no brainer for me!  Today, I have an extract from the book and if you missed it, you can check out my review here!

Keep reading for an extract of The Freedom Broker!

Book Review: Fierce Kingdom (Gin Phillips) @RandomHouseCA @GinPhillips17

I have been eagerly anticipating the release of Fierce Kingdom, by Gin Phillips, for MONTHS; I had read multiple posts during the blog tour for the UK release and it shot right up to the top of STAFF PICKS at Chapters-Indigo upon its release in Canada, but since the US released it later on in July and I was reading it with Jessica and Chandra for one of our July #cjsreads picks, I held off for as long as possible!  Now that I have read the title, I feel as if the hype is justified but feel like this book absolutely left me wanting more.

Let me break it down.

The novel opens with a mother (Joan) and her young son (Lincoln) enjoying an afternoon at the zoo.  Lincoln is talking a mile a minute, Joan is making lists in her head and as they head out of the zoo for the evening, Joan hears a popping sound.  Something is absolutely wrong and this is made clear when Joan sees the bodies.  There is a shooter in the zoo and the shooter is not just hunting the animals.  Scooping up Lincoln and running, Joan must try and protect him from the evil that lurks.

The general premise was absolutely gripping; I was hooked from the first pages of the book.   What a different setting for a thriller!  I felt like the zoo backdrop added an extra layer of unpredictability as our protagonist had to not only worry about the human danger but also the danger that comes from nature.   Phillips also does an excellent job at making her characters realistic and relatable.  I was genuinely concerned for their plights and found myself continuously asking myself what I would do in such a situation.    I also felt like Phillips did an amazing job at developing her secondary characters.

Now, my struggle with the book is hard to discuss without giving any spoilers but I did have quite an issue with an aspect involving a baby.  I felt like I didn’t get any resolution and I felt quite a bit of anxiety surrounding this small bit of plot.  I also struggled a lot with the ending.  Again, hard to explain without providing spoilers but it really didn’t leave me satisfied.

Overall, I felt like Fierce Kingdom was a stellar piece of fiction and would recommend it to anyone looking for something fast paced and engaging.   Gave it 4/5 stars!

Thanks to the publisher, the author and Netgalley for the copy; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review.

Want to see what my fellow #cjsreads members thought of this one?  Keep reading to find out!