Book List 2018

Review: I Will Find You by Det. Lt. Joe Kenda

January 4, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Title: I Will Find You (Solving Killer Cases from My Life Fighting Crime)

Author: Detective Lt. Joe Kenda

Genre: True Crime, Autobiography

Summary: Detective Lt. Joe Kenda, star of Homicide Hunter, shares his deepest, darkest, and never before revealed case files from his 19 years as a homicide detective.

Are you horrified yet fascinated by abhorrent murders? Do you crave to know the gory details of these crimes, and do you seek comfort in the solving of the most gruesome?

In I WILL FIND YOU, the star of Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda shares his deepest, darkest, and never-before-revealed case files from his two decades as a homicide detective and reminds us that crimes like these are very real and can happen even in our own backyards. Gruesome, macabre, and complex cases.

Joe Kenda investigated 387 murder cases during his 23 years with the Colorado Springs Police Department and solved almost all of them. And he is ready to detail the cases that are too gruesome to air on television, cases that still haunt him, and the few cases where the killer got away.

These cases are horrifyingly real, and the detail is so mesmerizing you won’t be able to look away. The tales in I WILL FIND YOU will shock you like the best horror stories-divulging insights into the actions, motivations, and proclivities of nature’s most dangerous species. Don’t mind the blood.

Review:

I am completely addicted to Joe Kenda’s show and I have no clue why. I blame my mother. She’s the reason why I’m addicted to so so many different things, almost all of them harmless. Like books.

But sometimes you read books all night to finish them, because they amuse you and horrify you in turn, just like this one.

Joe Kenda is great at bringing dry wit and wry humour to even the worst of situations, which I imagine has to do with the horrific nature of the job. He never skirts the issues, talking bluntly about the nature of the beast, the beast in this case being humans.

The writing in it is never boring, and instead remains inventive, and to the point. I appreciated the little looks into how a job such as his could’ve hurt his home life. Although it doesn’t go too in depth with any of his cases I appreciated what was shared.

This is a good read for any true crime fan.

Received a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Book List 2018

Review: The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay

January 1, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Title: The Austen Escape

Author: Katherine Reay

Genre: Romance, Austen based

Summary: After years of following her best friend’s lead, Mary Davies finds a whimsical trip back to Austen’s Regency England paves the way towards a new future.

Mary Davies lives and works in Austin, Texas, as an industrial engineer. She has an orderly and productive life, a job and colleagues that she enjoys—particularly a certain adorable, intelligent, and hilarious consultant. But something is missing for Mary. When her estranged and emotionally fragile childhood friend Isabel Dwyer offers Mary a two-week stay in a gorgeous manor house in Bath, Mary reluctantly agrees to come along, in hopes that the holiday will shake up her quiet life in just the right ways. But Mary gets more than she bargained for when Isabel loses her memory and fully believes that she lives in Regency England. Mary becomes dependent on a household of strangers to take care of Isabel until she wakes up.

With Mary in charge and surrounded by new friends, Isabel rests and enjoys the leisure of a Regency lady. But life gets even more complicated when Mary makes the discovery that her life and Isabel’s have intersected in more ways that she knew, and she finds herself caught between who Isabel was, who she seems to be, and the man who stands between them. Outings are undertaken, misunderstandings play out, and dancing ensues as this triangle works out their lives and hearts among a company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation.

Review:

This book was an awesome way to start the New Year. I absolutely loved it, and I’m not sure I will be able to explain all the reasons why but I will for sure give it a go.

I have a weird thing when it comes to engineering and seriously admire those who do it. I feel this way because I don’t have the brain for it and what they do is kind of akin to magic to me so this was perfect for me.

Mary Davies is so awkward when it comes to realizing what is going on right in front of her, and to be honest I am much the same. Some days I wouldn’t see a naked human if they danced in front of me wearing a party hat. She would probably notice that, but rather awkwardly. The guy likes you, girl. Get on it.

Regency England. The Bath area remains one of my favourite places to this day and I haven’t been there since I was 18 years old, and have been many places since. Twelve years later and I’m still as in love with that area and Austen, and Austen-esque romances as I ever have been. This book brings to life that setting and that time, and all the complications that could come with it, but none of the inconveniences.

I want to go to a place like this, that allows you to experience those novels and that time, hopefully with less drama. But god, the drama in this book was utterly delicious, as was the bit of scandal.

Also, I never see anything wrong with someone finding their backbone and growing as a character, which this novel has in spades. I will definitely be looking into more of Katherine Reay’s writing as this was wonderful.

Received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book List 2017

Holiday Round-Up: Journey Back to Christmas by Leigh Duncan

January 1, 2018January 1, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Title: Journey Back to Christmas

Author: Leigh Duncan

Genre: Holiday Romance, Time Travel, Romance

Summary: WWII is finally over, but Hanna’s husband, Chet, didn’t return home. She puts on a brave smile during the day while nursing her hospital patients, but at night, she grieves the loss of her love.

Then the Christmas Comet appears for the first time in over seventy years, and Hanna’s caught in a snowstorm and knocked unconscious. She wakes up in modern times, and much to her confusion, her small town has changed. A local cop takes pity on her and invites her to stay with his family over the holiday.

As she searches for her place in this familiar yet different town, Hanna discovers that even small acts of kindness impact lives…and that the true meaning of Christmas is timeless. Now, she hopes to find her way back to her own time…and this year’s comet may lead her to a Christmas miracle.

Review:

This is the last book that I read in 2017, which is interesting. I did not watch the Hallmark holiday movie, though it is waiting for me on my PVR.

This book seemed to be a romance novel from the first couple of chapters, but it really was about something more. It’s about all that can be forgotten over time, as the years pass by and how sometimes getting rid of traditions is not the best thing.

Hanna is a lovely woman, trying to be positive after moments of feeling sorry for herself.

Sarah is stubborn, but interesting in her own right.

The family that comes together, both blood related and otherwise, in this book is one of love, compassion and a need for a new way to relate to each other which they do find in this.

This is a Christmas tale, and yes, it is a bit cliche, but isn’t that what makes it good? I think so. Good, quick reading, filled with warmth.

Received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.