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Send Her Back and Other Stories by Munashe Kaseke My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Send Her Back and Other Stories by Munashe Kaseke is an interesting look into the lives of immigrant women both in the United States and in their own countries. Each of the stories in this book are from the woman's perspective and tell their stories of hope, struggle, sacrifice, success, and failure. I enjoyed the open, honest writing style and the no-holds truth these women faced in their everyday lives. The author addressed difficult issues relevant to immigrant women. Each story was unique and interesting in its own way. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to expand their horizons. I listened to the audio of this book. The narrator was engaging and authentic. I enjoyed listening to it I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. See allof my reviews

The Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I've been on a WWII kick lately. I love reading about the every day people who went above and beyond to help their to become unsung war heroes. It gives me hope for humanity. The Ways We Hide is a historical fiction story based around true events. Fenna had a good, but hard life. She went through many hardships and overcame them to do great things. Her story is one of love and loss and courage to endure. I enjoyed her story, her tenacity, and her unwillingness to give up on those she loves. This was my second book by this author, and I've come to enjoy the writing style and storytelling. I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. See all of my reviews

Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton  and  James Patterson My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I chose to read this book partly because I love James Patterson and partly because I love Dolly Parton. I was quite intrigued by the matchup of these two and felt I had to find out what this duo could produce. Run Rose Run is the story of a young, talented singer trying to hide from her past. I loved the characters, and the story was quite charming. This was a quick, easy read. Somewhat predictable, but entertaining nonetheless. Overall, I would probably read more books from this pair of authors. I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Kelsea Ballerini and Ms. Dolly Parton herself, and I have to say, the narration was my favorite part of the book. If I had been reading a physical copy, it would not have been nearly as engaging. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. See all of my reviews

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I knew I wanted to read this book as soon as I read the description. I love the idea of an antiheroine, a girl who started with nothing and stole her way up to the top. Vanja is a great character. You want to root for her even though you know, and she knows, what she is doing is wrong. The rest of main characters are eccentric and fun, which makes for a great story. I would have liked the curse to be a bit more of a main plot in the story, as it seemed to just be sort of an afterthought, but overall, this was a great read. This is the first book I've read by this author, but if they are all this well-written and entertaining, I'll most definitely be reading more. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. See all of my reviews

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mickey is an Expendable. His job description literally is to be expendable. I love the idea of this and the reasoning behind it. There are some jobs machines just can't do as well as humans, but these jobs could be potentially dangerous for said humans…so, what do you do? I liked Mickey as the narrator of the story. He's a bit quirky, funny, and a loyal friend. My only question is what happens next? I love a good standalone, but I really want to know what happens to Mickey and the colony on Niflheim. I love that this book is set so many years in the future after so many advances in science and technology, but the basis is just humans doing what humans do best…Hostile takeovers, killing anything that they don't find useful, and destroying beautiful worlds to fit their own agenda. It's humanity. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. See all of my reviews

All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers is a quick, easy read. I looked at this book initially because I listen to the author's podcast, but the premise caught my attention and I decided to give it a try. The book started slow for me but picked up quickly. I enjoyed following Margot as she delved into a cold case everyone seemed to want to forget. Dealing with her personal issues while trying to work and find out what really happened to her childhood friend was challenging, but the author wrote it in well. The ending was a surprise for me, so that's always a bonus. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime thrillers. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. See all of my reviews

Other Birds  by  Sarah Addison Allen My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Other Birds is an enchanting story about love, loss, and finding yourself. Zoey is an 18-year-old following the memory of her mother out into the big world, truly on her own for the first time. She finds it's not always easy, but along the way of finding out who she wants to be, she meets up with an engaging cast of characters who love her just as she is. This is a gem of a book I'm glad I had the opportunity to read. The writing is whimsical and the setting of the book was magical. I want to go to Mallow Island and see it for myself! This is my first book by this author, but I am definitely going to check out her others. I would recommend this book to everyone. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. See all of my reviews

  I'm Glad My Mom Died  by  Jennette McCurdy My rating:   4/5 stars My oldest daughter grew up with iCarly and Sam & Cat, so I've seen most of the episodes. I always thought they were entertaining and fun, something we could watch together. It's sometimes hard to remember while you're being entertained by the TV that those are real people with real lives and real problems. I chose to read this book partly because I love biographies/memoirs but also partly because of Jennette McCurdy and her tie to those shows. It's heartbreaking to see how she grew up and the love she had for her mother who was so obviously (to anyone on the outside looking in) abusive. She was a great actress, but absolutely hated it. In this book Jennette was open and honest about her childhood, teens, and early adulthood. She managed to take this horribly sad and disturbing story of her life and turn it into something positive for herself. I'm sure she will always struggle with her body i...

You'd Be Home Now  by  Kathleen Glasgow My rating:  4 of 5 stars What are you going to do with your one wild and precious life? This book was much more emotional and real than I had expected. I laughed…I cried. Seriously. I don't remember the last time I cried with a book. This was the story of Emory, but also of her brother Joey. Their lives are so intertwined that Emory can't seem to separate them. As she watches him go down the road of addiction and everything that comes with that, as his life unravels and everything it touches, all she wants is to be able to fix him, fix herself, and be seen. Maddie, her older sister is the perfect one, Joey is the bad one, and Emory is the good one, the invisible one. What I took away from this story is that addiction is hard on everyone, not just the one addicted. Life is hard. We mess up. Sometimes a lot. But we have to pick ourselves back up and try again. Because in the end, it doesn't matter that we messed up, but that we didn...

Strange Girl  by Christopher Pike Publisher: Simon Pulse Genre: Paranormal Mystery Paperback: 432 pages From #1 New York Times bestselling author Christopher Pike comes a brand-new fascinating and seductive new novel about a girl with a mysterious ability—but one that carries an unimaginable cost. From the moment Fred meets Aja, he knows she’s different. She’s pretty, soft-spoken, shy—yet seems to radiate an unusual peace. Fred quickly finds himself falling in love with her. Then strange things begin to happen around Aja. A riot breaks out that Aja is able to stop by merely speaking a few words. A friend of Fred’s suffers a serious head injury and has a miraculous recovery. Yet Aja swears she has done nothing. Unfortunately, Fred is not the only one who notices Aja’s unique gifts. As more and more people begin to question who Aja is and what she can do, she’s soon in grave danger. Because none of them truly understands the source of Aja’s precious abilities—or thei...

One Among Us by Paige Dearth My rating: 5 of 5 stars Maggie's life is changed forever the day she is kidnapped and thrown into the cruel, frightening world of human trafficking. Her innocence stolen from her, Maggie does what she must to survive. Alone, even though she is with others going through the same horrifying experiences she is, Maggie's story is heartbreaking, but inspiring. Maggie endured unimaginable cruelty at the hands of her captures and others who should have been trying to help her. But through it all, she remained strong, never giving up hope. Paige Dearth, staying true to her writing style, delivers an intense, engaging, and thoughtful story. The details are fictional, but are so close to the truth to be scary, and she is able to bring out emotions with her writing in a way that is simply captivating. Maggie's story is not a light read, and it will make you contemplate the horrors that are very real in this world. But it is a story needs to b...

After Last Call by Derrolyn Anderson My rating: 4 of 5 stars I loved the ambience of this book. Set in the 80s? Yell yes. And I loved that each chapter was titled by a popular 80s song. It brought back so many fond memories of big bangs, acid washed jeans, and Doc Martens. I loved my Doc Martens. The story itself was great. Lola is so very down to earth. She is an 80s girl looking for her place in the world (aren't we all?). She has big dreams but no real direction to get there. She is struggling to find herself and makes a few bad decisions, hoping they will take her where she wants to be. I additionally loved each and every character in this book. The author did an excellent job of bringing them all to life, as well as creating a whodunit mystery type of storyline. There was plenty of action and plot twisting to keep me entertained from beginning to end. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Stagecraft by Michelle Scott My rating: 5 of 5 stars The second book in the Bit Parts series, Stagecraft is an excellent followup to the first. In this story, Cassie once again finds herself in the middle of vampire politics. And what problematic business vampire politics is. I love the complicatedness of the supernatural world in this series, with protocols that must be kept and rules that must be followed, many unknown to the human world, and you just never know who you can really trust. And Cassie, of course, is unwittingly thrown right into the middle of it. The characters in this story are, once again, fabulous. Cassie, true to character, is concerned more about her friends and family than herself. She is selfless and loyal to those close to her. My favorite, though, is Isaiah. There's just something intriguing about him…tall, dark, mysterious. This story was action packed with plenty of twists and surprises to keep things interesting. Needless to say, I am ...

  Mortal Gods (Forgotten Pantheon #1) by Alex Manea Genre: Urban Fantasy  Number of pages: 183 Cover Artist: Ovidiu Stanciu Heather, a young American girl, is visiting her college roommate, who now lives in Rome. While partying in a local nightclub, she's picked up by a man who looks like he was created in the image of a Greek god. Her initial impression is correct. He’s one of the last surviving members of the Greek pantheon. After hooking up with him, Heather is forced to join the culmination of a two-millennium-long war between that pantheon and a clandestine sect of monks within the Catholic Church, itself led by perhaps the most infamous figure in Christian history. Heather and Apollo embark on a world-spanning effort to collect what remains of the gods to engage in the final battle with the monks opposing them. But the fate of the battle is changed by the intervention of a mysterious military organization… Book Links Goodreads    Amazo...

Karma (Karma #1) by Donna Augustine  Genre: Urban Fantasy  Publisher: Strong Hold Publishing   Number of pages: 344   Cover Artist: Donna Augustine P eople say karma's a...well, you know. Personally, I don't think I'm that bad. It's not like I wanted this job. I wasn't even in my right mind when I accepted it. 

Now, I'm surrounded by crazy coworkers like Lady Luck, who's a bit of a tramp, and Murphy's Law, who's a bumbling oaf.   But the worst is Fate. He's got a problem with transfers like myself and I have to see him constantly. It's unavoidable, since we're hunting the same man, my murderer. Goodreads Available at Amazon About the Author Donna Augustine’s lifelong ambition was to become the crazy cat lady. Unfortunately, when family allergies cut short her dream of living in a house full of furries, she turned her ambitions toward writing. Combining her love of fantasy, scifi, horror and romance, she tries...