review: lucky bang by deborah coonts

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Lucky Bang gets started with a literal bang when Lucky finds dynamite in the women's bathroom! Fortunately, everyone is safe, but Lucky knows the old dynamite sticks are connected to her past. As always, she plunges right into the investigation despite having been in the hospital after the explosion. This novella reveals more about Lucky's semi-mysterious father while also delving a bit into Lucky's potential love triangle. It's a lively tale absolutely fitting for Lucky's crazy life.
4/5
Review copy provided by the publicist, Kate Tilton.

review: gratoony the loony by gilles gratton & greg oliver

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Gilles Gratton had a fairly short professional hockey career, but his antics (and a goalie mask painted like a lion) made him a memorable player from the 1970s era. In his memoir, Gratton reveals his lack of interest in playing hockey, some of his family's issues, and how adamantly he believes in past lives. With coauthor Greg Oliver, Gratton shares some wild stories about the exploits of professional athletes (which he admits would probably land someone in jail if attempted today) and paints quite the picture of the time. Throughout Gratton's tales are inserts from friends, family, and hockey associates who also reflect on the experiences. Gratoony the Loony isn't the most polished or linear tale, but it feels like Gratton's voice has really come through in this memoir.
4/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, ECW Press.

review: the art of running in heels by rachel gibson

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Lexie Kowalsky is the daughter of a former NHL player who now coaches the Seattle Chinooks (the story of Lexie's mom and dad kicked off the series), but she makes a name for herself by winning a The Bachelor-style show called Gettin' Hitched. When it comes time to tape the wedding for the big finale, Lexie bails. A friend who owns a plane whisks her off to British Columbia to hide from the fallout. On the small plane is an attractive man also going to Canada. He knows who Lexie is, but Lexie doesn't realize the man who helps her out of her uncomfortable wedding garb is the new player her father keeps railing about. Lexie and Sean hook up and then it all gets complicated.

A series based around a Seattle NHL team and a book specifically about hype around a runaway reality show bride seems likely to be filled with all sorts of improbable situations, but Rachel Gibson makes it work. It's clear she knows the Pacific Northwest and hockey. The most implausible thing in The Art of Running in Heels ended up being when CNN tossed to a KING reporter. A few years ago this was unlikely because it's not really how the industry works, but it's impossible now that Tegna (who bought KING in 2013) ended the station's CNN affiliation. The Art of Running in Heels is an absolutely delightful romp. The one off-putting thing is the sexism displayed by Lexie's father and a few of the hockey players. With the incredible news that Seattle is finally in the running for an expansion NHL team (of course, it happened after I left!), Rachel Gibson's Chinooks Hockey Team series is one to check out.
4/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, Avon.

top ten tuesday: favorites of 2017

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday the site has a new top ten list with this week's being Ten Favorite Books of 2017. All the links below are to my reviews.

The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn
The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor
Seeking Mr. Wrong by Natalie Charles
We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. by Samantha Irby
The Walls by Hollie Overton
The Daughters of Ireland by Santa Montefiore
The Wild Woman's Guide to Traveling the World by Kristin Rockaway
Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda
The Vanishing Season by Joanna Schaffhausen
History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

review: the vanishing season by joanna schaffhausen

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Abigail Ellery Hathaway was kidnapped by a serial killer on her 14th birthday. She survived thanks to FBI profiler Reed Markham, who rescued her from a closet in the killer's lair and then wrote a book all about it. Because he gained fame (and money) at Ellery's expense, Reed agrees to help when Ellery contacts him about the disappearances of three people in the small town where she's now in law enforcement herself. Ellery believes a serial killer is behind the disappearances, but Reed can't help but wonder if Ellery's experience as a teen has caused her to snap.

Joanna Schaffhausen's debut is absolutely gripping with some great twists that lead to a stunning conclusion. The details of the plot are expertly woven so that it all feels remarkably real. The emotions felt by the characters (both major and minor) not only feel appropriate, but also help push the story forward. Although there were a few things related to the investigation that felt a little inaccurate (particularly that no one would've known Ellery's history given that she would've had to undergo a background check), The Vanishing Season is an excellent tale.

About the audiobook: The Vanishing Season is read by Lauren Fortgang. Her narration creates the perfect atmosphere and her voice lends itself well to all the characters (who are easily distinguished between). The audio version was published December 2017 by Blackstone Audio. It runs 9 hours.
5/5
Review copy provided by Audiobook Jukebox.

review: the truth beneath the lies by amanda searcy

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Kayla's life is going to an out-of-district high school (based on her former foster mom's address), working at a grocery store, and hoping her mom stays sober even though they live across the hall from the man who got her hooked on drugs. Then Jordan comes into the store and changes Kayla's life.

In another part of the country, Betsy is living a life of secrets. She claims to be from North Dakota, but some of her new friends are suspicious of her story. They have good reason, but Betsy's suspicious of some of them too--are they working for the man who's after her?

Initially it's unclear how Kayla and Betsy's worlds will come together, but the pieces eventually fall into place. As it all comes together, the plot gets a bit far-fetched. The story of Kayla and Betsy is intriguing, but the quick wrap-up doesn't give the conspiracy the treatment it deserves. The Kayla chapters needed to reveal the seediness of what Kayla was drawn into sooner and spend more time on the aftermath in order to make it clear just how high the stakes really were.
3/5
Review copy from Amazon Vine.

review: for whom the bread rolls by sarah fox

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In The Crêpes of Wrath, Ida established herself as a bit of a nemesis for Marley, so Marley is an obvious suspect when she discovers Ida’s body. Of course, no one really believes Marley would kill anyone, but it does at least give her a plausible excuse for becoming involved in yet another murder investigation. Marley quickly learns that many people might have wanted Ida dead as they suspected she was blackmailing them. Proving most residents of Wildwood Cove are Pollyannas, all of the blackmail is pretty trivial. Not all of the residents are such goody-two-shoes though; one of them murdered Ida and there’s also a drug lab operating in town.

As with the first in the series, For Whom the Bread Rolls moves slowly with lots of filler scenes (though none as excruciatingly pointless as the interview scene of the first book) meant to give the reader more information about the numerous secondary characters Marley associates with. Despite all the time spent with the secondary characters, the murderer is not well developed. The various storylines all come together well, but a little too quickly given all the diversions that the path to get to the conclusion took. Although there are plenty of references to The Crêpes of Wrath, For Whom the Bread Rolls can be read as a standalone.

About the audiobook: Marguerite Gavin is the reader of Sarah Fox's For Whom the Bread Rolls as she was for The Crêpes of Wrath. Gavin distinguished between male and female voices well, but it was difficult to tell which male character was speaking when there were two or more males in a scene. The audio version was published August 2017 by Tantor Audio. It runs 7 hours. The audio version does not include the bonus recipes of the print version.
3/5
Review copy provided by Audiobook Jukebox.