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Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page.

Thank you Mari from MariReads for hosting this month's Mailbox Monday blog tour.

Check out the blog and post all the new books you acquired last week.

I am so excited about my MM this week.  I have been seeing this book arrive in other mailboxes and have been so jealous because I was a huge fan of Chevy Stevens' first book Still Missing and can't wait to read this one!

Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens (from publisher)

From author's website:

All her life, Sara Gallagher has wondered about her birth parents. As an adopted child with two sisters who were born naturally to her parents, Sara’s home life was not ideal. The question of why she was given up for adoption has always haunted her. Finally, she is ready to take steps and find closure.

But some questions are better left unanswered.

After months of research, Sara locates her birth mother—only to be met with horror and rejection. Then she discovers the devastating truth: her mother was the only victim ever to escape a killer who has been hunting women every summer for decades. But Sara soon realizes the only thing worse than finding out about her father is him finding out about her.

What if murder is in your blood?

Never Knowing is a complex and compelling portrayal of one woman’s quest to understand herself, her origins, and her family. That is, if she can survive…

Strings Attached - Judy Blundell

Strings Attached
By Judy Blundell

In Strings Attached, Kit follows her dream to New York after a fight with her boyfriend who enlists in the Army. When she gets to New York, she is approached by her ex boyfriends father, Nate, and offered help for just a small, almost non-existent favor in return. Kit soon realizes that Nate is not someone you want to be in debt.

I was disappointed that the story never grabbed me in the way I was expecting. I never got to the point where I just had to know what was going to happen next. Even with that being the case, however, I enjoyed the story. I loved the 1950 New York setting! There was a reality in what Kit was going through that I wasn’t expecting. She was dealing with a possible mobster and trying to make something of herself on Broadway which isn’t the experience of the “average girl” but when it came down to it she was just trying do what she loved and support herself in the process. Kit realizes that she has a cloud hanging over her accomplishments because of the help she accepted from Nate and she doesn’t want that.

I think my favorite part was the time that she was working her butt off doing something she loved but still not making any money. She was exhausted, surviving on pots of coffee, living with mice and yet she still appreciated that she was a part of something incredible. She was appreciative of the camaraderie with the other members of the show at an incredible time in her life.

At times the flashbacks to the time before she left for New York felt a bit awkward and the foreshadowing was more confusing than intriguing. I also got annoyed that the story was built on unhealthy relationships and the girls just kept going back but I really liked the ending of the book. It was…fitting.

**Source: Amazon Vine

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page.

Thank you Mari from MariReads for hosting this month's Mailbox Monday blog tour.

Check out the blog and post all the new books you acquired last week.

Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne (from publisher)

From Amazon:

Eight-year-old Noah's problems seem easier to deal with if he doesn't think about them. So he runs away, taking an untrodden path through the forest.

Before long, he comes across a shop. But this is no ordinary shop: it's a toyshop, full of the most amazing toys, and brimming with the most wonderful magic. And here Noah meets a very unusual toymaker. The toymaker has a story to tell, and it's a story of adventure and wonder and broken promises. He takes Noah on a journey. A journey that will change his life. 

Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff (from publisher)

From author's website:

On May 13, 1945, twenty-four officers and enlisted men and women stationed on what was then Dutch New Guinea boarded a transport plane named the Gremlin Special for a sightseeing trip over "Shangri-La," a beautiful and mysterious valley surrounded by steep, jagged mountain peaks deep within the island's uncharted jungle.

But the pleasure tour became an unforgettable battle for survival when the plane crashed. Miraculously, three passengers survived – WAC Corporal Margaret Hastings, Lieutenant John McCollom, and Sergeant Kenneth Decker.

Emotionally devastated, badly injured, and vulnerable to disease, parasites, and poisonous snakes in the wet jungle climate, the trio was caught between man-eating headhunters and the enemy Japanese. With nothing to sustain them but a handful of candy and their own fortitude, they endured a harrowing trek down the mountainside – straight into a primitive tribe of superstitious natives who had never before seen a white man or woman.

Lost in Shangri-La recounts this incredible true-life adventure for the first time. A riveting work of narrative nonfiction that vividly brings to life an odyssey at times terrifying, enlightening, and comic, Lost in Shangri-La is a thrill ride from beginning to end.

Wither - Lauren DeStefano

Wither
By Lauren DeStefano


I had high expectations for this book and I don’t even really know where they came from. I think the combo of the cover and synopsis, added to the fact that I love dystopian stories, made me feel that there was so much possibility for this book.

Rhine is a girl who is just trying to stay alive with her brother. Finally the thing she was scared of happens and she is suddenly taken from him and expected to become one of the new brides of a boy named Linden. The mansion that becomes her prison is an equally beautiful and horrible place.

The story was definitely interesting. There were some disturbing moments when I was struck by the intense reality of the horror Rhine and her sister-wives go through—particularly a scene with Cecily—but at the same time there were other moments when the drama seemed a bit overdone. I was torn between hating Linden and at times feeling sorry for him but a few times I found myself saying “enough already, am I meant to hate him or not!” I appreciated the very different personalities of Rhine and her sister-wives. Although they all lived in the same twisted place the world had become, they all had different experiences which made them react to their new reality in very different ways. It was interesting to see the ways each of them coped with their circumstances but it also made the story much more terrifyingly real. I’m curious to see what comes next.

**Source: ARC from publisher

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page.

Thank you Mari from MariReads for hosting this month's Mailbox Monday blog tour.

Check out the blog and post all the new books you acquired last week.

The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy (ARE from publisher)

From publisher's website:

As World War II draws closer and closer to Guernsey, Vivienne de la Mare knows that there will be sacrifices to be made. Not just for herself, but for her two young daughters and for her mother-in-law, for whom she cares while her husband is away fighting. What she does not expect is that she will fall in love with one of the enigmatic German soldiers who take up residence in the house next door to her home. As their relationship intensifies, so do the pressures on Vivienne. Food and resources grow scant, and the restrictions placed upon the residents of the island grow with each passing week. Though Vivienne knows the perils of her love affair with Gunther, she believes that she can keep their relationship—and her family—safe. But when she becomes aware of the full brutality of the Occupation, she must decide if she is willing to risk her personal happiness for the life of a stranger.

Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz (Amazon Vine)

From Amazon:

The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid--live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.

With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical summer read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil.