Month: June 2019

Short Story Sunday: When Hattie Met Gary by Audrey Davis

Author: Audrey Davis

Discover the humorous and heart-warming story of how Hattie met Gary in this charming prequel to The Haunting of Hattie Hastings.

Reviewed By: Jessica
Date Read: June 27, 2019

Jessica’s Review:
When Hattie Met Gary is the short prequel to The Haunting of Hattie Hastings by Audrey Davis. I read Haunting when it was a serialized three part novella. I adored everything about Haunting and anticipated the other two parts being released.

Now, Davis gives us the prequel When Hattie Met Gary by introducing us to young Hattie. We also see her meeting her future best friend Cat and her future husband Gary. Over the course of the short prequel we get flashes of important parts of Hattie’s life. This is a great introduction to Hattie. If you have already read Haunting you will also enjoy this prequel of beginnings.

Even better is that this prequel is FREE! You can only get it on Davis’ website which is here.

Go ahead and go to her site and pick up this prequel. You won’t regret it. I read it in about 90 minutes. Get to know Hattie and then read The Haunting of Hattie Hastings!  I hope you’ll enjoy these stories as I did.

My reviews of The Haunting of Hattie Hastings:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three

First Line Friday #113

Today’s First Line Friday is another psychological thriller I must read:

I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her. She just lay on the floor, holding her jaw. Staring at me. Silent. She didn’t even seem to be surprised.

Oliver Ryan, handsome, charismatic, and successful, has long been married to his devoted wife, Alice. Together they write and illustrate award-winning children’s books; their life together one of enviable privilege and ease—until, one evening after a delightful dinner, Oliver delivers a blow to Alice that renders her unconscious, and subsequently beats her into a coma.

In the aftermath of such an unthinkable event, as Alice hovers between life and death, the couple’s friends, neighbours, and acquaintances try to understand what could have driven Oliver to commit such a horrific act. As his story unfolds, layers are peeled away to reveal a life of shame, envy, deception, and masterful manipulation.

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

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Lovely War by Julie Berry

Author: Julie Berry
Published: March 5, 2019
480 Pages

Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars

Book Description:

They are Hazel, James, Aubrey, and Colette. A classical pianist from London, a British would-be architect-turned-soldier, a Harlem-born ragtime genius in the U.S. Army, and a Belgian orphan with a gorgeous voice and a devastating past. Their story, as told by goddess Aphrodite, who must spin the tale or face judgment on Mount Olympus, is filled with hope and heartbreak, prejudice and passion, and reveals that, though War is a formidable force, it’s no match for the transcendent power of Love.

Kim’s Review:

I almost adored this book. I wish I could say that I loved everything about it, but unfortunately, I can’t. It all started great; Aphrodite as a narrator was brilliant and gave the story such a fascinating edge. The “trial” Hephaestus put Ares and Aphrodite through was interesting and I couldn’t wait turn the page and learn more. The story sucked me in from page one. The setting and characters were engaging and I was emotionally hooked from the beginning. I was prepared to give the book 5 stars without a single complaint, until all the “woke” themes started. It nearly ruined the entire book. I have no problem discussing America’s past of racism and the reasons for the Civil Rights movement. I’m a historian, I don’t believe in revisionism in anyway.

But when the South is villainized unfairly, I’m gonna complain about it. Thankfully, Berry put in small phrases that acknowledged a black man’s plight even in the progressive and Yankee city of New York. But when every single Southerner is turned into an insufferable jerk all because of the color of another man’s skin, it overshadows how beautiful this story could have been. And it’s so sad that this is literally the only problem I have. I cannot say enough good about the rest of this book. I couldn’t put it down and this cover is sooooo beautiful!!!!! I still want to rate it as high as I can and I absolutely recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction.

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

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