I didn't think I would get through as many books this month as the previous two, but what with the lovely long bank holiday weekend, which brought the sort of weather that didn't really invite gallivanting outdoors, I took advantage and managed to read two whole books over the Easter weekend. So a total of six books for review this month, all downloaded from the freebies on Kindle. (So no spending ban breached!) Hope you all had a fantastic Easter by the way?!
A Month at the Shore by Antoinette Stockenberg
He was her childhood knight in shining Armour...but she wasn't a fairytale princess. Kendall Barclay III was a skinny, nerdy kid when he single-handedly took on a gang of bullies assaulting Laura Shore, a thirteen-year-old girl from the town's most notorious family. The childhood trauma became one more reason for Laura to flee the small Cape Cod town for the opposite coast and make a name for herself there. But now her tyrannical father is dead, her murderous uncle as well, and her beloved sister Corinne wants Laura and their black-sheep brother to come home and restore Shore Gardens, the family nursery fallen to rack and ruin, back to its former charm. Reluctantly, they promise Corinne one month. One month, for Laura to face down past memories which are anything but fond and to come to terms with the wild range of feelings she has for the man who is no longer either skinny or nerdy. It's a daunting assignment - made more so when a shocking discovery is made on the nursery grounds. Have knights in shining armour gone out of fashion? Laura will soon find out.
My Verdict - I was hesitant at first to read this, as those who have read my blog for a while will know of my dislike of chick-lit and I was afraid this would be too much of this ilk. But that said it did hold my attention and there was quite a surprise coming with regards to the shocking discovery. I would describe this as a good basic read with hints of chick-lit! 6/10
World War II London Blitz Diary (A Woman's Revelations Enduring War and Marriage) by Ruby Alice Side-Thompson, Victoria Aldridge-Washuk, Adele Thompson-Aldridge
Imagine yourself seeing hundreds of Messerschmitt war planes overhead and hearing the explosion of bombs being dropped around you. Wondering if this is the day one will fall on your house. Ruby Side Thompson's personal diary was written during the terrifying World War Two London Blitz. Her diary is a true and detailed account of what she experienced during that horrific time. The diary chronicles Ruby's struggle to survive in the midst of a horrendous war, where London is bombed nightly. Ruby speaks candidly about her unhappiness enduring an unsatisfactory marriage. She was the mother of seven sons, two of whom were enlisted in the R.A.F. One of which became an amputee as the result of hitting a land mine and the other son was captured and sent to a concentration camp as a prisoner of war. Her tale is a mix of the commonplace and the historic as seen through her eyes. The diary was an outlet for Ruby's thoughts and feelings that could not be spoken out loud; however, in publishing the diary it gives readers an honest and unfiltered look back at a time that may have been long since forgotten. Join Ruby on her trying journey as she tries to keep her life and family together during this difficult time in history.
My Verdict - for some reason unbeknown to me even, I am obsessed with the war years. More from a personal rather than historical point of view. I like to read about how the average person coped during this period so I found this a fascinating read. Ruby was a feminist of her time, but you really see her struggle with her views in a time when women where still seen as beneath men (has that ever really changed?! I won't start a debate here). Plus you need to be aware that some of the language is of the time. Obviously a diary is subjective so you can't tell how bad her marriage really was as the story is obviously one sided, and there are many times in the diary were she writes about her husband with affection. The biggest thing I took from this book was how little I knew about the nightly air raids and how they could have six plus a night! No-one seems to mention in modern history the sleep deprivation people went through during the war years. This book is 1 of 4 volumes. I have yet to read the rest. 8/10
Wait for Me by Elisabeth Naughton
A woman without a past......After a tragic accident left her with no memory, Kate Alexander struggled to fit in with a husband and world that didn't feel right. She's had no reason to question what friends and family have told her, not until her husband is suddenly killed and she finds a photo of a young girl in his office. A girl who can't be anyone but a daughter Kate didn't know she had. A man desperate for a reason to live......Ryan Harrison lost his wife in a plane crash five years ago. To cope with the pain of her loss, he dedicated himself to his job and to raising their daughter. Now a successful pharmaceutical executive, Ryan has everything a man could want - money, fame and power - but he'd give it all up in a heartbeat for just one more day with the woman he still loves. Two lives about to converge. As Kate begins to dig into a past she doesn't remember, evidence leads her to San Francisco and puts her on the path toward Ryan, a man who sees in her the woman he loved and lost. Kate feels a draw to Ryan, one she can't explain, but is that feeling enough to convince her this is where she's supposed to be? As Ryan and Kate search for answers, they uncover lies long buried, a passion hotter than either expected and a danger that threatens...even now...when the second chance they've both been searching for is finally within reach.
My Verdict - I really need to stop shopping the Kindle store late at night, as this just screams of chick-lit! OK so it was an easy read the same as A Month at the Shore, but not really up my street. I guessed what was about to happen before it did, which is always a disappointment when reading a book and why does sex in novels always seem to solve everything?! I don't buy it. 6/10
H10N1 by M. R. Cornelius
A deadly influenza virus rages out of control. There is no easy-fix vaccine. No eleventh-hour containment. Only death. With no workforce, power plants are unmanned so there's no means of communication; police and fire departments have collapsed so no one is safe; looters are scavenging everything from big-screen TVs to canned peas. When Dr. Taeya Sanchez finds herself unceremoniously dismissed from an emergency medical facility in New York, she decides to steal the hospital's armoured van for a midnight escape. Unfortunately, Rick DeAngelo, a driver for the hospital, has already stocked the van for his own getaway. Thrown into an unfriendly alliance, these two must pick their way across the dangerous wasteland of America in search of a safe haven. And as the miles roll by, they discover that the living should be feared much more than the festering corpses out there.
My Verdict - OK there appears to be no hint of romance in the synopsis, so why do they always have to ruin it and have the main characters get it on?! Why? it's not necessary in a good book. Also this book felt like it was written by two different authors! Some parts of it were well written and engaging and then parts of it just flagged. If I am Legend, and 28 days had a love child, this book would be it. 7/10
She's Not Coming Home by Philip Cox
Every morning at 8:30 Ruth Gibbons kisses her husband and son goodbye, and sets off for work. Every evening at 5pm, she finishes work, texts 'leaving now' to her husband Matthew, and begins her walk home. Every night at 5:40 she arrives home, kisses her husband and son, and has dinner with her family. Except tonight. Matthew thought he had a pretty normal life. A nice home, a happy marriage, a beautiful son, and a job he enjoys. Then it all changed. He informs the police that Ruth has not returned home, but decides to search for her himself as well. His first call is to her place of work, where to his disbelief nobody has heard of her. He begins to look further, and what he finds causes him to doubt everything he thought he knew about his wife, and to question his own sanity.
My Verdict - I have to say, the synopsis reads better than the actual book. The book is clever and there are some twists and turns and a few dead ends in there just to throw you off balance which I enjoyed; as I hate it when you guess the outcome before you reach it. I did feel the end was rather rushed though but a good read nonetheless and would recommend. 8/10
Read No Evil by Steven W. White
A new electronically-published fantasy novel is sweeping the nation. Everyone is reading it. Some love it, some hate it, and some vanish without a trace. High School English teacher Jan Fitzgerald adores literature. But her students have begun to disappear, and somehow this new ebook is responsible. To protect the people she loves, she must discover how the nationwide outbreaks of violence and missing persons could be caused by the latest fiction craze. Jan comes to accept the extraordinary possibility that the ebook connects to a readers subconscious...and uploads instructions. Suddenly, the man she loves falls victim as well, and cannot be found. Jan has no choice but to read the ebook herself, and hope that she can resist its power long enough to unravel the mystery. And you must read it with her.
My Verdict - Quite a novel (no pun intended!) take on the phenomenon of the ereader generation. Two points in the synopsis which weren't quite correct in the book are; the nationwide outbreak of missing persons isn't covered, it appears Jan is doing all the detective work on her own AND she starts to read the ebook BEFORE the man she loves goes missing. I'm a stickler for this! It did make me think 'could something like this really be possible with all this technology'? Probably not, but we never know where technology and science will take us...7/10
My favourite for the month of March is a toss-up between World War II London Blitz Diary and She's Not Coming Home.
What have you been reading this month?
