What it Seems- Gripping suspense by Emily Bleeker

 

What it Seems 
by Emily Bleeker 
5/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What it Seems is an amazing and gripping suspense novel.
I absolutely BLAZED through this book, and could NOT put it down!
The main character (Angela/Tara) is living with a woman she believes to be her "foster mother"
She does not have a clear memory of how she came to be there due to a traumatic head injury.
She is now a young woman in her early 20's and the mother controls her every action, forcing her to shoplift and sell items on eBay. She finds a way forward by using an old clunky computer and realizing how futile it is to remain.
I won't spoil what happens next, but this was an absolutely gripping read.
The characters are so well-written and described that it is easy to see them in your mind's eye.
It's not super long, and I recommend it very highly.

Death, Dismay and Rose - stay away...

 

Death, Dismay, and Rose

by JC Eaton

2/5 stars

⭐⭐

Death, Dismay, and Rose had potential, but for me, it sort of fell flat. 

I think this may have been part of a series, and perhaps others who have read the series enjoyed it more. 

There were passages that were fairly well- written, where there was suspense, and you wondered how things were going to play out. 

I was very disappointed in the way the author treated food and drink throughout the book. 

For a book ostensibly centered around a winery, there was none of the poetry of wine and wine tasting, or the fun "cellar" experience of being a wine-maker. 

In addition, I was just downright annoyed with the food, every other page the protagonist is telling us what she got for lunch, but doesn't actually DESCRIBE it. 

For example, I got a tuna on rye for lunch 

but not, my tuna on rye was just what I needed, the toast was lightly browned, tart, and crunchy under the flaky, tuna, swimming in rich mayonnaise and counterpointed by the crunch of pickles and onion. 

Either describe it well or forget about it. So you had a sandwich - who cares?

The only meal that got even halfway decent treatment was the wine-maker dinner.

I also found some of the action a bit of a stretch, I think the main character would have been locked up long before the end for her meddling in police business.. 

All in all, I cannot recommend this book- your time is better spent elsewhere. 

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC, my opinions are my own.

I finished reading this book late in Nov 2020. 

The Arctic Fury - extreme adventure in a historical setting

 

The Arctic Fury

by Greer MacAllister 

4/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really enjoyed the Arctic Fury!

The story is a construction very loosely based on some facts, and is about an all-female expedition to search for 2 lost British ships of history, the Terror and the Erebus.

The leader of the expedition is a woman named Virginia, who has experience guiding settlers out west to California. The funding for the adventure comes from the wife of one of the lost British officers.

The story was well-written, with beautiful descriptions, allowing you to see the action and scenery in your mind's eye. The story goes back and forth from the aftermath of the expedition to the expedition itself.

I don't want to give any spoilers, but both sections are very intriguing and really draw the reader in.

I must say for me, I was more interested in the expedition sections and just wanted to really know what happened.

The book was a good length, and all of the action and twists and turns made sense.

I would recommend this book for a strong female-led arctic adventure!

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC of this fun story just when I needed some armchair travel! My opinions are m own.