Author's last name starts with G/H

The Summer I Met Jack by Michelle Gable

The Summer I Met Jack is a fictional novel based on innuendo and facts, but where one stops and the other starts is not clear.  The author, Michelle Gable based on research was able to piece together a book about Jack Kennedy and his affair with Alicia Darr in this novel.  The book is fascinating.

Alicia Darr was known by many names and had much written about her.  She started out as a Jew in Poland and was hidden by the nuns during WWII.  As a displaced person, she was able to emigrate to the US and met JFK and later married Edmond Perdom, Alfred Corning Clark  and Dr. Norman R Gay. Between those points is a story of a love that was denied for ages and yet seemingly the one love of Alicia for all times.

The story is told in two points of view.  One from Alicia and one from a young Roman women who is supposedly her daughter.  The life and loves of Alicia between the bright lights of Hollywood and the glitz and glamour of the spotlights of the rich and famous was far away from her early life.  She seems a character that burns brightly, but at the same time is always seeking. She met JFK in Massachusetts in the 50s and according to her was engaged to be married to him but the marriage was nixed by JFK’s father because she was a Jew.  The circumstances, descriptions and storylines are very compelling. Michelle Gable was able to mix fact and fiction so well that it is not clear where they end and begin.

The Summer I Met Jack by Michelle Gable is a good read.  

Look For Me by Lisa Gardner

Look for Me by Lisa Gardner is one fabulous ride!  First you think one thing, then another and then still another!  How great is that!!  This book is part of a series, but I was able to pick up the main points without having all the background… however - I enjoyed it so much, I might need to find some of the first ones.

Roxy is gone.  Her family is brutally murdered.  Did she cause this?  Did she do this? Or is she going to be killed next?  D.D. Warren needs to figure all this out.  To help her Flora Dane (a character from an earlier book) has agreed to help figure out what is happening.  Flora is a bit of a wild card as she was a victim and is now a survivor and maybe a bit vigilante.  However, D.D. needs the help and Flora can go places D.D. can’t.  

I found this book exciting and thrilling and a real page turner!  The characters is were interesting and the story was fascinating.  Not just the present day story, but the horror of the past that kept creeping in really brought you into the story. Lisa Gardner is now a must read author for me!!! Look for Me by Lisa Gardner was a fabulous read!   

A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert

A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert is a fun cosy mystery.  The plot is so small town with everyone knowing everybody and talking to and around others.  The storyline of a librarian leaving a larger college library due to a bad break up with a jerk and moving to live with an old aunt and run the local library is not remarkable.  BUT what is remarkable is where the story goes from there, with the twists and turns of the plot, with the various people (some good - some not) is what keeps this cosy mystery moving.  

Amy Webber is moving on from the disaster that was her life!  Her small town library is short on funds but has plenty of strange town folk, add in a new HOT neighbor Richard Muir and a murder in the archives and then the small town starts to bristle with accusations.  To top it off Richard Muir is determined to investigate the death of the house’s original owner and with all the undercurrents of the past life gets quite interesting!  Amy is not going to fall for Richard - at least so she thinks - and nobody is going to get hurt with her doing some research into the town’s history - right!

A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert is the first book in a new cosy mystery series called The Blue Ridge Library Mysteries.  The book is a fast read that keeps your attention with all the plot twists. A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert is a good read!!

Diamond in the Rough by Jane Goodger

Diamond in the Rough by Jane Goodger is an historical romance.  The book reminded me how catty people can be when asked to accept someone who is different.  Clara Anderson is not a member of the ton, despite her mother’s ambitions to marry her off to a titled gentleman.  Clara never seems to just fit in. Something her mother fails to understand, Clara is perfectly happy without going out on a marriage mart.  She even seems to have developed a tendre for the gardener.

The Gardener is not what he seems.  As a matter of fact, he is Nathaniel Emory, Baron Alford and is pretending to be the gardener while he searches for a hidden stone worth scads of money - money he needs desperately to save his land and people.  So he digs and digs and with Clara’s help manages to put together a lovely garden. 

Meanwhile, Nathaniel is not the only person looking for the diamond - or him for that matter. Things become quite complicated and while both Nathan and Clara are in love with each other, neither sees any viable option for them.   

I enjoyed the story and how as the garden grew, their love grew.  I like how Clara was willing to be hurt again and again to help make her mother’s dreams come true.  Mostly I loved how Nathaniel woo Clare with plants and flowers. Diamond in the Rough by Jane Goodger was a good read.  

 Broken Rebel by Sherilee Gray

Broken Rebel by Sherilee Gray was a fun read.   The main characters of Neco and Ruby made me root for them and their love.  Nico and Ruby had been together forever.  Neco protected her from her crazy mom and Ruby helped Nico with her love.  Both found a sense of family in the other one.  However Nico thinks he is not worthy of loving Ruby because of all the bad things he has done.  Ruby tries to get over him again and again.  To top it off, Ruby wants to work with the King Agency where Neco works, but not as the receptionist.  

The King Agency handles problems and finds out information.  The employees are men who are a mixture of hard, bad, sexy and alpha.   I enjoyed the bad guys to mostly good guys plot line.  I enjoyed the twists and turns of the thriller aspect.The story certainly had some dark elements, but I did not find them to be overwhelming. Reading Broken Rebel by Sherilee Gray made me want to read the first book of the series and all the others that will come out.  

Broken Rebel by Sherilee Gray was a good read.

Touch of Red by Laura Griffin 

Laura Griffin’s newest book about the Delphi Center is awesome.  We meet fingerprint and evidence collector Brooke Porter.  She is determined, thorough and focused on finding answers, even if she puts herself out there looking for answers.  Sean Byrne is the detective who caught the same crime scene.  He has noticed her for a while and is interested, but had to heal first.  Brooke has noticed him as well but is in a man free zone for a while.  On top of that Brooke is feeling like she is being followed by an ex - one who seems to struggle with backing off.

The evidence suggests an horrific crime, but without a clear motive or suspect. Both Brooke and Sean work the evidence and keep “bumping” into each other. Sean does not want Brooke helping out.  He is worried about her but she cannot seem to help herself!   As they get closer, so does the killer to Brooke.

Touch of Red by Laura Griffin is one of my favorite kinds of book - a romantic thriller, with love interests finding each other while trying to outwit the bad guys. Laura Griffin’s addition with the Delphi Center always having new ways to track down evidence just makes the book more interesting!   

Touch of Red by Laura Griffin was a great book!

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah is a story about a family and love and a story about fear and pain.  The book brings you down to the lowest depths and then up into the heights.  Leni, the main character is brought up to Alaska as a teen.  She knows that her father is damaged and her mother always tries to keep things moving to a safe place.  Moving to Alaska without enough money, food and knowledge was a dangerous choice.  However, Leni begins to flower with the land and people.  Her father continues his slow descent into hell and her mother continues to try to keep everything together.  Leni meets Matthew and realizes that for the first time she has a friend, a home, an opportunities, but life is not a smooth path.  Things happen as the seasons change, yet Leni continues on the rocky path with her family.

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah is a fabulous book. You know a book is fabulous when your emotions are so tied to the characters that you breath when they breath.  A book is a fabulous book when you are so entranced with a book, but you are almost afraid to complete the book, because you are so worried about what will happen next.  I loved reading this story with all the ups and downs.  I cried and laughed and smiled and shivered in the cold.  

There are always books that leave you speechless. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah was one of those books for me!  

The Nocturnals: The Mysterious Abduction by Tracey Hecht

The Mysterious Abductions by Tracey Hecht is a the first book in a series called The Nocturnals. The book is populated with animals who have been personified by their personal traits into characters in the story.  The story takes place in Australia, so the animals are from Australia and all are animals that are active at night.  I do have to admit, I needed to google some of the animals so that I knew what they looked like and some of their behaviors.  Knowing the information about the animals made the book easier to understand (especially because kiwis in the United States are fruits - not birds).

In the first adventure three animals band together to discover what is happening in their forest to various animals that are disappearing.  The concern does not seem to be related to a single species, but to a variety.  The fox (Dawn), the pangolin (Tobin) and the sugar glider (Bismark) are unlikely friends, but together they make a force to be dealt with - according to Bismarck.  

The book has any fine qualities for a young reader.  The adventure, friendship and perseverance are all fine qualities for everyone to read about and adopt.  The writing is good, although I found the understanding of the game quite confusing until I saw a couple of the pictures to help me ‘see’ it in my mind’s eye.  I think the book would be interesting to those who love to read about fantastical adventures with animals.  The Mysterious Abductions was an interesting read.  

Th Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry

OH MY!  

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry was awesome.  The book brought me on a journey and from beginning to end I was hooked.  Cady became such an important character to me, I found myself giving her advice outloud and at one point may or may not have shouted out.

A girl woke up in a room, on the floor, obviously beaten, and didn’t know who she was or why she was there.  Then she heard, that she was supposed to be removed from the cabin and “taken care of”.  What happened next is just the beginning of the two days where the girl is trying to find out who she is and why bad men are following her.  Make no mistake they are BAD men!  Throw in a couple of twists and a surprise friend and you have yourself a rolling thriller!

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry is a young adult book that can catch to a number of different readers. It is exciting while keeping things somewhat realistic.  The themes of loyalty and love for family, courage in the face of adversity, and determination are strong and positive.  The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die is a great read and I encourage others to read the book!  

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand takes us to the island of Nantucket.  This time our visit includes a wedding between Benji and Celeste.  It is meant to be the wedding of the summer.  Benji’s mother has gone all out to plan a fabulous wedding.  The food, the flowers, the fashion and all the right people have all been planned.  The morning of the wedding, the maid of honor, Merritt is found dead by the ocean by the bride.  A murder mystery investigation ensues with all sorts of interesting information is discovered. What really might have happened? Who really is complicit?  Is there really ever a perfect couple? All these questions are part and parcel of the remainder of the book.

I enjoyed the various characters, twists and turns of the novel.  I must admit I picked it up with a great deal of trepidation since I did not like last year’s novel by Elin Hilderbrand.  I am glad I did read it. The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand was a great summer read.  

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier is a twisted psychological thriller that had me madly figuring out the twists and turns.  The story goes back and forth between now and then. Then being when three teenagers were best friends and then one is gone. Now when Geo is back home with her father - fourteen years later. WOW oh WOW oh WOW.

Geo, Kaiser, and Angela were best friends in High School.  They hung around with each other and loved each other. Until Calvin came along and hooked up with Geo. She was all about him and slowly drew away from the others. Then Angela went missing and Geo said nothing about what happened - nothing, until she was arrested, because it turns out Calvin is a serial killer.  The twists keep coming as more and more is slowly revealed - unknown things - secrets kept.

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier was twisted, horrifying, ugly and I could not stop reading.  The character of Geo was by far more complex than I expected. Jar of Hearts was a good read.

The Liar's Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard 

The Liar’s Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard was a great read. Alison Smith was so excited, she was chosen to attend college at St John’s in Dublin.  This was her first choice and she was excited. The fact her best friend Liz was also going to attend was a bonus.  After a minor housing crisis, the girls began college situated in a large dorm on campus.  It was then that Alison met Will and they became friends and lovers.  Until he was arrested and jailed for being a serial murderer of five girls and drown them in the Grand Canal.  

The story is told in multiple viewpoints with the majority of the story’s voices being Alison in the past and Alison in the present. Woven into the story the unknowns continue to haunt you as more and more information trickles out.

I really enjoyed the story and found the book quite compelling (Translation: Didn’t want to put it down at all!) The author’s method of letting out some pieces of information and moving between the past and the present allowed me to feel fully involved in the story.  The end:  Well it was a kick!

The Liar’s Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard was a great read.  

The Most Dangerous Duke in London by Madeline Hunter

The Most Dangerous Duke in London by Madeline Hunter is a great start to a new series of historical romances.  The Duke of Stratton, Adam has always been looked at with jaundiced eye.  His family history and his associations with the Decadent Dukes Society has returned.  He has questions about his father’s death and blames the Cheswick family.  

However, the Cheswick family proposition Adam to marry the families together and offers her youngest granddaughter.  While there Adam espies Clara, the eldest granddaughter.  She is an intelligent bluestocking who is only interested in her journals for women.  Together they spark, Clara is positive they will not marry, Adam is taking matters into his own hand and has determined she will be his wife.

I loved the contest of wills between Adam and Clara.  I found the play between them fun.  The Most Dangerous Duke in London by Madeline Hunter is a fun read.  I enjoyed the storyline and the ending did have a couple of twists that kept my attention.

The Most Dangerous Duke in London by Madeline Hunter is a great read.

A Devil of a Duke by Madeline Hunter

A Devil of a Duke by Madeline Hunter was a bit of a surprise.  I knew one of the main characters lead a duplicitous life, but I did not expect she was a thief, even capable of being a second story man.  That made the book different. What made is similar to others is that she was being blackmailed into the crimes thinking she was saving her mother.  Little did Amanda realize that her mother was not going to be let go, no matter what she stole. Meanwhile Amanda finally had a job where she was treated well and she was secure, but now she had to leave it in order to save her mother.  Gabriel St. James, Duke of Langford is mesmerized by Amanda.  She finds herself having a love affair with him, knowing that this will never mean anything to a man like him.  They both are in for surprizes!

I enjoyed the book.  I like how it had different elements in the book and I liked how Amanda and Gabriel found each other.  A Devil of a Duke by Madeline Hunter was a fun read.

 Heaven Adjacent by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Heaven Adjacent by Catherine Ryan Hyde was interesting.  The main character, after the death of a close friend and colleague went for a drive and ended up in the middle of nowhere.  She then buys a piece of land nearby with an old house, shed and barn. The farm has lots of acres and squatters. Soon Roseanna is living there with the squatters without any warning to her family, friends and coworkers. She has found she does not want to go back to Manhattan or any city ever again.  She calls and lets everyone know, she is taking some time. Suddenly, this high powered lawyer is living a simpler life and is finding her way. Until she is found and her new existence is threatened.

Catherine Ryan Hyde writes books about people who are broken.  People who need a family or connections with others. In this respect Heaven Adjacent is similar, but for me the main character was not as likeable as some of her others.  As the book went on I found myself liking the main character more and more and perhaps that is what the author wanted. To take a person who was unlikable and make her change to someone we might like better.

Heaven Adjacent by Catherine Ryan Hyde was a good read.  

Go Ask Fannie by Elisabeth Hyde

Go Ask Fannie by Elisabeth Hyde is a book about family, the Blair Family.  Murray Blair, an older gentleman with his farm of sunflowers has invited his children for a weekend.  Ostensibly, to help break his younger daughter up with an older man who is a player. In reality, the weekend turns into a series of memories from when his family was younger, before the death of his wife and a son.  

The children all come with various concerns and issues. His daughter, Lizzie lives nearby and is a tenured professor just broke up in a rather radical fashion with the boyfriend.  George, his son, is a nurse and a marathon runner with commitment issues. The oldest daughter is Ruth, a lawyer who lives down near Washington and is unhappily married. The weekend starts with an unhappy note as Lizzie brings her mother’s old battered cookbook by Fannie Farmer that was ruined by the ex-boyfriend.  

Each characters shares memories from when they were younger that ties the past to the present. As the stories are relayed more information is gained about the importance of the cookbook and their mother and brother.  The story is about a family and the stories that connect them.  I found the setting in New Hampshire with the various locals mentioned fun. Go Ask Fannie is a well written and poignant novel allowing the reader an intimate view into the family and the ties that bind them.   I enjoyed Go Ask Fannie by Elisabeth Hyde and found the book to be a good read.