#eliza jane brazier

[uncomplicatedbookreviews]

If I Disappear

Author: Eliza Jane Brazier

Rating: 1/10 ⭐

Goodreads: 3.13/5

Date Read: January 2024

'And I’m going to prove to him and everyone that I am somebody, that all the time when I seemed like nobody and I felt like nothing, it was just preparation for this' -------------------------------------

Plot Summary: Sera's life is in shambles and the only thing she derives joy from is listening obsessively to a crime podcast hosted by Rachel. However, one day Rachel stops posting updates and Sera believes that she has become a victim of the very crimes that she talks about. Sera travels to Rachel's home town, determined to become the hero of her own story and solve Rachel's mystery disappearance. Along the way she finds herself in the bizarre company of Rachel's family and the people of the nearby town. Piece by piece she begins to unravel the mystery of Rachel's family ranch and the expansive network of missing women who have spent time there.

TL:DR: The premise of this book held a lot of promise however, this is the author's first published novel and it shows in poorly written attempts at flowery prose, clumsy characterization, and a nonsensical plot full of twists that fall flat. It's an unfortunate failure at writing about the female experience and female empowerment

Main Characters:

Sera Fleece - a recently divorced women who is struggling with the fact that she is a complete loser by her own admission. She floats through her day only enjoying the many hours she spends listening to Rachel's crime podcast. She operates under the delusion that Rachel has been speaking to her directly through the podcasts and that Rachel has been teaching her everything she needs to know to solve her own disappearance. No romantic prospects, no family, no job, and no aspirations, this new mission of saving Rachel's life is the only thing she has.

Rachel Bard - a crime podcast host with a passion for cases involving women who disappeared without a trace. She lives in the rural areas of California on a ranch with her mother and father. It is her alleged disappearance from the internet that inspires Sera's actions.

Addy Bard - Rachel's mother and the overbearing head of Happy Ranch. She acts eratically and refuses to acknowledge the alleged disappearance of her only daughter. As the story progresses she begins to see Sera more and more as her stand in daughter

Jed - The only ranch hand that works at Happy Ranch. He's a hard worker and good with horses despite the apparent hatred of Rachel's parents towards him. He becomes Sera's company on the ranch and serves as a romantic interest briefly.

Thoughts and Feelings: This book had a really interesting premise and a unique narrative style but it is really badly written. The most interesting part of this story is that it is partial told in a second person perspective. Sera is speaking to Rachel who she refers to as "you" throughout the book. The unique perspective serves to highlight Sera's obsessive behavior and her delusions of being close to Rachel, unfortunately this gradually goes away throughout the book.

The characters in this book are extremely unnatural. They act like caricature puppets of real people. The 'tense atmosphere' that is supposed to permeate the whole book relies on the inherent strangeness of Rachel's, the missing girl's, parents who are overbearing and behave strangely. But they are written like cartoons so it doesn't really work. I found myself internally laughing at their dialogue rather than being afraid or put off by them. It's a lazy way to creating tension that doesn't work in this case. Everyone in this book acts beyond suspension of disbelief. Sera is an incredibly annoying main character. She's straight up stupid, self absorbed, obsessive, faces no consequences for her actions, and yet is the biggest loser who can't hold down a job, has a horrible ex-husband, and no other friends or family. There were several points in this book where I thought to myself "Yeah if I met you I would probably hate you too." As she complained about other characters hating her.

This book sells itself as being some commentary on women's experiences in the world, but it is so badly written that it is almost more a disservice to the message it is trying to get across. Sera talks at length about how have only two outcomes in the world 'disappear' or 'go crazy' but Sera just sounds like a cardboard cut out with a speaker attached to her, because her diatribes are so flat and unimpactful. There's a quote on the back of the book that says this book has 'sinewy prose and nuanced observations about the female experience' and there is not a single true statement in that sentence. There is no nuance in this book and the prose is not 'sinewy.' If anything the author's attempt at writing deep poetic descriptions of how women suffer horrible injustices comes across as deeply fake and disengenuous. This book needed to be edited. HARD

Some ridiculous quotes from this book:

“And I feel like I should tell him that I am here for you, I am looking for you, that I haven’t lost my mind and I haven’t lost my nerve; I am a hero of heroless stories. I am a champion of the forgotten. I am on the cutting edge of something at least.”

“I chose a selfish man to love, and I asked him to not be selfish. And even now I want him to help me, to think about me, to understand what being a woman is when he’s always and only ever been a man.”

“I want to say I knew you better. I knew your heart. I knew the real you, the secrets you confessed in the middle of the night in my bedroom. The words you whispered in my ear.”

AND MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE:

“The pause breeds many pauses. I can see them all lined up in a row.”

Some brief thoughts on the ending below

The ending was supposed to be some huge revelation that sweeps the reader off of their feet, but again it just made me laugh. The first 'twist' is that Rachel is in fact alive and that she has been hiding out on the ranch this whole time and her brother has been poisoning people with water that kills on contact (?!). But then there's an epilogue where it get's revealed in two pages that in fact RACHEL is the one who has been killing people and that she killed one of her closest friends a long time ago and became a serial killer. It makes NO SENSE and ruins any sense of resolution that the author managed to cobble together in the last couple of pages of the book. Just plain bad.

[lilibetbombshell]

[kkecreads]

Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier

Published: June 6, 2023BerkleyPages: 413Genre: Psychological ThrillerKKECReads Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily. Eliza Jane Brazier is an author, screenwriter, and journalist. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where she is developing If I Disappear for television. When the nouveau riche Parker family moves to an exclusive community in the…

[readingwithwrin]

Release Week Book Blitz | Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier

Thank you to Berkley for having me be a part of the release week book blitz! Below you will find an excerpt from the book, and later this month I will be posting a review of it! On Sale June 6th wherever books are sold. Excerpt Maple stepped into the cool shade of the breezeway. The horses stuck their heads over the doors and watched her. One noticed the carrots and whinnied. Then they all…

[sitpwgs]

books read in 2024!

books read so far: 81/100

— gr: http://goodreads.com/cossettereads — sg: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/cossettereads

as always, askbox + dms are open if have any questions or would like to chat about books! 🤍

⊹ indicates any (new) favorites of the month! previous months are under the cut!

july ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ

1) firekeeper's daughter by angeline boulley (audiobook) ⊹ 2) born to run by bruce springsteen (audiobook) 3) it had to be you by eliza jane brazier 4) the great gatsby by f. scott fitzgerald (reread; annotated) 5) death on the nile by agatha christie (audiobook) 6) blue sisters by coco mellors (arc) ⊹ 7) juniper and thorn by ava reid (audiobook) 8) the villain edit by laurie devore ⊹

january ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚

1) beach read by emily henry (reread) 2) on palestine by noam chomsky & ilan pappé 3) valley verified by kyla zhao (gifted) 4) the wind at my back: resilience, grace, and other gifts from my mentor, raven wilkinson by misty copeland & susan fales-hill (gifted) 5) check please: year one by ngozi ukazu (reread) 6) check please: year two by ngozi ukazu (reread) 7) check please: year three by ngozi ukazu (reread) 8) check please: year four by ngozi ukazu (reread) 9) raiders of the lost heart by jo segura (gifted) 10) the frame-up by gwenda bond (arc) 11) everything i never told you by celeste ng ⊹ 12) forgive me not by jennifer baker (gifted) 13) ever after always by chloe liese (gifted) 14) the summer of bitter and sweet by jen ferguson (gifted) 15) the lily of ludgate hill by mimi matthews (gifted) 16) last call at the local by sarah grunder ruiz (gifted) ⊹ 17) the sun and the void by gabriela romero-lacruz (gifted) 18) a line in the dark by malinda lo (gifted) 19) biting the hand: growing up asian in black and white america by julia lee (gifted) 20) play it as it lays by joan didion

february ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚

1) mister hockey by lia riley * 2) collide by bal khabra (arc) * 3) a curious beginning by deanna raybourn (gifted) 4) breaking the ice by k.r. collins * 5) if only you by chloe liese (gifted) * 6) anxious people by frederik backman ⊹ 7) the catch by amy lea (gifted) 8) weekends with you by alexandra paige (arc) 9) happily never after by lynn painter (arc) 10) klara and the sun by kazuo ishiguro 11) good material by dolly alderton 12) in the event this doesn't fall apart by shannon lee barry 13) the night ends with fire (arc) by k.x. song 14) the good, the bad, and the aunties (arc) by jesse q. sutanto 15) where sleeping girls lie (arc) by faridah àbíké-íyímídé 16) sophomore surge by k.r. collins * 17) lighting the lamp by k.r. collins * 18) glove save and a beauty by k.r. collins * 19) home ice advantage by k.r. collins * 20) power play by k.r. collins * 21) grounded by k.r. collins * 22) line chemistry by k.r. collins *

march ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚

1) happy medium by sarah adler (arc) 2) a darker shade of magic by v.e. schwab (audiobook) 3) expiration dates by rebecca serle (arc) 4) divine rivals by rebecca ross (book club) 5) the siren by katherine st. john (gifted) 6) light in gaza edited by jehad abusalim 7) how to end a love story by yulin kuang (arc) // reviewed here 8) rising from the deep: the seattle kraken, a tenacious push for expansion, and the emerald city's sports revival by geoff baker 9) les misérables by victor hugo (reread)

april ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚

1) the goodbye cat by hiro arikawa (reread) 2) the traveling cat chronicles by hiro arikawa (reread) 3) this is me trying by racquel marie (arc) 4) kill her twice by stacey lee (arc) 5) the pairing by casey mcquiston (arc) 6) swiped by l.m. chilton (arc) 7) lies and weddings by kevin kwan (arc) 8) the odyssey by homer (audiobook)

may ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚

1) this summer will be different by carley fortune (arc) 2) the viscount who loved me by julia quinn (reread) 3) romancing mister bridgerton by julia quinn (reread) 4) the iliad by homer (narrated by audra mcdonald) (audiobook) 5) a novel love story by ashley poston (arc) 6) when he was wicked by julia quinn (reread) 7) a banh mi for two by trinity nguyen (arc) 8) the secret garden by frances hodgson burnett (audiobook)

june ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ

1) lessons in chemistry by bonnie garmus 2) the phantom of the opera by gaston leroux (audiobook) 3) you, with a view by jessica joyce 4) s. by j.j. abrams & doug dorst 5) the hunchback of the notre dame (audiobook) A

[bangbangwhoa]

books I’ve read in 2024 📖 no. 090

It Had to Be You by Eliza Jane Brazier

“I’ve heard that killing someone is like falling in love. But I wouldn’t know. I’ve never done it. Fall in love, I mean. That’s for lunatics.”

[rockislandadultreads]

Fiction Picks: Stories Featuring Pets

Calling all pet lovers - check out these paw-sitively wonderful stories featuring our favorite furry friends!

Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier

When the nouveau riche Parker family moves to an exclusive community in the heart of Southern California, they believe it’s their chance at a fresh start. Heather Parker is determined to give her daughters the life she never had - starting with horses. She signs them up for riding lessons and, before long, becomes a “Barn Mom,” part of a group of wealthy women who hang at the stables, drink wine, and prepare their daughters for competition. It’s not long before the Parker family is fully enmeshed in Horse World and, before the summer is over, lies turn lethal, accidents happen, and someone turns up dead.

A Troubling Tail by Laurie Cass

The charming town of Chilson, Michigan, is beautiful in the spring, and the bookmobile is delivering great reads far and wide on one of the first warm days of the year. But a chill sweeps through when they discover that one of their favorite patrons, the owner of Henika’s Candy Emporium, has been found murdered. Although Minnie can’t understand who could have had a motive to murder such a kind man, she decides that the problem isn’t hers to solve. However, when rumors start flying around town and the police have no leads, Minnie and her rescue cat, Eddie, throw their investigative hats into the ring.

This is the 11th volume in the "Bookmobile Cat Mystery" series.

Housebroke by Jaci Burton

After her ex took their money and bailed, Hazel Bristow is left broke and homeless. A kind friend whose home is on the market lets Hazel and her foster dogs stay there until it sells. It’s the perfect setup, until her friend forgets to tell Hazel she’s sold the house. Linc Kennedy is shocked to find Hazel and her pups squatting in the house he just bought, but after some negotiating, he agrees to let her remain while he’s renovating the place. They are soon intrigued by one another and come to realize they are feeling more than puppy love.

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all Charlie wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started. But with unionized dolphins, hyper-intelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good. In a dog-eat-dog world...be a cat.

[cheshirelibrary]

8 Twisty Books Perfect for ‘Luckiest Girl Alive’ Fans

[via BookBub Blog]

If you’re excited about the Netflix film adaptation of Jessica Knoll’s New York Times bestseller Luckiest Girl Alive, you’ll want to check out this list of twisty psychological thrillers.

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

The Golden Couple by Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks

Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier

Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

The Club by Ellery Lloyd

The Vicious Circle by Katherine St. John

One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke

...

Click through to see more titles.

[venitdomum]

𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐈'𝐃 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑!

𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐒/𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄: elsa, erica

𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘: june 26th.

𝐙𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐂 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍: x3 cancer.

𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓: 5'1".

𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐁𝐈𝐄𝐒: roleplay, horror movies, video games, reading, cosplay.

𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐒: pink.

𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊: conceal, don't feel by jen colanita.

𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆: ‘ death is all around ’ the amity affliction.

𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖: helluva boss.

𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐒: if i disappear by eliza jane brazier.

𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: mental illness, angst, tragedy, horror, books, character studies, intense romances, misunderstandings.

𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐁𝐄𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐔𝐑𝐋: venitdomum is latin for 'coming home'.

𝐅𝐔𝐍 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐌𝐄: I am irl Kaveh minus the alcoholism dfjkg

tagged: @basbousah love you <3 tagging: @princepsstellas @sageofjustice @viatrixtravels @amemoire @ofscribe @pcrdiseseekers @narvvhal @petitexmagician @polychromae and anyone else who wants to do it!

[justbeachybailey]

Where Can I Read More Epistolary Literature?

I’m forever on the hunt for books that are epistolary in nature. I will continue to update this list as I find them.

"Dear Mr. You" by Mary Louise Parker

"Love Letters to the Dead" by Ava Dellaira

“No One Writes Back” by Jang Eun-Jin

“Dracula” by Bram Stoker

“The Incarnations” by Susan Barker

“Letters to Amelia” by Lindsay Zier-Vogel

“If I Disappear” by Eliza Jane Brazier

"What Remains of Edith Finch" - okay this isn't a book, rather a video game, but it is such a wonderful example of what can be accomplished when letters are the storytelling medium. Honestly 10/10

"Gone Home" - this one is also a video game but it also slaps 10/10 emotional rollercoaster

[bigdreamsandwildthings]

June Wrap-Up

Practice Makes Perfect (Sarah Adams) ★★★1/2

The Atlas Paradox (Olivie Blake) (audio) ★★★★1/2

Silver in the Bone (Alexandra Bracken) ★★★★1/2

The Push (Ashley Audrain) (audio) ★★★★

The Foxglove King (Hannah Whitten) ★★★★1/2

Girls and Their Horses (Eliza Jane Brazier) (audio) ★★★★

Meet Me At the Lake (Carley Fortune) ★★

The Book That Wouldn’t Burn (Mark Lawrence) ★★★★

I did a ton of reading for work this month, so if you see a bunch of reviews of middle grade fiction on my Goodreads, that’s why! Feel free to add me as a friend (linked) to share reviews and recs.

[poetlcs]

my 2022 reading wrapped 

non-fiction

black bull, ancestors and me by nkunzi zandile nkabinde / didn’t rate

canberra by paul daley / ☆☆☆☆

all about love: new visions by bell hooks / didn’t rate

how the pill changes everything: your brain on birth control by sarah e. hill / ☆☆☆.5

I’m glad my mom died by jeannette mccurdy / didn’t rate

policing desire: pornography, AIDS and the media by simon watney / didn’t rate

notes of a native son by james baldwin / didn’t rate

women race and class by angela davis 

come as you are by emily nagoski / ☆☆☆☆☆

slouching toward bethlehem by joan didion / didn’t rate

classics

the house on the strand by daphne du maurier / ☆☆☆

wide sargasso sea by jean rhys / didn’t rate

brideshead revisited by evelyn waugh / ☆☆☆☆

fantasy

iron heart by nina varela / ☆☆☆☆

elantris by brandon sanderson / ☆☆☆☆

spinning silver by naomi novak / dnf

babel, or the necessity of violence: an arcane history of the oxford translators' revolution by r.f kuang / ☆☆☆☆

a gathering of shadows by v.e schwab / ☆☆☆ (reread)

the city we became by n.k jemisin / ☆☆☆☆

come tumbling down by seanan mcguire / ☆☆☆

the wolf and the woodsman by ava reid / dnf

the atlas six by olivie blake / ☆☆☆☆

in deeper waters by f.t lukens / ☆☆

science fiction

middlegame by seanan mcguire / ☆☆☆.5

magical realism

lakelore by anna-marie mclemore / ☆☆☆

mystery/thriller/crime

in my dreams i hold a knife by ashley winstead / ☆☆☆

good rich people by eliza jane brazier / ☆☆☆

the anatomy of desire by l.r dorn / dnf

portrait of a thief by grace d. li / ☆☆

anxious people by fredrik backman / ☆☆

boy parts by eliza clark / ☆☆☆☆☆

contemporary fiction

i kissed shara wheeler by casey mcquiston / ☆☆☆☆

no hard feelings by genevieve novak / ☆☆☆☆

everyone in this room will someday be dead by emily austin / ☆☆☆☆

norwegian wood by haruki murakami / ☆☆☆.5

ophelia after all by racquel marie / ☆☆☆.5

historical fiction

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid / ☆☆☆☆☆ (reread)

the remains of the day by kazuo ishiguro / ☆☆☆☆

a thousand splendid suns by khaled hosseini /  ☆☆☆☆

carrie soto is back by taylor jenkins reid / ☆☆☆☆

pachinko by min jin lee / ☆☆☆☆.5

romance:

the spanish love deception by elena armas / ☆☆

saving the star by rachel bowdler / ☆☆ 

love and other words by christina lauren / ☆☆

crazy rich asians by kevin kwan / ☆☆☆

book lovers by emily henry / ☆☆☆☆

take a hint, dani brown by talia hibbert / ☆☆☆

beach read by emily henry / ☆☆☆

the viscount who loved me by julia quinn / dnf

open water by caleb azumah nelson / ☆☆☆☆

translated fiction:

beauty is a wound by eka kurniawan (indonesian) / didn’t rate

childhood by tove ditlevsen (danish) / didn’t rate

lemon by kwon yeo-sun (korean) / ☆☆☆

things we lost in the fire by mariana enríquez (argentinian) / didn’t rate

kim jiyoung born 1982 by cho nam-joo (korean) / ☆☆

short story collections

dubliners by james joyce / ☆☆ ½

a thousand years of good prayers by yiyun li / didn’t rate

her body and other parties by carmen maria machado / ☆☆☆

total books read: 58 total pages read: 12, 331 total hours listened: 181.58

[jxrm]

book log - 2023 (continued)

the good lie by a.r. torre

something wilder by christina lauren

pineapple street by jenny jackson

drinking games by sarah levy

the housemaid by frieda mcfadden

full disclosure by camryn garrett

the dream job by kiersten modglin

never lie by frieda mcfadden

the silent woman by minka kent

hidden pictures by jason rekulak

girl in trouble by stacy claftin

the waitress by nina manning

xoxo by axie oh

yellowface by r.f. kuang

unmissing by minka kent

the rise by shari king

take me home tonight by morgan matson

the best lies by sarah lyu

arsenic and adobo by mia p. manansala

our missing hearts by celeste ng

the locked door by frieda mcfadden

where the crawdads sing by delia owens

the couple at table six by daniel hurst

survive the night by riley sager

the wife upstairs by freida mcfadden

one of us is dead by jeneva rose

five little indians by michelle good

the push by ashley audrain

i’ll stop the world by lauren thoman

silver nitrate by silvia moreno-garcia

romantic comedy by curtis sittenfield

the maidens by alex michaelides

every last secret by a.r. torre

the headmaster’s list by melissa de la cruz

last summer at the golden hotel by elyssa friedland

the collective by alison gaylin

one true loves by taylor jenkins reid

the trade off by sandie jones

my summer darlings by may cobb

the last housewife by ashley winstead

good rich people by eliza jane brazier

the club by ellery lloyd

phantom limb by lucinda berry

the night shift by alex finlay

layoverland by gabby noone

the writing retreat by julia bartz

never never by colleen hoover

reckless by cecily von ziegesar

the family game by catherine steadman

just say yes by maxine morrey

a pho love story by loan le

the birthday girl by melissa de la cruz

local woman missing by mary kubica

the last to vanish by megan miranda

yolk’s on me by d.t. henderson

the housemaid’s secret by frieda mcfadden

happy people are annoying by josh peck

the fraud squad by kyla zhao

wrong place wrong time by gillian mcallister

the grayson legacy by boris bacic

remarkably bright creatures by shelby van pelt

the couple in the cabin by daniel hurst

yerba buena by nina lacour

the ex by frieda mcfadden

notorious by cecilyn von ziegesar

layla by colleen hoover

the inmate by frieda mcfadden

last night at the telegraph club by malinda lo

the friend zone by abby jimenez

how to american by jimmy o. yang

lunar love by lauren kung jessen

the it girl by crackly von ziegesar

what lies in the woods by kate alice marshall

queen of thieves by beezy march

weather girl by rachel lynn solomon

the perfect marriage by jeneva rose

my sister, the serial killer by tonkin braithwaithe

things we never got over by lucy score

like me by hayley phelan

do not disturb by frieda mcfadden

for the love of friends by sara goodman confino

reckless girls by rachel hawkins

ghost 19 by simone st. james

the winter people by jennifer mcmahon

please join us by catherine mckenzie

under the whispering door by t.j. klune

the bookstore sisters by alice hoffman

lessons in chemistry by bonnie garmus

the new year’s party by daniel hurst

the house in the cerulean sea by t.j. klune

trixie and katya’s guide to womanhood by trixie mattel

i kissed shara wheeler by casey mcquiston

horrorstor by grady hendrix

yours truly by abby jimenez

happy place by emily henry

the soulmate by sally hepworth

i have some questions for you by rebecca makkai

what happened the ruthy ramirez by claire jimenez

mad honey by jodi picoult

really good, actually by monica heisey

the ballad of songbirds and snakes by suzanne collins

the lightning thief by rick riordan

harry potter and the philosophers stone by j.k. rowling

the sea of monsters by rick riordan

the titan’s curse by rick riordan

harry potter and the chamber of secrets by j.k. rowling

the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan

harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban by j.k. rowling

the last olympian by rick riordan

the lost hero by rick riordan

harry potter and the goblet of fire by j.k. rowling

the son of neptune by rick riordan

the mark of athena by rick riordan

harry potter and the order of the phoenix by j.k. rowling

harry potter and the half blood prince by j.k. rowling

harry potter and the deathly hallows by j.k. rowling

harry potter and the cursed child by john tiffany

[marjaystuff]

New Blog: Saying Goodbye

Sometimes authors stop writing and I am left devastated.  With great writers, I find that I am brought into the stories and drawn into their world, It happens especially when the characters they write about become a part of your world.  I miss some of the characters I fell in love that are no longer available for me.  Maybe it is hard for some readers to understand when these characters become part of your everyday life.

Jacqueline Winspear wrote a series of novels with Maisie Dobbs as the main character.  Maisie Dobbs was a psychologist and investigator.  She lived in Britain and survived both WWI and WWII.  I read the last book in the series this week and was as mesmerized as when I read the first novels. From Maisie, I will forever remember the lessons of careful listening, looking within, and asking questions.  Maisie lived during a hard time and survived personal losses but she was able to persevere and show true courage. I know that this will not be the last time this has happened, but it is like a death in my life.  Saying goodbye to some of my favorite people, despite knowing they do not exist is one of the oxymorons in our world or reading.  

Reading is a huge part of my life.  I know that at times I am so busy I do not take the time to read and those weeks are hard because I miss the quiet reflection of being in a different world, whether swirling in a waltz, riding a horse, or learning to work in different fields.  Each book opens up another world and another opportunity to enjoy the world.  

Elise sent in a book review of It Had to Be You by Eliza Jane Brazier.  She compared it to the movie Mr and Mrs Smith.  Elise felt the twists and turns make the book a fast read.  Elise also sent in an interview with David Lewis and his newest book, A Jewel in The Crown.  This book is the first in a series called The Secret Churchill Files. She described the book as a spy thriller from WWII in England.

[xkoqueen]

Review: It Had to Be You by Eliza Jane Brazier

☆☆➹⁀☆ 5 stars ☆➹⁀☆☆ It Had To Be You by Eliza Jane Brazier #mystery #thriller #suspense #romance #PenguinRandomHouse #ItHadToBeYou

☆☆➹⁀☆ 5 stars ☆➹⁀☆☆ About the Book: Two contract killers, each with a hit out on the other, must fight their growing attraction as they face off in an epic game of lust and murder across Western Europe. When Eva and Jonathan hook up on the sleeper train from Florence to Paris, they think they’ll never see each other again. Which is too bad, because neither has ever felt a spark like this for…

[lovelyloveday]

As the two get closer to completing their assignments, it becomes clear that they are also being hunted—by something even more dangerous than love. . . .

It Had to Be You by Eliza Jane Brazier  https://bit.ly/3zP0UK9  

#romance #mystery #thriller #romanticsuspense #mysterythriller