The Never Game by Jeffrey Deaver is a 2019 G.P. Putnam’s Sons publication.
This is the first book in the Colter Shaw series.
Colter Shaw makes his livThe Never Game by Jeffrey Deaver is a 2019 G.P. Putnam’s Sons publication.
This is the first book in the Colter Shaw series.
Colter Shaw makes his living by working on cases in which a family has offered a reward for information- mainly in missing persons cases, obviously, which is how he gets involved in the case of a young girl who went missing in Silicon Valley.
The case turns out to be a kidnapping- which sets off a string of other kidnappings and murder, which is how Shaw winds up helping law enforcement.- Without any additional reward money.
As the investigation deepens it comes to light that the kidnappings and murders are patterned after a popular video game called ‘The Whispering Man’…
My husband likes this author, but try as I might, I remained underwhelmed, eventually giving up entirely. But some while back, I saw one of those ‘top ten’ list of novels centered around cults, and the second book in the Shaw series made the cut. Though I had some reservations, I decided to give the series a try and felt I would probably have better luck if I started at the beginning.
I’m not sure where to start here...
The premise was an interesting look inside the world of video gaming, while building an ongoing personal thread for Shaw to deal with. But there were heavy execution issues and writing quirks that took me out of the story. Shaw’s percentages logic was interesting in the beginning, but quickly wore thin. The story just did not grab me as I’d hoped.
That said, the book I really wanted to read is the follow up to this one- and since I’ve gone to this much trouble, I will definitely read the next installment- which will determine whether or not I continue with this series.
Overall, for some reason I don't jibe with this author- but maybe the second installment will change my mind. Here's hoping...
2 stars
*Note: There was an odd exchange in this book about Nancy Drew- so I'm just going to ask. Guys- Have you ever heard of Nancy Drew? Have you ever read any of her mysteries? Just curious....more
The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man by Paul Newman is a 2022 Knopf publication.
This a great way to present a memoir. I thoroughly enjoyed the vThe Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man by Paul Newman is a 2022 Knopf publication.
This a great way to present a memoir. I thoroughly enjoyed the various excerpts from people who knew Paul Newman personally, and those who knew him mainly from a professional standpoint, while Paul fills in all the rest. This creates more of a well-rounded view of him as a person, and it was interesting to see it all come together so fluidly.
Paul Newman was very easy on the eyes- and yes, he knew this- but his looks seemed to make him more insecure about being taken seriously as an actor.
Now that I’ve learned a bit more about him, I see that he was very different from many actors. I think. His musings show a man who thinks deeply, but didn't take himself too seriously. He was also a person who was surprisingly filled with a lot of self- doubt. He seemed almost bemused by his success as an actor, but also acknowledged that it came at a cost.
Though I didn’t agree with his spiritual philosophy, an area of his thinking I was disappointed in, to say the least- but I do find that no matter how ‘normal’ an actor - or any other entertainer, for that matter- can seem, they usually fail to realize they don’t live in the same reality as the rest of us.
Still, despite that one big difference of opinion- I thought this was a solid effort by everyone who took part in it. The latter years of Paul’s life are not part of this memoir-for reasons that will be explained if you read the book- which was too bad, as he accomplished a great deal in his final years.
Still, I found the memoir interesting, and it gave me insight into Newman’s inner thoughts, his private life, his regrets, and various internal conflicts. I also enjoyed hearing about his professional relationships, and the anecdotes he shared about his movie making adventures with his fellow co-stars and friends.
Overall, this is a different approach for a memoir, but it was well-executed and quite effectively.
Strange Flowers by Donal Ryan is a 2020 Penguin publication.
This is my first book by this author and from what I could tell this book had been very wStrange Flowers by Donal Ryan is a 2020 Penguin publication.
This is my first book by this author and from what I could tell this book had been very well received. It is supposed to be a lovely family drama, set in Ireland, and it sounded like something I would like.
I decided to add audio to my Kindle book, to complement my reading experience. Unfortunately, I did not have the same positive experience as many of my reading peers.
The story is slow, and the shifts in chapters do not explicitly make clear the various time passages. The narration was too brisk, with little emotional inflection. For a short book, it took me a long time to finish it.
I was bored, confused by the stories Joshua wrote, which weren’t always clear in the audio portions, and kept trying to figure out who was blind because it was hard to tell when the story started or ended. It all seemed to bleed together- so eventually, I stopped the audio, switched back to the ebook, which helped. But after all those struggles, I was just ready to get it read and move on to something a little less depressing.
I didn’t get the ‘lovely’ part and was very disappointed at the turns the story took. I am not going to address the religious allegory as I’m not entirely sure what the author was getting at.
Overall, this wasn’t the right book for me, I guess. It’s a quiet book- which is good when I’m in the mood for that type of novel- but mostly I found this one to be either bland or utterly depressing. I’m an outlier this time around....more
The Little Wedding Shop by the Sea by Jane Linfoot is a 2016 One More Chapter publication.
When Poppy’s fiancé is caught locking lips with another womThe Little Wedding Shop by the Sea by Jane Linfoot is a 2016 One More Chapter publication.
When Poppy’s fiancé is caught locking lips with another woman on Facebook, her friends Cate and Immie come to her rescue. Now, she’s working as a cake baker at ‘Brides by the Sea”, a cute little wedding shop in Cornwall, and living in the space directly above the shop. But her life takes a detour when Cate’s wedding planner suddenly quits, and Cate asks Poppy to take her place...
Which is where she finds herself in an unusual location, working with a farmer, named Rafe, who couldn’t care less about wedding planning and is impossible to be around. Not only that the wedding planning notes and files are in terrible disarray, leaving Poppy to cope with all manner of challenges to make each couple’s wedding turn out the way they dreamed- not to mention Cate’s over the top plans for her wedding which has gotten totally out of control….
This is a cute story, with some hilarious banter between Rafe and Poppy. The farm animals, and the scenery are a unique place to plan weddings, but I found the quirky atmosphere very entertaining.
The book is longer than necessary, and this affected the pacing, which seriously lagged in some places. The story wasn’t as squeaky clean as the cover suggests- with some strong language tossed in here and there and some closed-door sexual situations. But, other than that, it’s an easy to read, light-hearted story, perfect for a hot summer day.
Overall, a fun, enjoyable contemporary romance/ Rom-Com....more
The Lawman Returns by Lynette Eason is a 2014 Love Inspired Suspense publication.
Deputy Clay Starke returns home after his brother’s death, determineThe Lawman Returns by Lynette Eason is a 2014 Love Inspired Suspense publication.
Deputy Clay Starke returns home after his brother’s death, determined to find his murderer. But because of the conflict of interest, he can’t investigate officially. But then he meets Sabrina, a social worker, who may have information about his brother’s murder. As the spend more time together they become aware of a growing attraction between them, but Sabrina’s knowledge about the crime may have made her a target…
I stumbled across this one while browsing through the KU offerings. Lynette Eason has been on my radar for a long time, and so I checked this book out on impulse.
While I admit, I really, really want to like this line of romantic suspense novels, I haven’t had very good luck with it, struggling with some quality issues. This book, though, is quite good considering its brevity. The writing is solid, and the story is fleshed out nicely.
There is a realistic crime drama, with some suspenseful moments, and of course there is a romantic element which is handled perfectly. It does not interfere with the investigation, although feelings develop a bit too fast, still one must remember the time constraints with less than three hundred pages to work with. Besides, these are mature adults, and the relationship is one I could believe in.
The story is labeled as Christian fiction- so there is a gentle message, and the story is ‘clean’, which is always refreshing.
Overall, I’d say this was a nice, quick introduction to this author’s work and I liked what I saw- so maybe now I'll try to read some of her titles published through Revell.
The Joyous Adventure by Elizabeth Ashton is a 1979 Harlequin Romance publication.
Susan is a young widow who wants to keep her husband’s estate- ThursThe Joyous Adventure by Elizabeth Ashton is a 1979 Harlequin Romance publication.
Susan is a young widow who wants to keep her husband’s estate- Thurston Hall- for her children’s sake- but in order to do that she will have to find a way to make the estate profitable.
Enter Raoul Sansterre-
Raoul, despite his obvious skepticism, agrees to help Susan launch a high-end restaurant on the estate. The pair instantly clash- but they are also irritatingly attracted to one another. Susan insists on keeping their relationship on a professional level, while Raoul has made it clear that he wouldn’t mind mixing a bit a pleasure with business…
This book was originally published back in 1979. I was so surprised to see it in the KU program, I felt obligated to help support it, as it is so hard to find older books in e book format.
I do keep in mind the time frame in which a book is published, especially when it comes to older romance novels. Unfortunately, there were two scenes that, even if I had read this book in 1979, would have been a deal breaker, even then.
So, without spending too much time on it- Raoul was not a redeemable character. I hope Susan never had another ‘hysterical’ episode and hope any future pets will stay clear of Raoul!
1.5 stars
*Note: I am currently doing a side project working to get older titles digitized. I've always been a huge fan of vintage books, so preserving them is important to me. With the war on libraries- even by publishers who are trying to prevent libraries from offering patrons a way to read out of print books, it is my hope that more authors will digitize their work- and so if I am able- I will try to support them in that endeavor by checking out their books and reviewing them. If you see these popping up in my GR feed, and some of you are a bit squeamish about my old Harlequins- don't feel obligated to comment. This is just a pet project of mine and Goodreads is a great place to simply catalog books, too. If you do want to support these older books, and libraries, please consider taking a small ARC cleanse and get a few books from your local library from time to time.
Although this book had some big issues, don't let that discourage anyone. I am thrilled to see that the author- or her estate- has taken steps to keep her books from fading into complete obscurity- which they will if not digitized.
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