Tag: secrets and lies

REVIEW: Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass

REVIEW: Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Connor and his mom have been in a stalemate for weeks. Connor’s boyfriend, Ario, insisted his life would be better if he came out to his mom. But it’s only made things worse. She took his phone, his laptop, his Switch. She’s not speaking to him, and she’s cut him off from Ario who is going to be leaving for college soon.

Connor’s mom is convinced he’s the father of his best friend’s baby. She’d much rather he be a teen father than be gay. She thinks she is doing him a favor by setting “boundaries” like refusing to acknowledge any boyfriend he might have or refusing to have anything to do with any future family Connor might have with another man. It’s so bad, Connor starts to wonder if he needs to find somewhere else to live for his senior year. But where could he possibly go?

Before Connor can even cobble together a plan, though, a group of men dressed all in black come into Connor’s home and physically remove him and toss him in a van. His mom watches this happen, but does nothing to stop it. The men say his mom has paid for him to take a “vacation.” In Costa Rica. But that’s not even close to what is happening. Connor is taken to a conversion camp called Nightlight where he finds other teens. Sent there by their own parents so the camp can “reprogram” their gay children.

Review

Wow! The first time I read the plot for this book, I was immediately captivated. A “Christian” conversion camp for gay teens where there’s more going on than meets the eye? I was intrigued. There’s no way I wasn’t reading this. I had to know what the secrets were.

And this story was a doozy! The author uses some carefully constructed time jumps to set up the larger questions of the book early on. Those questions carried Connor to Nightlight. I expected Connor to discover the mystery once he got there and started working on a way out. But this was so much better than the set up I was expecting. The suspense here and all the weird little puzzle pieces that had to fit together were so well constructed.

The subject matter makes this a hard book to like in some ways. I was heart-broken for Connor and the other kids at Nightlight for how they were treated, both at home and at the “camp.” The hate, the manipulation, the “conversion” techniques were all awful. There are dark moments here.

At the same time there are these awesome, resilient teens at the center of this story. I loved them. And I was rooting for them from the start. The ending is satisfying yet realistic. The kids have varying responses after their trauma. This was honest, but also sad in some cases.

Suspense fans should not miss this one. The hook will draw you in, and the characters will keep you turning pages until you get to the end. Readers should be aware of the trauma that could be triggered by things in the story. The author includes a note at the start of the book that should be helpful. (Language, sex, violence, LGBTQ+, TW: Suicide, hate crimes and trauma around sexuality and gender identity)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥= Great!

REVIEW: The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

REVIEW: The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Avery is doing what she can to get by. After the death of her mother, her half sister, Libby, took her in. Their mutual father is long gone. But in a couple years, Avery will finish high school, go to college for something to pay the bills, and then she can travel to her heart’s content. They may be scraping by, but Avery is making the best of things.

Then the prissy, proper, authoritarian boy shows up at her school. He can’t be much older than Avery is, but he kicks her principal out of his own office. And he tells Avery she is required to attend the reading of his late grandfather’s will.

Tobias Hawthorne, billionaire. Avery had never even heard of him. Why would she have to be at the reading of his will? Turns out, he named her heir of almost his entire estate.

To inherit, Avery has to move into Hawthorne House with Tobias Hawthorne’s family – his mother-in-law, his two daughters, and his four grandsons. But nothing is what it appears. The house is full of secret passages, and Tobias loved challenging the boys to different games. The only question is what games were in play when Tobias named Avery in his will? And what games might his family be playing to get Avery out of the way?

Review

This was fantastic! I loved almost every moment. Avery is excellent as a protagonist. She’s bright and determined, but also down to earth and relate-able. She would fit in well with the author’s other excellent characters. The four Hawthorne boys are a delight. I wanted more time to get to know each of them. I still have questions and want to know more about all four of them.

There are several mysteries at play which swirl around Avery – whispers of another girl involved with the grandsons, Avery’s connection to Tobias, the attempts to get her out of the way, and the games and puzzles in the house and on the grounds. I loved every bit of it. I would have read hundreds of pages about the house even if they had nothing to do with the main questions of the book because it was all so fascinating.

Frankly, I was disappointed with the wrap up of one of the main questions of the book. I was expecting… MORE I guess, something bigger. I went back and re-read the climax scene and the second read gave me a better sense of satisfaction, but it still wasn’t the punch I wanted. But…

The last few pages launched several new questions – or at least pulled some of the secondary questions from this novel into the spotlight. And I am SO excited to read a sequel and find out what else Tobias Hawthorne – and Jennifer Lynn Barnes – have in store for these characters! (Some language, LGBTQ+, CW: Domestic violence/abuse, grief/loss)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥= Great! Might re-read

 

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Holding Out for Christmas by Janet Dailey

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Holding Out for Christmas by Janet Dailey

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Zebra in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Connor Branch, former rodeo star, has settled into the Christmas Tree Ranch in Branding Iron with his buddies, Travis and Rush. This time of year they’re cutting down and selling Christmas trees, caring for the ranch, and giving sleigh rides. And Connor is dreaming of his Cinderella – a singer he heard at last year’s Cowboy Christmas Ball. She left before he could meet her, but he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about her for the last year. He is hoping to meet the beautiful and talented Lacy Leatherwood this Christmas.

Megan Carson teaches kindergarten in Nashville. She was driving into Branding Iron to help her family with some things during the holidays when the storm kicked up, stranding her. Thankfully, Connor came along and rescued her from a cold night in her car in a ditch. Megan likes Branding Iron, but this is going to be a visit only. Her parents could use her help here on a regular basis. And teachers are in high demand in the community. But in Nashville, Megan’s alter ego, Lacy Leatherwood, is pursuing her dream performing career.

Megan finds out about Connor’s feelings regarding Lacy Leatherwood, but she doesn’t want to tell him the truth about her. Men tend to get hot and bothered over Lacy and forget about Megan, the real woman behind the flashy clothes, wig, and false eyelashes. She’ll just pal around with him while she’s in town and then get back to her real life and her dream in Nashville.

Review

I didn’t realize this was part of a series when I requested it, but it is the third book in the Christmas Tree Ranch series. Book one is My Kind of Christmas (Travis’ story), and book 2 is It’s a Christmas Thing (Rush’s story – part of the Kindle Unlimited program at the time of this writing).

This was a warm Christmas story in a nice community with interesting characters. I especially enjoyed meeting Megan and her family. I would have liked to get to know Connor’s friends a bit more, but that’s what the first two books are for. Those books are already on my wishlist so I can go back and pick up their stories.

Megan’s personal conflicts – her feelings about the guy in Nashville, her questions about what her role should be with her family, and her dreams of a music career – were more engaging to me than the “masked singer” pieces about Lacy. I wasn’t sold on her passion for performing. But her wrestling over her family responsibilities was something I wanted to see play out more.

Series fans will absolutely want to pick this up to finish the story arcs of the three guys from the ranch. New readers, though, should have no trouble starting here. I think you will want to track down the rest of the books, though, eventually. Pick this up for a light Christmas romance with great characters in a lovely community setting. But if you are picking this up for the truck full of puppies, don’t bother. While there’s a dog in the book, these puppies don’t make an appearance at all.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

REVIEW: Zatanna and the House of Secrets by Matthew Cody

REVIEW: Zatanna and the House of Secrets by Matthew Cody

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and DC Entertainment in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

It’s almost Halloween, and Zatanna’s been having a rough couple of days. She got into an argument with some bullies at school because they were harassing her friend. And it was SO weird – at one point, they all turned RED! Not like a blush, but their skin changed color. So strange….

Then Zatanna’s best friend ditched her, acting like Zatanna is too immature or too weird. Then Zatanna blew off her only other friend AND found out her dad lied to her.

And then, some crazy woman calling herself “the Witch Queen” broke into her house, used MAGIC on Zatanna, fought her dad, and then they both vanished.

With Pocus, a talking rabbit/animal spirit as her companion, Zatanna has to figure out how her father’s backward-words magic works and find him in this wonky House of Secrets before the Witch Queen takes the house away from their family and uses it for her own evil purposes.

Review

This was cute! I’ve seen this House before in an episode of Young Justice. It was fun to see it again in a new context. The library scene and the sphinx were my favorite parts of the story.

Zatanna changes a lot in the story. She learns things about herself and her family that she couldn’t have imagined at the very start. Her biggest challenges came from losing the “adult” characters who had always advised or protected her. She had to make her own way – although she did get help from a source she wasn’t expecting.

My only “complaint” is that the talking bunny had to be called a “familiar” which will put off some readers/families because of occult connections. I am not 100% familiar with Zatanna’s full history, but I know one of the villains has a “familiar,” so maybe that is part of the character’s history and would never be changed. But I feel like the bunny could have just been a magical talking bunny and left at that.

I love the confidence Zatanna has by the end – in herself and in her magic. She understands where she fits and she stands up for herself with Witch Boy. She also seems more confident in her own skin by the end. She’s found her footing and her purpose!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets by Molly Fader

REVIEW: The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets by Molly Fader

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Graydon House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

After all those years away, it only takes one phone call to pull Lindy back home.

It’s great timing. She’s temporarily homeless and jobless. And her mother needs her. Apparently she’s had a stroke – not that anyone told Lindy. And her mom’s also having memory issues – another surprise.

The cop who calls for her mom – and old high school… friend – tries to excuse Lindy’s sister, Delia, for not passing any of this news along. She’s been busy with the new baby – something else Lindy knows nothing about. Well, it has been 17 years since they last spoke.

But now Lindy is back. And Delia does have her hands full with the family business (that was supposed to go to Lindy), their mom, her rebellious teen and a newborn. So Lindy can step in, help out, carry some of the load. But her return to the family could dredge up a lot of old history the McAvoy women have swallowed and ignored for decades. Will their secrets survive Lindy’s return home?

Review

Wow, this was good. It took me awhile to warm up to Delia, but I clicked with Lindy and her mom and Delia’s teen daughter Brin quickly. Watching these four women dance around each other was fascinating. And while it was obvious the history and the secrets would be significant, the author held onto them for a good while, letting us get to know the women on their own. There are several excellent passages about secrets and dealing – or not dealing – with emotions. They felt therapeutic. If I was reading this for a book club, these would be the passages I would mark and want to talk about with a group.

Even before the secrets are told, the reader can see the role each person plays in the family – the buttons they push, the interpersonal patterns that have been at work for decades. But this isn’t a dry or navel-gazing sort of story. There’s activity and movement to keep you engaged while the emotional work is being done. It’s so well written – I really enjoyed this!

Discussion questions at the end make this great for book clubs. Don’t read the questions first in order to avoid spoilers. I will give a TRIGGER WARNING but won’t give details to avoid spoiling the story, but if you have sensitivities for what you read, go into this one with a pinch of caution. (Some language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer

REVIEW: Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Rob is a social outcast at school – and in the community. His dad was caught embezzling. He lost people’s entire life savings. He tried to commit suicide, but survived. He’s in no state for a trial – or even a conversation or eye contact. And Rob and his mom have to take care of him. Even after he cost them so much. People at school even whisper (loudly) that Rob probably knew what his dad was doing all along.

Maegan is something of an outcast, too, although at least her best friend has stayed by her side. Maegan cheated on the SAT. The whole cohort at her school had their scores thrown out. The dark looks and “cheater” reputation is easier to take than her parents’ disappointment. Although now that Maegan’s sister is home mid-semester from college, pregnant, the focus has shifted off of Maegan for awhile.

Rob and Maegan are thrown together for a school project. The weight of their loneliness and the secrets each of them carry push them together in a way that never would have happened a year or two ago. But it’s nice to have someone to share that weight after all this time.

Review

After each book I say, “Brigid Kemmerer is a must-buy author for me.” And once again, that is absolutely true!

This is an amazing character-driven story, my favorite kind of book. I loved each of these characters – even when I wasn’t sure I liked one of them. The complexity – of their situations, their emotions and their choices – was stunning. I am  in awe of how the author put all of those pieces together in a quickly-moving story. It never felt weighed down by the complexity. But it was absolutely compelling. I didn’t mean to read this in one sitting, but I couldn’t help myself.

I have come to love stories with multiple point-of-view characters. And I can’t think of how this story would have even worked if Maegan and Rob couldn’t have told their own pieces of it. They had too many burdens, secrets and conflicting emotions to not tell their own stories.

While there’s a TON of character work in this, there’s an intricate plot, too. Maegan is trying to support her sister while carrying her secrets and wondering if she should. Rob looks at his old life, his former friends, and the people around him in new ways after the corruption and tragedy in his family. And he makes some questionable-to-bad choices as he tries to figure things out almost entirely on his own. And then there’s the matter of finding in each other someone who gets the feelings of shame and isolation, the weight of secrets, and the cutting remarks of outsiders who think they know the truth.

It’s all SO good!
Do not miss this one!

(Language, LGBTQ, Trigger Warning: Suicide Attempt)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

REVIEW: Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Freeform in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Sawyer has learned to take care of herself. She’s 18, she has a job (mechanic), and she passed her GED. Sure, her mom’s around – some of the time – but Sawyer has been taking care of her for years, too. Her mom was 17 when she got pregnant with Sawyer. Her mother kicked her out and the two of them made the best of their life together. Without the need for the Taft family.

Then Lillian Taft, Sawyer’s grandmother, shows up with an offer Sawyer can’t refuse. If she lets Lillian run her through all of the debutante rigmarole and Sawyer keeps out of trouble, Lillian will give Sawyer half a million dollars for college. Lillian also hints that Sawyer would finally have an opportunity to figure out who her father is. Sounds totally worth it!

But Sawyer encounters more secrets and lies than she anticipated. On her journey through debutante activities and her hunt for her father’s identity, she’ll learn – for good or bad – what it’s like to finally have family around. And what wealthy families will do to keep their reputations and power intact.

Review

While Sawyer Tate is no Tess Kendrick, she’s also a terrific protagonist. Sawyer is more subtle than Tess, but she’s just as smart, strong and sassy. She doesn’t put up with anything, whether it is wolf whistles at the garage or mean girl antics from a fellow Deb. I loved her from the first glimpse of her picking the lock of her jail cell in her white gown and gloves. Characters like Sawyer are part of why I love Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ work!

The structure of this includes a time jump. The story starts in the spring with several Debs in a cell. Then it jumps back to the previous fall. Periodic returns to the jail cell kept me guessing about how the story gets there. When it all comes together, it’s completely satisfying!

I was nervous to start this. I love Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ work so much, and I wanted this to be as awesome as her other books that I have loved. My anxiety was unnecessary. This was fantastic! I loved Sawyer. I loved watching her handle her new surroundings without changing who she is at her core. I was fascinated by the story. So many questions and twists – including several revealed at the end that will likely be dealt with in book two. And I need book 2 asap! I can’t wait! As soon as I finished reading the review copy I received, I pre-ordered my own copy of this. I can’t wait to read it again. I highly recommend this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau

REVIEW: Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The kingdom of Eden is in the middle of a war. The king and crown prince are checking on the fighting before the prince’s wedding to the kingdom’s seer. The winter season will be starting soon which means the savage Xhelozi will be hunting the borders. It’s vital that Eden stay strong and keep the windmills collecting power for the kingdom.

But that strength is in danger when the king and crown prince are killed under mysterious circumstances. In the power vacuum, the Council of Elders starts maneuvering for power. Caught in the middle are the king and queen’s twins, Andreus and Carys. They have protected eachother’s secrets – and very lives – since they were born.  But now only one of them can rule. And only by winning a contest against the other.

Secrets and lies abound as the twins and other forces battle for control of Eden.

Review

Wow! This was great! This is a hard book to summarize. So many things are going on right from the outset. And the reader knows early on that most of the characters are hiding things and scheming for their own goals.

The twins at the center of the story are fascinating. On the surface, they are completely committed to one another. Carys sacrifices often to protect her brother’s big secret. And Andreus has her back when it comes to Carys’ secret too. But with the kingdom at stake and other voices whispering in their ears, their bond starts to fracture.

The scheming in this book is tremendous. Even at the end, I am not sure who is completely trustworthy. Secrets have secrets, and I’m confident I still only know maybe 40% of what’s truly going on. I was amazed to realize that while I was totally engrossed from start to finish, I had so many questions! That takes masterful plotting. Charbonneau has done a great job of crafting a page-turning story while still maintaining lots of mystery for the future.

I am looking forward to book 2!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥