Throwback Thrusday: Killing Time by Cindy Gerard

Author: Cindy Gerard

Publisher: 

Publication Date: January 2013

For the seven years after Operation Slam Dunk went south, Mike Brown got drunk on each anniversary. The eighth year was no different--until he was drugged by a woman and woke up to her questions about what had happened eight years ago in Afghanistan. CIA attorney Eva Salinas has her own theory behind what happened to Mike's team--which included her husband--in Afghanistan eight years ago, and she's determined to prove foul play. Though she doesn't trust him, Mike is the only person she can turn to for help. Under an assumed name, Eva convinces Mike to assemble a new team and go after the traitor who screwed up both their lives. As they track down the rogue who started it all, Eva and Mike discover they can't live without each other. But can they stay alive while an enemy is still on the loose? 

It's been a while since I have done a Throwback Thursday post.  In 2026, I am going to try to bring it back more.  I am attempting to read a lot of my back log of books that  have been sitting on my TBR pile for a long time.  Killing Time came out almost 13 years ago, and the big bad that the country is fighting has definitely changed.  However, I forgot how much I enjoy reading a book about an broken ex-military ho has been betrayed by his country swoops in to save the damsel in distress. 

This was a good solid romantic suspense.   The attraction between Mike and Eva was intense and I was rooting for them.  I also enjoyed the mystery.  There was a lot of action and danger.  The twists were a surprise as well.  The friendship between Mike and the others from his team was a lot of fun.  It definitely make me want to seek out the other books in this series.  It is an off-shoot of an earlier series by this author, but I didn't find I needed to have read that one before starting here.  If you are in the mood for a good romantic suspense, I do recommend this one.

Throwback Thursday: 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

Author: Stephen King

Publisher: Doubleday

Publication Date:  October 1975

Thousands of miles away from the small township of 'Salem's Lot, two terrified people, a man and a boy, still share the secrets of those clapboard houses and tree-lined streets. They must return to 'Salem's Lot for a final confrontation with the unspeakable evil that lives on in the town.

On Halloween, I recently watched the movie version of Salem's Lot.  It's always been a favorite of mine.  It's cheesy and creepy at the same time.  It got me thinking about the novel.  I read this book over 40 years ago when I was in middle school.  I remember it being one of the scariest books I had read at the time.  For nostalgia sake, I thought I would read it as an adult.  

It's no secret, I have not been a fan of Stephen King's books in the last 10 or so years.  Salem's Lot is a  the King that I used to know and love reading.  The atmosphere in the town is ominous and creepy.  The characters are interesting and are typical of life in small town Maine.  It was written in 1975 so some of the 1975 societal norms found here would be frowned on today. But overall, it didn't feel outdated.  Re-reading this as an adult, I wasn't really scared, but I can see why I would have been reading it when I was 10.  There are 2 scenes that I remember being so creepy and they are still creepy.  Particularly the bus scene and the scene where the little Glick boy scratches at the window. If you have seen the movie, you know which one I am talking about. It's just as creepy in the book. If you are in the mood for some horror and nostalgia, I would recommend picking this one up.

Throwback Thursday Review: Run For Your Life by Andrea Kane

Author: Andrea Kane

Publisher: Pocket Books
Publication Date: November 2000

High-powered attorney Victoria Kensington knows how to protect herself. In fact, she's spent her whole life protecting her vulnerable sister, Audrey, from their stern father's disapproval. But when Audrey, who's supposed to be painting in Venice, collapses at Victoria's feet in Central Park dressed only in a hospital gown, Victoria doesn't know what to think. And when Audrey disappears without a trace, Victoria will do anything to find out what has happened to her sister, even if it means allowing FBI associate Zachary Hamilton, the only man she's ever loved, back into her life--and her heart. Even if it means finding out her father knows a whole lot more than he's letting on, Victoria will let nothing stop her from saving Audrey. But when Victoria has several close calls, Zach insists on sticking close to her, really close. Will Victoria find a second chance at having the kind of family she always wanted and maybe even a second chance at love?

 Run For Your Life is an older book by this author.  I have read most of her books, so I'm not sure how I missed it. The story opens with Victoria out for a jog when her sister, Audrey shows up in Central Park in a hospital gown and collapsing at her feet.  Only to disappear when Victoria goes for help.  The biggest problem is that Audrey is supposed to be out of the country.  She decides she must allow a former lover to help her find out what happened to Audrey.

 I did ultimately enjoy this one.  I liked the second chance at romance between Victoria and Zachary.  Time and maturity helped them work out their issues. For me, the romance was the better part of the book. Being almost 24 years old, the book is a little dated, but it didn't take away form the enjoyment of the story.  The mystery was OK.  I did call a major part of the reveal early on as it was really obvious.  Despite that, the story is fast paced and kept up my interest.  I would recommend this throwback.

Throwback Thursday: This Magic Moment by Nora Roberts

Author: Nora Roberts
First published by Silhouette in 1983

Pierce was an austere and solitary figure, a magician who had dazzled and entranced audiences all over the world. Only one woman, Ryan, had guessed the pain that lay behind his art, the past he had chosen to conceal behind the flash and the glitter.

His unhappy childhood had taught him to rely on nothing. Yet Ryan was determined to offer him the only truth she knew: Their love was no illusion.

Unfortunately, This Magic Moment has fallen under the "bad early works" list by one of my favorite authors. This Magic Moment was so cringy, I skimmed the last half of the book.  The characters were cliche and the dialogue was over the top cheesy. 

I had the biggest issue with the the main character, Ryan.  Her reactions were contradictory and over the top.   After knowing Pierce for a couple of days, she claims to be in love with him.  But a day later, when he wants wants to sleep with her, she says no because she doesn't know him.  How can you  know someone enough to be in love with them, but not enough to sleep with them?  After they do finally do the deed, she freaks out because she woke up alone.  She keeps up the rant when he shows up fairly soon after with a valid excuse.  At that point, I could't take much more and skimmed to the end.  I'd say this is one you can skip.

Throwback Thursday: Opposites Attract by Nora Roberts

Author: Nora Roberts
First published in 1992 by Silhouette

Asher Wolfe and Ty Starbuck were tennis superstars - Ty all fire and flash, Asher the ice princess with devastating control. Three years ago, the combination had resulted in a passionate affair. But misunderstandings had catapulted Asher into an unhappy marriage with another man. Now the ice princess was back on the circuit, determined to win. But her concentration was threatened, as Ty's dark eyes dared her to become the fiery woman he had once loved.

If you are a big fan of tennis, then you will probably love Opposites Attract.  This throwback is filled with tennis terminology and tennis matches.  I'm not a tennis fan, so I found those parts of the book a bit tedious and skimmed most of them.  Without them, the book would probably be more of a novella length, so they were probably added for filler.

Aside from those portions, this is an angsty second chance romance with a sweet ending.  A lot of the angst was due to miscommunication that I found frustrating. There were a couple of things that I found annoying, but they are kind of nitpicky.   To me, Asher is not a girl name.  It's a boy name, so that kept throwing me off as I kept picturing a man.  And every time I heard Ty referred to as "Starbuck", I would picture the character from Battlestar Galactica.  Authors really need to think through their name choices. It's not a bad read, but it's not one of her best throwbacks.

Throwback Thursday: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Author: Madeleine L'Engle
First published in 1962 by  Farrar, Straus and Giroux

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger. 

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me be on my way. Speaking of way, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract".

Meg's father had been experimenting with this fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their heart-stopping journey through space?

I first read A Wrinkle in Time when I was in junior high school.  I remember really enjoying the book.  With the upcoming release of the movie, I decided to give it a second read to refresh my memory.  The story involves Meg who is considered a problem student despite being a whiz at math.  Her father has been missing and she has held out hope he will be found alive and well.  She embarks on an adventure with her little brother and a friend to find him and bring him home.

Reading this as an adult was just as magical as reading it was a child.  I really enjoyed the book the second time around.  The characters were fun.  The atmosphere was mysterious and the writing was phenomenal.  I also noticed a few underlying themes that I'm sure I caught as a child.  Conformity, accepting your uniqueness, and parents don't always have the answers.  I've never been a fan of movie versions of books.  So far, the trailers that I've  seen have look fairly good.  Although, Reese Witherspoon isn't how I pictured Mrs. Whatsits.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  Regardless, this is a wonderful story and one that should be treasured.

Throwback Thursday: Remember the Time by Annette Reynolds

Author: Annette Reynolds
First published in 1997 by Loveswept
Re-issued by Loveswept in 2011

Since the tragic death of her famous baseball player husband, Paul Armstrong, Kate has lived a life of seclusion. Riddled with guilt, unhappiness, and secrets about her not-so-perfect marriage, Kate has turned away from everyone who cares—except Mike Fitzgerald, her neighbor and childhood best friend, a man determined to bring Kate back to the living.

Mike was Paul’s best friend, too, so he kept his love for Kate a secret. He never stopped wanting her, never stopped yearning to kiss away the sadness from an unfaithful husband and too many shattered illusions. Now Mike, a successful architect, is determined to tear down Kate’s walls. He persuades her to renovate her home, providing a foothold for his deepest desire—giving her the life she deserves. Kate married the wrong man, but now the right one is going to show her what’s always been in his heart—a love that belongs to her forever. 

You know how you are watching a soap opera and  just when you think everything is finally OK with a couple or a character, they throw in a one more scandal or issue just to stir things up?  That is exactly what Remember the Time  is like.  I felt like I was reading a soap opera.  It was kind of exhausting.  I mean how many things can life throw at one person?  I actually rolled my eyes at about the 60% mark.  

The story involves Kate who was married to Paul, a famous baseball player.  They were childhood sweethearts.  His best friend Mike has been in love with her since they were all kids.  Paul is killed in a freak accident and Mike now sees his opening.  As the story progresses, we get flashbacks to see what Kate and Paul's marriage was really like.  In a few words, Paul was a cheating, possessive jerk and I'm surprised anyone liked him.  As I said, the story is exhausting.  I never really felt like I got to know Mike and Kate as a couple.  There was just too much drama between the two of them. Don't even get me started on the whole scenario with Kate the nephew.  That was kind of off putting. 

 The  book was written in the late 90s, but it had a very 70s feel to it.  If you like day time soaps, then this one might hit the spot.  Otherwise, I would say you could skip it.

Throwback Thursday: Dark of the Moon by John Sandford

Author: John Sandford
First published in 2007 by Putnam

In the small town of Bluestem, where everybody knows everybody, a house way up on a ridge explodes into flames, its owner, a man named Judd, trapped inside. There is a lot of reason to hate him, Flowers discovers. Years ago, Judd had perpetrated a scam that'd driven a lot of local farmers out of business, even to suicide. There are also rumors swirling around: of some very dicey activities with other men's wives; of involvement with some nutcase religious guy; of an out-of-wedlock daughter. In fact, Flowers concludes, you'd probably have to dig around to find a person who didn't despise him.

And that wasn't even the reason Flowers had come to Bluestem. Three weeks before, there'd been another murder — two, in fact — a doctor and his wife, the doctor found propped up in his backyard, both eyes shot out. There hadn't been a murder in Bluestem in years — and now, suddenly, three? Flowers knows two things: This wasn't a coincidence, and this had to be personal.

But just how personal is something even he doesn't realize, and may not find out until too late. Because the next victim... may be himself. 

This is the first book that focuses on Virgil Flowers, a character that shows up in some of the Lucas Davenport series.  I'll be honest, I really didn't care too much for Dark of the Moon. The story was slow moving and way too long.   The mystery was a little confusing with a few red herrings and twists. There were too many suspects to keep straight.  So, I wasn't too surprised that I couldn't solve the mystery on my own. 

 I also didn't care for Virgil.   I wasn't too impressed with the way he constantly commented on women's appearances, in particular what their behind looked like. It was creepy and made him really unlikable.  Can we for a second discuss the scene at the waterfall involving Virgil and his love interest watching her brother having sex with his girlfriend and getting off on it?.  Eww!  That scene was gross and unnecessary.  Finally, who edited this book?  The amount of run-on sentences, especially during actions scenes, was ridiculous.  They read like a laundry list of how the author thought the scene should go. "and then he did this and then he did that and then and then..."    I doubt I will pick up another Virgil Flowers book in the future.

Throwback Thursday: Jack-in-the-Box by William Johnstone

Author:  William Johnstone
First published in 1986 by Zebra
Re-issued by Lyrical Underground (Kensington Press) in 2016

She was a beautiful child, a perfect child. With her blonde hair and baby doll prettiness, she was the picture of angelic innocence. Phillip Baxter pushed aside his uneasiness about his strangely self-possessed daughter. She was just an ordinary kid. And, to his relief, she did act like an ordinary kid when he brought home a special present for her...

Alone in her room, Nora couldn't wait to open the antique jack-in-the-box. She couldn't wait to watch the hand-carved clown's head bob back and forth, its glass eyes staring at her, its lips drawn back into an insane grin. Any other little girl might have cringed in horror. But as Nora's wide eyes mirrored the grotesque wooden face, her pink lips were curving into the same malicious smile...



Jack-in-the-Box was re-issued by Kensington  press last year along with a couple other books by Mr. Johnstone.  In the book, Phillip has a young daughter who is a pathological liar and could be described as evil incarnate.  When Phillips brings home an antique jack-in-the-box, his daughter becomes obsessed with it then bad things start to happen. 

 I did not really care for this book.  The story is very disjointed and goes off in too many directions.   The characters were forgettable.  A lot of the dialogue was awkward and forced.  As I was reading, I could pick out numerous horror movies themes that this book reminded me of.  It was almost like the author took notes from his favorite movies and rolled them into one story. I really don't recommend this one. 

Throwback Thursday: It by Stephen King

Author: Stephen King
First published in 1986 by Viking Penguin

To the children, the town was their whole world. To the adults, knowing better, Derry, Maine was just their home town: familiar, well-ordered for the most part. A good place to live.

It was the children who saw - and felt - what made Derry so horribly different. In the storm drains, in the sewers, IT lurked, taking on the shape of every nightmare, each one's deepest dread. Sometimes IT reached up, seizing, tearing, killing . . .

The adults, knowing better, knew nothing.

Time passed and the children grew up, moved away. The horror of IT was deep-buried, wrapped in forgetfulness. Until they were called back, once more to confront IT as IT stirred and coiled in the sullen depths of their memories, reaching up again to make their past nightmares a terrible present reality. 

I have been a big Stephen King fan since I was in middle school.  I haven't been much of a fan of his latest offerings, but give me a classic and I'm all over that.  I have read a lot of his books, but I had never read It.  With the recent release of the remake movie, I was curious to see if the book lived up to the hype.  It does and doesn't.   It is really long.  Probably longer than it needed to be as I felt like I was listening to the audio-book forever.  I think had I not seen the 90s version of the made for TV movie, I would have been a bit more creeped out by the story.  That movie surprisingly got a lot of the book right.   I also started feeling a bit nostalgic because I felt like I was listening to old-school King.  That man does know how to spin a tale. 

I'm going to rant for a bit, so beware... If asked about  3.4 of the way in, I would have rated the book at 4 stars, taking one off for length. Then the last part of the book came on and I was appalled.  I know that King does a lot of gruesome stuff for shock value and not much shocks or disgusts me. However, what he had the 11 and 12YO losers' club do to find their way out of the tunnels after defeating It was close to child pornography.  I'm not going to sugar coat it.  That was gross and unnecessary.  I don't want to read about 12YOS having sex or "flying" because of it.  Eww. This scene is the biggest reason I wouldn't recommend It without warning.  I have polled a few people who have read the book in the past and none of them seem to remember that particular scene.  Perhaps the omission of that scene in the 90s movie have helped to wipe their memory of it?  Ok, rant over.  At any rate, the rest of the story is a long yet creepy monster story.  If you haven't read it, go in with caution.

Throwback Thursday: Deep Storm by Lincoln Child

Author: Lincoln Child
First published in 2007 by 

Former naval doctor Peter Crane is urgently summoned to a remote oil platform in the North Atlantic to help diagnose a bizarre medical condition spreading through the rig. But when he arrives, Crane learns that the real trouble lies far below—on “Deep Storm,” a stunningly advanced science research facility built two miles beneath the surface on the ocean floor. The top secret structure has been designed for one purpose: to excavate a recently discovered undersea site that may hold the answers to a mystery steeped in centuries of myth and speculation.

Sworn to secrecy, Dr. Crane descends to Deep Storm. A year earlier, he is told, routine drilling uncovered the remains of mankind’s most sophisticated ancient civilization: the legendary Atlantis. But now that the site is being excavated, a series of disturbing illnesses has begun to affect the operation. Scientists and technicians are experiencing a bizarre array of symptoms—from simple fatigue to violent psychotic episodes. As Crane is indoctrinated into the strange world of Deep Storm and commences his investigation, he begins to suspect that the covert facility conceals something more complicated than a medical mystery.The discovery of Atlantis might, in fact, be a cover for something far more sinister . . . and deadly.

Deep Storm is the first book in the  Jeremy Logan series.  I'm not sure why this would be labeled as part of that series since the guy shows up in like 5 pages.  I read that the author decided to make him more of a protagonist in later books, so by the third book in this set, he is "on screen" a lot more.  

As a thriller, this one was a bit bland, but as a cheesy sci-fi story it was kind of fun.  You have to suspend a lot of belief to buy into this story.  However, there wasn't too much originality.  If you've read Sphere or seen movies like Leviathan you have read this book.  You know what I mean...a big corporation or the government finds something and wants to acquire and exploit it, despite all of the warning signs.  There were a couple of surprises, but nothing that made the book really stand out.  The story gets bogged down in the science at times.  I found it easier to try no to make sense of what was trying to be explained.  I am not a mathematician at all. 

If you missed his early one, it's not a bad read.  It's just not that great either.  I'll probably give some of the others in the series a try at some point to see if they improve.

Throwback Thursday: Murder on Nob Hill by Shirley Tallman

Author: Shirley Tallman
First publihsed in 2005 by Minatour Books

The year is 1880, the place San Francisco. Intelligent, outspoken Sarah Woolson is a young woman with a goal and the fortitude to achieve it. She has always dreamed of becoming a lawyer. The trouble is, everyone believes women belong in the home---that it is not only unnatural, but against God's will for them to seek a career.

When Sarah finagles an interview with one of the city's most prestigious law firms, no one thinks she has a prayer of being hired. Except Sarah. Using her brains and a little subterfuge, she not only manages to become the firm's newest (and only female) associate attorney, she also acquires her first client---a lovely young society matron suspected of brutally stabbing to death her wealthy but abusive husband. Sarah is sure of her client's innocence, but the revelation of the woman's secret lover may make that innocence impossible to prove. 
When four more victims fall prey to the killer's knife, Sarah fears she has bitten off more than she can chew. Bucking her boorish employer and the judicial system, Sarah finds herself embroiled in shady legal maneuvers, a daring Chinatown raid, and a secret and very scandalous sex club in this irresistible blend of history, romance, and murder.

I had never heard of this series before it was recently uploaded onto my Library's Overdrive site,  Murder on Nob Hill is the first in a series taking place in 1880.  Sarah is one of a handful of women to have earned their law degrees and passed the bar exam.  The law firm she applies to reluctantly hires her and she immediately gets involved in a murder case.  Her client is accused of aiding in killing her husband.  Sarah must proves she didn't do it.

This was enjoyable little mystery.   It was a real eye opener to see how women didn't have many rights in the late 19th century.  We have it so good right now! I liked Sarah's character. Sarah was a strong minded character and I admired her bravery in a time when men still thought women should be at home and seen, but not heard.. The peripheral characters were strong as well.  I loved the banter between Sarah and Robert.  He is probably going to be a love interest in later books, at least it looks like that way.  

My only complaint about the book was the amount of potential suspects.  I lost track of people at times, so when the reveal happened it took me a few minutes to figure out who the culprit was.  There were also a couple of red herrings in the story and I found those frustrating.  But in all, it was a fun read.  I might track down the next book and give it a try as well.

Throwback Thursday: Splendid by Julia Quinn

Author: Julia Quinn
First published in 1995 by Avon

There are two things everyone knows about Alexander Ridgely. One, he's the Duke of Ashbourne. And two, he has no plans to marry anytime soon...

That is until a redheaded American throws herself in front of a carriage to save his young nephew's life. She's everything Alex never thought a woman could be—smart and funny, principled and brave. But she's a servant, completely unsuitable for a highborn duke—unless, perhaps, she's not quite what she seems...

American heiress Emma Dunster might be surrounded by Englishmen, but that doesn't mean she intends to marry one—even if she has agreed to participate in one London Season. When she slipped out of her cousins' home, dressed as a kitchen maid, all she wanted was one last taste of anonymity before her debut. She never dreamed she'd find herself in the arms of a dangerously handsome duke... or that he'd be quite so upset when he discovered her true identity. But true love tends to blossom just when one least expects it, and passion can melt even the most stubborn of hearts.

I have pretty mixed feelings about this Splendid.  While I didn't love book, I did enjoy it.  The characters were fun and there was plenty of humor.  Emma is a great character and her antics wqere amusing.  I loved the way Emma and Alex became friends before they became lovers.  I loved their banter and their HEA was fun.  The secondary characters were also endearing, especially Belle and Dunford.  

What I didn't like was the length.  I listened to the audio and It took forever to get through it.  It was really too long. It could have used some serious editing.  There were several scenes that really didn't do much to advance the story and could have been left out.  I also thought, at times, Emma sounded too much like a modern american given the year this takes place.  But that probably a bit nit picky.  IN all, it was a fun story and worth checking out.  

Throwback Thursday: Bridget by Linda Lael Miller

Author: Linda Lael Miller
First published in 2000 by Pocket Books

They are the women of Primrose Creek, and their strength and passion is a match for the Nevada frontier they call home. Linda Lael Miller masterfully captures the hardships and dangers of a country swept by the winds of war -- and the daring and determination, the hopes and dreams of four unforgettable women -- in a thrilling new series. When Bridget McQuarry comes to settle in Primrose Creek, she has nothing to lose; her husband, Mitch, was killed in the Civil War, and she has lost her family farm to ruinous Reconstruction taxes. With her baby son and a sister to care for, Bridget vows to make a new start out West. But when Mitch's best friend reappears in her life, he sparks a forbidden passion she thought was forever buried.

Trace Qualtrough grew up with Bridget and Mitch -- three happy childhood friends. But the attraction that fluttered between him and Bridget was silenced when she married Mitch. Now, Trace has come to fulfill Mitch's final wish -- to watch over the lovely, spirited Bridget. And now, Bridget and Trace must discover if their restless desire is a shattering betrayal -- or something sweeter the second time around. 

I'll be honest, I didn't love this one.  I'm a big fan of Linda Lael Miller, but this early work just wasn't what I have come to expect form her.  Bridget lost everything in the civil war and has moved her son and sister out west for a new start.  Her best childhood friend has followed her and wants to make a life with her.

I just wasn't feeling it with this book. I found Bridget's treatment of Trace exhausting.  He was trying to help her and she treated him like dirt.  For something that wasn't his fault.  The affection was one sided for way too long and I wasn't convinced in the end that they were in love.  The end action scene didn't make much sense to me.  But I will admit that I did skim parts of the book, so that may have had a factor in my confusion.  In all, I wouldn't really recommend this one.  I may try the second one, but it won't be a priority.

Throwback Thursday: What Dreams May Come by Kay Hooper

Author: Kay Hooper
First published in 1990 by Bantam; Reissued in 2016

Just a week before her wedding, Kelly Russell’s world falls apart: A car accident leaves her fiancé in a coma from which doctors predict he will never awaken. At first, Kelly doesn’t believe them. But as the years pass, she comes to accept her fate and mourn the love of her life. What she doesn’t anticipate is for passion to lay dormant, hidden beneath the surface all this time—only to rise again when she least expects it.
 
After a decade of slumber, John Mitchell opens his eyes to a world that’s different from the one he remembers. Kelly has changed, though his deep love for her hasn’t. Gone is the carefree girl he planned to marry, replaced by a resilient survivor who moved on without him. Mitch asks for a little bit of time—a month—to prove that they’re still meant to be. But as his dreams come true, a nightmare waits in the shadows. Now, granted a second chance at happiness, Mitch must risk everything to keep Kelly safe in his arms.

What Dreams May Come is a re-read for me.  My opinion on the book didn't much change upon the second reading.  This is the third in the "Once Upon a Time" series and is based off a combination Sleeping Beauty/Rip Van Winkle plot.  The story opens with John "Mitch"  Mitchell left in a coma after a car accident and his fiance trying to reconcile the possibility that he may never wake up.  She decides to  move on with her life.  9 years later, "Mitch" miraculously wakes up still loving Kelly and wanting to get her back.

This is a sweet second chance story. However, I would have loved it more had it been longer.  I would have like to see more of Kelly and Mitch together before the coma to see how they were then, rather than being told.  It would have made for their changes to seem more significant later when they get back together.  There is also a little mystery with her ex-husband, but that was kind of anti-climactic.  So, while I did enjoy it, it could have been better with more to the story.

Throwback Thursday: Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepherd

Author: Sara Shepherd
First published in 2006 by Harper Teen

Three years ago, Alison disappeared after a slumber party, not to be seen since. Her friends at the elite Pennsylvania school mourned her, but they also breathed secret sighs of relief. Each of them guarded a secret that only Alison had known. Now they have other dirty little secrets, secrets that could sink them in their gossip-hungry world. When each of them begins receiving anonymous emails and text messages, panic sets in. Are they being betrayed by some one in their circle? Worse yet: Is Alison back? A strong launch for a suspenseful series.

Yes, I finally succumbed and read the first book in the Pretty little Liars series.  I have watched the first few seasons on Netflix and enjoyed them.  I have also read a couple of the more recent books from this author and liked them.  So, I figured why not?  I should have known better.

For some reason, the TV show does a much better job with this story line.  But, then it could be because this first book is pretty much the first season verbatim, so if you've seen it, you've read it.  I didn't feel like I had any more insight into the characters by reading the book.  Honestly, that is 6 hours of audiobook listening that I can't ever get back.  The book is already incredibly outdated.  It's so full of pop culture references and product names that today are already obscure and not used.  By the end, I was left wondering if the author got paid for all of the product placement in the book.  I know this is a hugely popular series, but I really can't recommend it. 

Throwback Thursday: Manna from Hades by Carola Dunn

Author: Carola D
First published in 2009 by Minatour Books

Eleanor Trewynn is a widow of some years living in Port Mabyn, a small fishing village in Cornwall, England. In her younger days, she traveled the exotic parts of the world with her husband. These days, she’s retired and founded the local charity shop. Her niece, Megan Pencarrow, transferred nearby, and was recently promoted to the rank of Detective Sargent. Perhaps the only downside is that she is now working for a DI who doesn’t approve of women on the police force and who really doesn’t much approve of Megan’s aunt Eleanor, as she is something of a thorn in his rather substantial side.

All of these factors collide when, the day after collecting donations, Eleanor and the vicar’s wife find the dead body of a longhaired, scruffy-looking youth hidden in the stockroom of the charity shop. Then they discover that some donated jewelry thought to be fake is actually very real, very expensive, and the haul from a violent robbery in London. Making matters more complex, the corpse found in the storeroom is apparently not one of the robbers. Carola Dunn's Manna from Hades is a confounding Cornish case of daring theft, doublecross, and a wily older woman confronted by a case of murder most foul.

Manna from Hades was a random pick from my library.  I have had some good luck with random picks, so I held out hope for this one.  I love watching British shows like this on Netflix, so I was hoping for a good story set in a small English town in the 60s.  Good old fashioned detective work without the technology of today is always fun to read about.  The problem that I ended up having with this book was it was so boring.  There were multiple characters that is was hard to keep thing straight.  Eleanor kept forgetting to tell the detectives things and would feed them information piecemeal as she remembered them.  It got annoying and was clearly a device to push the plot along.  

Another problem may have been that I listened  tot he audio version of the book.  The narrator didn't do a great job of differentiating between characters with different voices.  So it was easy to confuse who was speaking.  At about 70% I fast forwarded to the end to see who did it.  I wasn't impressed.  I doubt I will continue with any more of this this series.