Blog Tour: Review of The Daisy Children by Sofia Grant

Author: Sofia Grant

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Date of publication: August 2018

Inspired by true events, in Sofia Grant’s powerfully moving new novel a young woman peels back the layers of her family’s history, discovering a tragedy in the past that explains so much of the present. This unforgettable story is one of hope, healing, and the discovery of truth.

Sometimes the untold stories of the past are the ones we need to hear…

When Katie Garrett gets the unexpected news that she’s received an inheritance from the grandmother she hardly knew, it couldn’t have come at a better time. She flees Boston—and her increasingly estranged husband—and travels to rural Texas.

There, she’s greeted by her distant cousin Scarlett. Friendly, flamboyant, eternally optimistic, Scarlett couldn’t be more different from sensible Katie. And as they begin the task of sorting through their grandmother’s possessions, they discover letters and photographs that uncover the hidden truths about their shared history, and the long-forgotten tragedy of the New London school explosion of 1937 that binds them.

So, I will admit, I ended up liking The Daisy Children more than I thought I would.  It was a bit slow in the beginning, but I ended up finding myself 3 hours later almost done with the book.  I had a couple of issues with the story, but overall, it's a bitter sweet tale about mother/daughter relationships and how tragedy can affect a family for generations. 

The book goes between the present, where Katie finds out she inherited part of her estranged grandmother's estate and the past, where we find out what happened to Caroline, Margaret and Georgina in the years following the tragic school explosion.  Of all four women, I felt the most bad for Margaret.  While all four women were definitely results of their upbringing, her story was the most heart breaking for me. The twist in the end just confirmed that she got the rawest deal in the entire situation.  I did like the ending and loved where Katie and Scarlett ended up.

There were just a couple of things I didn't like about the book.  I know it's a small thing, but honestly, if you were mugged on the way to the airport, wouldn't you put off the trip for a day or two to get your affairs in order? I found that entire scenario with Katie and Liam weird and not very realistic.  I also wasn't happy with the decision she made regarding Jam.  I know she was kind of at a crossroads with Liam, but I was disappointed the author chose to go the route she did with that story-line.  

Anyway, I wouldn't say this was really a historical fiction.  The explosion plays a smaller part in the book than I though it would.  I do recommend this one.  It's one I will be thinking about for a long time.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About Sofia Grant

Photo by Madeira James

Sofia Grant has the heart of a homemaker, the curiosity of a cat, and the keen eye of a scout. She works from an urban aerie in Oakland, California.

Find out more about Sofia at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Instagram Features

Sunday, August 5th: Instagram: @theliterarybirds

Monday, August 6th: Instagram: @ladyofthelibrary

Tuesday, August 7th: Instagram: @girlsinbooks

Wednesday, August 8th: Instagram: @writersdream

Thursday, August 9th: Instagram: @prose_and_palate

Saturday, August 11th: Instagram: @kate.olson.reads

TBD: Instagram: @somekindofalibrary

Review Stops

Tuesday, August 7th: Bibliotica

Wednesday, August 8th: Broken Teepee

Friday, August 10th: Kahakai Kitchen

Monday, August 13th: bookchickdi

Tuesday, August 14th: Instagram: @shereadswithcats

Thursday, August 16th: Jathan & Heather

Monday, August 20th: Wining Wife

Tuesday, August 21st: From the TBR Pile

Tuesday, August 21st: Instagram: @writersdream

Wednesday, August 22nd: Instagram: @Novelmombooks

Thursday, August 23rd: A Bookish Affair

Thursday, August 23rd: A Chick Who Reads

Blog Tour: Review of Say a Sweet Prayer by Jennifer Rebecca

Author: Jennifer Rebecca

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover by Alyssa Garcia at Uplifting Designs.

The sleepy little New Jersey township has been relatively quiet as plans for the wedding of Claire Goodnite and Wesley O’Connell are in full swing. But when the patrons of the church’s singles group are being picked off one by one and branded with a scarlet letter in blood, Claire and the team put their festivities on hold to track down a killer.

It’s just another case, another day in the life of a police officer until tragedy strikes their small circle of friends. When one of their own becomes one of the victims, how will the group go on? Or more importantly, can Claire survive it?

It’s probably best you say your prayers . . .

Say a Sweet Prayer is the third book in the Claire Goodnite series.  It's the first one that I have read so far.  But for the most part it held up fairly well as a stand alone. Claire is a police detective who seems to have the dumb luck for caching serial killer cases.  A new one is in town and people are showing up dead with a letter carved into their chests.  Claire and Wes must catch the killer before they can get on with their HEA.

I enjoyed the mystery part of the story.  I was definitely kept guessing.  The POV from the killer was pretty creepy.  I also really liked Claire's character.  She was a good detective and one I would enjoy reading more about. While I did like Wes, I didn't like his not accepting Claire's profession.  He asks her to chose between her job and him at one point.  I thought that was incredibly selfish given she was a cop when they started their romance.  I do wish that I had read the first two books in the series before this one because there were a few things that I felt like I was missing out on. One thing being the love triangle between Lee, Anna and Emma. That whole story-line was pretty depressing. I also want to go back and read how Wes and Claire ended up together.  I look forward to reading the next Claire Goodnite book.

Get your copy today!

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Nook 

Catch up on the series:

Tell Me A Story:

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Nook

Tuck Me In Tight:

Amazon | iBooks | Nook | Kobo

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

Jennifer is a thirty something lover of words, all words: the written, the spoken, the sung (even poorly), the sweet, the funny, and even the four letter variety. She is a native of San Diego, California where she grew up reading the Brownings and Rebecca with her mother and Clifford and the Dog who Glowed in the Dark with her dad, much to her mother’s dismay.

Jennifer is a graduate of California State University San Marcos where she studied Criminology and Justice Studies. She is also an Alpha Xi Delta.

10 years ago, she was swept off her feet by her very own sailor. Today, they are happily married and the parents of a 8 year old and 6 year old twins. She can often be found in East Texas on the soccer fields, drawing with her children, or reading. Jennifer is convinced that if she puts her fitbit on one of the dogs, she might finally make her step goals. She loves a great romance, an alpha hero, and lots and lots of laughter.

www.JenniferRebeccaAuthor.com

JenniferRebeccaAuthor@gmail.com

facebook.com/JenniferRebeccaAuthor

Twitter: @JenniRLreads

Instagram: @JenniRLreads

Review: The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

Author: Kara Thomas
Publisher: Delacourte Press
Date of publication: July 2018

There are no more cheerleaders in the town of Sunnybrook.

First there was the car accident—two girls gone after hitting a tree on a rainy night. Not long after, the murders happened. Those two girls were killed by the man next door. The police shot him, so no one will ever know why he did it. Monica’s sister was the last cheerleader to die. After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad. No one wanted to be reminded of the girls they lost.

That was five years ago. Now the faculty and students at Sunnybrook High want to remember the lost cheerleaders. But for Monica, it’s not that easy. She just wants to forget. Only, Monica’s world is starting to unravel. There are the letters in her stepdad’s desk, an unearthed, years-old cell phone, a strange new friend at school. . . . Whatever happened five years ago isn’t over. Some people in town know more than they’re saying. And somehow Monica is at the center of it all.

There are no more cheerleaders in Sunnybrook, but that doesn’t mean anyone else is safe.

I was excited to read The Cheerleaders because I was hoping for a good YA mystery.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this one.  While it does deal with some sensitive issues (suicide, abortion, murder), I thought it did a decent job at handling the subjects.  Monica's sister, Jennifer, was one of five cheerleaders who died five years before. The high school now does not have cheerleaders, but does have a dance team.  Monica has always had questions about the deaths of the five girls.  Now someone is telling her detective stepfather that he got it wrong.  She is determined to find out what really happened.

The mystery was pretty good.  The story goes between the present through Monica and five years before  from Jennifer's perspective.  As Monica finds out information, we get what really happened through Jennifer.  The story kept me engaged and the characters were interesting.  There was no love triangle of insta-love which was refreshing.   I definitely recommend this one.  It's another good YA mystery that would be great to curl up with during a summer storm.  

Blog Tour: Excerpt of Brave New Earl by Jane Ashford

Author: Jane Ashford
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Date of publication: August 2018

An Earl mired in melancholy is no match for a determined woman…

Widower Benjamin Romilly, Earl of Furness, has given up hope of finding happiness. His wife died in childbirth five years ago, leaving him with a broken heart and a child who only reminds him of his loss.

Miss Jean Saunders is a cousin by marriage. She doted on Benjamin’s late Countess, and can’t bear it when she hears rumors that the Earl is too bereaved to care for his young son. She arrives on the scene to evaluate his fitness as a father, and if necessary, to take his son away.

Jean’s sudden eruption into the Earl’s household simultaneously infuriates and invigorates him. She may be the only person who can breathe life into his neglected home—and his aching heart…

Enjoy this excerpt:

Jean searched the parlors on either side of front hall, calling softly and beginning to feel foolish. This was obviously a futile quest. She had given up and turned back when she noticed a line of light under the library door. She went in, finding the chamber still warm, the coals of a fire still glowing. “Tab?” she said.

“I beg your pardon?”

Jean started so violently that a drop of hot wax splattered from the candle to the back of her hand. The pain made her breath catch.

Lord Furness rose from the chair by the hearth. “What are you doing here?” she asked. “With no lights?” In her fright, she sounded accusing.

“I don’t sleep well,” he replied. “I often come down. And you?”

“I was looking for my kitten.”

“Got out, did he?” Still half in his broken reverie, Benjamin eyed his guest. The lines of her body were beautifully revealed by her thin wool dressing gown and gossamer nightdress. Her hair had been braided down her back, but soft tendrils had escaped all around her face. He imagined what that hair would look like loose—what a wild riot of curls.

“I don’t see how,” she said, her tone oddly defensive. “But he’s not in my room.” The candle wavered in her hand. “Oh, what if he’s in the kitchen when your cook gets up.”

“The cook will cope.” Miss Saunders’s unexpected appearance was like a dream, yet so different from the ones that usually disturbed his nights.

“Why must everything I do go wrong? I had this one small creature to care for—”

“And tomorrow we will find him,” Benjamin interrupted. “There’s no sense looking in the dark. Too easy for him to hide. We’ll turn out the staff in the morning. By then, he’ll be hungry and come looking for food.”

“Yes.” Miss Saunders startled suddenly, setting the light of her candle dancing over the walls. “The portrait seemed to move.”

Benjamin looked up at Alice’s likeness above the mantel. “Yes, when it’s dim like this, she does. Seem to.”

“You loved her very much,” said Miss Saunders softly.

“We met at a ball in London, fell in love, married, and were parted by death all in a year. Such a short time to encompass so much.”

“A life sliced in half,” she replied. Her tone was contemplative and…bitter?

“Yes.” Benjamin sank back into his chair. “You understand that?”

“Oh yes.” Absently, she sat down opposite, putting her candle on the low table by the fireplace.

“A love you lost?”

She shook her head, setting the errant curls bobbing. “Say rather…a person who defined my existence.”

It was a striking phrase. He waited a moment. When she didn’t go on, he asked, “Who?”

Miss Saunders hesitated before answering, “My mother.”

“Ah. That can be a deep bond.”

“Yes.”

The single word dropped between them like a rock tossed into a well. The echoes were odd, Benjamin thought. Not sadness, not regret. “You miss her a great deal.”

Miss Saunders laughed without humor. “How I wish I did. She haunts my dreams.”

Benjamin felt as if some mighty hand had reached deep inside him and struck a chord. His whole being resounded with it. He leaned forward and took her hand. It was trembling.

As his strong fingers closed over hers, Jean couldn’t look away. Under his dressing gown, his nightshirt was open at the neck. The strong column of his throat rose above a muscular chest. She’d never been more intensely aware of another person, much less a man.

“The past keeps its claws in us,” he said.

The phrase was so exactly right. “It feels like talons,” she said. “Sunk right in. No matter how you fight, they won’t come loose.”

“A mouse carried off by a hawk,” he said.

Lips parted in amazement at his understanding, Jean nodded. Lord Furness leaned nearer. She’d moved toward him as well, she realized, irresistibly. For a moment, a kiss seemed inevitable. They grew closer, closer. She could feel a hint of his breath on her skin.

Then, all at once, he seemed to become aware of their proximity, their laced hands. He let go, drew back. In a welter of emotion, Jean did the same. Color flickered in the corner of her eye; the image of her cousin Alice looked down on them from above the mantel.

Lord Furness cleared his throat. “So, you see.” He took a breath. “Previous…events make it more difficult with Geoffrey. For me. Despite what I might wish.”

Jean gazed at him.

“The resemblance.” He indicated the portrait with a gesture. “It…flashes out at me. There and then gone. He looks just like his mother, and then he doesn’t. If it was one or the other, I’m sure I’d grow accustomed. But I find it hard to take the…sudden blow.”

She nodded. Her dreams were like that. Some memories as well.

“I’m very glad you’re here to help,” he added.

“You are?”

“Yes.”

“I’d thought you seemed to be doing well. With the pony and all. Perhaps I wasn’t needed.”

He sat straighter. “We agreed to work together, for Geoffrey’s sake.”

“But I’m not sure what I can do.” She wanted to help him, Jean realized. She wanted a number of things she hadn’t recognized until tonight.

Lord Furness turned away. “I ran today,” he said in a harsh tone. “I had to get away from him. My own son. I hid in this room as I’ve been doing for far too long. I wanted never to come out.”

“But you did.”

“And I was a bear at dinner. Surly and curt.” He turned back to her. “Do you see that hiding is easier?”

Jean couldn’t look away from those blue-gray eyes. They were mirrors and temptations and beckoning abysses. “Yes,” she whispered.

He blinked. Jean felt as if she’d tripped on a missed step. She felt Alice staring down at her. In a confusion of emotion, she stood. “I…I should go up.”

He didn’t argue. Was he finding it just as difficult to speak? Shaken, Jean took her candle and went.

When she entered her room—minutes, eons, later—Tab was sitting on her bed. He gazed at her in seeming reproach and mewed. “Where were you?” cried Jean. “I looked everywhere.”

“Mew,” said Tab. He kneaded the damask coverlet, pulling a thread of the pattern loose.

“Don’t. Oh, I’ll have to ask for a plain bedcover.” She put the candlestick on the bedside table and ran a hand over the kitten’s silky fur. He flopped over and offered his pale belly, tiny paws waving in the air. Jean laughed and petted him.

Buy links:

Amazon:      https://amzn.to/2K1twk6

B&N:             http://bit.ly/2K1qVGI

iBooks:         https://apple.co/2JXtcTn

Kobo:            http://bit.ly/2mRbpE2

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

Jane Ashford discovered Georgette Heyer in junior high school and was captivated by the glittering world and witty language of Regency England. That delight was part of what led her to study English literature and travel widely. She’s written historical and contemporary romances, and her books have been published all over Europe as well as in the United States. Jane has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award by RT Book Reviews. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

Blog Tour: Review & Excerpt of Respect by Jay Crownover

Author: Jay Crownover

Date of publication: August 2018

Add to your Goodreads

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who called a corrupt kingdom home sweet home.  

Protected and sheltered from the worst the world had to offer, she fell in love with the crumbling city that burned and blazed around her. Every dirty corner, every scary shadow, found a place within her heart. So did a man who was violent and dangerous, just like the streets she claimed as her own.  

He was all business and brutality, except when it came to her. With her, he was calm, caring, and heartbreakingly patient.

He warned her over and over that he wasn't the man for her, but she refused to listen. She never expected either the streets or their enforcer to hurt her, since she'd given her heart so completely to both.

She should have known the streets in the Point were always going to be savage, and so was the man committed to keeping control of them in the hands of criminals and bloody kingpins.  

Blindsided by a betrayal which cut so deeply she was sure the wounds would never heal, the princess fled the home she loved and the man who broke her heart. Throwing away her rusted, twisted crown was supposed to help her forget. All it did was make her long for everything she left behind.  She told herself she would never go back, but in this tormented kingdom, family is everything. Eventually, she has no choice but to return.  

While she was gone, the people who loved her worked hard to make the city safe, and the man who destroyed her sank deeper into the darkness. Going back shouldn't feel like surrender... but it does. As this pretty princess hovers on the edge of the unknown, the past attacks with a vengeance. It's a good reminder that puppy love eventually grows up and turns into something with sharp teeth and one hell of a bite.    

She never asked for the keys to the kingdom. She'd much rather go out and build her own.

 My thoughts:

Respect is the final book in the series about The Point.  Finally, I got my Karsen and Booker story.  I have been waiting for this story from almost the beginning of the series.  I read in the afterword that Jay Crownover almost didn't write this book.  I think I would have cried had I never gotten their story. I will say that if you haven't read the entire series up to this point, go do that first.  Then come back to Respect.  You will appreciate it so much more.

I'm not going to give away any plot points. Let me just say this is everything I wanted in Karsen and Booker's story.  Their coming together was explosive and sigh worthy at the same time. Watching Booker realize he had more than just himself to rely on was wonderful.  He more than deserved it all. Respect was the perfect way to end the series.  I loved the epilogue.  I also actually let out a little squeal of delight when I saw the bonus epilogue.  Thank you, Jay, for that one!  I loved it!  I am so excited to see what comes next for one of my favorite authors.  I'm sure it's going to be great!

Grab your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KvqGEe 

Paperback: http://bit.ly/RespectPB 

Audible: http://bit.ly/RespectAudible 

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/BNRespect 

iBooks: http://bit.ly/RespectiBook 

Kobo: http://bit.ly/RespectKobo 

 Enjoy this excerpt:

~Karsen~

I was stuck to the spot, trapped by all the jagged, sharp pieces of my broken fantasies. I wanted to bolt, to run as far away as I could, but I couldn’t move. I felt like the shards would rip me to shreds any direction I turned. Even when the naked woman continued making out with the man of my dreams right in front of me, I was stuck in the same spot. The noises they were making were loud and graphic and all-encompassing. I could hear them echoing in the empty places in my chest where my heart used to be.

Finally, the other woman in the skintight leather skirt and black bra walked over to where I was locked in place. Her hand was light on my arm and she touched me like I was made of glass, even though I wanted to claw her eyes out.

I blinked up at her numbly, letting her guide me around and tow me toward the open front door. “Don’t worry, sweetie. There are better guys out there for someone like you. Guys much nicer than the type of guy Booker is…he’s made for women like me. You are still too new, too pristine, honey, and all he’ll do is ruin you.”

Everyone said that. I was sick to death of everyone telling me that. I didn’t want someone better for me. I wanted Booker.

I finally gasped, pulling a burning breath into my starved lungs. “Today’s my birthday.” The words came out on a shuddering sob. I have no idea where that came from, why I’d share such an intimate detail with the woman who was next in line for Booker’s dick. I’d stop thinking rationally the second I heard the giggling through the door.

She made a sympathetic noise and patted my arm. “Happy birthday, honey. You deserve something special.”

“Roxy. Get back in here. We’re moving to the bedroom.” The other girl’s voice was excited, and I felt her words settle in my stomach like a lead weight.

“I thought he was special.” The words were barely a whisper.

The woman squeezed my arm and I was shocked when she leaned forward and touched her brightly painted lips to my cheek in a kiss that was more like a whisper. I should’ve pushed her away, called her a whore, smacked her across the face…something, anything. But all I could do was watch as her perfect, painted face blurred into a melted blog as tears obscured my vision.

“The fact that you think that proves you’re the special one. Get out of here and go live the kind of life that doesn’t have guys like Booker and girls like me and Rowan in it.” She backed up gently and firmly shut the door in my tear-streaked face.

I don’t know how long I stood outside the door crying and trying to pull myself together. It was long enough to hear laughing voices quiet and disappear as they made their way farther inside the apartment. Once the tears stopped, I used the hem of my t-shirt to wipe away my smeared eye makeup, rubbed away the traces of moisture on my cheeks, and marched back upstairs to Race’s apartment. I wasn’t even all the way through the door before I was telling Brysen I wanted to change colleges. I wanted to go out of state and get as far away from the Point—and from Booker—as possible.

Today was supposed to change everything…and it did. But not in the way anyone expected. Not in the way I’d dreamed about for years.

Right then and there I made the decision that once I left the Point, I had no plans to ever come back. The city simply wasn’t big enough for me and Noah Booker and all the pieces of the heart he broke on my birthday.

And don’t miss the first titles in The Breaking Point series, HONOR and DIGNITY! Grab your copy today!

HONOR

Amazon: http://amzn.to/299l3OR

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1RPuEYT 

iBooks: http://apple.co/1S1smlV 

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Yq4Oeq

DIGNITY

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ykrnhL

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/2klztkc

iBooks: http://apple.co/2ylHgVd

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2yV2gzf

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Jay Crownover:

Jay Crownover is the international and multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men Series, The Saints of Denver Series, the Point Series, the Breaking Point Series, and the Getaway Series. Her books can be found translated in many different languages all around the world. She is a tattooed, crazy haired Colorado native who lives at the base of the Rockies with her awesome dogs. This is where she can frequently be found enjoying a cold beer and Taco Tuesdays. Jay is a self-declared music snob and outspoken book lover who is always looking for her next adventure, between the pages and on the road.

Website: http://www.jaycrownover.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJayCrownover?ref=hl
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JayCrownover
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Crownover

Jay Crownover’s RESPECT – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:

August 8^th

A Book Nerd, a Bookseller and a Bibliophile – Excerpt

Between The Lines – Excerpt

CompulsivamenteLiterária – Excerpt

Karin's Dark Side I'll post mostly on Instagram – Excerpt

Marta Likes to Read – Review & Excerpt

NallaReads – Review & Excerpt

Read more sleep less – Review & Excerpt

Reviews by Tammy and Kim (Rachel and Jay) – Review & Excerpt

Sassy Southern Book Blog – Excerpt

SBB Reviews – Excerpt

Tara’s Book Blog – Excerpt

The Book Maven –Review & Excerpt

We Like Them Dark Book blog – Review & Excerpt

August 9^th

Ali’s Reviews and More – Review & Excerpt

BJ's Book Blog – Excerpt

Booknerd1107 – Review & Excerpt

Devilishly dirty book blog – Excerpt

I Heart Romance & YA – Excerpt

Kiss and Tell Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Love Book Triangle – Review & Excerpt

Morning Books and Coffee – Excerpt

Readings & Sweets – Excerpt

Rochelle's Reviews – Excerpt

Sister Sister Book Blog – Excerpt

Three chicks and their books – Excerpt

Travels N Reads – Excerpt

August 10^th

AnniDiNuvole – Review & Excerpt

Becky on Books – Excerpt

Book Bitches Blog – Excerpt

Booked All Night – Review & Excerpt

Canadian Book Addict – Excerpt

Fanlovesbooks – Excerpt

Grownupfangirl – Review & Excerpt

Kick Back & Review – Review & Excerpt

Liz's Reading Life – Excerpt

Omgkaciereads – Excerpt

Red Hot + Blue Reads – Review & Excerpt

Summer's Smexy Book Reviews – Excerpt

The Reading Faery – Excerpt

August 11^th

All Things Dark & Dirty – Excerpt

Blog of Books – Excerpt

Book Freak – Excerpt

Declarations of a Fangirl – Excerpt

Greyland Reviews – Excerpt

Jax's Book Magic – Excerpt

KDRBCK – Review & Excerpt

Movies, Shows, & Books – Excerpt

Onceupon_a_bookdream – Review & Excerpt

Quesarasera Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Spellbound Stories – Excerpt

Tales of the Ravenous Reader – Review & Excerpt

Wicked Babes Blog Reviews – Excerpt

August 12^th

Alphas Do It Better Book Blog – Excerpt

Book Angel Booktopia – Review & Excerpt

Brittany's Book Blog – Excerpt

Desperately Seeking HEA’s Book Blog – Excerpt

Francoise's Reading Corner – Excerpt

Lynn's Romance Enthusiasm – Excerpt

My Girlfriend's Couch – Excerpt

Nerdy Dirty & Flirty – Review & Excerpt

Renee Entress's Blog – Review & Excerpt

Soly's books – Review & Excerpt

The Lovely Teacher Addictions – Excerpt

Theory of A Dreamer Book Blog – Excerpt

August 13^th

A Woman & Her Books – Excerpt

Book Addict – Excerpt

Bookalicious Babes Blog – Review & Excerpt

Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – Excerpt

Heartbeats Between Words – Excerpt

Kitty Kats Crazy About Books – Excerpt

LifeofSavy - Excerpt

My Book Filled Life – Review & Excerpt

Reading and funny – Review & Excerpt

Sultry Sirens Book Blog – Excerpt

The bookworms obsession – Review & Excerpt

Two Books in a Shelf – Review & Excerpt

Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews – Excerpt

August 14^th

An Asian Chick & Her Cat Walk into a Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Book Starlets – Review & Excerpt

Books 4 Girls – Excerpt

Crazii Bitches Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Julalicious Book Paradise – Excerpt

Le Journal de Cacahuète – Excerpt

My Reading Obsession – Review & Excerpt

Mybookcraze – Review & Excerpt

Naughty Mom Story Time – Excerpt

Rachel Loren’s Love of Reading – Excerpt

Reese's Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Smut Book Junkie Book Reviews – Excerpt

Somewhere Lost in Books – Review & Excerpt

The Phantom Paragrapher – Excerpt

Verna Loves Books – Excerpt

August 15^th

A Fortress of Books – Excerpt

Book Haven Book Blog – Excerpt

Book Lovers Hangout – Excerpt

Chatterbooks book blog – Excerpt

Four Chicks Flipping Pages – Review & Excerpt

Love Notes Book Blog – Excerpt

Milky way of books – Review & Excerpt

Ramblings From This Chick – Excerpt

Reading, Willing & Able – Review & Excerpt

TjLovesToRead – Excerpt

Two Book Pushers – Review & Excerpt

Socially awkward book nerd – Excerpt

Sweet Red Reads – Review & Excerpt

Total Book Geek – Excerpt

August 16^th

A crazy vermonters boom reviews – Review & Excerpt

Blushing babes are up all night – Review & Excerpt

Book Lovers Reviews and Recommendations – Excerpt

Books 2 Blog – Excerpt

Collector of book boyfriends – Excerpt

Curvy and Nerdy – Excerpt

Late Night Reading – Review & Excerpt

Ms. Me28 – Excerpt

Obsessive Book Nerd – Review & Excerpt

Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Excerpt

Relentless Romance – Excerpt

The Escapist Book Blog – Excerpt

Two Girls with Books – Excerpt

Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess – Review & Excerpt

August 17^th

Bobo's Book Bank – Excerpt

Books and Things Blog – Excerpt

Bookgasms Book Blog –Review & Excerpt

ClaryNathanWill – Excerpt

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Totally Bex – Review & Excerpt

Blog Tour: Review of What Remains of Her by Eric Rickstad

Author: Eric Rickstad

Publisher: William Morrow

Date of publication: July 2018

I won’t say a word. Cross my heart and hope to die…

Jonah Baum, a professor of poetry at a local college in Vermont, sees his ordinary life come tumbling down when his wife and young daughter vanish from their home. No evidence of a kidnapping. No sign of murder. No proof that Rebecca didn’t simply abandon her marriage. Just Sally’s crude and chilling drawings, Jonah’s little lies, and the sheriff’s nagging fears that nothing is what it seems.

For Sally’s best friend, Lucinda, it’s something else. She trusts in Sally not to just disappear, not after they’ve shared so many secrets—especially about the woods and what they saw there. But she’ll never tell. No one would believe her anyway.

As the search for Rebecca and Sally intensifies, and as suspicion falls on Jonah, the disappearances become more relentlessly haunting than anyone can imagine. Because what’s seen in the light of day is not nearly as terrifying as what remains hidden in the dark…

In What Remains of Her, Jonah's world ends when his wife, Rebecca, and child, Sally, go missing.  Sally's best friend, Lucinda, thinks a bad man in the woods took them.  But they are never seen again despite many searches in the area.  Years later, Jonah is a recluse living out in the woods when he finds a girl in need of rescuing.  She reminds him of his daughter Sally.  Lucinda, Sally's best friend, has always been haunted by not knowing what happened to Sally.  But when a local girl goes missing, she is determined to find her.

For the most part, I enjoyed this one.  It was a pretty good mystery.  I didn't see the two twists at the end coming, so that was a nice surprise.  I also loved the ending.  I felt so bad for Jonah.  I can't imagine not knowing what happened to your family for 20ish  years.  Having to live in a town where everyone was suspicious of you would be torture.  I could see how Jonah ended up the way he did.  I also liked Lucinda's character.  Losing her friend so young really shaped who she was as an adult. 

My only real complaint about the book was that it did slow down a bit in the middle. But the ending was worth it.  I don't want to talk plot too much because I don't want to give anything away.  I would recommend giving this one a try.  

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About Eric Rickstad

Photo by Meridith Levinson

Eric Rickstad is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of The Silent Girls, Lie in Wait, and Reap, novels heralded as intelligent and profound, dark, disturbing, and heartbreaking. He lives in his home state of Vermont with his wife, daughter, and son.

Find out more about Eric at his website, and follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Instagram Features

Wednesday, July 25th: Instagram: @biblio_files

Thursday, July 26th: Instagram: @strandedinbooks

Friday, July 27th: Instagram: @read.write.coffee

Saturday, July 28th: Instagram: @jenabrownwrites

Sunday, July 29th: Instagram: @brookesbooksandbrews

Monday, July 30th: Instagram: @jessicamap

TBD: Instagram: @_ebl_inc_

Review Stops

Tuesday, July 24th: Jathan & Heather

Wednesday, July 25th: Comfy Reading

Thursday, July 26th: Thoughts From a Highly Caffeinated Mind

Thursday, July 26th: Instagram: @onceupon_a_bookdream

Monday, July 30th: Tina Says…

Wednesday, August 1st: Tales of a Book Addict

Thursday, August 2nd: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Monday, August 6th: Wining Wife

Tuesday, August 7th: Jessicamap Reviews

Wednesday, August 8th: Instagram: @givemeallthebooks

Thursday, August 9th: Instagram: @wherethereadergrows

Monday, August 13th: Wall-to-Wall Books

Tuesday, August 14th: Instagram: @Novelmombooks

Wednesday, August 15th: Into the Hall of Books

Thursday, August 16th: From the TBR Pile

Friday, August 17th: A Bookish Way of Life

TBD: Instagram: @shereadswithcats