The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is really great! But the first short story "the Veldt" gave me the shivers. The book was published in 1951 but almost perfectly describes today's smart home. The children are raised by the technology in the home with no love for their real parents. And when that technology is threatened. ..yikes! The rest of the short stories combine to make the main story of the illustrated man come alive. 

I'm reading The Haunting of Brynn Wilder with its own illustrated man and this book was mentioned several times. So I put the Haunting down for a bit to read Bradbury. Now to finish my original book! 

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The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by Wendy Webb

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book surprised me in that it is unlike the creepy gothic ghostly books this author has written before. This reads more like a romance novel with a mysterious handsome hero. There were so many mentions of Bradbury's The Illustrated Man, which is the nickname they've given Dominic, the main male character, that I had to put this book down and read Bradbury first. It's not necessary as the author provides a brief description of the classic, but I'm glad I read Bradbury for a deeper understanding of the plot. I was really enjoying the book and the relationship between Brynn and Dominic, but as I closer and closer to the end of the book I still had so many questions. Where does the Haunting come in, what's up with Alice, and room#5, etc? Then, bam, a plot twist that explains everything! 

While I do prefer the author's more creepy books, this one was still enjoyable. Thank you to Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing, and of course Wendy Webb for the opportunity to read and review this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

Lovely book set in the small town of Chawton, where Jane Austen lived and worked. A small band of townsfolk decide to form a society to protect their favorite author's legacy. The members are all quite different, but they can discuss their favorite characters as if they're friends, bringing them all together and teaching them life lessons to help them through difficult times.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. 

The New Husband by DJ Palmer

After Nina's husband Glen disappears without a trace while fishing, leaving debt and betrayal behind him, Nina is ready for a new start. Simon seems perfect-- a history teacher at her children's school, willing to provide for her and her family, becoming the kind of father to them that they've never had. But Nina's daughter Maggie isn't so easily fooled. Something just seems off about Simon, glimpsed in a rare moment of temper, and Maggie is determined to show her mother the monster he's trying to hide.

This is truly the most disturbing psychological thriller I've read in a while. I was hanging on every word to see what crazy thing Simon would do next, and how much he could get away with and still have Nina stand by him. Then a major twist came halfway through the book that just left me speechless and changed everything. I absolutely could not put this book down! 

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. 

The Caretakers by Eliza Maxwell

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47494688-the-caretakers" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Caretakers" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575595750l/47494688._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47494688-the-caretakers">The Caretakers</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13213996.Eliza_Maxwell">Eliza Maxwell</a><br/>

My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3088386630">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. <br />Tessa's world is falling apart. After filming a documentary to help a man she believed was wrongfully convicted of a murder get free, he kidnaps the police chief's daughter. Believing another woman dead, the public and the victim's family turn against Tessa for helping free him. Then Tessa's mother dies unexpectedly. She returns home and the strained relationship between her and her twin, Margot, and the press camped out on her doorstep leave her nowhere to go but an isolated, crumbling estate in rural Pennsylvania that her mother left in her will. Mystery and tragedy surround Fallbrook and the only way to discover the truth about the history of the place is through the two aging sisters who are caretakers. As more of the past is revealed, Tessa discovers that some stories should never be told.<br />Wow what a great story! Two storylines converge in this creepy setting of a crumbling murder house. The truth about the past history of the house was shocking, I never saw it coming, especially the connection to Tessa herself. The mystery in the present with Oliver was a little predictable but helped support the plot and the action of the rest of the story.

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The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46723529-the-red-lotus" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Red Lotus" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562006899l/46723529._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46723529-the-red-lotus">The Red Lotus</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3509.Chris_Bohjalian">Chris Bohjalian</a><br/>

My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3067094227">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />

 I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. <br />Alexis is an ER doctor in Manhattan who meets her boyfriend, Austin, while healing him from a gunshot wound. After six months, they go on a biking vacation together to Vietnam, where his uncle died and his father was injured in the war. Austin goes off by himself one day to visit the site of his uncle's death and never returns. The investigation that follows covers the chemical warfare in Vietnam and its effects in the present, leading to the very hospital Alexis works in.<br />It was really hard to write a review of this book without giving away any of the plot surprises. I love the description of the beautiful countryside in Vietnam and the people they meet there. The idea of using rats to spread a pandemic is fascinating and presented in a well-researched and believable way. This was a really great book and I'm so excited I got a chance to read it! 

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The Other Mrs by Mary Kubica

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44422774-the-other-mrs" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Other Mrs." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566297884l/44422774._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44422774-the-other-mrs">The Other Mrs.</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7392948.Mary_Kubica">Mary Kubica</a><br/>

My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3073459454">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />

 I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. <br />Will's sister dies unexpectedly, leaving her home in Maine and her teenage daughter in Will's custody. Needing a change, Sadie, Will, and their two boys move from Chicago to the small island and their creepy, creaky new home. Will's niece, Imogen, is sullen and withdrawn and doesn't appreciate this new family moving into her home. When a woman is murdered down the street, clues start pointing to someone under Sadie's own roof.<br />I've read a couple books by Mary Kubica before and the ending is always what you least expect. This was no exception...just when I thought I knew what was happening, out of the blue there's another twist. What a wild ride! I was so excited to get a chance to review this book. 

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