Fond of Fonts

  Megan Miranda's novel, "All The Missing Girls", was a thriller/suspense novel I was happy to inhale from my TBR pile - literally (two days of reading straight through). The storyline follows Nicolette Farrell's life, from ten years prior to drastically moving out of her hometown and present day. I believe anyone can relate when Nic's character spends time reminiscing about how things were during high school vs how much things can change when becoming adults. But, what happens when something you did ten years ago starts to repeat itself - almost too much? It makes you wonder, are we really any different than how we used to be? Or have we just gotten better at masking it? Miranda does an awesome job, in my opinion, by introducing this story in backwards timeline sectioning. Nic's return is broken up into two/three weeks worth of a story (with longer portions towards the end of the novel) but Miranda works backwards in showing the jump between past and present...

  Helen Cooper's suspense novel, "The Downstairs Neighbor", takes a new spin on a missing person's tale. The novel follows three floors worth of tenants: a set of "over-attentive" parents and their teenage daughter, a woman on the brink of breaking down when her roommate departs, and a married driving instructor wishing for more than his day-to-day responsibilities.  Cooper introduces an array of characters who all undergo further development throughout the piece. It isn't a standard novel in which a daughter goes missing, the parents lose their minds and she's miraculously found after being abducted from the bad man who might've been seen as good. Initially, the novel ALSO covers a character's life which takes place twenty-five years earlier. It takes a bit to discover whom the twenty-five-years-ago character is, but once the puzzles pieces fall into place, as a reader, I was left wanting more. 5/5 stars!

  Another thriller crossed off the TBR pile and it didn't disappoint! Heidi Perks' novel, "Her One MIstake", centers around the lives of two women - Charlotte and Harriet. Charlotte is introduced as a woman who has it all, husband w/ a fantastic job, three children she has the day-to-day responsibility of keeping in line, a one-of-a-kind home kept up to date with cleaning and meals. Charlotte was everything Harriet supposedly aspired to be, considering she was a tip-top mother in watching her daughter, Alice. A single day in which Harriet decided to hand over the reins to Charlotte, with blatantly obvious reluctance, was not without fail - considering Charlotte lost Harriet's daughter in a matter of mere hours but had her children well in mind and sight. Perks' novel is NOT what meets the eye within the first fifty pages. I plucked this novel out of the TBR pile in hopes of recognizing a simple snatched-child storyline, but OH NO. Perks unravels a storyline so...

  It was the cover that caught my eye when I selected Alexandra Bracken's stand alone novel, "Lore", from the bookstore shelf. The synopsis being tailored around Greek mythology was another implication to purchase the novel and all around - I was glad to have read and finished it in a mere few days. The story is centered around a young woman, Lore, who is the last standing survivor of her bloodline, trailing back to the original days of the Greek gods. Following her current day-to-day life schedule shows readers she's in the process of escaping the seven-day every seven-years hunt in which Greek gods are either fighting to keep themselves immortal or mere humans gaining mythological status upon hunting those said gods. There are a tremendous amount of names/family lineages to follow throughout this novel and that factor alone made it slightly difficult to keep up with the plot - however, recognizing the good vs evil characters was apparent and easy to keep up with. He...

Despite my hands down obsession with Batman, I haven't always been an avid comic book reader. I've watched countless films featuring Batman and his DC Justice League members, along with animated series. To be honest, graphic novels in general haven't really been my cup of tea to read. However, i was glad the book read pick from my day job decided on this Christmas version of a Batman graphic novel. A mixture of my favorite time of year with my favorite superhero couldn't be better - and it's true! The story of Scrooge and his three ghosts are the basis for this graphic novel. Turns out, Batman was Scrooge - visited by Catwoman, Superman and the notorious Joker. The storyline follows a down-in-the-dumps desperate father looking for a fast dash for cash in order to celebrate Christmas appropriately with his son. He turns to the Joker in hopes to gain the money, then has a run in with Batman - who comes off more vicious than the Clown Prince of Crime himself. Batman...

I will always and forever say this - Lisa Jewell is the QUEEN of the suspense/thriller genre. I'm sure most who read her would agree with me in comparing her and/or referencing her written ability in crafting a phenomenal read to that of the infamous Agatha Christie in her time. Jewell's 2019 debut novel centers around a young woman by the name of Libby Jones, a competent individual with a safe, bright future ahead. Until, she receives a letter shortly after her 25th birthday informing her of a family inheritance worth a fairly decent price and then some . Jones is introduced to readers as the main character to follow, but other characters soon take stage in a plot-twisting novel where family ties don't always hold true with faith, love, and blood. Jewell has this astonishing ability to craft the perfect chapter, whether it be mere attention to detail, length of pages or strategic craftsmanship of paragraph and dialogue portions leaving the reader wanting more - causing th...

 Camille DeAngelis' modern romance is anything but traditional. The phrase "gut-wrenching, butterfly swirling love" is anything but what a typical romance devourer would consume. The main character, Maren Yearly, is a young woman abandoned by her mother who admittedly couldn't handle her daughter's unique circumstances and pursuing the whereabouts of her father who might have more in common with her than her mother originally let on. Maren travels consistently throughout the country, based in the United States, allotting herself the opportunities of gaining an identity and forging ahead in realizing who she is as a woman, while also keeping her deepest secret under wraps. Until, an older gentleman goes out of his way to make her feel welcome and a younger man's eye lingers longer than expected, recognizing they hold more in common than just a few years of age. DeAngelis' story began with Maren's first months as a child, but when Maren's mother made...

  Grady Hendrix has composed a story with southern charm, riveting suspense and extensive character development. This novel spans over 11 years, centered around the antics and pandemonium of a house wives' book club. The main character, Patricia Campbell, has two children and a husband who works full time outside of the home. She handles day-to-day schedules within the home, along with participating in community events. Patricia does have a past working full time as a nurse with extensive schooling, however, she chose to be a stay at home mother to better tend to her children and keep her family afloat comfortably. Participating in the neighborhood book club allows Patricia the opportunity to bond with her fellow stay-at-home mothers, all ranging with a variety of personalities and family sizes. With normal growing mundane, the neighborhood gains a single gentleman who reaches out to Patricia after a nontraditional meeting and inquires about assistance with fitting in. The tasks se...