Saint X By Alexis Schaitkin

Hailed as a “marvel of a book” and “brilliant and unflinching,” Alexis Schaitkin’s stunning debut, Saint X, is a haunting portrait of grief, obsession, and the bond between two sisters never truly given the chance to know one another.

Claire is only seven years old when her college-age sister, Alison, disappears on the last night of their family vacation at a resort on the Caribbean island of Saint X. Several days later, Alison’s body is found in a remote spot on a nearby cay, and two local men–employees at the resort–are arrested. But the evidence is slim, the timeline against it, and the men are soon released. The story turns into national tabloid news, a lurid mystery that will go unsolved. For Claire and her parents, there is only the return home to broken lives.

Years later, Claire is living and working in New York City when a brief but fateful encounter brings her together with Clive Richardson, one of the men originally suspected of murdering her sister. It is a moment that sets Claire on an obsessive pursuit of the truth–not only to find out what happened the night of Alison’s death but also to answer the elusive question: Who exactly was her sister? At seven, Claire had been barely old enough to know her: a beautiful, changeable, provocative girl of eighteen at a turbulent moment of identity formation.

As Claire doggedly shadows Clive, hoping to gain his trust, waiting for the slip that will reveal the truth, an unlikely attachment develops between them, two people whose lives were forever marked by the same tragedy.

Pre-order your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Saint-X-Alexis-Schaitkin/dp/1250219590/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1573957247&sr=8-1

Alexis Schaitkin’s short stories and essays have appeared in Ecotone, Southwest Review, The Southern Review, The New York Times, and elsewhere. Her fiction has been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Nonrequired Reading. She received her MFA in fiction from the University of Virginia, where she was a Henry Hoyns Fellow. She lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with her husband and son. Saint X is her debut novel. 

My Thoughts...
What happened to Alison? Well I won't give any of the story away. You have to read Saint X To get your answer. You are going to fly though this one. Schaitkin has really given us a very engrossing read. You won't want to put it down.
4 stars from this reader.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

The Ivy Creek Sewing Circle By Tammy Smith GIVEAWAY!

When a crisis strikes the Johnson family in the summer of 1971, it is the women of The Ivy Creek Sewing Circle who jump into action to help the family get back on their feet. Witness to the actions of the sewing circle is nine-year-old, Emmybeth Johnson, who loves nothing better than to listen to what the grownups around her are saying, oftentimes when they are not aware that she is listening. Emmybeth treats the reader to her naïve perspective, which is sometimes closer to the truth than she realizes. She finds out, through her observation of the women of The Ivy Creek Sewing Circle, that “Girl Power” is not just a popular catchphrase of the day, it’s the way mountain women circle the wagons when their friends or family are in trouble. Emmybeth loves her life in Ivy Creek and her family with her whole heart. She does not think her family’s circumstances will ever change. So, when they do, the fallout confuses her. However, with the help of The Ivy Creek Sewing Circle she and her family survive the changes and endure. Sit back and enjoy the antics of Emmybeth and cheer on The Ivy Creek Sewing Circle as they overcome the bad times and celebrate the good. You will enjoy your time in this small town, nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, and most importantly, you will remember The Ivy Creek Sewing Circle long after you’ve turned the last page!

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Ivy-Creek-Sewing-Circle-Appalachia/dp/108647628X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1573314575&sr=8-1

Much like a lot of you who are reading this bio, my family has lived and worked in central Appalachia for many generations. In the early part of the last century, most of the men were farmers, carpenters, or small business owners, while their wives stayed home and tended to their children.

In this century, more of us are likely to be working professionals, many not even living here anymore, but we all still cling to the lessons we learned from our family in the hills of Appalachia. It is a great place to be from and even a better place to come home.

My Thoughts...

I was so excited to read this book. Being from the mountains of WV, I had to get my hands a copy of this. Now I am not a sewer, I have no idea how to sew anything but a button.
This story is told from a child's perspective and I really enjoyed that.
It was something new to me.
I gave this book 4 stars and I hope that you grab a copy to enjoy and it would make a great Christmas gift or a hostess gift this season.
 The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Hands Up By Stephen Clark

Officer Ryan Quinn, a rookie raised in a family of cops, is on the fast track to detective until he shoots an unarmed black male. Now, with his career, reputation and freedom on the line, he embarks on a quest for redemption that forces him to confront his fears and biases and choose between conscience or silence.

Jade Wakefield is an emotionally damaged college student living in one of Philadelphia's worst neighborhoods. She knows the chances of getting an indictment against the cop who killed her brother are slim. When she learns there's more to the story than the official police account, Jade is determined, even desperate, to find out what really happened. She plans to get revenge by any means necessary.

Kelly Randolph, who returns to Philadelphia broke and broken after abandoning his family ten years earlier, seeks forgiveness while mourning the death of his son. But after he's thrust into the spotlight as the face of the protest movement, his disavowed criminal past resurfaces and threatens to derail the family's pursuit of justice.

Ryan, Jade, and Kelly-three people from different worlds--are on a collision course after the shooting, as their lives interconnect and then spiral into chaos.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Hands-Up-Stephen-Clark/dp/1947966200/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1573314253&sr=8-1

Anything for You By Saul Balck

Critically acclaimed author Saul Black returns with a heart-racing thriller in which a brutal murder forces one woman to reckon with her own past―and her future.

On a hot summer night, a watchful neighbor locks eyes with an intruder and unwittingly alerts the police to a vicious crime scene next door: a lavish master bedroom where a man lies dead. Next to him, his wife is bleeding out onto the hardwood floor, clinging to life.

The victim, Adam Grant, was a well-known San Francisco prosecutor―a man whose connection to Homicide detective Valerie Hart brings her face-to-face with a life she’s long since left behind. Adam’s career made him an easy target, and forensic evidence points towards an ex-con he put behind bars years ago. But while Adam’s wife and daughter grapple with their tragic loss, Valerie uncovers devastating clues that point in a more ominous direction. Lurking in the shadows of the Grants’ pristine life is a mysterious blonde who holds the key to a very different―and much darker―story.

As Valerie struggles to forge a new path for herself, the investigation forces her to confront the question: can we ever really leave our pasts behind?

Sophisticated and stunning, Anything for You is an unforgettable thriller that will grip readers long after turning the last page.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Anything-You-Saul-Black/dp/1250199913/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1573313222&sr=8-1


My Thoughts...
 This is book three in the Valerie Hart series. I did not read book one and two. I was not lost so it could be a stand alone I just like reading the whole series in order.
This was a pretty gruesome thriller. It was slow to start but picked up and I found I was engrossed in the story.
I was disappointed at the ending, it let room for another book to close up lose ends.
I hate waiting for the next book.
I gave this book 3.5 stars.
  The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Plastic By Frank Strausser

Dr. Harry Previn, the renowned Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, is secretly called in to operate on the disfigured face of the ravishingly beautiful teen pop star Fay Wray following an assault. Surrounded by image makers who value beauty over all else, he soon fears Fay is in mortal danger. Will he risk everything to save her beauty, her life, or himself?
Plastic is a novel of psychological suspense about a heinous crime that leads to a desperate Hollywood cover up. Welcome to “The Capital of Good Looks,” an ephemeral world of celebrity and beauty crashing at the intersection of Hollywood and rock and roll.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Frank-Strausser/dp/164428037X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1573310902&sr=8-1

Frank Strausser came of age as a producer, playwright, and novelist while living in The Capital
of Good Looks. His plays have been produced in LA, London’s West End, and Off Broadway, most notably Psycho Therapy's three month run at the historic Cherry Lane Theatre. Plastic is his first novel.

Strausser studied story and character development with Robert McKee and with the late Milton
Katselias, at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. He is currently working on his second novel, Here Comes The Son. He attended the Radcliffe Publishing Procedures program at Harvard University and majored in English Literature at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He divides his time between Los Angeles and Palm Beach with his wife and son.

For more information, visit frankstrausser.com 

My Thoughts...
In this day and time it seems almost everyone is obsessed with Plastic  surgery. So this book is going to be one sought after book. Strausser did not disappoint, all my thriller fans will find this book to be one of the books on their to be read pile.
I will say it is a fast read not very long at all, but full of fun.
I gave this book 4 stars and I can't for to see what is next from Strausser.
  The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

In the Cradle Lies By Olivia Newport

A Father-Daughter Genealogy Team Link Present to Past on Family Trees
 
On a solo ski vacation in Canyon Mines, Colorado, Tucker has a love-hate relationship with his wealth, spending indiscriminately while skiing fearlessly and preparing to conquer the overgrown slope of Hidden Run, a dangerous run not attempted in decades. As genealogist Jillian tries to uncover enough of Tucker’s family tree to understand his charming nature but reckless resolve, Jillian’s equally charming father, Nolan, cajoles Tucker into giving him ski lessons to get him talking about the suspicious circumstances surrounding his grandfather’s life in St. Louis in the 1930s. 
 
On the surface, Tucker’s family’s history seems too perfect. The secret may lie in the sealed envelope Tucker carries with him at all times—even on the ski slope. When no one can find Tucker to tell him the fiancée he never mentioned turned up in Canyon Mines, they realize he must be off attempting to ski Hidden Run alone in a snowstorm. And they may be too late. 
 
In the Cradle Lies is the second book in the Tree of Life series by Olivia Newport. You’ll want to return to the lovely Colorado mountain town of Canyon Mines again and again to explore and celebrate unforgettable family stories that will inspire you to connect with your own family histories and unique faith journeys.

Pick up yur copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Cradle-Lies-Tree-Life/dp/1683229959/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1573311462&sr=8-1

Olivia Newport’s novels blend the truths of where we find ourselves now with insights into what carried us in the past. Enjoying life with her husband and nearby grown children, she chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of Pikes Peak. 

My Thoughts...

I love books will a little romance, mystery and a litle history from the past. So this book was right up my alley it had all that. I loved going back to Canyon Mines, Colorado. I love secerts to, I forgot to metion that, this book has secrets.
This series has encouraged me to look into my own geneology.
I can't wait for the next book in this series May 2020 can't get here fast enoough.
I want to mention that this can be read as a stand alone BUT I woukd read bok one Inn at Hidden Run you get a little back groud on the characters and you are sure to love it as much is this one.
I gave this book 4 stars. and I recommend it.
 The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Get a Life Chole Brown By Talia Hibbert

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family’s mansion. The next items?

• Enjoy a drunken night out.
• Ride a motorcycle.
• Go camping.
• Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
• Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
• And... do something bad.

But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Get-Life-Chloe-Brown-Novel/dp/0062941208/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1572829265&sr=8-1

Talia Hibbert is a Black British author who lives in a bedroom full of books. Supposedly, there is a world beyond that room—but she has yet to drum up enough interest to investigate. She writes steamy stories of passion, love, and sarcasm, then hawks them online because she just can't help herself.

Want to keep up with Talia's sexy, diverse romances? Follow her online:

★ Newsletter ➙ https://www.taliahibbert.com/viplist/

★ Website ➙ https://taliahibbert.com 

My Thoughts...

This book had so many positive things going on. Interracial couple. Curvy main character.  Positive point of view on therapy.
This is just a book for all of us. Nothing is perfect in life so it's nice to read a fiction book that has many things you can relate to and characters that you can connect with on a real level.
I can't wait for book two in the Brown Sisters series.
I gave this book four stars.
 The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.