Love Will Tear Us Apart (The Stranger Times 3) by C. K. McDonnell

Love Will Tear Us Apart
(The Stranger Times 3)
by C. K. McDonnell

Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thrillers, Sci Fi & Fantasy

This series is such fun. Very unusual, full of quirky characters, weird and wonderful plots and some incredible funny, snarky and sharp lines that could easily be missed. I think in a reread of this series there will be lots revealed that have slipped by me 😉
Once more there’s a mysterious plot, complicated characters, confusing differing sides and The Stranger Times staff caught up in it all.
I thought the title was weird but by the last quarter of the novel it all made sense. In among all the mysterious happenings, the chaos of events, it suddenly made sense and was actually very moving.
Each of these books has a complete story, but also fits into an overall story arc, and I really want to see where this story goes next. Its such an unusual series, and refreshing to read something so different.

Stars: Five, a really fun and different read.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers

Dark River Rising Susan Clayton-Goldner

Dark River Rising
Susan Clayton-Goldner

 

Genre: Mystery & suspense

Well, wow. Book 13. Radhauser is still as interesting to read as in those first books, he’s tenacious, very fair and if I ever needed someone on my side he’d be first choice. I’m torn though, I want Susan to keep writing books about him but his family are growing, Gracie is incredibly forgiving about the time his job takes up, but I sense he’s beginning to feel he’s missing out on family life. Yet retirement isn’t the guy he is, maybe he could be some kind of private consultant, giving him more free time for his family but still keeping him doing what he does best. And of course after writing that I’m thinking “ Jeannie, perhaps you need to explain.” He may be fictional but when I’m reading him he and the rest of the characters are real, and I want him and his family to be happy…
Susan has a real gift for writing, and I’m quickly sucked into her stories, lost in a world of make believe that feels real..
If you like authors such as Patricia Cornwell try this series, they have that same intense detail that makes them so readable.

Its a slightly different read this time in that we have the thoughts of the murder victim to give another viewpoint. It reminded me a bit of The Lovely Bones, which I read many years ago.
I was heartbroken for poor Ava, and reminded that this fate is sadly very real for many kids. Its a cruel world for many. I really enjoyed reading Ava’s thoughts and fears.
Her family were shattered, its understandable, what an awful experience for any family. Things are like ripples on a pond, the repercussions go far beyond the initial act. How easily life can change in an instant. How a loving and stable family can change so quickly. I felt so sorry too for Sam, Ava’s little brother.
What I love about Susan’s writing is I don’;t have to keep backtracking to find out who came in where and how they fit together. The cast is always fairly small, and each character clearly brought in so they can’t be easily forgotten. Such an impossible seeming task, finding who killed poor Ava, who abducted her in the first place and how, yet as usual Radhauser works his way through, piecing together fragments of conversation, visual details half remembered and with the help of others in the police who have contacts he needs. It always amazes me how what seem like unimportant details turn out to have such major influences later.

Stars: another five star fantastic read.

ARC supplied by author

No More One More Time CL Rowell

No More One More Time

CL Rowell

Genre: Romance

Well, I don’t read novellas, didn’t realise this is one. Its under 2000kb and books I usually read are between 4-5000kb so it felt very truncated.
The reason they don’t gel with me is they feel rushed, I never feel plots get time to develop properly, before racing on to the next one.

That’s exactly what happened here, it feels like every romance trope going is crammed into one short novel, and nothing really gets fleshed out. Something is barely mentioned, before its happened and over. I want to get to know characters, understand them, I want plots that will play out in their entirety, and I felt that if this book had been twice the length I may well have loved it, but as it is…well, I just didn’t really connect.
If you like short stories, novellas etc then this could be perfect for you, everyone wants different things, but for me it just fell short.

Stars: Two and a half, not really one for me as I’ve explained, not the book, just my taste. If you like shorter reads could be perfect.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers

Shadowed Visions: Psychic paranormal romance suspense (The Guardians Book 6) Reily Garrett

Shadowed Visions: Psychic paranormal romance suspense (The Guardians Book 6)
Reily Garrett

Genre: Sci-fi & fantasy

Well, when I first started this series it was – relatively – simple, with a select cast of characters. Now, well, the story gets ever more complex, bringing in so many different groups. I’ll be honest, I had to mentally backtrack several times to recall who was who and how they all fit together!
I’ve always liked Dacien, so was glad he took a good role in this book. I don’t feel quite so connected with the newer characters like Silver, but that’s because I’ve known the others through so many books now. Its interesting that she’s a shifter, and of course that brings in even more talents and abilities. Then meeting a whole group and their leader….Gabe…yep, enjoyed “meeting” him 😉 Characters do start to feel real to me when I get lost in a good book.
Its another race through dangers and adventure, a story that takes a myriad of twists and turns, and where there’s a subtle romance, one that fits the story, not dominates it. The Big Bad Roth has grown, and he’s out for yet more blood. He really is a deranged psychopath. I love a good evil character in a story! Makes for so much interest.
I think this series is reaching its climax, and hopefully all will be revealed and the bad guys shut down, but with Reily we never know just how she’s going make things play out. Expect the unexpected 😉
Its been a great series so far and I really want to see just how it all ends. I think if I do a back to back read, as I like to with series, I’d get less confused about the characters and how they connect. When its been a while and lots of other books its easy to forget small essentials, and who lesser known characters connect.

Stars: Four, another gripping read, and left me wondering how on earth Reily is going to resolve this.

ARC supplied by author