The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni

 

This may very well be the hardest book I have ever reviewed. In fact, I admit I did something very weird with it. But more on that in a bit. First a synopsis. Honestly, I could try to write one but it's a story that I feel is almost two separate stories, so this one is from Goodreads. Whoever wrote this summary did a better job that I can do: 

Once a promising Midwestern football star, Brink was transformed by a traumatic brain injury that caused a rare medical condition: acquired savant syndrome. The injury left him with a mental superpower—he can solve puzzles in ways ordinary people can't. But it also left him deeply isolated, unable to fully connect with other people.

Everything changes after Brink meets Jess Price, a woman serving thirty years in prison for murder who hasn't spoken a word since her arrest five years before. When Price draws a perplexing puzzle, her psychiatrist believes it will explain her crime and calls Brink to solve it. What begins as a desire to crack an alluring cipher quickly morphs into an obsession with Price herself. She soon reveals that there is something more urgent, and more dangerous, behind her silence, thrusting Brink into a hunt for the truth.

The quest takes Brink through a series of interlocking enigmas, but the heart of the mystery is the God Puzzle, a cryptic ancient prayer circle created by the thirteenth-century Jewish mystic Abraham Abulafia. As Brink navigates a maze of clues, and his emotional entanglement with Price becomes more intense, he realizes that there are powerful forces at work that he cannot escape.

Ranging from an upstate New York women's prison to nineteenth-century Prague to the secret rooms of the Pierpont Morgan Library, The Puzzle Master is a tantalizing, addictive thriller in which humankind, technology, and the future of the universe itself are at stake.

 So, here's the weird thing that I ended up doing. I got an e-book copy of it and seemed to really be struggling with it. I almost  gave up on it and thought that maybe if I got a physical hard copy it would be better. Well, that actually worked. I don't know what it is about me. I just love to hold a book. Usually, it doesn't matter too much to me, but this one I had to hold in order to finish it. 

I have such mixed feelings about this book. It took me way too long to finish and, for me, it read like a text book in some places. BUT, in some places, it really sucked me in, especially toward the end. I thought it started picking up immensely. Now, all that being said, while I may not have devoured the book, I applaud this author's creativity! I cannot even imagine being able to come up with this kind of intricate plot. So, overall, I am going to say I did enjoy this even though I spent more time with it than I would have liked. I wish the author the best. One more note: I think this would be a good movie! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher. No review was required. 

The Woman Inside by M.T. Edvardsson

 

Is there anything better than summer reading? I love it and I can't believe it's July 5th already!  This was my last read.

The Woman Inside by Edvardsson released June 2023 and I was fortunate enough to get an advance copy from NetGalley. This book is about Bill, his young daughter Sally and a boarder they take in named Karla. Bill and Sally are reeling from the death of his wife and her mother Miranda just shortly before all this and has Karla move in as a form of extra income. 

Karla is struggling with putting her life together and studying law. She also works as a housecleaner for Steven and Regina Rytter.  She knows something is wrong in the household, but can't quite put her finger on it. 

 Also in this story is Jennica, a woman who is having an affair with Steven Rytter, but also has a link to Bill's past.  All of these people will collide over very extreme circumstances. 

So, I don't like to give anything else away, but here are my two cents. The book moved very quickly and I got to the point where I was itching to get back to it when I wasn't reading, especially as I got closer to the end. I was excited to see the connection between all the characters come together and find out what was going on. However, for me, the ending kind of left me underwhelmed. I thought the author was leading me up to a jaw dropper, but it never seemed to happen. HOWEVER, I did enjoy the story and reading how everything came together. Honestly, it may make a good movie. 

I have another book by this author on my to read list, which I didn't realize until I was finished this one. I really appreciate this opportunity by NetGalley and am sending thanks to them and the publisher. 

What is on your summer reading list? Let me know here or on my Goodreads profile Deana3452. 

The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer

The Witching Tide takes place in the 1600's in a small village where chaos comes to reign. The story centers around Martha Hallybread, who is known for her caregiving to the residents with her herbs and helping to welcome new babies into this world. She is also house servant to Kit and his wife Agnes. Martha has known Kit since birth and feels very maternal toward him, considering him the son she never had. Agnes is getting ready to give birth herself so it should be a happy time in the household.

However, a stranger comes to town. His name is Master Makepeace and he is on the hunt for any woman who may be a witch. He wants to rid the town of any evil that he deems is detrimental to the area. Martha is mute and uses a sort of sign language to communicate with her loved ones. This proves a disaster in this kind of situation where everyone is on edge and scared for their lives. Anything seems to be suggestive of being a witch and Martha is in Makepeace's sights. 

Kit uses his influence to get Martha a position WITH Makepeace to "examine" and interrogate the women brought forth on charges of being a witch. What's heartbreaking is, that, because it's such a small village, Martha knows everyone and even brought some of their children into the world, so loyalties are tested and heartbreak follows. 

I really have never read anything like this before and I had such mixed emotions reading it. First, the good. The author does a beautiful job describing the scenes, emotions and abject terror these women feel being rounded up.  Her prose is beautiful and I genuinely felt sad in some parts, so that shows I connected with the characters.  Well done there. 

However, I thought it dragged in some places and it took me longer to finish that I would have liked. Once it got going, I found myself finally wanting to come back to it. Also, and this is going to sound nitpicky, but I started getting annoyed with some of the words the author chose to use. There's one I won't mention at all but as far as the other one, boy, did this woman love the word piss.  Isn't there another word she could have used? Oxford dictionary says it's vulgar slang as it is. I read the kindle version so I put a count on it only because it grabbed my attention that it was used a lot. She used it 14 times. 

In any event, it was enjoyable to the point that I wanted to finish it and was glad that I felt some connection to these characters, so if this sounds like your cup of tea, pick it up. Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this opportunity. No review was required. 

 

The Couple in the Photo by Helen Cooper

 

On a normal day at work, Lucy's colleague, Ruth is beaming from her recent honeymoon and sharing photos from her amazing trip to the Maldives. Lucy loves photos and all the happy times they convey, so she is more than happy to look at the pictures. 

While flipping through, Lucy sees a snapshot of Ruth, her new husband and a couple at the resort and is floored to see the man is the husband of her best friend. When Lucy asks about it, Ruth says they are a great couple they met while there. Lucy feels sick. The man is Scott, her best friend Cora's husband, but the woman is NOT Cora. Furthermore, Scott is supposed to be in Tokyo on a business trip. He couldn't be in the Maldives, right?

What follows is a journey and discovery of secrets in a group of a very tight and close friends involving Lucy, her husband Adam and Scott and Cora. They couldn't be closer and their four kids are like siblings. Adam, Scott and Cora were all best friends at university before Lucy entered the picture.  Lucy is torn about digging into the issue knowing it could implode all their lives as they know it. 

Now, my two cents. I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought it moved at a breakneck pace. The only thing is I was 49 percent finished and I had it figured out. I was right about the big part, but there was some small surprise at the end, so overall, it was a great read!  Releases in December 2023 but you can preorder now! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher! No review was required. 

The Bride to Be by Daniel Hurst

 

Kate is getting married! Good news, right?  Well, not so fast. She's not 100 percent sure if her groom to be is the one for her.  After all, Mark can be kind of condescencing, resulting in a lot of hurt feelings. She loves Mark but feels that something is missing. It's just not the fairy tale she expected when she dreamed of getting married. 

One day, while in the bridal store, Kate sees another couple and is instantly taken with the man. He seems ideal in the way he treats HIS wife to be. She's convinced that this couple has the perfect life, the one she always dreamed of. 

What follows is a woman's desperate attempt to feel loved and appreciated. WIthout giving anything away, things unravel quickly. So many things happen to the point where it really starts spiraling out of control to where Kate can't even recognize her own life. 

I thought the book had great premise.  For the most part, I coudn't wait to get back to it. But, I think the author attempted a "twist" at the end and it just fell flat for me. Maybe, if I hadn't been expecting something crazy to happen at the end, I would have liked it better, so that may be on me. Overall though, I would say it was entertaining.  Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for the opportunity! 

The Door to Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn

 

This book is about Carl who is an older gentleman who works in his old friend's bookstore, now taken over by his friend's daughter. Carl actually has a special role in this store. He delivers books to certain customers by walking around town.. One day, he is joined by a little girl who becomes the friend Carl didn't even know he needed, in more ways than one. Times, they are a changing, and we need our loved ones to get by. Suffice to say, this is a story about friends, forgiveness and looking out for one another. 

I think there might be something magical about this book. Here's why. There are so many times I am reading an e-book and I look down and I see I have a lot more to go percentage wise. As I was reading, I got very invested in these characters, looked down at the percentage left and was astonished to see that I was almost finished. I was floored. How did this happen? I don't know except to say that there must be some magic going on here. I really loved it. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for this opportunity. 

What Happens Next by Christina Suzann Nelson

 

Hello, everyone! 

I was fortunate enough to get an advance copy of What Happens Next by Christina Suzann Nelson. 

Here is a good description from Goodreads: 

Popular podcaster and ex-reporter Faith Byrne has made a name for herself telling stories of greatness after tragedy--but her real life does not mirror the stories she tells. While her daughters spend the summer in Hawaii with her ex-husband and his new wife, she must manage life on her own. But all that changes when she's asked to spotlight her childhood best friend's missing person case on her podcast.

Dora Crane has never accepted that her younger daughter could be dead, keeping her home looking the same as when her daughter disappeared. But when her husband leaves her, and her older daughter intervenes, she agrees to counseling and to pack up her missing daughter's belongings under one condition: Faith Byrne comes to Deep Valley and sheds light on the cold case.

As the investigation moves forward, the two women uncover desperate secrets, and Faith and Dora must face the long-hidden truth before they can begin to move forward.

Award-winning author Christina Suzann Nelson masterfully leads readers on a journey of discovery, healing, and friendship in this suspenseful and poignant tale.

I thought this had such a good premise. I was excited to read it. I thought the characters were pretty memorable and I think the author did a good job in flushing out the whole story.  I also think that it would be good for the YA crowd, only because of  the way it was written. This book is Christian fiction, so there are faith based themes and lessons involved, which was also fine by me. I read it pretty quickly, too.  I think a lot of people will enjoy it when it releases on January 17.  See link below for preorder.  You can also get it on Amazon. 

Click here to buy

Let me know what you think if you get it! I am always interested in hearing people's opinions! Also, what are your reading goals for 2023?