Friday, July 31, 2015

*Mail Call* July 27-31

It's Friday again, which means it's time for this weeks mail call. It was a slow mail week for me and I only got three new books, so this will be a short post.



Steele Mackaye Investigations: The Tarot Problem by Barry H. Wiley

The cover is mostly white.
Synopsis

First volume of a new series.
Sam Milliron writes on the history and anthropology of Polynesia, while using the pen name, Steele Mackaye (emphasis on the second syllable) he writes historical mystery fiction. Truth one day, fiction the next, with fiction paying better than truth as any Californian politician would, quietly, agree.

Steele Mackaye is called a "wandering consultant" by the LAPD, so it was natural for Homicide Lt. Miles Harper to ask Mackaye to provide support to Homicide Detective Toni Rodriguez in the brutal killing of psychic reader, Sister Cynthia, support which leads Steele and Toni into confrontation with a nameless, but very lethal killer.

Meeting at a mystery writers/readers conference, Mackaye invites Elizabeth Vaughn to move her PI firm from Burbank into the excess space at his Century City office. The move would Elizabeth close to her three largest clients, thus opening up new situations -- situations that take Eliabeth and her operatives into unexpected directions.
 



The Mindful Lifestyle by Gary Green

Synopsis

The self-help and inspirational book The Mindful Lifestyle describes mindfulness practices in detail, with the idea that everyone can benefit by learning and practicing mindfulness meditation. Many examples and exercises are provided. While it is a small and concise book, it covers all aspects of mindfulness in an easy to understand way, and suggests that meditation can be more than a practice one does a few minutes a day. It can be a lifestyle choice. Gary Green grew up on a small dairy farm near New London, Minnesota, where he still lives. He worked much of his life in the mental health field and for 17 years was the director of a mental health residential treatment facility for mentally ill adults. He retired in 2013. This is his second book.










A Hanging at Cinder Bottom by Glenn Taylor

Synopsis

Stylish historical fiction in the tradition of True Grit and Carter Beats the Devil, A Hanging at Cinder Bottom is an epic novel of exile and retribution, a heist tale and a love story both.

The year is 1910. Halley’s Comet has just signaled the end of the world, and Jack Johnson has knocked out the “Great White Hope,” Jim Jeffries. Keystone, West Virginia, is the region’s biggest boomtown, and on a rainy Sunday morning in August, its townspeople are gathered in a red-light district known as Cinder Bottom to witness the first public hanging in over a decade. Abe Baach and Goldie Toothman are at the gallows, awaiting their execution. He’s Keystone’s most famous poker player; she’s the madam of its most infamous brothel. Abe split town seven years prior under suspicion of armed robbery and murder, and has been playing cards up and down the coast, hustling under a variety of pseudonyms, ever since. But when he returns to Keystone to reunite with Goldie and to set the past right, he finds a brother dead and his father’s saloon in shambles—and suspects the same men might be responsible for both. Only then, in facing his family’s past, does the real swindle begin.


Glenn Taylor, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, has a unique voice that breathes life into history and a prose style that snaps with lyricism and comedy
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So that's all for this weeks mail call. I'm most looking forward to reading A Hanging at Cinder Bottom. Which of these three books looks the most interesting to you? - Katie 

*Platypire Read-A-Thon* July Results

Photo Courtesy of Platypire Maribel

It's the end of July which means it's time for my reading results.

X - Read
R - Currently Reading
+ - To Be read

X - Gabriel's Treasure by D.M. Earl
Read my review here.

X - A Scrying Shame by Donna White Glaser
Read my review here.

X - Bloodlines by S.L. Dearing
Read my review here.

X - Estelle in Denver by R. Colora
Read my review here.

X - Spelled by Betsy Schow
Read my review here.

X - Four Play by Amalie Silver
Read my review here.

X - Minus Me by Ingelin Rossland
Read my review here.

X - Propose to Me Anthology by Various Authors
Read my review here.

X - Nightlight: A Parody by The Harvard Lampoon
Read my review here.

X - Affliction by S.L. Dearing
Read my review here.

X - Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
Read my review here.

X - Far From Home by V. Stolte
Read my review here.

X - Christmas in Paradise by Kathi Daley
Read my review here.

X - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Read my review here.

X - Made in the Stars by Jim Proctor
Read my review here.

X - Carus and Mitch by Tim Major
Read my review here.

X - The Mask by Taylor Stevens 
Read my review here.

X - Alice by Christina Henry
Read my review here.

X - Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Read my review here.

X - Midnight Moonrising by K.S. Haigwood and Anne Conley
Read my review here.

R - The Rewriting of America's History by Catherine Millard
R - Sector 64: Ambush by Dean M. Cole
R - Sweetwater: The Kihn by Rivi Jacks
R - The Voyage by Tammie Painter
R - The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
R - Worthy by Catherine Ryan Hyde

+ - The &Now Awards Volume 3 by Various Authors
+ - Shadows of the Unseen by Christine Steendam
+ - Drawing Heat by S.L. Dearing
+ - Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
+ - PrairyErth by William Least Heat-Moon
+ - House of Holes by Nicholson Baker
+ - Pieces by Maria Kostaki
+ - Summer Secrets by Jane Green
+ - Forgiveness by Chiquis Rivera
+ - The Summer After You and Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
+ - The Prophets of Eternal Fjord by Kim Leine
+ - Making Pretty by Corey Ann Haydu
+ - The Underwriting by Michelle Miller
+ - The Biology of Luck by Jacob M. Appel
+ - Omega City by Diana Peterfreund
+ - American Warlord by Johnny Dwyer
+ - When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi
+ - Bell Weather by Dennis Mahoney
+ - Deadly Design by Debra Dockter
+ - Unprocessed by Megan Kimble
+ - The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
+ - The Sparks by Kyle Prue
+ - Take by Silvia Ami
+ - The Never-ending Story by Michael Ende
+ - Devil's Garden by Lance Tuck
+ - The Rumor by Elin Hildebrand
+ - It's You by Jane Porter
+ - Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
+ - Beautiful Girl by Fleur Philips
+ - The Road Home by Kathleen Shoop
+ - The Witch of Bourbon Street by Suzanne Palmieri
+ - Bright Lines by Tanwi Nandini Islam
+ - Killing Katie by B.A. Spangler

I actually made some progress on my list this month...of course next month it's going to get longer anyway. I also almost didn't finish any of the books that I was reading when the month started, which is kind of bad, so I think my first priority in August is going to be to finish most of the books that I'm still reading. Also, Joood - Hooligan said that I get the awesome award that she just made up for reading so many books this month, so that's posted below :) - Katie


*Challenge Review* Midnight Moonrising by K.S. Haigwood and Anne Conley


Genre: Paranormal Romance
Published: July 25, 2015
Pages: 456
Ages: 18+

Synopsis

Mena's life is complicated. She's just murdered and buried her husband, the local wolf pack's alpha - problem number one. Phoenix, the High Vampire, is the one her heart beats for, but not the one her wolf wants - problem number two. Her wolf pines for Alex, the human homicide detective who might just send her down for murder - three. Four, wolves and vampires don't mix. Five, she has no clue how to be alpha, keep her pack safe while fighting off challengers with every step she takes, or what it would take to tame her wolf, which is the biggest problem of them all. Because the beast might just forfeit Mena's life when its insatiable thirst for blood is unleashed on the world in just a few short days, with the next full moon.

Which should be doable. Except for the Nexus... and the little extra problem of bonding with a stranger.


Review

Midnight Moonrising is like Twilight all over again. That's a lie. The only way the two books are similar is that they both feature vampires and werewolves working together to protect the female lead from a psycho that is trying to kill her (yes, I realize that is the plot of Eclipse not Twilight). Midnight Moonrising did frequently make me think about the Twilight saga while I was reading though.

One of the things I always enjoy when reading a K.S. Haigwood book is being pulled into the story so that I feel like I'm in the main characters shoes. This book was no different. I was right there with Mena having arguments with myself (which wasn't much of a stretch for me to begin with) and just about everyone else that thought they knew what was best for us. Some other highlights of the story for me is that it features more traditional vampires (they can't be out in the sunlight) and Mena is a total badass!

Overal I give this book 4 out of 5 stars because it kept me entertained and turning the pages. - Katie 

Buy the Book


About the Authors

K.S. HaigwoodEver find it hard to talk about yourself? Yeah, I have that problem, too. I have been married to my soulmate for 8 years, who wouldn't pick up a book unless promised that it was filled with pictures. I have a beautiful 7 year old daughter, Riley, that talks too much and has a very vivid imagination. I have no clue where she got those traits. My step-son, Hayden, is 16 and very into football and hunting. I am a writer of paranormal suspense romance. If you enjoy a great love story with a massive amount of drama about angels, demons, ghosts, vampires, witches and fairy tale creatures brought to life through a twisted mind, then you might just enjoy reading my work.

Anne Conley Anne has written her entire life and has the boxes of angst-filled journals and poetry to prove it. She’s been writing for public consumption for the last four years. Currently she is writing two romance series. In Stories of Serendipity, she explores real people living real lives in small town Texas in a contemporary romance setting. In The Four Winds, she chronicles God’s four closest archangels, Uriel, Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael, falling in love and becoming human. She lives in rural East Texas with her husband and children in her own private oasis, where she prides herself in her complete lack of social skills, choosing instead to live with the people inside her head.

Challenge Scorecard

Finding a book by an author with my initials originally had me quite worried because my last name is legally hyphenated, and I consider both the H and the S to be important, which means I had to find an author with K, H, and S. I decided it would be okay to fudge a little and let the last two be out of order. This book has the added benefit of having two authors, and Anne (spelled with an "e") is my middle name, so that's additionally awesome. 

Other categories this book could fulfill include
A book published this year
A book with non-human characters (vampires and werewolves oh my!)
A book by a female author (two of them in fact)
A book from an author I love that I hadn't read yet
A book with a love triangle
A book with magic
A book by an author I've never read before (never read anything by Anne Conley)



Thursday, July 30, 2015

*Book Movie Match Up* Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen


Genre: Memoir
Published: April 19, 1994
Pages: 192
Ages: 16+
Movie Released: January 14, 2000

Synopsis

In 1967, after a session with a psychiatrist she'd never seen before, eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen was put in a taxi and sent to McLean Hospital. She spent most of the next two years on the ward for teenage girls in a psychiatric hospital as renowned for its famous clientele -- Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, James Taylor, and Ray Charles -- as for its progressive methods of treating those who could afford its sanctuary. 

Kaysen's memoir encompasses horror and razor-edged perception while providing vivid portraits of her fellow patients and their keepers. It is a brilliant evocation of a "parallel universe" set within the kaleidoscopically shifting landscape of the late sixties. Girl, Interrupted is a clear-sighted, unflinching document that gives lasting and specific dimension to our definitions of sane and insane, mental illness and recovery.


Review

I bought a copy of this book at my thrift store because I really enjoyed the movie with Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie. If you've seen the movie, you have a basic idea of what the book is about.

I'm going to start by saying that I think my enjoyment of the book was tempered by my love of the movie. While I was reading, I couldn't help but picture the scenes that coincided with each part of the story, and in most cases the movie scenes were more dynamic. The movie takes us into the life of a girl living in a "loony bin" during the Vietnam era. The book takes us into her mind. In my opinion, the book as it stands would not make a very good movie.

I'm having a hard time reviewing this book objectively because my experience while reading was so tied in to my memories of the movie, and I'm trying really hard not to just compare the two (and failing miserably.) I thought the story was interesting and it was neat getting an insiders view of mental illness and treatment. I found myself appalled at some of the justifications for Ms. Kaysen's admittance to the hospital in the first place, but she seems equally appalled by them. 

Overall I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Buy the Book


Movie Comparison

I have not watched the movie since finishing the book, but I don't feel like I need to since it was playing in my head while I was reading. The book and movie are really only loosely connected in my opinion. The characters are there, and the events are similar, although they play out very differently in the movie than they are portrayed in the book. The movie also adds some scenes that weren't in the book at all (but they may have occurred to Ms. Kaysen nonetheless.)

It's hard to say which is better because they are so different. So I guess if you're looking for something with action and activity that doesn't require a lot of thought, watch the movie. If you'd like to experience the story with more introspection, read the book. Both have their merits and it's easy to understand why the changes were made for the movie, so even though it doesn't really stay true to the book, I'm still going to give it a B. - Katie 

Buy the Movie


About the Author

Susanna Kaysen is an American author.

Kaysen was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Kaysen attended high school at the Commonwealth School in Boston and the Cambridge School before being sent to McLean Hospital in 1967 to undergo psychiatric treatment for depression. It was there she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. She was released after eighteen months. She later drew on this experience for her 1993 memoir Girl, Interrupted, which was made into a film in 1999, her role being played by Winona Ryder.

She is the daughter of the economist Carl Kaysen, a professor at MIT and former advisor to President John F. Kennedy. Her mother, deceased, was sister of architect Richard Neutra. Kaysen also has one sister and has been divorced at least once. She lived for a time in the Faroe Islands, upon which experience her novel Far Afield is based.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

*Author Spotlight* Erin McFadden

Erin McFadden


Title: Whimper
Genre: Romance
Published: June 12, 2015
Pages: 482

Synopsis

Despite sweltering heat, Saturday night is in full swing at the local campus bars and cafes. Thumping techno bass competes against raucous voices and laughter until screams suddenly shatter the party atmosphere. A half-naked man charges through the crowd, savaging his peers. Zoe Clark witnesses the bloody attack and the unnatural behavior of the assailant and knows something horrible is happening in her quiet college town. Zoe opens her home and her heart to a mysterious newcomer who claims to have an explanation for the grisly attacks. Elliott Carter needs any help he can find as he struggles to discover a cure for the virus that can turn ordinary students into mindless, violent attackers. Attraction and dedication collide as the two are drawn into a high stakes race against a government gone awry and a menace invisible to the naked eye. As they fight to stop the spread of the deadly microbe, secrets and bloodshed threaten to destroy any hope they might hold for a happily ever after. When the world teeters on the brink of a deadly pandemic, how much will they sacrifice to save it?


Buy Links



 Title: Muse
Genre: Fantasy
Published: September 13, 2013
Pages: 180

Synopsis

The Brotherhood of the Guardians has existed for thousands of years to serve a single purpose: the protection of Talents, the mortal descendants of the original nine Muses. 

Twenty-one year-old Daniel Lyoncourt has trained his entire life to join the Guardians. Daniel is prepared to risk his life in order to keep his Talent safe, but when he's assigned to nineteen year-old Anna Saint-James, he discovers that his life isn't the only thing he could lose. Anna has no idea how special she is and knows nothing about her abilities. He must teach her to control her gifts, keep her safe, and hope that he can find a place in her life as something more than just her bodyguard.

All power comes at a price. Like all Talents, Anna must one day make a choice: lose all of her powers, or ascend to a higher plane, leaving behind everyone she loves.


Buy Links


 Title: Talent
Genre: Fantasy
Published: Coming Soon
Pages: Unknown

Synopsis

Porter McGavin never imagined he'd become a member of a centuries old brotherhood, but then he never knew that ancient mythology was based on reality either. The combat veteran is dealing with his battle scars when he's recruited by the Guardians and his life changes dramatically. No more struggling to get by, no more fighting to fit in. But the real challenges begin when he's thrust into the role of Claire Montgomery's Watcher. 

Claire barely trusts the Guardians. Too many former Guardians were involved during the years she lived in confinement and forced isolation. After her rescue she knows she needs protection, but will she be able to accept any Watcher, let alone one as damaged as Porter?

Forced to solve the dark secrets which haunt them both, can they learn to trust each other before the Guardians fall or they both lose what's left of their sanity?



About the Author

 Erin McFadden is the author of the Young Adult paranormal series, Descended from Myth and the adult fiction thriller, Whimper. She has several more projects underway so stay tuned for new and exciting adventures!
Erin lives in Indiana with her husband and two daughters. They love reading and watching movies together, as well as camping and hiking in the great outdoors.
An unabashed geek, Erin loves science fiction, all things paranormal, and anything involving a conspiracy theory. She firmly believes that everything is better with chocolate and a healthy dose of caffeine. 

Connect with Erin





Interview

What inspired you to become an author? 
I’ve always liked to tell myself stories and enjoyed writing. I never considered publishing until after my daughter was born. I wanted to be something more than just wife, mommy and employee. It started as a project to challenge myself and turned into a major turning point in my life. I’m hoping I can show my girls that they can do anything if they work hard enough at it. 

I assume all authors also love to read, so what book inspired your love of reading? 
My mom has been reading to me since birth so reading has always been a big part of who I am. As a very little girl, my favorite was Bruce’s Loose Tooth and I now read it to my girls. 

How old were you when you wrote your first story? 
I wrote stories in elementary school. I remember there being one about a mud monster attacking a school bus and the secret lives of my house cats. I think those were second grade maybe?

Who are some of your favorite authors now? 
This is an ever growing list. Now I have friends who are authors as well so I can never come up with a short answer. 

Are you a plotter or a pantser? 
Total pantser. I aspire to one day write an outline and follow it beginning to end. It’s not likely to happen. 

Are your characters based on people you know? 
I pull small details and physical characteristics from people I know, as well as actors from TV and movies, but I’ve never based a character on a specific person. I may someday because a lot of people ask to be written in. 

What are some of your writing rituals? 
I have to type. I love the romantic notion of carrying a beautiful notebook and silver pen and filling the pages with story, but it doesn’t flow for me. I need the click clack of the keyboard in order to produce anything worthwhile. If I’m planning to settle in for a writing binge, I need drinks, snacks, a fully charged laptop and a comfy chair. I have a soundtrack I listen to BEFORE I write, but I can’t listen to anything with lyrics while I write. 

How do other books influence your writing? 
Reading always seems to refuel my creativity. When I get writer’s block I like to read something completely different from my work in progress to get the juices flowing again. 

How do you get motivated to sit down and write with all the real world interruptions? 
Finding the time to write is a major hurdle for me. I usually write in the middle of the night when everyone else in the house is asleep. It’s much easier to work when only the cat is around. 

Which one of your books is your favorite? 
I only have two out right now and of course I love them both. Muse was my first so it will always hold a special place in my heart, plus the hero is a hunk. 

If you could have a writing retreat anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be and why? 
A gorgeous estate in England, in the manor house, of course. I’ve always wanted to try writing historical fiction and surely the atmosphere would seep right into my writing. 

If your main character were an alcoholic beverage, which beverage would they be and why? 
Oooh, this is a tough one! In Talent, I’d pick an Irish Car Bomb for Porter. He’s a volatile and complicated guy who can be hard to get a handle on, plus there’s a little insider humor there. 

If you could live in a fictional world, which world would you choose and why? 
Fictional worlds are pretty dangerous places, especially if you’re not the main character. Still, I’d love to be a Talent in my “Descended from Myth” world. I can think of all kinds of trouble to get into with the right amount of Influence. I’ll stay out of Whimper though, thanks! I think I catch every virus that blows past me as is. 

What’s the best way to hide a body?
In my professional life I’ve actually had to search for bodies, so I have lots of theories on this topic. However, I think I’m obligated to keep them under my hat.  

This or That

Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi
Paperback or e-reader? E-reader (easier to carry everywhere!)
Facebook or Twitter? Facebook
Peeta or Gale? Peeta
Edward or Jacob? Edward (Vampires don’t shed)
Money or love? Love (But a little money helps)
Tattoos or bare? Bare (I can’t commit to an image for life)
Hairy or smooth? Smooth 
Call or text? Text
Hot or cold? Cold
Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings? Lord of the Rings
Coffee or Tea? Coffee
Halloween or Christmas? Halloween (Costumes!)
McDonald’s or Burger King? Burger King (onion rings)
Batman or Spiderman? Spiderman (he’s funnier)



*Read This Round Up #44*

20150711_125737_resizedPhoto courtesy of KissinBlueKaren
Welcome to Read This, a collection of book reviews and giveaways that were posted in the past week or so from around the web. This is a collection of book reviews & contests from real reviewers. If you want to be included in the next edition start with the guidelines, then use the submission form.
Want to read more reviews? Check out Read This for a list of the latest reviews and stellar reviewers. You can also follow on twitter for the latest round ups. Read This is now accepting photo submissions for each edition.

CONTESTS


FICTION

-HISTORICAL FICTION


YOUNG ADULT

-SCIENCE FICTION

-PARANORMAL

-FANTASY

-DYSTOPIAN


NEW ADULT


ROMANCE

-HISTORICAL ROMANCE


MYSTERY


SCIENCE FICTION


THRILLER

-LEGAL THRILLER


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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

*Review* Alice by Christina Henry

Photo Credit: Christina Henry/Goodreads

Genre: Fantasy/Horror
Published: August 4, 2015
Pages: 304
Ages: 16+

Synopsis

A mind-bending new novel inspired by the twisted and wondrous works of Lewis Carroll...

In a warren of crumbling buildings and desperate people called the Old City, there stands a hospital with cinderblock walls which echo the screams of the poor souls inside.

In the hospital, there is a woman. Her hair, once blond, hangs in tangles down her back. She doesn’t remember why she’s in such a terrible place. Just a tea party long ago, and long ears, and blood…

Then, one night, a fire at the hospital gives the woman a chance to escape, tumbling out of the hole that imprisoned her, leaving her free to uncover the truth about what happened to her all those years ago.

Only something else has escaped with her. Something dark. Something powerful.

And to find the truth, she will have to track this beast to the very heart of the Old City, where the rabbit waits for his Alice.


Review

I requested and received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever read a book that was so good it left you speechless? Although you wanted to sing its praises from the rooftops, you didn't know where to start? For me, Alice is one of those books.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll was one of the books that I reread several times in my youth. I even enjoy the Disney adaptation. In Alice, Christina Henry took that story and made everything just a little bit more real. Everything about Alice is gritty, raw, and terrifying. I would love to see a Tim Burton movie adaptation of this book (although I'm sure that's wishful thinking because he's already done an Alice in Wonderland movie.) 

I was immediately sucked into the story and didn't want to put my Kindle down. I was equal parts mesmerized and horrified, following Alice and Hatcher through the grimy cramped streets of the Old City. I didn't want to look, but I needed to know what happened next. I loved the way the original characters were woven into this story, remembering their role in the original tale through their actions here. 

I would give Alice 10 stars if I could, and since this is my blog and I do what I want, I will (I'll just have to settle for 5 stars everywhere else.) I highly recommend this book, as long as you're not still clinging to your childlike wonder when thinking of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. - Katie 

Buy the Book


About the Author

CHRISTINA HENRY is the author of the national bestselling Black Wings series(Black SpringBlack HeartBlack City), featuring Agent of Death Madeline Black and her popcorn-loving gargoyle, Beezle. Christina lives in Chicago with her husband and son.

*Review* The Mask by Taylor Stevens


Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Published: June 30, 2015
Pages: 354
Ages: 16+

Synopsis

Vanessa Michael Munroe, chameleon and information hunter, has a reputation for getting things done: dangerous and not quite legal things that have taken her undercover into some of the world’s deadliest places. Still healing from a Somali hijacking gone wrong and a brutal attack that left her near death, Munroe joins her lover, Miles Bradford, in Japan where he’s working as a security consultant protecting high-value technology from industrial espionage. In the domesticity of their routine she finds long sought-after peace—until Bradford is arrested for murder, and the same interests who targeted him come after her, too.

    Searching for answers and fighting to stay alive, Munroe will soon discover how far she’ll go to save Bradford from spending the next twenty years in locked-up isolation; how many laws she’ll break when the truth seems worse than his lies; and who to trust and who she must kill. Because she’s a strategist and hunter with a predator’s instincts, and the man she loves has just stabbed her in the back.   

     With break-neck pacing, incendiary prose, and an unforgettable cast of characters, The Mask features Vanessa Michael Munroe: a brilliant, lethal heroine who will stop at nothing to find the truth, no matter what it may cost. 


Review

I received a copy of this book through Penguin's First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.

Veronica Michael Munroe is like a female Jason Bourne. If you like books with strong female characters, you will definitely like The Mask. This is the first book by Taylor Stevens that I've read, and while I feel like I missed out on some background information that would explain the relationships in this story better, I don't feel like that information is absolutely necessary for this story, so Ms. Stevens claim that this series can be read out of order or in bits and pieces, in my opinion, is true at least for this book. 

The story got off to a slow, kind of boring, start, which is exactly what Veronica was feeling too. It was a little difficult for me to get invested in the characters and the story, but it felt to me like Veronica was having trouble getting invested in the situation herself, so my feelings were ultimately mimicking hers. Once the excitement started, things moved pretty fast. The Mask provided twists and turns and intrigue that I never saw coming.

Overall I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. While I ultimately enjoyed the ride, it got off to a slow start and I almost got off before things really got started. - Katie 

Buy the Book


About the Author

TAYLOR STEVENS is the award-winning New York Times bestselling author of The InformationistThe InnocentThe DollThe Catch, and the novella The Vessel. The series featuring Vanessa Michael Munroe has received critical acclaim and the books are published in twenty languages. The Informationist has been optioned for film by James Cameron's production company, Lightstorm Entertainment. Born in New York State, and into the Children of God, raised in communes across the globe and denied an education beyond sixth grade, Stevens was in her twenties when she broke free to follow hope and a vague idea of what possibilities lay beyond. She now lives in Texas, and is at work on the next Munroe novel.