One Day in December by Josie Silver

 
This very well might be my biggest surprise read of the year. This little hidden gem was nowhere on my radar to read until my Traveling Sisters suggested it. Norma and Brenda from Two Sisters Lost in a Coulee had gotten their hands on some copies from the publisher for a group read. I said sure why not, it looks cute even though it is not my normal reading genre. WOW! I can't even express how much I loved this book. It is such a feel good book, you just genuinely feel good after reading it. This book had me from page one. Okay so you get the idea that I loved it.


Laurie did not have much going her way. She had a career that was at a standstill, no significant relationship except her roommate Sarah and yearned for her relationship with her sister that had passed away. Then she saw him...the guy from the window of the bus she was on. She named him bus boy and looked for him for the next year. She pined and yearned for bus boy. She believed he was her soul mate after she locked eyes with him. I wanted with all my heart for her to find her dear bus boy. Then she does....but does it pan out how Laurie hopes? Does he even remember her?


I don't read books that are not thrillers/suspense. Repeat I don't read them........until now! I can't wait to get my hands on another Josie Silver book. This author has an amazing writing style. I flew through this book and it wasn't because it was some mindless chick lit book, because it was not. The characters were well developed and I could completely relate with Laurie. She could be my BFF for sure. I can't recommend this book enough and I swear if you are hard core thriller/suspense readers and write this off because it is "not your type of book" you are missing out. Check out that gorgeous cover!


I can't thank Brenda and Norma with the Traveling Sisters and Crown Publishing Group enough for this for this copy. I LOVED it!

Can't Wait Wednesday

Ok people you know what time it is! Yes once again it is Wednesday. This week has just flown by! Can't Wait Wednesday is a meme hosted by Wishful Endings. Every week myself and my Traveling Sisters share with you the upcoming reads that we are really excited about doing together. Please pop over to see what Brenda and Norma at Two Sisters Lost in a Coulee and Christina at Recipe and a Read have to say! I know they are just as excited as I am about this one.

So I was working out at the gym when I got a message from my Traveling Sister Brenda. She was alerting me to the fact that The Suspect by Fiona Barton was available on Edelweiss. I had no choice but to leave the gym immediately! See below...that is me running home from the gym to download my copy... Out of my way people, I got to get on Edelweiss!

 

This is going to be my first book by Fiona Barton....do you think I would miss out on getting a copy of The Suspect?

You are right Heather Dubrow! I got mine too!! Whew! Now we can all read this as a Traveling Sister group read! I am so excited....as if you couldn't tell. Check out the Goodreads description and see if you feel the same. Has anyone read this one yet?

 

Goodreads Summary

 The New York Times bestselling author of The Widow returns with a brand new novel of twisting psychological suspense about every parent's worst nightmare...

When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft, and frantic with worry. What were the girls up to before they disappeared?

Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth--and this time is no exception. But she can't help but think of her own son, whom she hasn't seen in two years, since he left home to go travelling.

As the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think...

The Perfect Family by Shalini Boland

 

 About the book

‘Mummy, she’s gone…’

Gemma Ballantine is getting ready for work one morning when her eldest child comes running down the stairs, saying the words every mother dreads.

The front door is open. And her six-year-old daughter has disappeared. Frantic with fear, Gemma starts a nail-biting search for her little girl.

After what feels like forever, her mother-in-law Diane finds Katie wandering lost a few streets away. Relieved to have her youngest child back in her arms, breathing in the sweet scent of her hair, Gemma thinks the nightmare is over.

But then her perfect family starts to fall apart.

And she realises it’s only just beginning…

From the top ten bestselling author of The Secret Mother and The Child Next Door, this completely addictive psychological thriller of secrets, lies and betrayal will make you gasp out loud at the heart-stopping final twist. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and The Sister this book is for you.

Get your copy here!

The Perfect Family by Shalini Boland

Amazon: http://geni.us/B07GCTKK7QSocial

Apple Books: http://ow.ly/MvBc30muRRQ

Kobo: http://ow.ly/h57T30muROH

Googleplay: http://ow.ly/mnAV30muRVC

My Review

 I am so excited to be on this blog blitz for Shalini Boland's latest book! She is a must read author for me. I can always count on her for a fantastic read that I can't put down. Thanks so much to Bookouture and Kim Nash for having me on this tour! 

Gemma Ballantine appears to have a picture perfect life.  She is a successful business owner, married to her wonderful handsome husband Robert.  Together they have two little girls, Eva and Katie. What more could you ask for? Except Gemma seems to be burning the candle at both ends and can't seem to keep up the pace any longer. 

Slowly things begin to fall apart making her question her ability to meet the needs of her family. Her 6 year old Katie is found wandering the streets, Gemma often misses school events, has no clean uniforms for the children, just to name a few of her struggles. Living in a posh suburban area where she is getting quite a bit of criticism for being a working mom, she begins to question if she is a bad mother. 

Then along comes Sadie Lewis, a highly recommended nanny. Her mother in law Diane even offers to pay her salary to help Gemma out. Unsure at first, Gemma is pleasantly surprised at how well Sadie fits in with her perfect little family. Except it is almost too perfect. Is the nanny trying to win over her kids, friends, mother in law and lastly her husband? Is Sadie trying to steal her life? It sure appears that way to Gemma. Or is Gemma just paranoid after hearing her friends say don't hire a pretty nanny you will be sorry? After finding Sadie's hair in her bed (yes, you heard me right)  I  also began to wonder. 

This is the perfect psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. I could feel the tension building as I was waiting for the truth to unfold. I felt myself wanting to scream, get rid of this nanny! What are you waiting for? I loved The Silent Sister so I had high expectations of Shalini Boland's latest and let me tell you she exceeded them! She knows how to write a twisted story that will leave your mouth hanging open. Oh that ending, you just wait for that ending! 

5 stars all the way!!! She had me hooked from the very first page!

About the author:

Shalini Boland is a USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers 'THE GIRL FROM THE SEA' (No 1, US Audible charts), 'THE BEST FRIEND' (No 2, US Audible charts), 'THE MILLIONAIRE'S WIFE' (No 9, UK Kindle charts), 'THE SECRET MOTHER' (No 2, US Kindle charts), THE CHILD NEXT DOOR (No 11, UK Kindle charts).

Shalini lives in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer/songwriter, but now she spends her days writing psychological thrillers (in between school runs and hanging out endless baskets of laundry).

Be the first to hear about her new releases here: http://eepurl.com/b4vb45

She is also the author of two bestselling Young Adult series as well as an atmospheric WWII novel with a time-travel twist.

 http://www.facebook.com/ShaliniBolandAuthor
http://www.shaliniboland.co.uk
https://twitter.com/ShaliniBoland

Sneak Peek Sunday

Happy Sunday my peeps!!! That means it is time again for Sneak Peek Sunday. This is where I give you a little Sneak Peek into what myself and my Traveling Sisters are looking forward to reading together. Go ahead and peek in and see what Brenda and Norma at Two Sisters Lost in A Coulee and Christina at Recipe and a Read think about our latest upcoming read together!  I know they are just as excited at I am to get their hands on My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren. Me  when I found out I got approved via NetGalley.......

Look I have said it before and I will say it again, this is not my normal jam. Meaning 99.9% of the time I pick suspense/thrillers to read and obviously this is not what this book is going to be. Every so often a book comes along that makes you want to shake things up a bit and go a little crazy. I kept hearing the buzz about it and then when I found out my Traveling Sisters were going to read it well.............time to get a little crazy and jump in too!

Believe or not, this is going to be my first Christina Lauren book! I am so excited to be reading this with my Traveling Sisters...I just have a feeling that this is going to be my review at the end of the book! See below...........

 Goodreads Summary

 

By the New York Times bestselling author who “hilariously depicts modern dating” (Us Weekly), My Favorite Half-Night Stand is a laugh-out-loud romp through online dating and its many, many fails.

Millie Morris has always been one of the guys. A UC Santa Barbara professor, she’s a female-serial-killer expert who’s quick with a deflection joke and terrible at getting personal. And she, just like her four best guy friends and fellow professors, is perma-single.

So when a routine university function turns into a black tie gala, Mille and her circle make a pact that they’ll join an online dating service to find plus-ones for the event. There’s only one hitch: after making the pact, Millie and one of the guys, Reid Campbell, secretly spend the sexiest half-night of their lives together, but mutually decide the friendship would be better off strictly platonic.

But online dating isn’t for the faint of heart. While the guys are inundated with quality matches and potential dates, Millie’s first profile attempt garners nothing but dick pics and creepers. Enter “Catherine”—Millie’s fictional profile persona, in whose make-believe shoes she can be more vulnerable than she’s ever been in person. Soon “Catherine” and Reid strike up a digital pen-pal-ship...but Millie can’t resist temptation in real life, either. Soon, Millie will have to face her worst fear—intimacy—or risk losing her best friend, forever.

Perfect for fans of Roxanne and She’s the Man, Christina Lauren’s latest romantic comedy is full of mistaken identities, hijinks, and a classic love story with a modern twist. Funny and fresh, you’ll want to swipe right on My Favorite Half-Night Stand.