It's Monday - What are you reading and update?

Book Date now hosts It's Monday What Are Your Reading?  The meme that we use to share what we read this past week and what our plans are for the upcoming week.  It's a great way to see what others are reading and add to your own To Be Read List.


I'm currently reading

Last review - 4 1/2 stars - ARC

Book Summary

After suffering a mental breakdown that nearly destroyed her marriage, Nina Taylor works hard to maintain her tenuous hold on sanity and be a good mother to her two young daughters. Despite her best efforts, she questions the possibility of a full recovery. Single mom Deja Johnson struggles to overcome her troubled past and raise her young son. But her friendship with Nina brings more complications. What Deja is hiding could not only destroy relationships, but endanger lives. One traumatic night threatens to shatter Nina’s mind. With Deja’s help, she strives to maintain her mental balance. But as events spiral out of control, the women must find out if Nina is losing her sanity or if someone is plotting against her.

What is next - a favourite author, it has been awhile

Book Club News

I joined a book club in late 2013, wrote a blog post to get feedback in 2015 and today I am happy to announce, I finally made the hard decision and left the book club.  The ladies were not happy but I stuck to my decision and it made it easier as the choice for the month wasn't one I had interest in.

I have picked up amazing books this year, only one was a 3 star but I'm choosing great books because I keep great notes from memes and blogging friends reviews.  Also, Amazon recommendations are 90% success.  I missed blogging and getting great recommendations from those with similar interest.  Comments made me think more about the book or my post, it has been great. There truly is to many books in the world to read what you don't want, right?  And then we have NetGalley that allows us to request new books of interest.  I am happy to get on the blogging journey, read often again.  I would love to get to a book a week again.

So blogging community, I know going and coming back is sometimes part of the journey but I really miss you when not here.  I can't wait to get back into continuous networking again.


Instagram Query

Are any of you on Instagram?  I have a Instagram page for my Yoga business but I think I may include a post a month on what I have read and network with other book lovers there also.  What do you think?

Thanks for visiting Tea Time with Marce

ARC Review - Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

Book Summary from Amazon - Note first 6 chapters are free

Will Publish this July 2018

Meet Hanna.

She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.

Meet Suzette.

She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette's husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.

From blazing new talent Zoje Stage, Baby Teeth is a story about a perfect-looking family, and a darling little girl who wants nothing more than to kill her mother.

My Review 4 1/2 stars

I was thrilled with this one, as a mom, it was remarkable, the fight to understand and connect with your child versus if something is wrong, perhaps mentally.  The chapters go back and fourth from daughter Hanna, who is mute, and her mom Suzette.  Alex and Suzette have a wonderful marriage, a partnership with their work passion, at home and now with their child.  Unfortunately, it is not easy that Suzette struggles to connect with Hanna and Hanna is Alex's little princess, she can do no wrong in his eyes.

Hanna is conniving and it is painful to not like a child and see how bright she is to manipulate others but this makes for an exciting read because you cannot believe what happens as it all unfolds.  This is great mix of books Dibs, In Search of Self and We Need to Talk about Kevin, Dibs was inspiring, Kevin was intense, both memorable and with Baby Teeth, it has all, marriage inspiration on how they deal with it, the intensity of suspense with Hannah's actions and together creates a memorable story and characters. 

Suzette is a stay at home mom with Crohn's disease.  She is a strong women but second guesses her parenting decisions and doesn't know why Hanna doesn't speak.  Then the inevitable happens, Hanna pretends to be a witch and takes on a new evil personality speaking only to her mom to scare her.  She is sweet as pie with daddy though.

But if she repeated the doctor's assessment - that refusing to speak required very different treatment than being unable to speak - then Alex would have to accept that some..most..all of Hannah's willfulness was intentional.  Their daughter was playing with them, in different ways.  Fucking with them.  Manipulation them for her own sadistic purposes.  Kindle 13%

I found the manipulation to be at the highest degree.  It was remarkable to see that Alex didn't see it until it was to late.   You know something is going to happen but you will not believe it when it does and the outcome, that ending made me smile, what a devious mind the author Zoje Stage has. 

Baby Teeth is a boxing match read, mom versus daughter.

She could kill Hanna.
No, she couldn't.
She could.
She'd never.
She might.                  
Kindle 33%

Her thoughts waffled between wanting to help her daughter, and wanting to be free of her.  
Kindle 72%


This story continued to pull me in, I couldn't wait to get in bed to read, or sneak a few chapters at work, I really enjoyed it and highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for this great read.

It's Monday - what are you reading?

Book Date now hosts It's Monday What Are Your Reading?  The meme that we use to share what we read this past week and what our plans are for the upcoming week.  It's a great way to see what others are reading and add to your own To Be Read List.


Currently Reading and loving......

This one comes out in July.  It is on NetGalley and the first 6 chapters free on Amazon.

Book Summary

Meet Hanna.

She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.

Meet Suzette.

She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette's husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.

From blazing new talent Zoje Stage, Baby Teeth is a story about a perfect-looking family, and a darling little girl who wants nothing more than to kill her mother.

Review Coming, another great read

My last review, loved it.  5 star 

This may be my next read but it comes out March 20, I will probably get another read in before that.

I am having a great start to the year for reading, two 5 stars, last year I had none.  I am unable to read as many books as I used to but if I continue on with the quality of choices, I am grateful.

Thanks for visiting Tea Time with Marce

Review - Pop Goes The Weasel by MJ Arlidge

Book Published - October 2015

Book Summary

A man’s body is found in an empty house.
A gruesome memento of his murder is sent to his wife and children.
He is the first victim, and Detective Helen Grace knows he will not be the last. But why would a happily married man be this far from home in the dead of night?

The media call it Jack the Ripper in reverse: a serial killer preying on family men who lead hidden double lives.

Helen can sense the fury behind the murders. But what she cannot possibly predict is how volatile this killer is—or what is waiting for her at the end of the chase....


My Review - 3 1/2

I really loved book one, Eeny Meeny and thought I would have read this one sooner but I was a little disappointed.  I may be tired of the prostitute getting revenge story but it seemed like it took forever to invest the reader.  The first book was edge of your seat worthy and this one I had to force myself to read until it got exciting near the end.

Another issue I had was some of the revelations are not powerful, I didn't figure it out which was good but it came so late and with an emotional shocking fact.  The book was almost over by then.  Readers need more then just murders, this lacked excitement.  I couldn't wait to understand why the female was killing men and when it was revealed, oh my goodness, I felt like crying, traumatic experience.

I like Detective Helen Grace but she ends up with the short end of the stick again with awful bosses who do not respect her intelligence and style.  Book two went into other relationships that make Helen who she is and the spin was that the a journalist found out everything she worked hard to keep secret and continued to blackmail her.  Many would enjoy this story line but the journalist annoyed me so this didn't work well.  You should read this series in order, the author is taking her time with developing Helen and slowly giving us more.

I think the average person trust detectives and their specialty but they are real people that sometimes gets distracted and when it comes together, the reader could be disappointed in the overall investigation. There was a lot of consequences of emotions from book one.

I did have issues, not writing execution issues just not great detective work to be honest.  Almost towards the end it became exciting, heartbreaking, almost edge of seat worthy which is why it almost got a 4 star rating.  Book one was so great I feel I need to give the series another chance. 

Book 1 - Eeny Meeny - My Review - 4 1/2 stars