Review - The Last Bridge by Teri Coyne on Kindle

Summary from Teri Coyne's website http://www.tericoyne.com/the_last_bridge.php

For ten years, Alexandra Rucker has been on the run from her past. With a bottomless flask of bourbon and a series of meaningless jobs, Alex is struggling to forget her Ohio hometown and the rural farmhouse she once called home. But a sudden call from an old neighbor brings it all rushing back; her mother is dead. Alex is forced to return to the home and family she never intended to see again.

What Alex finds at the old farmhouse is disturbing and confusing: A suicide note, written on lilac stationary and neatly sealed in a Ziploc bag that reads "Alex, He's not who you think he is. Mom xxxooo"

One note, ten words–one for every year Alex has been gone–will completely turn her world upside down. Seeking to unravel the mystery of her mother's death, Alex must confront her past to discover who "he" might be: her tyrannical, abusive father, now in a coma after suffering a stroke just before the suicide? Her brother Jared, named after her mother's true love (who is also her father's best friend)? The town coroner, Andrew Reilly, who seems to have known her mother long before she landed on a slab in his morgue? Or Addison Watkins, Alex's first and only love?

The closer Alex gets to the truth, the harder it is for her to repress the memory and the impact of the events that sent her away so many years ago.

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My review

I give this a 4 1/2 Great to the last drop

All the notes I took are in the summary from Teri's website. This is another book I wished I had kept the link from the blogger I took this recommendation from. I rememeber reading the review and saying I have to read this. I read this one for my Thriller and Suspense Challenge.

I didn't give it a 5 only because I don't think I will read it again but I did love it.

If you enjoy reading stories about families, damaged familes with a dark edge you would enjoy this. Many talk about how children act out, this is a story about how adults act out or cover up there hurt. Alex ran away from home and you couldn't blame her, a father who abused her, a mother who didn't know how to love herself so how could she show love for her children. I truly enjoy books that make me emotional, this one made me shed a tear or two.

I loved the style of writing and every other chapter was Alex in present day around her mothers funeral and then the next ten years earlier when she left. It was a perfect bland of how Alex saw her life, this added to the enjoyment of the story.

This was the opening sentence - Two days after my father had a massive stoke my mother shot herself in the head.....

Great from the start, and as I said Great to the last drop.

Thanks for visiting Tea Time with Marce

Chuck Palahniuk Fans - what should I start with?

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Creating a Blog Badge - do you like this?

I am looking at images and came across this one.

Do you like this as a Blog Badge for my blog?

Your thoughts are apprecited.


Thanks for visiting Tea Time with Marce

Teaser Tuesday - The Splendor Falls

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com

Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
  
• Open to a random page
  
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore

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Reading on Kindle - Teaser from 24% Chapter 8

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Except for the complete inability to focus my thoughts, being crazy felt a lot like the rush of dancing onstage.

Shutting the door carefully, I put Gigi on my bed, numbly marveling at how quickly she returned to her usual sunny self, exploring the rumpled covers with happy curiosity, when just seconds ago she's been growling.

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I'm reading this one with fellow blogging friend Pat at Peace Love & Pat http://peaceloveandpat.blogspot.com/

We will have a discussion about it when finished.

Thanks for visiting Tea Time with Marce

Review - Ace of Hearts by Jean Holloway

OR




Summary


Something sinister is going on... And Love has nothing to do with it. First he seduces them... Then he kills them... What he does next is unspeakable. Detective Shevaughn Robinson gets her first big case, investigating a series of gruesome murders unaware the killer is not only becoming obsessed with death, but also with her.

Covers

What cover draws you in? I have the 2nd one but I actually prefer the 1st one.


My Review

I enjoy a good serial killer thriller but oh my goodness, this serial killer was one sicko, I really want to curse during this review but don't want to offend anyone.

I thought this was a great debut book by Jean Holloway. You knew who the killer was from the beginning and so throughout it just kind of pissed you off knowing what was coming next and the characters not responding, a thriller indeed, it had me shouting at them. If you like the show Castle you will enjoy this. This is a graphic novel with some erotic scenes so again not for everyone.

What I did love about this story was the conscience speaking parts :-) you know when you say something but in your head want to say something else.....well Jean H included this as a style and I really enjoyed it.

The story of why the killer is so sick started but for me it was one scene and never went back to it, so I was disappointed. The killer had so much control over the women in his lives it really pissed me off in a good way, I enjoy getting emotional over books. The feeling you get when watching a movie and you say to yourself 'why are you waiting, why didn't you tell someone, why didn't etc' oh Jean H really got me angry.

I wanted this killer to be found and to be tortured like he tortures others, but then again, he would have loved it..........

All characters were great and added to the thrill.

The ending was great though, I will definitely be picking up the sequel, Black Jack.


I give it a 4 - Great to the last drop

This one is for my Thriller & Suspense Challenge


Thanks for visiting Tea Time with Marce

E-book Technical Difficulties, what do you do?

My Pondering Thought....

When you download a book and realise while reading there are technical difficulties, what do you do?

Also, please comment on what e-book you have.

My example of Technical Difficulties

I read The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright (BTW - I loved it)

There were a couple of sentences missing, possibly 2 and symbols in place of ' etc.

Do you think this is something I should email to Amazon?

I think because I loved the book it didn't matter and I do recommend it just not on Kindle at this time. I love my Kindle so this didn't make me rethink purchasing it.

My review of The Wednesday Letters if interested.

http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com/2010/01/review-wednesday-letters-by-jason.html

Thank you for visiting Tea Time with Marce

Review - Fade by Lisa Mcmann on Kindle

Book Summary

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This sequel to Wake (2008) follows dream-catcher Janie as she navigates the treacherous world of dreaming the dreams of others. Janie and her boyfriend, Cabel, use their skills to work undercover investigating teachers suspected of drugging and abusing students at class parties. Janie takes on more than she can handle in cracking the case, and Cabel is unable to intervene to his satisfaction, which strains their relationship. Janie also comes to understand more about her dream-catching ability and the consequences in store for her, most notably a heavy, irreversible physical toll. The series is moving in a darker, more dramatic direction, with Janie facing evil and needing to decide if she can sacrifice her own health for the greater good.

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My Review

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I will start off by saying I know this series will be in my Top Ten for 2010. Below you will see my review on Wake, the 1st book in the trilogy.

I am a total fan of dreams which I know makes me love the books more but Fade also adds mystery, suspense, romance and ghosts.

My expectation for Fade was for Janie to embrace her gift as a dream catcher and it was fully met. I loved how in Fade she embraced it but was also shown the dark side of being a dream catcher.

Again if your interested in the life of a Dream Catcher you should read this series. I finished Wake and wanted to read Fade right away but decided to wait, I personally think they would be amazing together.

I also like the simplicity of the covers, they are very meaningful once you read the book.

I give this one 4 1/2 also but so far I give the Series a 5 - Tea Time Perfection

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My Review of Wake

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I was pleasantly surprised and can say I loved this book. Can you imagine having a secret like being a dream catcher, WOW. Even though I loved the idea of that power, talk about great entertainment but poor Janie does not understand what is going on and also passes out from the dreams and or nightmares. I hope she embraces her power in the following books, we will see.
Janie feels like a freak so she keeps it a secret.

Can you imagine seeing dreams that your best friend, mom, boyfriend, and even school teachers are having. OMG

I will not go into further but if you are intrigued you should totally pick this one up. This was the first time for me to read something and immediately want to read the next. This series, Wake, Fade and Gone will definitely get read this year for me. Loved it!
The only reason why I am not giving it 5 stars is because I would have liked more details of the dreams.

Thanks for visiting Tea Time with Marce

Review - The Prisoner's Wife by Asha Bandele

From Booklist

When one hears of a woman marrying a man in prison, especially a man she met while he was already in prison, it is hard not to question her motives or sanity. Poet asha bandele writes of her relationship with Rashid, a man serving 20-to-life for murder. She tells of how she met this man while she was visiting the prison to read her poetry; of how she visited him as a friend/lover, waiting five years before she married him; of waiting the long months after the marriage before they were granted a conjugal visit; of love letters, long collect phone calls, and the horror and indignity of their prison situation. Yet she found in Rashid the strength to remember and confront her past as a victim of sexual abuse. She found, too, the love that most women long for, but in a place that imposes limitations that are a nightmare. Her writing soars with emotion. And the reader's emotions soar as well, not because of a shared experience but because her highly polished and skillful writing makes one feel her pain and joy. This is a romantic but realistic story, told with a directness and honesty that make us know that however impossible the problems asha and Rashid face, we can question neither her motives nor her sanity.


My Review

I read this as part of my Book Bloggers Recommendation Challenge. After reading the memoir, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls I knew I wanted to start reading more memoirs.

This is a good feeling of the writing and how I felt about the book. A teaser directly from it.....
This is a love story, threadbare and used up, yet sometimes fat, weighty, stretched out of shape. Its polyester, this story, man-made, trying to be pretty, not quite making it. This is a story desperate to hold itself together. This is a story with patches in the knees.

For me there were parts I loved, didn't enjoy, had a touch boredom from and I also felt like I was judging her at times which made me sad.

I wanted more background of her childhood, parents, friends and even her poetry.

The writing was great you will have to decide if it is a story you are interested in. One thing about love, it truly is in the eyes of the beholder. I just didn't understand this love.

I give it a 3, More Sugar Please.

Thanks for visiting Tea Time with Marce

Who has LibraryThing?

LibraryThing is one of the wonderful sites I have found out about since blogging.

If you have a LT account and don't mind sharing with me, please do so I can add you as a friend and or add your library as interesting to watch.

Here is mine. I categorise in Kindle, Wishlist and Library. I am also starting to keep track on who/blog I get the recommendation from.

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/marcejewels

I have enjoyed seeing blogging friends on LT and even Amazon reviews. The blogosphere is just so unique and wonderful, I am happy to be a part of it.

Thanks for visiting Tea Time with Marce

Review - Push by Sapphire

Book Summary

Claireece Precious Jones endures unimaginable hardships in her young life. Abused by her mother, raped by her father, she grows up poor, angry, illiterate, fat, unloved and generally unnoticed. So what better way to learn about her than through her own, halting dialect. That is the device deployed in the first novel by poet and singer Sapphire. "Sometimes I wish I was not alive," Precious says. "But I don't know how to die. Ain' no plug to pull out. 'N no matter how bad I feel my heart don't stop beating and my eyes open in the morning." An intense story of adversity and the mechanisms to cope with it.

Precious is now a major motion picture based on the novel Push by Sapphire

My Review

I found this book to be very touching, I can't wait to watch the movie even though I think the movie will have me in tears.

I thought the book being in accent and illiterate writing was going to be distracting but it added to the trueness and reality of the story. The writing was so bad at the beginning and then seeing the improvement slowly but truly was amazing. At the end of the book they share the class book project with all the girls stories. It is truly unbelievable what is the real life for some children and how they are affected and how there are beautiful inspirational people to assist them to get through it.

Even though this book is about something so tragic I fell in love with Precious and the teacher, Ms. Rain. These characters made me feel good and want to know the outcome. I would love to see a sequel 5 or 10 years later.

If you are able to read difficult situations I think this is a must read.

I am intrigued by the writing style and how you are able to even edit that kind of writing. I really thought I wouldn't enjoy it at all but I don't think I would have been touched by it as much without it.

I give it 3 1/2 More Sugar Please

I read this one for my Book Bloggers Recommendation Challenge

Thanks for visiting Tea Time with Marce

Winners of my Giveaway

My Winners..........





Wanda, Jo Jo & Sheila



I had 20 blogging friends that entered.



My 3 year old daughter pulled out the winners. We made a craft out of it and made tea bags and put them in the tea pot :-) fun stuff.



I have emailed the winners, if I do not get a response by Wednesday I will choose another winner.



Wanda won - The Weight of Silence

Jo Jo won - Still Alice

Sheila won - Wake



I am very excited that all 3 books I recommended are able to be read by others, I was sure the same book would have been chosen, lol



Interest for all books were pretty even also, 6 for Wake, 6 for Still Alice and 8 for Weight of Silence.




Again thank you for being followers, I truly appreciate it.





Marce

2 more days to enter my Giveaway

Blogging Friends, my giveaway ends on Sunday.

Wake, The Weight of Silence and Still Alice are the choices.

Go here to enter.

http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com/2010/02/followers-thank-you-worldwide-giveaway.html

Booking Through Thursday - Grammar

In honor of National Grammar Day … it IS “March Fourth” after all … do you have any grammar books? Punctuation? Writing guidelines? Style books?

More importantly, have you read them?

How do you feel about grammar in general? Important? Vital? Unnecessary? Fussy?

My response



I actually started a blog in order to help me improve on my writing skills, specifically for work. I chose reviewing books since reading is something I love to do and I would be able to practice on a weekly basis. I realise I have to read my reviews or writing out loud. I am so much better in noticing my mistakes.

For me it is not vital for everyone but I have realised bad grammar drives some people crazy, lol. My favourite well known so wrong but it looks so right :-) is alot, I like to read alot, I like books alot, lol - but I have drove enough people crazy over this so I now will be correct and write a lot. Another for me is then or than.

I have to say though, if I notice bad grammar, spelling mistakes etc in books and it is consistent through out, I am annoyed, that is what an editor is for, spell check or even friends, I have gave up on an author due to it being so bad and they are actually quite popular.

So how do you feel about grammar?

Please leave a comment and go over to BTT here http://btt2.wordpress.com/ to participate.

Thank you for visiting Tea Time with Marce

What are you reading?

It's Monday, and it's time for What are you Reading, hosted by Sheila over on

http://www.bookjourney.wordpress.com/.


Go over and network, Sheila also has an incentive to having fun while networking and adding to your TBR list. :-) You get to enter to win a prize, just for networking, how cool is that.

I'm currently reading.......... for my Book Bloggers recommendation Challenge

From Booklist

When one hears of a woman marrying a man in prison, especially a man she met while he was already in prison, it is hard not to question her motives or sanity. Poet asha bandele writes of her relationship with Rashid, a man serving 20-to-life for murder. She tells of how she met this man while she was visiting the prison to read her poetry; of how she visited him as a friend/lover, waiting five years before she married him; of waiting the long months after the marriage before they were granted a conjugal visit; of love letters, long collect phone calls, and the horror and indignity of their prison situation. Yet she found in Rashid the strength to remember and confront her past as a victim of sexual abuse. She found, too, the love that most women long for, but in a place that imposes limitations that are a nightmare. Her writing soars with emotion. And the reader's emotions soar as well, not because of a shared experience but because her highly polished and skillful writing makes one feel her pain and joy. This is a romantic but realistic story, told with a directness and honesty that make us know that however impossible the problems asha and Rashid face, we can question neither her motives nor her sanity.

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This weekend I finished

I heart you, you haunt you - review here http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com/2010/02/review-manufactured-identity-by-heath.html

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And last week I finished

The Manufactured Identity - review here http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com/2010/02/review-manufactured-identity-by-heath.html

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BTW - both got 5 stars, I had a great reading week.

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What is next???

Maybe Fade by Lisa McCann, 2nd in Wake trilogy or The Last Bridge by Teri Coyne

Thanks for visiting Tea Time with Marce, I truly appreciate it.