I remembered some of the adolescent fears that I had of the Russians and war. Magical thinking was a way that Angie was able to deal with the world. Sheila had the "rope" holding onto her.
The characters were vivid and very much alive to me. Outcasts, murder mystery, struggle to survive, often not knowing what is real or imagined. At first I struggled with the book then I was pulled into the life of this family. When it ended I wanted more. A cleverly written book.

The author was very good at tricking me into believing that everyone Anna knows is involved in the scheme. There are many true to life scenarios about how the medical community treats women who want to be pregnant or are pregnant.
The ending was a total surprise. Well done. Shorter would have been better. I kept thinking who is it now! Not how will this end, but when will the book end.

This was not a book that I would normally like. I gave it a try anyway. Character development was good. A real historical experience.

One is drawn into the intense situation of the South Sudanese translator, the American film maker and the locals. This is a true to life story involving the plight of the people in this explosive territory. The false sense of being safe in the NGO compound is confronted by a mysterious find at the start of this book. Then confusion, love, fear, compassion takes you to an unexpected place.
The friendships, individual personalities, rescue and terror was very real to me as a reader.

Very interesting and different characters. Okay I know what is happening. NOPE ANOTHER TWIST. Who do you believe. These three women are investigating, separately and together. The author did a great job.

I loved this book. The characters are vivid, entertaining and full of surprises. The culture experience of a learning curve for Amani, starting from the what to wear to royal events, the falcon competition, to the ancient traditions
The beautiful writing, adventure along with the plots twists and turns kept me enchanted. A great book for any book group. Now I want to read more of her books!!!

Direct and to the point. I loved the snippets of what was going on in her life. Married late in life. A caring, terrific Mother came to her rescue. The emotional and physical challenges that she experienced. I felt like I was with her throughout the book. I felt that I knew these people were part of my life.

I am sorry to say that I enjoyed the information about the Whales more than the story. Evie's story of a unsettled life with disappearing and reappearing mother, a father drug dealer & addict made me wonder how she became a caring adult. It did make sense that she married Liam whose job on a ship took him away for months at a time. The limited population on the island was very well portrayed. I saw Evie surrounded by risk takers yet wanting to be the one in control, her role as a child.
As usual the hopping back and forth from adult to child, within the same page, was annoying yet made me pay attention. Possibly that is why the ending was a surprise. Duh I should have seen that all along.

Once I started I didn't want to put this book down. The character development was great. Just enough past & present to make it compelling. Wow I am still wondering if Amy got away with the SECRETS. Can she still live with them? The ending blew me away. Intrigue at its best.

When I realized the topic of this book I was feeling reluctant about reading this book. Wow was I ever fooled. The impact the school shooting had on every person was vividly captured. I wanted to jump in the book at many different moments; to sooth a person, to shake sense into another so many emotions. Then after the blame game books that the boy was reading changed the way people thought. The boy's constant belief in the " secrets to happiness" helped save the day.

I loved this book. I felt like I was right there with all of the interesting family & friends. Life took Heather in many directions through every emotion that one can imagine. Support of family & friends was amazing. Most of all her, then their faithful risks kept me in suspense. Terrific writing Heather thanks for sharing.

The back & forth confused me at first. I gave it another try from the beginning then it started to make sense. A house that is very futuristic offers lots of mysterious situations.
Is it the house or a person causing these deaths. It kept me guessing till the end. Power, jealousy, fear & weakness these traits are paramount throughout this novel.

This was a couldn't put it down book. Just when I had thought I had figured it all out the ending was a tease. A caring family & another protecting of a secret. Thanks for a new author to add to my list. QUICK QUICK write the next one.

I always enjoy reading about the forgotten women in history. This book cover her life in a time of turmoil. The author took us into the mind of and intelligent and caring woman. It is my favorite way of learning about and remembering history.

The story is an interesting look at both sides of organ donation. Maddie the teen whose life was saved struggles to be part of the real world. Life in the mansion was safe for her, but not for her mother. Hannah the mother of Emily, the of the girl who died, struggles with her grief.

Both Maddie Bell and Hannah struggle with the WHY ME question. How these families meet each other and the relationship that follows is a combination of friendship, hope, deception and fear.

The characters were well developed and the story a compelling one.

The Ottoman Empire is not a time that I have much knowledge of. Reading this brought me back to a trip to Istanbul 15 years ago. Topkapi Palace was one of the tourist stops brimming with opulence.

The description of how the Sultans were raised as children gives clues of what they become as adults. In this place where one must become a Muslim the majority of the slaves, soldiers, eunuchs and others who serve the Sultan's family were raised as Christians. Can a person truly rid themselves of their past?

What could Esma, a very early feminist and sister to the Sultan, and Ahmed the Drowning Guard have in common? By killing her Christian lovers is she as evil as the Sultan?

I was delighted by the authors weaving together of pride, history, love, religion, pain and respect that emerged into a story that will be with me for a long time.

Just who is writing The Special Child story? Is it a strange story that Gen in writing? She is an author.That in itself is a morbid twist.

Art is Gen's wealthy husband. Is he keeping a secret? What really happened to baby Beth? Gen & Lorcan are trying to cast off depressing & difficult pasts, or so we think. In this process they join together in the search for Beth. But just when you think you have figured out who you can trust it all changes again and again and again. Wonderful!

Dina sets forth in an adventure that changed her life in ways that she never would have expected. The first challenge was Roxanne, the car that would take them from Peking to Paris. Dina initially sat back & let husband Bernard take charge of getting Roxanne road ready.

Dina was the navigator that couldn't mean much. The story was more about Dina's opening up and seeing the world, fast lanes, letting loose & new friendships like never before.

This isn't what I would call a Travel Guide it is about weather, car repairs (or not). Maybe a Rally Guide for the new navigator. An O.K. read.

I felt as though I was right there in the U.S. Civil war it was very descriptive, terrifying, lonely, elating & compelling. This made it necessary to put the book down now and then. Kiana's development of the 3 main characters was to head each chapter with their name, time & place a vivid past or present view of their life. I have found myself reading other books about the U.S. Civil War in each one there is a new piece of information, here it was the poppy fields and addiction. Thank you for introducing me to this wonderful author.

What a shocking story. Well written and hard to put down. I wasn't raised as a Catholic so this was all very new to me. I had heard of female mystics but didn't know what their life was like? True women have come a long way in history but being walled into a space of two rooms for your life because you are a mystic as a young girl with a child caregiver doesn't seem like the good life or spiritual. The lack of choices that presented themselves to women in this time especially the ones of wealth. There was no way to protect the daughters, it was off to the church or marriage with the life of bearing children. Men would have control and power of the family Just as the church controlled knowledge of the the written word, healing...

I must say that I felt like a fly on the wall encased in those two rooms. As the courtyard gathered plants it seemed to grow. Jutta seemed to shrink as Hildegard started to flourish. Who would have guessed that Hildegard would have the spirit to survive. Could this have happened without the friendship of Volmar?
When Hildergard escapes the confinement of those 2 rooms, a walled in prison within a prison, taking her sisters with her, does she have the courage to attain some freedom? Her belief system and knowledge of the world was limited to the church. Her lack of political understanding & confusion opened and closed doors around her. She was not able to manage the power that came with the Abby. The friendships and visions she cast aside believing that no one understood or supported her in this her final endeavor, to build Rupertsberg. Hildegard was alone again cast out of the church and the real world that got in the way. She fought for women, truth and knowledge.