The Hunting Wives by May Cobb

Sophie O'Neill left behind an envy-inspiring career and the stressful, competitive life of big-city Chicago to settle down with her husband and young son in a small Texas town. It seems like the perfect life with a beautiful home in an idyllic rural community. But Sophie soon realizes that life is now too quiet, and she's feeling bored and restless.

Then she meets Margot Banks, an alluring socialite who is part of an elite clique secretly known as the Hunting Wives. Sophie finds herself completely drawn to Margot and swept into her mysterious world of late-night target practice and dangerous partying. As Sophie's curiosity gives way to full-blown obsession, she slips farther away from the safety of her family and deeper into this nest of vipers.

When the body of a teenage girl is discovered in the woods where the Hunting Wives meet, Sophie finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation and her life spiraling out of control.

REVIEW:
Elements of The Hunting Wives were excellent, but I just could not relate to the main character Sophie and her seemingly adolescent crush on Margot. Frankly, since Sophie actually spent two years of high school in this town, it would have made more sense to me if this had been an adolescent crush that she never resolved because she moved away, but the author clearly states she never knew this gang back in the day. He rapid descent into excessive drinking and adulterous behavior were bad enough, but once the high school football players made an appearance, I could no longer muster even a modicum of sympathy for Sophie who just made bad choice after bad choice until the denouement of the novel. The book was very well-written and all of the characters were fully drawn, I just didn't like any of them (except Graham, Jack, and Detective Flynn). Ultimately a frustrating read because of my distaste for Sophie and her actions.

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain and her family may live in a ramshackle old English castle, but that’s about as romantic as her life gets. While her beautiful older sister, Rose, longs to live in a Jane Austen novel, Cassandra knows that meeting an eligible man to marry isn’t in either of their futures when their home is crumbling and they have to sell their furniture for food. So Cassandra instead strives to hone her writing skills in her journals. Until one day when their new landlords move in, which include two (very handsome) sons, and the lives of the Mortmain sisters change forever.

REVIEW:
I don't know how this wonderful coming-of-age story has never crossed my radar screen before, but wow am I grateful for the online recommendations that made me pick up up now. Written post WWII but set in pre-war England, every page is steeped in nostalgia and the author's love for England bleeds through every word. Cassandra's narrative voice is magnificent as is the bucolic and unbelievable setting. The story here is secondary to the characters and the setting and Cassandra's growing realization that she is truly leaving childhood behind. I couldn't put it down once I started, and the memory of the prose gives me a warm glow even now that I'm finished. Highly recommend!

Virgin River by Robyn Carr

Wanted: Midwife/nurse practitioner in Virgin River, population six hundred. Make a difference against a backdrop of towering California redwoods and crystal clear rivers. Rent-free cabin included.

When the recently widowed Melinda Monroe sees this ad, she quickly decides that the remote mountain town of Virgin River might be the perfect place to escape her heartache, and to reenergize the nursing career she loves. But her high hopes are dashed within an hour of arriving—the cabin is a dump, the roads are treacherous and the local doctor wants nothing to do with her. Realizing she’s made a huge mistake, Mel decides to leave town the following morning.

But a tiny baby abandoned on a front porch changes her plans…and former marine Jack Sheridan cements them into place.

REVIEW:
I read and enjoyed many of Robyn Carr's Thunder Point series, but didn't pick up Virgin River until after watching the Netflix show, and have to confess to being disappointed. Neither Jack nor Melinda are as engaging in the book as they are on screen (and I'm a person who always prefers the book to the movie! I didn't like the way Jack dealt with Charmaine, I didn't like how superficial the attraction between Jack and Melinda sometimes appeared, I didn't like a fourteen year old getting pregnant, and I didn't appreciate the entire way pregnancy and motherhood was fetishized in the book and its sequel. I was excited to have a whole long new series to read, but after the first couple of books, I'm not sure I can be in it for the long haul.

The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard

At the age of twelve, Eve Black was the only member of her family to survive an encounter with serial attacker the Nothing Man. Now an adult, she is obsessed with identifying the man who destroyed her life.

Supermarket security guard Jim Doyle has just started reading The Nothing Man—the true-crime memoir Eve has written about her efforts to track down her family’s killer. As he turns each page, his rage grows. Because Jim’s not just interested in reading about the Nothing Man. He is the Nothing Man.

Jim soon begins to realize how dangerously close Eve is getting to the truth. He knows she won’t give up until she finds him. He has no choice but to stop her first …

REVIEW:
I really enjoyed this creative thriller written as a book inside a book. Though Eve's motivation for writing becomes evident to the read long before it is officially revealed, that doesn't in any way take away from the mystery. The characters are engaging and realistic, and I couldn't put the book down once i started reading. It would have been a five star read but for an incongruity at the end that I won't spoil here - suffice to say a character indicates an awareness of something that they have no way to know given the denouement as presented. Still, that is a small niggle as it doesn't actually impact the resolution of the mystery, just of the aftermath.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

REVIEW:
This creative look at the limbo between life and death was a wonderful read. After all, what bookworm hasn't imagined a library of possible lives just waiting to be read? I quite enjoyed Nora's story of self-discovery through the infinite possibilities every life encompasses. The writing is strong, the characters engaging, and the tradeoffs between perfect choices for one vs. many thought provoking. Once I started, I couldn't put it down - highly recommend.

Ernestine, Catastrophe Queen by Merrill Wyatt

We all know and love Ramona, Matilda, and Harriet the Spy. Now meet Ernestine.

When a series of suspicious accidents befalls the wealthy residents of the retired artists' home where she works, Ernestine is determined to piece together clues to find the real culprit. She suspects it might be a zombie, but maybe greedy relatives can be just as scary! Catastrophe has never been so much fun!

REVIEW:
Ernestine is a very resourceful young woman, determined to ready her family and her town for the zombie apocalypse (even if she has to start it herself!) She lives in a building full of eccentric performers with her kind (if absentminded) artistic parents and her younger stepbrother. Though Ernestine is admittedly slow to realize the real live mystery involving her landlady trumps her concerns about the living dead, once she’s on the case, the would-be murderer doesn’t stand a chance. Ernestine has a complicated backstory that helps reveal the reasons behind some of her eccentric ideas, and she is clearly the glue holding her quirky family together. An enjoyable read even for an adult!

The Vampire Knife (The Witching Hours: Book 1) by Jack Henseleit

Siblings Anna and Max love scary stories, but when they find an enchanted knife on a dark and stormy night in Transylvania, truth becomes stranger than fiction. Suddenly, they find themselves dragged into a world of monsters and magic...a world where it soon becomes all too clear that vampires are not just a fairy tale. And when Max mysteriously vanishes, it's up to Anna to find him. But can the siblings find a way to survive their own scary story?

REVIEW:
This is a great spooky tale for middle grade readers; heck, I’m an adult and I enjoyed it! Anna’s ability to tell a scary story combines well with Max’s desire to be frightened (but not too frightened). When they go on an adventure with their father, the Professor, they find themselves in a real life scary story featuring wolves, fairies, a bear, and a vampire. Thankfully they also make a new friend Isabella whose grandmother makes a mean garlic soup. Scary, funny, and engaging – I definitely recommend this one! 

The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson

Miranda Brooks grew up in the stacks of her eccentric Uncle Billy’s bookstore, solving the inventive scavenger hunts he created just for her. But on Miranda’s twelfth birthday, Billy has a mysterious falling-out with her mother and suddenly disappears from Miranda’s life. She doesn’t hear from him again until sixteen years later when she receives unexpected news: Billy has died and left her Prospero Books, which is teetering on bankruptcy—and one final scavenger hunt.

When Miranda returns home to Los Angeles and to Prospero Books—now as its owner—she finds clues that Billy has hidden for her inside novels on the store’s shelves, in locked drawers of his apartment upstairs, in the name of the store itself. Miranda becomes determined to save Prospero Books and to solve Billy’s last scavenger hunt. She soon finds herself drawn into a journey where she meets people from Billy’s past, people whose stories reveal a history that Miranda’s mother has kept hidden—and the terrible secret that tore her family apart.

REVIEW:
I love books about books or bookstores or book lovers, but even that was not enough to carry this novel. The central “mystery” that Miranda spends her time unravelling was clear to me as a reader just a few pages in, so it was hard for me to imagine an intelligent character couldn’t have seen the big reveal coming long before she did. I thought Miranda was surprisingly shallow; she casually dropped both her live-in boyfriend and her job in Philly without offering anyone a true explanation of why; I admit Jay seemed like a drip, but Miranda honestly never gave him a chance to really understand what was happening in LA. The literary references were the best parts of the book- those and Sheila who came across as the only fully realized character. A sadly disappointing read.

What You Don't Know About Charlie Outlaw by Leah Stewart

After a series of missteps in the face of his newfound fame, actor Charlie Outlaw flees to a remote island in search of anonymity and a chance to reevaluate his recent breakup with his girlfriend, actress Josie Lamar. But soon after his arrival on the peaceful island, his solitary hike into the jungle takes him into danger he never anticipated.

As Charlie struggles with gaining fame, Josie struggles with its loss. The star of a cult TV show in her early twenties, Josie has spent the twenty years since searching for a role to equal that one, and feeling less and less like her character, the heroic Bronwyn Kyle. As she gets ready for a reunion of the cast at a huge fan convention, she thinks all she needs to do is find a part and replace Charlie. But she can't forget him, and to get him back she'll need to be a hero in real life.

REVIEW:
This book was a surprisingly deep look at the tribulations of love and loss and stardom. Both Charlie and Josie are wonderful characters – you can’t help but cheer for them as the story progresses. The writing was vibrant and evocative, and the author skillfully portrayed the perils of both kidnapping and fame without judgement and without minimizing the impact of either. I was pulled into the story from the very first pages and stayed up late to finish because I just couldn’t bear to put it down. Highly recommended!

The Magic Misfits: The Second Story by Neil Patrick Harris

Growing up in an orphanage, Leila was bullied for being different. She turned her hardship into skill by becoming an escape artist--a valuable trait when you belong to a group of magical best friends. But when a famous psychic comes to town, Leila and her pals can't escape the big mystery heading their way. Whether chasing mad monkeys or banishing ghosts from haunted hotels, these six friends will do their best to keep their home of Mineral Wells safe--but can they protect themselves?

REVIEW:
This second in the Magic Misfits series is another enjoyable read but definitely not a standalone – you’ll want to read these in order. I love the group of kids involved in this story though this book didn’t focus as much on character development as the first. The glimpses into Leila’s backstory helped round her out, even if there was a little too much Little Orphan Annie about the elements of it. It is clear the series is building to a bigger denouement across all the books; I for one can’t wait to learn more about how Theo does what he does with a bow! The magic tricks and codes provide some additional fun for any budding sleuths or performers.

Promise Not to Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz

Seattle gallery owner Virginia Troy has spent years battling the demons that stem from her childhood time in a cult and the night a fire burned through the compound killing her mother. And now one of her artists has taken her own life, but not before sending Virginia a last picture...a painting that makes Virginia doubt everything about the so-called suicide—and her own past...

Like Virginia, PI Cabot Sutter was one of the children in the cult who survived that fire—and only he can help her now. As they struggle to unravel the clues in the picture, it becomes clear that someone thinks Virginia knows more than she does and that she must be stopped. Thrown into an inferno of desire and deception, Virginia and Cabot draw ever closer to the mystery of their shared memories—and the shocking fate of the one man who still wields the power to destroy everything they hold dear.

REVIEW:
This is the second in a series but it worked well as standalone read (though I did enjoy it enough to order the other two in the series after I finished.) I thought Virginia’s struggles with anxiety were well drawn, and found the relationship between Virginia and Cabot was well drawn. The mystery element helped build tension that mirrored the relationship tension, and kept me guessing about the identity of the villain. All in all, a great beach read!

Whisper Network by Chandler Baker

Sloane, Ardie, Grace, and Rosalita have worked at Truviv, Inc. for years. The sudden death of Truviv’s CEO means their boss, Ames, will likely take over the entire company. Each of the women has a different relationship with Ames, who has always been surrounded by whispers about how he treats women. Those whispers have been ignored, swept under the rug, hidden away by those in charge.

But the world has changed, and the women are watching this promotion differently. This time, when they find out Ames is making an inappropriate move on a colleague, they aren’t willing to let it go. This time, they’ve decided enough is enough.

Sloane and her colleagues’ decision to take a stand sets in motion a catastrophic shift in the office. Lies will be uncovered. Secrets will be exposed. And not everyone will survive. All of their lives—as women, colleagues, mothers, wives, friends, even adversaries—will change dramatically as a result.

"If only you had listened to us,” they tell us on page one, “none of this would have happened."

REVIEW:
Whisper Network was a timely and trenchant read. This story of women dealing with an abusive boss and with the aftermath of his death hits hard on themes that are relevant to so many women. The female characters are all flawed in their own ways which makes them highly realistic. The impact of their experiences with the abuser are so different and yet there are commonalities that they find bringing them together. An excellent read on a disturbingly common problem- highly recommended.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Cora is a young slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. An outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is on the cusp of womanhood—where greater pain awaits. And so when Caesar, a slave who has recently arrived from Virginia, urges her to join him on the Underground Railroad, she seizes the opportunity and escapes with him. In Colson Whitehead's ingenious conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor: engineers and conductors operate a secret network of actual tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Cora embarks on a harrowing flight from one state to the next, encountering, like Gulliver, strange yet familiar iterations of her own world at each stop. As Whitehead brilliantly re-creates the terrors of the antebellum era, he weaves in the saga of our nation, from the brutal abduction of Africans to the unfulfilled promises of the present day. The Underground Railroad is both the gripping tale of one woman's will to escape the horrors of bondage—and a powerful meditation on the history we all share.

REVIEW:
After reading The Underground Railroad I can see why it won so many accolades. This rich and layered narrative is truly a must-read. The unremitting pain of Cora's life was presented in such a deadpan way it underlined the stark horror of slavery. Envisioning the Underground Railroad as a real railroad gave the whole concept an air of fantasy and power for the reader that I think must echo the way reality of it at the time- spoken about only carefully, treasured for the sliver of hope for escape that it provided. The story is often violent and disturbing and it does not make for a comfortable read, but no story about slavery should. Once I started reading, I could not put it down, and I'm still thinking about it weeks after finishing it. 5 stars.

Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins

One step forward. Two steps back. The Tufts scholarship that put Nora Stuart on the path to becoming a Boston medical specialist was a step forward. Being hit by a car and then overhearing her boyfriend hit on another doctor when she thought she was dying? Two major steps back.

Injured in more ways than one, Nora feels her carefully built life cracking at the edges. There’s only one place to land: home. But the tiny Maine community she left fifteen years ago doesn’t necessarily want her. At every turn, someone holds the prodigal daughter of Scupper Island responsible for small-town drama and big-time disappointments.

With a tough islander mother who’s always been distant, a wild-child sister in jail and a withdrawn teenage niece as eager to ditch the island as Nora once was, Nora has her work cut out for her if she’s going to take what might be her last chance to mend the family. Balancing loss and opportunity, dark events from her past with hope for the future, Nora will discover that tackling old pain makes room for promise…and the chance to begin again.

REVIEW:
My sister recommended Now That You Mention It and I too found it to be a solid good read though not really what I expected from Kristan Higgins. It took a bit of time to feel invested in the main character who at first I found a bit cold. As Nora's backstory unfolded, however, I found myself cheering for her and so her troubled family. I did find it a bit unrealistic that everyone in town maintained such hostility toward her for winning that scholarship - since she went on to be a doctor while the so-called "golden boy" Luke wrecked his car days later while drunk and high (also causing a permanent disability in his brother), it seems like people should have figured out she was always the better candidate! Overall the storyline was much darker than I expected, and I found the final resolution with Luke to be over the top. Nevertheless, a decent read - 4 stars.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Sometimes, when you open the door to the past, what you confront is your destiny.

Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long. Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author's tale of gothic strangeness—featuring the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.

REVIEW:
The Thirteenth Tale was another re-read for me, one I'm shocked to discover I never reviewed. I read this book years ago and fell in love, not just with the story, but with the way the narrator fell into the story and pulled the reader with her. The language, the pictures it paints, the wreck of Angelfield and the family- they pulled me in all those years ago, and they pulled me in again today even though I knew the twist that was coming. This is a book written for readers, one that recognizes the magnetic pull of a good tale and the need to stay up all night to finish it. I've read Bellman and Black and though well-written, it didn't resonate for me the way The Thirteenth Tale did. I was a little afraid that reading this book again would ruin it- that I wouldn't find the same magic and so would ruin the memory of how good it was. Instead I am again bewitched, again finding it hard to shake off the tendrils of the story. 5 stars.

Stuck in Manistique by Dennis Cuesta

Near the midpoint of the Upper Peninsula, along a Lake Michigan bend of shore, is the town of Manistique, Michigan. Mark had never heard of Manistique before the death of his estranged aunt, but as sole beneficiary of Vivian's estate, he travels there to settle her affairs. As Mark tours his aunt's house for the first time, the doorbell rings.

Days after graduating medical school, Dr. Emily Davis drives north, struggling with her illicit rendezvous on Mackinac Island. She never makes it--on the highway near Manistique, her car collides with a deer, shattering the car's windshield. Stranded for the night, Emily is directed to a nearby bed and breakfast.

Maybe it's a heady reaction, the revelation that his aunt, an international aid doctor, ran a bed and breakfast in retirement. Or perhaps he plainly feels pity for the young, helpless doctor. Regardless, Mark decides to play host for one night, telling Emily that he's merely stepping in temporarily while his aunt is away.

As a one-night stay turns into another and more guests arrive, the ersatz innkeeper steadily loses control of his story. And though Emily opens up to Mark, she has trouble explaining the middle-aged man who unexpectedly arrives at the doorstep looking for her.

Will these two strangers, holding on to unraveling secrets, remain in town long enough to discover the connection between them?

REVIEW:
This was a delightful read- by turns both funny and poignant. Though the central truth of Vivian and Mark's relationship is obvious to the reader long before it is to Mark, that doesn't have any impact on the reader's enjoyment of the story. This book is just a quietly satisfying read. Mark and Emily are fantastic characters with an enjoyable rapport. The descriptions were wonderful- made me feel like I was right there on the Upper Peninsula with Mark and Emily. The cast of secondary characters are both quirky and poignant in just the right amounts to be endearing rather than aggravating. Highly recommended!

Color Me Murder by Krista Davis

By day, Florrie Fox manages Color Me Read bookstore in Georgetown, Washington D.C. By night, she creates her own intricately detailed coloring books for adults, filling the pages with objects that catch her eye. There’s plenty of inspiration in her new apartment—a beautiful carriage house belonging to Professor John Maxwell, Florrie’s boss. He offers the property to Florrie rent-free with one condition—she must move in immediately to prevent his covetous sister and nephew from trying to claim it.

When the professor’s nephew, Delbert, arrives, he proves just as sketchy as Florrie feared. But the following morning, Delbert has vanished. It’s not until she visits the third floor of the store that Florrie makes a tragic discovery—there’s a trap door in the landing, and a dead Delbert inside. The esteemed Professor Maxwell is an obvious suspect, but Florrie is certain this case isn’t so black and white. Doodling clues, she begins to consider other colorful characters on the scene, all with a motive for murder. With a killer drawing closer, Florrie will need to think outside the lines . . . before death makes his mark again.

REVIEW:
This delightful cozy mystery features a few of my favorite things- a bookstore, adult coloring, and the lovely Georgetown neighborhood of DC. Florrie and her cast of family and coworkers are a delight (except for Norman- he's a putz) as they try to solve the murder of a man no one seems to grieve (apart of course from his mother.) There were a lot of connected subplots, and though I wish Florrie could simply tell Norman to go away, he rest of the story really works well. The various threads are all pulled together perfectly in the end without feeling contrived, and I was happy not to have guessed the murderer before the big reveal. I'll be on the lookout for more from this author.

A Lady's Code of Misconduct by Meredith Duran

A LADY’S CODE OF MISCONDUCT
Fifth in the Rules for the Reckless Series
By Meredith Duran
Pocket Books
Publication Date: February 28, 2017
ISBN: 9781501139024
Price: $7.99

A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL...
Trapped in the countryside, facing an unwanted marriage and the theft of her fortune, Jane Mason is done behaving nicely. To win her freedom, she’ll strike a deal with the most dangerous man she knows—a rising star in politics, whose dark good looks mask an even darker heart.

...NEVER GOES TO PLAN.
The bitter past has taught Crispin Burke to trust no one. He’ll gladly help a lovely young heiress, provided she pays a price. Yet when a single mistake shatters his life, it is Jane who holds the key to his salvation. And in a world that no longer makes sense, Crispin slowly realizes that she may be the only thing worth fighting for...

REVIEW:
It has been a while since I read a new book by Meredith Duran, but this one was certainly worth the wait! Jane is a delightful heroine- strong and intelligent and committed to social justice. Although pre-accident Mr. Burke is definitely no hero, Crispin is an excellent foil and wonderful partner for Jane. Watching him rediscover himself while she takes on both their families made for an engaging and enjoyable read. Duran is always an excellent writer but this book is a stand out. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down until I finished. This book is a highly recommended read!

Check out the rest of the blog tour for other reviews and to enter a giveaway for a chance to win your own copy:

Reading Frenzy – Spotlight

Bookish - Giveaway

Poof Books

Tuesday, March 7^th

I Love Romance

Bookworm2bookworm – Spotlight, Excerpt, and Review

Dirty and Thirty

Wild Wordy Women

Polished Bookworm

Sammi's Bookish Reality

Passionate Reads

Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh my!

Celtic Lady’s Reviews – Spotlight

Wednesday, March 8^th

Moonlight Rendezvous

One More Chapter

Fresh Fiction - Spotlight

Thursday, March 9^th

Happy Ever After Romance Book Reviews

The Book Junkie Reads

Three Boys and an Old Lady blog

Friday, March 10^th

Smitten by Books

Celtic Guardian

The Ugly Teapot: Volume 1 by Fred Holmes

Fourteen-year-old Hannah Bradbury loved her father so much that she worried about him constantly. After all, he was a photographer who traveled to the most dangerous places in the world. To allay her fears, each time he came home he brought her silly gifts, each one with supposed magical powers: the Seal of Solomon, the Ring of Gyges, even Aladdin’s Lamp. It was that lamp that Hannah found most unbelievable, for it looked like an ugly teapot. Nevertheless, her father assured her it was real, and made her promise to save her three wishes for something very special. Then...six months later...the unthinkable happened. Her father was killed while on assignment to Baghdad. And so on the day of his funeral Hannah did something she never thought she would ever do. She took out that teapot and gave it a rub...

REVIEW:
This middle grade adventure story has great bones and moments of real excitement, but in the end I never felt a real emotional connection to Hannah. The story presented the great love Hannah had for her father, but it quickly became clear he was a neglectful parent at best. Hannah's mom and brothers were introduced but never fleshed out as characters which felt like a missed opportunity. The end, though not a surprise, was disappointing. There were other elements that didn't gel for me- the telepathic dog didn't add enough to feel like an essential plot point, and it never made sense that Hannah's dad would never have taught her anything about photography given how the relationship between them was presented. I also thought Hannah's thoughts and actions painted her as younger than 14. The writing was good and the adventure part of the story moved quickly, I just wish there had been more character development to make me more invested in the story.

3.5 stars

The Travelers by Chris Pavone

It’s 3:00am. Do you know where your husband is?

Meet Will Rhodes: travel writer, recently married, barely solvent, his idealism rapidly giving way to disillusionment and the worry that he’s living the wrong life. Then one night, on assignment for the award-winning Travelers magazine in the wine region of Argentina, a beautiful woman makes him an offer he can’t refuse. Soon Will’s bad choices—and dark secrets—take him across Europe, from a chateau in Bordeaux to a midnight raid on a Paris mansion, from a dive bar in Dublin to a mega-yacht in the Mediterranean and an isolated cabin perched on the rugged cliffs of Iceland. As he’s drawn further into a tangled web of international intrigue, it becomes clear that nothing about Will Rhodes was ever ordinary, that the network of deception ensnaring him is part of an immense and deadly conspiracy with terrifying global implications—and that the people closest to him may pose the greatest threat of all.

It’s 3:00am. Your husband has just become a spy.

REVIEW:
This latest from Chris Pavone was a delightful read. Fun characters, enjoyable travel writer premise, lovely descriptions of travel. Why only four stars? Because the big "surprise" wasn't a surprise and made me think Will was a bit thick for not figuring out what was going on a lot sooner. Regardless, a great vacation read!