8 Heart Review: Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Firefly Lane
Kristin Hannah

Page Count: 479
Release Date: 5 February 2008
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (Macmillan)
Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher via My Chaotic Ramblings in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, Melissa!)
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the "coolest girl in the world" moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all—beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer's end they've become TullyandKate. Inseparable.

So begins Kristin Hannah's magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives.

From the beginning, Tully is desperate to prove her worth to the world. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she longs to be loved unconditionally. In the glittering, big-hair era of the eighties, she looks to men to fill the void in her soul. But in the buttoned-down nineties, it is television news that captivates her. She will follow her own blind ambition to New York and around the globe, finding fame and success... and loneliness.

Kate knows early on that her life will be nothing special. Throughout college, she pretends to be driven by a need for success, but all she really wants is to fall in love and have children and live an ordinary life. In her own quiet way, Kate is as driven as Tully. What she doesn’t know is how being a wife and mother will change her... how she'll lose sight of who she once was, and what she once wanted. And how much she'll envy her famous best friend...

For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship—jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they've survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart... and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.

Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone's Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it’s the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It's about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you—and knows what has the power to hurt you... and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you'll never forget... one you'll want to pass on to your best friend

Buy the book at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Books-A-Million | Sony eStore | Kobo

Review

Soon, Tully had Kate laughing. That was the thing about best friends. Like sisters and mothers, they could piss you off and make you cry and break your heart, but in the end, when the chips were down, they were there, making you laugh even in your darkest hours.

Here's another review I wrote for My Chaotic Ramblings. If you haven't tried Kristin Hannah's novels before, you are definitely missing out from something good, and Firefly Lane is no exception. Now go get scootin' and get yourself one of her books!

A quick snippet of what I thought about the book: Firefly Lane is in every which way compelling, emotionally resonant, and substantial. This is the kind of book you won't forget—won't want to forget—because it possesses magical anecdotes on friendship, family, love, and life.

Read my full review here!

Love

He tucked the hair behind [Kate's] ear. "I don't want to hurt you."

She wanted to say simply, Then don't, but this wasn't a time for simple answers or pretense. Honesty mattered now. "I'll take the risk of getting hurt if you will," she said evenly.

A hint of a smile played at the edges of his mouth, but she didn't see it in his eyes. In fact, he looked more than a little worried. "I knew you'd be dangerous."

She didn't understand. "Me? You must be joking. No one has ever thought I was dangerous."

"I do."

"Why?"

He didn't answer; instead, he leaned forward just enough to kiss her. She closed her eyes, waiting for it. She wasn't sure, but maybe, just before his lips touched hers, he said, "Because you're the kind of girl a guy could fall in love with."

He didn't sound particularly happy as he said it.

8 hearts: An engaging read; highly recommended (x)

8 Heart Review: They Never Die Quietly by D.M. Annechino

They Never Die Quietly (Sami Rizzo #1)
D.M. Annechino

Page Count: 279
Release Date: 16 February 2010
Publisher: AmazonEncore
Source: Complimentary ARC provided by publisher, via My Chaotic Ramblings, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you both!)
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

They Never Die Quietly tells the story of homicide Detective Sami Rizzo, who is assigned to head a task force investigating serial killings in San Diego.

Simon, the highly intelligent, cunning, and deceptively charming villain, redefines the depths of human evil. He believes God has given him absolute authority to purify his unholy victims through a ritual that ends in a grisly crucifixion. Driven by warped religious beliefs and guided by his dead mother, very much alive in his subconscious, Simon abducts “chosen ones” and holds them captive in a Room of Redemption. There, the victims helplessly await their crucifixion.

Detective Rizzo urgently yearns to solve the case and gain the respect of her male colleagues, but her obsession to apprehend the killer on her own clouds her thinking. When Simon outsmarts Rizzo and captures her, determined to make her his next victim, she must employ all her resources—both physical and intellectual—to outwit the villain at his own game.

Review

Special thanks to Melissa and AmazonEncore for this ARC. Read on for a sneak peek of my review for They Never Die Quietly, a horrific detective thriller, then check out the full deets at My Chaotic Ramblings!

Pros

Well written // Paced and organized immaculately // I couldn't put it down! // Sami is a tough, self-sufficient character with a human flaw that anyone could relate to // Murders are heinous and thrillingly brutal // Great suspenseful buildup // Simon is THE serial killer: creepy, charismatic, and bloodthirsty... but doesn't even know it // Religious aspects are perfectly improper and eerie

Cons

Ending is way too happy and way too abrupt // There is no climax // Dialogue is sometimes strained and superfluous in that it doesn't add to the story // Unnecessary romance; why, oh WHY do suspense authors feel the need to give the protagonists irrelevant love interests?? They're already kickass on their own! Dispensable relationships only complicate the plot

Love

[Sami] had thought [she and her suitor] had made a connection, but then again, she was often a victim of wishful thinking.

Verdict

Aside from Annechino’s affinity for terrible clichés, the writing style is lively, descriptive, and connected. It’s easy to follow the mystery, and questions are answered as they arise. As a whole, the imaginative premise, the thrilling plot, and the realistic characters make They Never Die Quietly pretty enjoyable. I'll never forget its plot, that's for sure

8 hearts: An engaging read; highly recommended (x)

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: Web of Secrets by Ernesto Patino

Web of Secrets
Ernesto Patino

Release Date: June 25th, 2009

Publisher: L&L Dreamspell

Page Count: 195

Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher, via My Chaotic Ramblings, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you both!)

Some family history is too dangerous to be revealed. Sarah Baker's search for the truth about her adoption uncovered a tangled web of deadly secrets... 

A phone call from a blackmailer turned Sarah's life upside down. The man claimed to know the circumstances of her illegal adoption thirty years ago. He also revealed some shocking facts about her real parents.

Rather than have the blackmailer go public with the information and risk her husband's career, she agreed to a one-time payoff. Their situation was far from resolved, and doubts about her heritage put a strain on their once ideal marriage.

Sarah still didn't have verification of the truth. She needed more details. Were there any brothers or sisters, or other family members nearby? Had the same blackmailer approached them too?

Hiring a Private Investigator seemed the only option, but it meant opening a Pandora's box. Sarah needed confirmation and closure, and was willing to take the risk. Ex FBI investigator turned P. I. Joe Coopersmith was up to the task, but working on a thirty-year-old mystery wouldn't be easy.

Joe didn't realize it might also turn deadly...

What Stephanie Thinks: Check out my full review at: http://mychaoticramblings.info/2012/08/review-web-of-secrets-by-ernesto-patino.html!

Stephanie Loves: "'This is the third day in a row you've come in here,' [the bartender] said with a friendly smile. 'Somehow I wouldn't peg you as a regular. You're not one of those mixed-up gays trying to decide which way to go, are you?' She grinned to let him know she kidded around.
He looked her over. 'Why don't you meet me in the john and find out for yourself?'"— I love me an aggressive alpha male!

Radical Rating: 7 hearts: Not without flaws, but overall enjoyable. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: April & Oliver by Tess Callahan

April & Oliver
Tess Callahan

Release Date: June 3rd, 2009

Publisher: Hachette Book Group (Grand Central Publishing)

Page Count: 326

Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher, via My Chaotic Ramblings, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you!)

A devastating tragedy serves to reunite two friends from childhood in this emotionally riveting and sexually charged first novel... 

Since childhood, April and Oliver have been soul mates who shared a palpable attraction. Now, after years of being separated, their wildly different paths collide with the sudden death of April's brother. The sensual tension builds as Oliver, the responsible, newly engaged law student, finds himself drawn more than ever to the reckless, mystifying April. But even as Oliver attempts to "save" his childhood friend from her grief, her menacing boyfriend, and herself, it soon becomes apparent that Oliver has some secrets—secrets he hasn't revealed to anyone.

Yet April knows. Is it really her life that's unraveling, or is it his own? The answer awaits at the end of a downward spiral... toward a surprising revelation.

What Stephanie Thinks: This is my second review for Melissa at My Chaotic Ramblings (nearly a year after my first -.-;;), for April & Oliver, a book I really really really REALFJIOUGSLDFY loved. People who don't like complex, convoluted storylines, beware; this is not your type of read. Topics broached include self-harm, domestic abuse, rape, statutory rape, adultery, premature death, suicide, depression, and pretty much all the fucked up things in life. It's tragic and cruel and sexual, but not at all able to be categorized as erotica (or even romance for that matter). Its genre should just be contemporary depressing fiction. But it's stunning—depressing in a remarkable, hopeful way. Check out why I give it 9 hearts: http://mychaoticramblings.info/2012/07/review-april-oliver-by-tess-callahan.html.

Stephanie Loves: Oh lordy. Callahan is such a powerful writer, I couldn't just choose one quote, couldn't even narrow down to two! So enjoy these four: "From time to time, she feels Oliver look her way, his glance grazing her skin like a swatch of sun between clouds, a warmth so brief she shivers." — gorgeous, no? "What Oliver fails to understand is the range of possibilities; that people can destroy themselves and one another and the whole planet with nothing stepping in to stop them; that [April] can destroy him without even trying. It wouldn't take much, she thinks, to let her thigh relax against his, blood rising to the surface of the skin, until they began to consider the harmlessness of a moment longer. And another." — so real, so lifelike, "'This is what I think. Addiction is just a way of trying to get at something else. Something bigger. Call it transcendence if you want, but it's a fucked-up way, like a rat in a maze. We all want the same thing. We all have this hole. The thing you want offers relief, but it's a trap.'" last but not least, "'Did [the kiss] feel like a rewiring of your body, every cell switched places?' ... 'It's like this,' Nana says. 'All your life you're yellow. Then one day you brush up against something blue, the barest touch, and voilà, the rest of your life you're green. — one of the best analogies ever!!

Radical Rating: 9 hearts: Loved it! This book has a spot on my favorites shelf. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano

The Girl She Used to Be
David Cristofano

Release Date: March 19th, 2009

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (Hachette)

Page Count: 241

Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher, via My Chaotic Ramblings, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you!)

When Melody Grace McCartney was six years old, she and her parents witnessed a brutal act of violence—and then were lured into the Witness Protection Program. And so Melody lost her identity, her home, her family, and ultimately her innocence. She's been May Adams, Karen Smith, and countless others. But the one person she has always longed to be is Melody Grace McCartney.

Now, twenty years later and still on the run, she's stunned when a man calls her by her real name. Jonathan Bovaro, the mafioso sent to find her, knows her, the real her. It's a thrill Melody can't resist, and she goes with him willingly, defying the feds. To the Justice Department, she's just a pawn in their war against the Bovaro family. But as dangerous as Jonathan is, he gives Melody the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to embrace her past and present, and choose a future of her own.

What Stephanie Thinks: This is my first review for My Chaotic Ramblings, a fabulous blog I am grateful to be a part of, alongside the lovely Melissa! Click here to read my review. You know you want to! I mean 10 hearts? How often does that happen? Go read my review and let me know your thoughts. Needless to say, The Girl She Used to Be is a book to be cherished and forever remembered.

Stephanie Loves: "'Why? What's wrong with Carla? I'm sure she's buff.'
He looks at me and smiles. 'She is, but... she wants to be with me for the wrong reasons—because of my family's influence and money. It's like being a rock star, sort of.' He turns back to the road. 'With a greater certainty of being murdered or doing time in prison.'"

Radical Rating: 10 hearts: I'm speechless; this book is an extraordinarily amazingly wonderfully fantastically marvelous masterpiece. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥