1. The Third Son – A disappointing ending but that did not stop me from LOVING this book. Carter and his wife Tori are newly married and settling into their life together. Tori has two sons from her first marriage and Carter wants to adopt both boys to make them all an official family. Tori’s first husband died in a tragic accident so Carter is now the only father they know. One day, Carter receives a message from social services saying that the one night stand he had more than a decade ago produced a son he never knew about. The mother passed away and they want to know if Carter would like to take custody of his 13 year old son, Francis. Carter is shocked at this news but gladly accepts the responsibility to make Francis a part of their blended family. Unfortunately, Francis has had a difficult life growing up and exhibits odd behaviors that increasingly worry Tori. Things escalate and Carter must make a decision between his flesh and blood or his chosen wife and step sons. The suspense is palpable in this book and kept me guessing up until the end. The ending was a bit of a letdown but the rest of the book had me hooked. Rating: 9
2. These Summer Storms – I love a messy wealthy family story so this book was an immediate yes when I read the synopsis. Alice Storm has been apart from her family for the past 5 years after a devastating argument with her father where he told her to leave and never come back. But after a tragic accident takes the Storm patriarch’s life, Alice must return to her family home for his funeral. Time with her family is not something Alice enjoys and the relationships she has with her mother and siblings are all strained due to years of complicated and dysfunctional family dynamics. Her father’s immense wealth and status guarantees that his funeral will be a worldwide news event which adds only more stress to the brittle family bonds. Throw in a “game” of sorts that her father imparts upon them in his will which requires all her siblings and mother to complete a set of tasks in 7 days in order to receive their inheritance. Tempers flair, old grudges resurface and secrets buried for decades come to light which threaten to destroy everyone in the Storm family. Rating: 9
3. The Drowning Woman – A bit predictable at times but I still loved this book. There are a few twists that really keep you guessing and make the book hard to put down. After a series of business failures, Lee finds herself living in her car trying to rebuild her life. While parked one night on a secluded beach in order to try and get some sleep, Lee sees a woman trying to drown herself in the ocean. Lee rushes in to try and save the woman’s life but quickly finds out that the woman does not want to be saved. After a desperate struggle, this mystery woman, Hazel, allows Lee to save her and bring her back to shore. Hazel confides in Lee that she is trying to leave an abusive marriage to a very wealthy and powerful man. Lee commits to helping Hazel plan her escape though things don’t go as planned. Lee realizes that Hazel may not be telling the entire truth about her situation and has possibly put her own life in danger. Rating: 8.5
4. Count My Lies – One of my favorite book plot lines is the same story told from two separate narratives. In the start of the book, we meet Sloane who is bored with her life and finds herself lying from time to time in order to help remove herself from her currently reality. She is working as a nail tech in a NYC high end salon after losing her job as a nursery school teacher. One afternoon in the park, Sloane sees a little girl get stung by a bee in her foot. Sloane rushes over to help stating that she is a nurse and can help remove the stinger. After this chance encounter, Sloane makes an effort to run into this family again and eventually gains their trust in order to become their full-time nanny. Sloane and the mother, Violet, quickly become friends despite their employer/employee relationship. The entire experience seems like kismet but Sloane is unaware of the motives behind Violet’s rapid acceptance of her into their lives. Everyone seems to be lying but it’s only a matter of time before the truth will come out. Rating: 8.5
5. We Don’t Talk About Carol – I almost abandoned this book halfway through because I could not get into it. The story seemed like it was going somewhere but it was taking forever to get there. LOL But I’m glad I stuck around because the last 1/4 of the book really captured my attention! After the death of her grandmother, Sydney is going through her belongings and finds a photo of a young girl who no one in the family seems to know anything about. Sydney decides to ask around and discovers that the young girl’s name is her aunt named Carol. Based on the limited information people have, Carol went missing in the 1960’s along with 5 other young black girl in their North Carolina neighborhood. No one has ever investigated what happened to these girls and families were left with no answers. Sydney taps into her former journalism life and tries to search for more information surrounding the disappearance of these young girls. Through her investigation, Sydney will uncover secrets that can give the families closure while also putting her own family in jeopardy. If you can get past the slight slow beginning of this book, the last half will really make up for it! Rating: 8
6. Party of Liars – As soon as I realized the story would be told from MULTIPLE different character perspectives, I knew this would get good! The entire book takes place during the course of a birthday party but there are so many stories happening at the same time that you forget the entire book is occurring over just a few hours. It’s Sophie’s 16th birthday and her wealthy father has spared no expense for her celebration. He has invited all her friends as well as many of his business colleagues and friends to this lavish event. But before the night is over, a tragic accident will occur leaving everyone shocked and a dead body on the dance floor. There are so many secrets and lies happening within this family that you will spend your entire time trying to figure out who is telling the truth and who is hiding something. It’s a slow burn of a book but in the BEST WAY! Rating: 9
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