2023 Reviews – Page 5 – Rosepoint Publishing

Closure by Garrett Addison – #BookReview – #vigilantejustice

A page-turner psychological revenge crime thriller mystery

Book Blurb:

It’s hard to move on when vengeance takes over.

Bestselling author and clinical psychologist James Malter immediately attracts police suspicion when his terminally ill patients suddenly begin suiciding and harming others. His guilt seems even more likely when the seemingly innocent victims are found to be related to his sister’s acquitted killer many years earlier. With mounting casualties and a shadow threatening to derail his past and sully his career, Malter’s quest to uncover the truth will pit his longstanding belief in ‘moving on’ against his long-suppressed want for revenge.

His Review:

Regrettably, the police did not catch this despot in time. He spent a lifetime killing people in the most gruesome manner. The detective who finally outed him had found his sister’s body horribly mutilated with evidence of her horrendous execution. Pleads to let her die were ignored as the criminal reveled in his ability to make his victims writhe and suffer.

Finally captured, he is lying on his deathbed confronting his captor and some of the relatives of his victims. Oh yes, he was apologizing, but the deceased were given absolutely no mercy! How could anyone be so depraved as to subject other human beings to such cruelties?

This writer is very talented! He illuminated the subject with surgical precision and graphic detail. His writing would have garnered a five-star rating from me except that his topic was appalling! Writing with such illuminating clarity about a sadistic serial killer is, in my opinion, an unfortunate misuse of his talent. 3.5 stars – CE Williams

I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book provided by the author. Unfortunately, this kind of subject is not for me.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Vigilante Justice, Vigilante Justice Thrillers, Crime Thrillers
ASIN: B0C3YNC8BJ
Print Length: 233 pages
Publication Date: August 29, 2023
Source: Author

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-AU | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Garrett Addison is an Australian revenge author keen to bring something different to people’s reading. Forget your formulaic storylines and cliched characters, Garrett wants to sucker you in to something light, readable, enjoyable and ultimately help you discover (or rediscover) the joy of being totally immersed in a book.

Web: https://garrettaddison.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GarrettAddison
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettaddisonauthor

Quarter to Midnight by Karen Rose – #AudiobookReview – #TBT

Book Blurb:

Discover New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Rose’s brand-new series set in the sultry city of New Orleans and featuring a tough team of high-end private investigators who are after justice—no matter what they have to do to get it.

Good cops. Bad cops. Only one will win.

After completing her tours with the Marines in Iraq, Molly Sutton knew she could take down any bad guy she met. But when a family tragedy exposes the dark side of her local police, she joined up with her former CO Burke Broussard, who left New Orleans PD to set up a private investigative service for people who couldn’t find justice elsewhere.

Gabe Hebert saw the toll that working for the NOPD took on his dad and decided instead to make a name for himself as one of the best young chefs in the French Quarter. But when his father’s death is ruled a suicide after a deliberately botched investigation by his former captain, Gabe knows his dad stumbled onto a truth that someone wants silenced.

Gabe goes to his father’s best friend, Burke, for help. Burke assigns the toughest member of his team, Molly, to the case. Molly can’t believe she’s being asked to work with the smoking hot chef whose chocolate cake is not the only thing that makes her mouth water. Sparks fly as they follow the leads Gabe’s dad left them, unraveling a web of crimes, corruption, and murder that runs all the way to the top.

My Review:

I sure wish books came with the same kind of ratings as movies do. If they did, I might not have opted to listen to steamy sex scenes that greatly prolonged an already lengthy novel. This one went well beyond “romance” and straight to the sheets with sufficient description to curl your hair—or depending on who you are—heat in other places.

I chose the book because of the location, New Orleans, which I thought would be fun and reading the blurb, a good crime thriller mystery as well. There is suspense but after the hook and good start, high body count.

There is more than one POV that switches back and forth occasionally, putting you in the head of the perp, and in the meantime, the two main characters Molly Sutton and Gabe Hebert get to know each other really well.

An ex-Marine, Molly joined her former CO in his private investigation service. She is delighted when she is paired with Gabe, an accomplished chef, in the investigation of his father’s death. He is convinced his dad would never take his own life and neither could guess just where or how high this examination could take them.

Once again, the romance begins too quickly and escalates into the forefront of the storyline. When they surface, they pursue any leads that might have come their way even when it appears that the stakes are ever higher and they’ve ruffled feathers along the way.

Some very interesting support characters, although I also tired of the boy’s story of being saved during Katrina by the sacrifice of his mother, an oft-repeated backstory becoming very familiar.

Generally, it is fast-paced, well-plotted, descriptive, and atmospheric of the region. But Lordy, is it long! Could it be cut in half? If I hadn’t been multi-tasking as usual while listening, I’d have skipped through those graphic sex scenes. The narrator did a fine job with the accents and Southern drawl and I don’t think there are too many themes the author missed from murder to secrets and corruption.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery Romance
Publisher: Penguin Audio
ASIN: B09MDT37QL
Listening Length: 21 hrs 41 mins
Narrator: Lee Osorio
Publication Date: August 2, 2022
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Quarter to Midnight [Amazon]

The Author: Internationally bestselling, RITA-award winning, author Karen Rose was born and raised in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. She met her husband, Martin, on a blind date when they were seventeen and after they both graduated from the University of Maryland, (Karen with a degree in Chemical Engineering) they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Karen worked as an engineer for a large consumer goods company, earning two patents, but as Karen says, “scenes were roiling in my head and I couldn’t concentrate on my job so I started writing them down. I started out writing for fun, and soon found I was hooked.”

Her debut suspense novel, DON’T TELL, was released in July, 2003. Since then, she has published more than twenty-five novels and two novellas. Her twenty-sixth novel, QUARTER TO MIDNIGHT, will be released in 2022.

Karen’s books have appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, USA Today, London’s Sunday Times, and Germany’s der Spiegel (#1), and the Irish Times, as well as lists in South Africa (#1) and Australia!

To date, her books have been translated into more than twenty languages.

A former high school teacher of chemistry and physics, Karen lives in Florida with her husband of more than thirty years.

Autumn at Rosepoint Pub

Out of Nowhere by Sandra Brown – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

At a Texas county fair, amidst carousels and a bustling midway, children’s book author Elle Portman is enjoying a rare night out with her favorite cowboy: her two-year-old son, Charlie. But just as they’re about to head home, the unthinkable happens: a shooter opens fire into the crowd, causing widespread panic to erupt all around them.

Also caught in the melee was corporate consultant Calder Hudson. Arrogant, self-centered, and high off his latest career win, he’s frustrated and confused when he wakes up in the hospital after undergoing emergency surgery on his arm. The doctor tells him that he was lucky—that as far as gunshot wounds go, he pulled through remarkably well. Others weren’t so lucky, which instills in Calder a furious determination to get justice . . . a goal shared by Elle.

Their chance encounter at the police station leads to a surprising and inexplicable gravitation to one another, but even as the attraction grows, Elle and Calder can’t help but wonder if the unimaginable tragedy that brought them together is too painful and too complicated to sustain—especially while the shooter remains at large.

My Review:

Not like I haven’t read Sandra Brown before or was aware she’d throw in an unanticipated romance to mess up a good story, but somehow it just didn’t work at all for me in this book.

A random mass shooting at a county fair throws together Elle Portman and Calder Hudson. Elle has taken her two-year-old with her to the fair along with bestie, Glenda. When the shooting starts and the stampede begins, Elle loses hold of her son’s stroller. Calder, who sees the stroller tries to grab it and ends with devastating results.

Here’s where I have the first problem. Calder is a rich, arrogant narcissist. He is living with an ambitious TV reporter who is his narcissistic equal. I disliked both of these characters and thought Glenda was absolutely correct in her assessment of him. After a couple chance meetings, Calder turns macho protector, dictating her next movements.

For her part, Elle lost a son. A two-year-old. I couldn’t seem to get past that as the romance first blossomed then turned up the heat. She seems more than happy to be told what to do, be the object of hot pursuit, and become accommodating.

The police think they have the shooter, then they don’t, and Elle and Calder join forces to ferret out the culprit. But they keep getting distracted by the hormones shooting between them and the sex scenes get to be a bit much. Her loss and his injuries are a blink and they move on.

There are a number of twists and a big one at the conclusion. You gotta give it to the author for throwing another good zinger at the end. In the meantime, I wasn’t a fan of either main character and Glenda was a bit too good to be true, but then, that was another of those little twists. Overall, not wholly thrilled. I liked it (for the fast pace, well-plotted storyline), but I’m not in love.

I read and reviewed Overkill on June 15 of this year and had a few problems with it even though I enjoyed the unexpected twist at the end. This one just bogged down on the romance and for me a let down of what could have been more of a suspense thriller.

I downloaded a copy of this book from my local library that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Crime Thrillers, Romantic Suspense, Suspense Thrillers
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ASIN: B0BP2HW59K
Print Length: 417 pages
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including STING (2016), FRICTION (2015), MEAN STREAK (2014), DEADLINE (2013), LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011), and the critically acclaimed RAINWATER (2010).

Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into thirty-three languages.

Brown recently was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Constant Soldier by William Ryan – #BookReview – Historical World War II Fiction

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Paul Brandt, a soldier in the German army, returns wounded and ashamed from the bloody chaos of the Eastern Front to find his village changed and in the dark shadow of an SS rest hut—a luxurious retreat for officers recuperating from their injuries and for those who manage the nearby concentration camps of Auschwitz. The hut is run with the help of a small group of female prisoners from the camps who, against all odds, have survived the war so far. When, by chance, Brandt glimpses one of these prisoners, he realizes he must find a way to access the hut. For inside is the woman to whom his fate has been tied since their arrest five years earlier, and now he must do all he can to protect her.

As the Russian offensive moves closer and partisans press from the surrounding woodlands, the days of this rest hut and its SS inhabitants are numbered. And while hope for Brandt and the female prisoners grows tantalizingly close, the danger is greater than ever. In a forest to the east, a young female Soviet tank driver awaits her orders to advance . . .

His Review:

Brant is a soldier wounded badly at the Russian front and has been given a discharge from the German army. He is considered a hero by many because of the arm that was lost and terrible burns received in battle. Although discharged, he is responsible for a rest facility for Germans back from the front. Officers mostly, who are in desperate need of rest and relaxation.

Before the war, Brandt attended university in Vienna. At 25, with the war starting, he no longer wishes to continue at the university and is swept up in the expansion of the German army. Assigned to the facility he is running are a number of women who are charged with cleaning the linens and preparing foods and other domestic chores required to keep the soldiers on leave comfortable. Among the women is one who he was romantically involved with before the war.

The town where the facility is located is near his father’s old family farm in Ukraine. The local mayor of the town has taken it as one of his responsibilities to help run the retreat as well. He is overweight and vicious in his treatment of the women and anyone else that he can push around. He reports to the camp commandant and makes everyone’s life miserable.

The constant threat of the Red Army pushing through the area is a constant concern. Brandt and the others feel there will be no mercy shown by the Russians toward them. The people from the surrounding area are frantically trying to head west towards the approaching American army to avoid being captured by the Russians. The situation has become desperate.

William Ryan has spun a very believable story of the frantic situation lived by the people in Eastern Europe nearing the end of WW II. The struggle for the basics of life and just to be alive is continuous and unremitting. The mental images and development of the characters in this book is illuminating, revealing, and gripping. Putting myself in their shoes made my appreciation of the tragedy of war and their survival more personal. 5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These are my own thoughts. The novel is highly recommended.

Book Details:

Genre: Historical World War II Fiction, 20^th Century Historical Romance
Publisher: Arcade
ISBN-10: ‎ 1956763783
ASIN: B0BTZWD21K
Publication date: ‎ November 7, 2023
Date First Available: ‎ January 1, 1970
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: William Ryan’s first novel in the Captain Korolev series, The Holy Thief, was shortlisted for a Crime Writer’s Association’s New Blood Dagger, a Barry Award, The Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award and The Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. The second in the series, The Bloody Meadow, was shortlisted for the Ireland AM Crime Novel of the Year and the third, The Twelfth Department, was also shortlisted for the Ireland AM Crime Novel of the Year as well as the CWA’s Historical Fiction Dagger and was a Guardian Crime Novel of the Year..

The Constant Soldier, William’s fourth novel was described as “subtle, suspenseful and superb” by The Daily Mail and shortlisted for the HWA’s Gold Crown and the CWA’s Steel Dagger. A House of Ghosts, (as W.C. Ryan),was published in October 2018 and was described as “an intelligent, absorbing, exquisitely spooky mystery” by The Irish Times. The Winter Guest, published in January 2022, was called an “impeccably researched and utterly intriguing historical mystery that lays bare the societal fractures caused in Ireland’s fight for freedom” by the Irish Independent.

Visit http://www.william-ryan.com for more information.

Enjoy Your Sunday

Danger in Numbers by Heather Graham – #Audiobook Review – #TBT

Book Blurb:

On the edge of the Everglades, an eerie crime scene sets off an investigation that sends two agents deep into a world of corrupted faith, greed and deadly secrets.

A ritualistic murder on the side of a remote road brings in the Florida state police. Special Agent Amy Larson has never seen worse, and there are indications that this killing could be just the beginning. The crime draws the attention of the FBI in the form of Special Agent Hunter Forrest, a man with insider knowledge of how violent cults operate, and a man who might never be able to escape his own past.

The rural community is devastated by the death in their midst, but people know more than they are saying. As Amy and Hunter join forces, every lead takes them further into the twisted beliefs of a dangerous group that will stop at nothing to see their will done.

Doomsday preppers and small-town secrets collide in this sultry, twisty pause-resisting thriller.

My Review:

Sometimes an audiobook is better because of the narrator’s talent and sometimes it just makes it a bit tougher to multi-task and follow along when it switches POV or timelines. In the case of this novel, the latter.

Two special agents are thrown together in the investigation of the savage way in which the deaths of two women harken back to the possible comeback of a cult experienced years before. Amy Larson of FDLE is teamed with experienced Hunter Forrest of the FBI to find and hopefully stop the start of the gruesome killing before it really gets a foothold in the Florida Everglades.

Apparently a religious, white supremacist cult, it is led by a charismatic and dynamic individual who holds his followers in a tight-fisted setting. Bids to escape or deny his bidding are dealt with swiftly and deadly.

Of course, there is a growing romantic interest between Amy and Hunter as they gradually gain insight into the members and location; secrets held quietly by the local community. Arguments are made regarding the brain-washing of members and their unwavering allegiance to the leader, as well as references to well-known recent tragic similar factions.

Okay, as this was my third (unintentional) book with the same plot and similar devices, arguments, and characters, my attention waned until I became aware of the switch in POVs and played catch-up a few times. It was a matter of déjà vu and a strong idea where it was going, the romance unnecessary to the familiar plot.

Some graphic descriptions are stomach turning and I couldn’t get engaged with either main character. It is well-plotted and paced, but been there, done that…and was left a little cold.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Romantic Suspense, Police Procedural Mysteries, Suspense
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
ASIN: B08HSQB45S
Listening Length: 8 hrs 37 mins
Narrator: Eva Kaminsky
Publication Date: March 23, 2021
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Danger in Numbers [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

The Author: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Heather Graham, majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write. Her first book was with Dell, and since then, she has written over two hundred novels and novellas including category, suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult and Christmas family fare.

She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty-five languages. She has written over 200 novels and has 60 million books in print. She has been honored with awards from booksellers and writers’ organizations for excellence in her work, and she is also proud to be a recipient of the Silver Bullet from Thriller Writers and was also awarded the prestigious Thriller Master in 2016. She is also a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from RWA. Heather has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, Mystery Book Club, People and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including Today, Entertainment Tonight and local television.

Heather loves travel and anything that has to do with the water, and is a certified scuba diver. She also loves ballroom dancing. Each year she hosts the Vampire Ball and Dinner theater at the RT convention raising money for the Pediatric Aids Society and in 2006 she hosted the first Writers for New Orleans Workshop to benefit the stricken Gulf Region. She is also the founder of “The Slush Pile Players,” presenting something that’s “almost like entertainment” for various conferences and benefits. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.

#ThrowbackThursday

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller (2015)

Book Blurb:

Sisters. Strangers. Survivors.

More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia’s teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that’s cruelly ripped open when Claire’s husband is killed.

The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them? Forming a wary truce, the surviving sisters look to the past to find the truth, unearthing the secrets that destroyed their family all those years ago . . . and uncovering the possibility of redemption, and revenge, where they least expect it.

My Review:

No, no, and just…no. My third book by this author and I’m thinking might be my last.

It’s 1991 when Julia Carroll disappears. The family doesn’t cope well and the two surviving sisters each grieve differently becoming estranged both from each other and their parents. Unfortunately, a recent disappearance twenty years later draws them back. A teenage girl has disappeared but it appears the murder of a middle-aged man appears to be connected almost twenty years later.

Sometimes I’m not sure how I get myself into these books as I’m usually careful about trigger warnings that include sexual violence, murder, and torture. Other than to figure out how the author was going to pull this one off, I’m not sure why I continued to read.

While there was an occasional humorous, snarky comment, “…but that was largely because he was under sixty and still had a clear view of his feet,” it was honestly pretty awful. I just don’t need that. I find the descriptions of subconscious human mannerisms rather compelling—Slaughter knows how to turn a phrase while painting her prose black.

If graphic horror is your jam, this might appeal. The author does sketch out some dark ideas. I read and then watched the series Pieces of Her last year. Are you a Slaughter fan? Did you catch the TV series? Read this one? Is this one beyond her usual level of violence or is this standard? Last year I thought I might try one more of her novels. This was it.

I received a Kindle copy of this book from my library recommendations that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Kidnapping thrillers, Serial killer Thrillers, Police Procedurals
Publisher: William Morrow
ASIN: B00VES8D6K
Print Length: 548 pages
Publication Date: September 29, 2015
Source: Local Library through Kindle
Title Link(s): Pretty Girls [Amazon]

The Author: Karin Slaughter is the author of more than twenty instant NEW YORK TIMES bestselling novels, including the Edgar–nominated COP TOWN and standalone novels THE GOOD DAUGHTER, PRETTY GIRLS, and GIRL, FORGOTTEN. She is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. PIECES OF HER is a #1 Netflix original series starring Toni Collette. The Will Trent Series is on ABC (and streaming on Hulu in the U.S, and Disney+ internationally). THE GOOD DAUGHTER and FALSE WITNESS are in development for film/tv. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.

http://www.karinslaughter.com
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKarinSlaughter/
Instagram http://www.instagram.com/karinslaughterauthor/
Twitter @SlaughterKarin
https://linktr.ee/karinslaughter

#TuesdayBookBlog

The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Dávila Cardinal- #AudiobookReview – #bookclubs – #TBT

Book Blurb:

From International Latino Book Award-winning author Ann Dávila Cardinal comes a gorgeously written family saga about a Puerto Rican woman who finds herself gifted (or cursed?) with a strange ability.

There was always an old woman dying in the back room of her family’s house when Isla was a child…

Isla Larsen Sanchez’s life begins to unravel when her father passes away. Instead of being comforted at home in New Jersey, her mother starts leaving her in Puerto Rico with her grandmother and great-aunt each summer like a piece of forgotten luggage.

When Isla turns eighteen, her grandmother, a great storyteller, dies. It is then that Isla discovers she has a gift passed down through her family’s cuentistas. The tales of dead family storytellers are brought back to life, replaying themselves over and over in front of her.

At first, Isla is enchanted by this connection to the Sanchez cuentistas. But when Isla has a vision of an old murder mystery, she realizes that if she can’t solve it to make the loop end, these seemingly harmless stories could cost Isla her life.

My Review:

I wanted to like this book. It was the selection from the book club for the quarter. They go for an eclectic selection of books—those I would probably not read on my own—this being one.

Usually, if I can find an audiobook for the book club selection, I’ll choose that over reading it. I’m glad I did this time as well, the narration did help, with a couple exceptions.

I loved the main character’s name, Isla. I thought very pretty right up until one of her aunt’s drew it out in exaggerated pronunciation for the umpteenth time in that high-pitched irritating voice.

Isla Sanchez is sent to Puerto Rico every summer where she develops a strong bond with her great aunt. Her mother is an alcoholic and does not get along with her mother who cares for Isla.

But her grandmother passes away when Isla turns 18 and it quickly appears that she has imparted a gift of visions to Isla. Unfortunately, not all of the visions are benign and involve her beloved great aunt.

As the visions progress from alarming to dangerous, she realizes that the mystery of the murder must be solved. It never felt, however, that she was really in mortal danger.

I must admit that my attention wandered from time to time and like a petulant teenager who “tunes out” I did so with parts of the storyline I felt lagging or redundant. I enjoyed info bits about Puerto Rico, the customs, the foods, and celebrations. But part of my problem is that Isla comes from an entitled family—money—class—land, an irksome trope. And she becomes aware of that class distinction when she meets José.

While I enjoyed the storyteller aspect of the plot, her investigation successes came quickly, always seeking and easily finding the person who would supply that part of the information. No tension or suspense. Her time is her own, she has the money and resources to go where and when she wants. It’s all too easy.

There is a twist at the conclusion that did come as a surprise. Still, I’m a little underwhelmed with this one.

I listened to a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Magical Realism Fiction, Coming of Age Fiction, Family Life Fiction
Publisher: Recorded Books
ISBN-10: ‎ 1728250773
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1728250779
ASIN: B0B5JPP7D4
Listening Length: 9 hrs 48 mins
Narrator: Marisol Ramirez
Publication Date: October 4, 2022
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: The Storyteller’s Death [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Three Point Five Stars

The Author: Ann Dávila Cardinal is an International Latino Book Award winning novelist and aging tattooed punk. Her first young adult horror novel Five Midnights, was released by Tor Teen (2019), as was the sequel, Category Five (2020). Her adult debut, the novel The Storyteller’s Death, was released by Sourcebooks and is a finalist for the Vermont Book Awards for 2022. Her next magical realist adult novel, We Need No Wings, will be released from Sourcebooks in October 2024. Her young adult, horror rom-com, Breakup From Hell, came out from HarperTeen in January of 2023.

Five Midnights won an AudioFile Earphones Award, an International Latino Book Award 2020, and was a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award. Category Five was a finalist for the 2021 International Latino Book Award. The Storyteller’s Death is a finalist for the Vermont Book Award.

Her stories have appeared in a number of anthologies, including Our Shadows Have Claws (2022), Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology (2022), Lockdown: Stories of Crime, Terror, and Hope During a Pandemic (2020); and Women Writing the Weird (2012) and she contributed to the Encyclopedia Latina: History, Culture, And Society in the United States edited by Ilan Stavans.

Ann lives in Vermont, needle-felts tiny reading creatures, and prepares for the zombie apocalypse.

Have a great week!

The Women by Kristin Hannah – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

The missing. The forgotten. The brave… The women.

From master storyteller Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds, comes the story of a turbulent, transformative era in America: the 1960s. The Women is that rarest of novels—at once an intimate portrait of a woman coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided by war and broken by politics, of a generation both fueled by dreams and lost on the battlefield.
“Women can be heroes, too.”

When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different choice for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed and politically divided America.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on the story of all women who put themselves in harm’s way to help others. Women whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has all too often been forgotten. A novel of searing insight and lyric beauty, The Women is a profoundly emotional, richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose extraordinary idealism and courage under fire define a generation.

My Review:

This one has got to be the author’s best and I’ve read many of them. Absolutely gripping from the beginning, the hook is there and no way can you put the book down.

While neither my hubby nor I were “boots on the ground” in ‘Nam, my hubby chose the Navy rather than be drafted into the Army as he would have landed into the middle of the jungle over there very quickly. The draft was an unwelcome interruption to our university plans and landed him instead in a support location close by where I was later allowed to join him. We met many nurses. And, yes, the reception when we finally got back home April of ’70 was unkind (to say the least).

OMG, the memories this brought back! We were there when the Pueblo was captured, when Bob Hope entertained the troops, and the Stars and Stripes gave little indication of the turmoil back home. The change in our country when we returned was shocking.

So this novel, immersive from a woman’s point of view, the nurses who saw and saved the casualties (that they could), both reminded me of the military I witnessed and informed as well in graphic descriptions the trauma both men and women were experiencing.

The main character, twenty-year-old Frances (Frankie) McGrath, has seen her affluent family send her brother to war, earning his place in her father’s study, the “Wall of Heroes.”

She decides she must go as well, serve with her newly minted nurse’s degree and license but is wisely refused in the Navy and Air Force. No problem with the Army who promptly delivers her with little training into the thick of it where she discovers it was not the Army she signed up for. Horrific casualties; sights, smells, sounds never-ending.

Hannah paints an accurate picture of the desperate understaffed situation, the shocking living conditions, the lack of adequate equipment, and the appalling weather.

Her hooch is shared by Ethel and Barb who become close-knit friends and allies throughout the remainder of the narrative. Together, in country, they handle the artillery fire, heat, casualties, and sexism.

“…We age in dog years over here, Frank…”

The nurses work through exhaustion, deplorable conditions, save those they can and when not actively in the OR, share their nursing skills in villages. They work tirelessly, doing what they can, and learn to cope through whatever means possible.

Exposed to the same Agent Orange the men are will have catastrophic effects on the women as well.

After two tours, her welcome home didn’t happen. She was met with derision, a nation sharply divided, a shocking atmosphere. Even her own family appeared to be ashamed of her service. Assimilation did not go well. She is left with severe PTSD and told by the VA that there were no women in ‘Nam.

“Some women had worn love beads in the sixties; others had worn dog tags.”

The characters felt real, the scenes so graphic you could smell them, choke from the clouds of napalm, smell the blood. I heard those songs of protest again. So powerful. Try as I might, could not stop the tears.

The horrible loss.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and St. Martin’s Press through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts. I really enjoyed the last Hannah book I read, The Great Alone, but this powerful book will go to the top of my favorites list for the year.

Book Details:

Genre: Family Life Fiction, Women’s Domestic Life Fiction
Publisher: St Martin’s Press
ASIN: B0C1X97LW7
Print Length: 480 pages
Publication Date: February 6, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels. Her newest novel, The Women, about the nurses who served in the Vietnam war, will be released on February 6, 2024.

The Four Winds was published in February of 2021 and immediately hit #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie bookstore’s bestseller lists. Additionally, it was selected as a book club pick by the both Today Show and The Book Of the Month club, which named it the best book of 2021.

In 2018, The Great Alone became an instant New York Times #1 bestseller and was named the Best Historical Novel of the Year by Goodreads.

In 2015, The Nightingale became an international blockbuster and was Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People’s Choice award for best fiction in the same year. It was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week.

The Nightingale is currently in pre-production at Tri Star. Firefly Lane, her beloved novel about two best friends, was the #1 Netflix series around the world, in the week it came out. The popular tv show stars Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke.

A former attorney, Kristin lives in the Pacific Northwest.

©V Williams

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