#DaughterofMine – Rosepoint Publishing

Rosepoint Reviews – July Recap – Six Audiobooks of Twelve Reviewed

Rosepoint Reviews - July Recap

Too hot for much in the way of outdoor activities, but I’ve been working on saving rain water as we are charged for every drop out of the faucet and then the same for sewer services, so I hate watering the garden with water that will also be charged for sewer.

One barrel in the front is enough to water a few potted plants decorating the front yard. Then I got a temporary rain barrel for the back and the first time it filled to capacity in one of our upper Midwest T-storms it went over. One hundred gallons is a LOT of water and quickly overwhelmed the overflow at the top. So I reconfigured the base and siphoned the water out in anticipation of another gully washer. It’s going a long way to watering the veggie and flower bed as well as the potted plants on the deck and the deck plants are looking very happy. We used to have dry periods, not this year though. This year, we’ve not just had rain, we’ve had some serious major storms, and looking ahead, August is promising some douzies. We are still cleaning up a couple trees that came down in the fairy garden.

Update on Punkin the Pom: that little stinker is still a challenge now at almost ten months with us. Looks like progress with housetraining, then we regress. She continues to bond with the CE but must still equate me with the dragon that forced her to have another litter. Now she’ll occasionally initiate a walk, running outside then plopping butt down to have the leash attached. (That doesn’t mean a successful potty walk, however.) I have found a new treat she’ll accept (that’s two!) and she is beginning to spend some “social” time near the CE (play time, however, was apparently something she never had nor a clue how to jump up on a couch).

I managed to bake a successful loaf of bread from my third sourdough starter—long story there that includes an attack by a demon squirrel on the starter left on the deck to slow rising—and the separation of 20 grams I’d saved in the fridge for use later. Turned out, later was the next day, but it turned out wonderful, great texture, light and airy, flavorful. Thrilled but now wonder if I could have siphoned off ten grams to save and ten to use.

So yes, July was a blur with the CE’s attention divided and my spending more time in the kitchen. I’m still thinking of a short break, so much going on, it’s been a struggle and I’m relying on more audiobooks to provide content as evidenced by July stats.

I’m still getting books from NetGalley as well as author requests, but July saw more audiobooks than before from my library (six in July!) or half the books reviewed for a total of twelve. As always, links on titles are to our reviews that include purchase or source information.

July Recap

Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston (audiobook)
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (audiobook)
Knee High by the Fourth of July by Jess Lourey
Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda (audiobook)
City Gone Askew by Matt Cost (CE review)
The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear (audiobook)
Lilac Ink by Jean Grainger
12 Coffins by Lewis Pennington
Middletide by Sarah Crouch (audiobook)
Dark of the Moon by John Sandford (audiobook)
The Road to Roatan by Michael Reisig

Favorite Book of the Month

I actually had two five-star books in July—loved them both—and if I had to choose just one, fail. 12 Coffins was a YA, unusual for me, but more than quirky enough to really keep me glued to the pages. Lilac Ink is by one of my favorite authors and this novel begins a new series—totally captivated by the characters—all so real they came alive on the pages. Thoroughly invested and looking forward to Book 2.

Favorites for July – 12 Coffins by Lewis Pennington

Lilac Ink by Jean Grainger

My Reading Challenges page…Reading Challenges page—I refuse to give up on this page—I will bring it up to date, but at this point, it will probably be Fall. The Goodreads Challenge is still six books behind schedule at 80 of 150. I must be having too much fun somewhere!

Welcome as always to my new subscribers and thank you so much to those of you who continue to monitor, read, and comment on my posts. I appreciate all of you.

Happy Thursday!

Daughter of Mine: A Novel by Megan Miranda – #AudiobookReview – #psychologicalthrillers

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A USA TODAY BESTSELLER

Book Blurb:

When Hazel Sharp, daughter of Mirror Lake’s longtime local detective, unexpectedly inherits her childhood home, she’s warily drawn back to the town—and people—she left behind almost a decade earlier. But Hazel’s not the only relic of the past to return: a drought has descended on the region, and as the water level in the lake drops, long-hidden secrets begin to emerge…including evidence that may help finally explain the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.

Riveting and suspenseful, Daughter of Mine is Megan Miranda’s best novel yet, filled with “delicious twists, dark secrets, and a deadly past” (Ashley Elston, New York Times bestselling author of First Lie Wins) that will keep you listening late into the night.

My Review:

Not my first dance with Megan Miranda and her style of writing–slow burn dark family secrets held tightly to the chest with closed fists and set determined jaw. I found much the same in The Last to Vanish.

The first and most obvious twist in this novel is the way the author sets out the timeline and chapters, fusing Hazel Sharp’s story with an area-wide ongoing drought and beginning each chapter with the number of days without rain. Indeed, it’s changing the landscape of her childhood home and Mirror Lake is now revealing secrets that directly impact her.

Hazel has returned after her father dies to discover, and to her brother’s shock, that he left his home and property to her—not them. She is bewildered; they are disgusted. It’s not as if they were ever close as step-siblings.

Her father was a respected law enforcement officer of the community when her mother up and left—never to return. The devastation and feelings of abandonment have never really left. But the cars being exposed by receding waters have opened a shocking new twist to the story—what really happened to her mother?

Clever, the way the chapters add atmospheric tension to the plot as Hazel grapples with her brothers over the home and now whether or not her dad might have had something to do with her mother’s disappearance. The heat causes rise to short tempers; everyone is on edge.

While there was interest in the storyline, I could not fully engage with Hazel nor wrap my head around the backstories of her brothers…(I don’t remember them ever being designated as “step”). So many family secrets, not much of a bond. She and her mother came rather late in their family story.

Lose attention until the next little twist, then re-engage. It’s a weird family dynamic. Once the rain begins the pace rushes into denouement and it’s over. Eh, okay. If you are an MM fan, then you may find this of interest with the way she’s noted chapter headings or you appreciate her build of tension. I just needed it to move a little faster, I guess.

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: Psychological Thrillers, Suspense
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
ASIN: B0C7YD57GS
Listening Length: 10 hrs 27 mins
Narrator: Inés del Castillo
Publication Date: April 9, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Daughter of Mine [Amazon-US]
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Megan Miranda is the New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls; The Perfect Stranger; The Last House Guest, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick; The Girl from Widow Hills; Such a Quiet Place; and The Last to Vanish. She has also written several books for young adults. She grew up in New Jersey, graduated from MIT, and lives in North Carolina with her husband and two children.