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Review: Driving the Deep (Finder Chronicles #2) by Suzanne Palmer

~ megs14malloy

Driving the Deep (Finder Chronicles, #2)Driving the Deep by Suzanne Palmer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Driving the Deep is the second novel in the Finder Chronicles by Suzanne Palmer. The first book in the series, Finder, was one of my most memorable Sci-Fi reads of 2019.

I adored Palmer’s writing style, her world-creation, the nail-biting action and the main character, Fergus Ferguson, a space repo man, was completely lovable and funny. I absolutely adored him.

In this book, we get to reunite with Fergus for another thrilling space caper.

Since the conclusion of Finder, Fergus has been recovering from those events whilst staying with his friends, the Shipmakers of Pluto, who are all well-known experts in the development of AI-spacecraft.

The downtime has given Fergus a lot of time to think about the life he left behind and with the encouragement of his friends, he decides it may finally be time to face his past. Fergus hasn’t been back to Earth since stealing his cousin’s motorcycle at the age of 15, and running away.

That theft, his first, has weighed on his conscious ever since. He finally feels ready and able to try to make amends, with the support of his friends, of course.

However, upon returning to the shipyard that houses the storage unit he left the motorcycle in all those years ago, he finds the motorcycle gone and priceless, stolen artwork in its place. What the heck?!

Before he can figure out just what happened in that storage unit, the shipyard is attacked and his friends go missing. He assumes, logically so, that they’ve been kidnapped for their scientific knowledge and expertise.

Fergus must now try to figure out the mystery of the missing bike, the stolen artwork and his missing friends. Proof that there truly is no rest for the weary.

Ahhhh, this was such a delight to read and exactly what I was in the mood for. I can’t believe it took me over 3-years to finally read this sequel.

I love Palmer’s writing and Fergus Ferguson is such a fun main character. He’s easy to root for and once you go on an adventure with him, you’ll never want to leave his side.

I need to keep the ball rolling now and pick up the 3rd-book soon. For me, this one was just as enjoyable, maybe even more so, than the 1st-book. I think the attachment I built up for Fergus over the course of the 1st-story, helped to propel this one even higher up the enjoyment ladder for me.

I also just really enjoyed the circumstances in this. Watching the relationships Fergus had built with his friends, even though it was hard for him to get close to people initially, and watching him let his walls down by returning to Earth; both of those things were just so satisfying.

I would recommend this to fans of the Murderbot Diaries. I think as far as action levels and enjoyable characters, they’re quite comparable.

Overall, this series is fast-paced and exciting, with characters you can get behind and will want to stay with for years to come. I can’t wait to read the next book.

My only disappointment with Driving the Deep is that it took me so long to get to it.

Even though I am years late to the party, thank you so much to the publisher, DAW, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is a fantastic series!

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Review: One for All by Lillie Lainoff

~ megs14malloy

One for AllOne for All by Lillie Lainoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

One for All is pitched as a gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers, but don’t go into it expecting an actual retelling.

I would classify this as more of a continuation of the Musketeer legends, but with female protagonists.

Our intrepid hero is Tania de Batz, who hasn’t let her chronic illness smother her dreams. That’s her mother’s job.

Tania’s father is a former Musketeer who has regaled his daughter with stories of his adventures. Tania aspires to be like him, to be a fencer and to protect the crown from harm. Her loving father supports her, until the day he is mysteriously killed.

While Tania’s mother wants nothing more than to marry her daughter off, for her own good, of course, Tania’s father’s final wish was for her to attend L’Académie des Mariées.

A finishing school! Tania can’t believe her father would wish such a thing upon her. Isn’t that just the final stop before finding a suitable husband!?

Luckily for Tania, her father had her back after all. L’Académie isn’t a finishing school. It’s a secret training ground for female Musketeers. Musketeers who will front as socialites, but are actually seeking out intel to stop attacks on the crown.

They’re like crazy secret spy ladies who never back down from a fight. We love that!

For the first time at L’Académie, Tania feels accepted. She doesn’t feel like her newfound sisters-in-arms are judging her because of her illness. They trust in her and her abilities.

Then a boy comes along. Leave it to a boy to spoil things. Etienne is Tania’s first target and he gets under her skin in all the wrong ways.

This is a fun book. I enjoyed getting to know Tania and following her journey as she finally got the chance to achieve her dream of becoming a Musketeer.

I was drawn to her struggles from the very beginning. I felt for her, the way her mother treated her. It was sad and frustrating, but I sort of got where her mother was coming from, even though I didn’t agree with her.

I loved the relationship between Tania and her father though. It was heartbreaking that he was taken from her so soon. Her ambitions to follow in his footsteps seemed like an impossibility at the time for a woman, but he found the way to make it so.

I also really loved the found-family aspect of this story. Once Tania arrives at school and meets her new sisters, that was so fantastic.

The dynamics between all the girls was strong and believable. They made a great team!

While the plot of this didn’t grab me quite as strongly as I had been hoping for, I still really enjoyed my time listening to the audiobook.

Overall, I think One for All is a great story. Sure, it helps that it’s inspired by one of my all-time favorite classics. I loved having female Musketeers!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, as well as RB Media, for providing me with copies to read and review.

This is an impressive debut for Lillie Lainoff. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!!

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Review: The Violent Season by Sara Walters

~ megs14malloy

The Violent SeasonThe Violent Season by Sara Walters
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

There’s a local legend in the town of Wolf Ridge, Vermont, that every November its citizens are struck with a sudden hunger for violence.

Wyatt Green knows first hand that its more than a legend; it’s true. Last November her mother was brutally murdered in their home and the culprit was never found.

Wyatt, who was the first to find the body, has been living with the shock and grief ever since.

But there is more in Wyatt’s life causing her emotional stress and grief than her mother’s untimely death. There’s also her relationship with the cute and volatile, Cash.

He’s the bad boy who swept into her life and became a sort of obsession. She doesn’t know who she is without him and no matter what happens between them, she is still drawn to him. She has to be near him.

After getting paired with Cash’s nemesis, Porter, for a school project, however, Wyatt’s outlook begins to change.

The closer she gets to Porter, the more her past seems to come into focus, including her relationship with Cash. Has she been wrong about him all along?

As the violent season deepens, the truth about Wyatt’s mom also comes to light, forcing her to face her own dark reality.

If this sounds a little bleak to you, you’re not wrong. It is, but it’s also addictive. I listened to the audiobook and once I started, I couldn’t stop.

It tackles some fairly serious topics, including toxic/abusive relationships and drug/alcohol abuse, so if you feel those could be triggering for you, please tread with caution.

Overall, I would equate this to a Lifetime movie, or one of those old After-School Specials. There’s nothing super groundbreaking about it, but while you are reading it, it will capture your attention and should keep you entertained.

I liked it. It’s definitely a good story. I think for some Readers, who may have experienced certain things similar to Wyatt, it could be even more impactful.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for providing me with an audio-copy. I would definitely read more from Sara Walters.

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Review: Second Chances by P.D. Cacek

~ megs14malloy

Second ChancesSecond Chances by P.D. Cacek
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Second Chances is the follow-up to P.D. Cacek’s 2019 release, Second Lives, which I read and reviewed last year.

In that novel, we learn of a global phenomenon where souls, in some cases, a long time dead, are reincarnated in a sense, into the bodies of recently deceased humans.

There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the bizarre occurrences, but the newly matched souls with bodies are known as Travelers, mostly accepted within society and protected under the law.

In some cases, the families of the recently deceased people, now inhabited by the souls of other people, agree to take these Travelers in and basically absorb them into their families.

It’s an odd concept, but definitely creative and also quite interesting to think about.

In this installment, we are mainly following twins, Jessie and Abbie, whose father is the leader of a religious movement known as, True Borns.

Daddy’s main area of focus happens to be preaching hate against the Travelers, or Imposters, as they call them. Otherwise known as imps.

We also follow a mentally unstable teen boy and his equally unstable mother, as well as a few other people related to the Traveler phenomenon.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one, y’all. It hurts my heart, but I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first novel.

It was definitely interesting, particularly the overall picture of what is going on in this world. If you think about the ramifications of what our world would be like if this actually happened, it’s creepy AF.

With this being said, there were also large portions, or storylines, of this book that just didn’t sit right with me. Frankly, they made me uncomfortable.

Particularly, Jessie’s storyline as a trans character, but also the treatment of mental health for Curtis and his mother. I would definitely be interested in seeing OWN voices reviews on those two representations here, should they come up.

Overall, I just don’t think it was a solid match for my tastes.

It is a good book though, don’t get me wrong. I would recommend picking it up, especially if you really enjoyed the first book.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Flame Tree Press, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity!

There is a reader for every book, and a book for every reader.

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Review: The Nesting by C.J. Cooke

~ megs14malloy

The NestingThe Nesting by C.J. Cooke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Lexi is at rock bottom. Her life has never been easy, but at this point, she has days where she would rather not be alive.

After her long-term relationship ends and her best friend basically tells her that she has become too much too deal with, Lexi knows she must find a way to make a new life for herself.

Riding a train one day, she overhears a conversation that provides her the opportunity to do just that.

Stealing a woman named Sophie’s identity, Lexi applies for a position as a nanny for a wealthy widower and his two young daughters. The best part is, the post is in the beautiful country of Norway.

She’s astounded to learn that she has been hired on. Obviously, she’s also nervous. She has a lot to pull off.

Lexi, now Sophie, knows absolutely nothing about home-schooling, infants or any other general duties of being a nanny.

From the very first day, she’s quickly swept up into the lives of the other staff members, Derry, Clive and Maron; the two children, Gaia and Coco, and the handsome widower, Tom.

The house itself, is a drafty, historic home that the family resides in temporarily while Tom and Clive construct the main event: Aurelia’s Nest.

As her days inside the house go on, Sophie begins to hear and see strange things.

She also starts to learn about Tom’s deceased wife, Aurelia, and the days leading up to her apparent suicide.

Interspersed throughout the story, we do get some chapters told from Aurelia’s perspective.

Sophie also stumbles across a diary that appears to be Aurelia’s, so she gets a little bit of glimpse into her life as well, which causes her to come to some startling conclusions regarding Tom and Aurelia’s marriage.

I enjoyed my time with this novel. The beginning felt very An Anonymous Girl meets Turn of the Key, but once the narrative arrives in Norway, it really takes on a life of its own.

Cooke excels at setting the atmosphere; a perfect Autumnal read. This entire novel is dripping with a cold, dark, ominous feeling throughout.

Part ghost story, part domestic drama, part ecological horror story, there’s also a lovely sprinkling of Norwegian folklore to sink your teeth into.

While I enjoyed many aspects of this story, I also felt like there were a few too many plot holes, as well as aspects that felt too much like other stories I have read recently.

However, with this being said, overall, this is a captivating book. I would absolutely read anything else C.J. Cooke writes. She definitely has a style I am interested in watching grow.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. As always, I greatly appreciate the opportunity to provide my opinion.

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Review: Hood by Jenny Elder Moke

~ megs14malloy

HoodHood by Jenny Elder Moke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

What happened after Robin Hood and Maid Marian rode off into the sunset together?

They had a daughter, Isabelle. This is her story.

Finding herself on the wrong side of the law, Isabelle is forced to flee the village of Kirklees and the priory where her mother, Marian, is Prioress.

With her mother’s aide, she sets out with a destination in mind, where dwells one of her mother’s old friends who can help her hide from the King’s men.

After a fearful journey, over many days, she reaches the Inn her mother advised her to go to.

It’s there she joins up with the Merry Men, learns the truth of her parentage and grows ever closer to meeting the infamous, Robin Hood.

This was an action-packed, super fun story, full of adventure and close calls.

I enjoyed where Moke took this, finding out how Robin and Marian’s ‘happily ever after’ went.

While I had fun reading this, it was quick and light, I wasn’t necessarily blown away by anything here.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a good story, and if you are a fan of the Disney animated version, you should definitely check it out, but I can’t help but wish it would have been built out further.

Moke has a very pleasing writing style and all the bones were here, but I just wanted more.

I believe this is a standalone, but I sort of wish it was going to be a duology. I started to feel very connected with Isabelle towards the end, and the rest of the Merry Men. Personally, I would really enjoy following them on further adventures.

While I wasn’t crazy about some of the content of the conclusion to this tale, I do believe there is a lot more story to tell and Moke is the perfect person to tell it.

Give me more Isabelle. She is just starting to come into her own!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney Book Group, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity and look forward to reading more from Jenny Elder Moke!

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Review: The Passengers by John Marrs

~ megs14malloy

The PassengersThe Passengers by John Marrs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A nonstop thrill ride from beginning to end. A Techno-Thriller to beat all Techno-Thrillers!

My first John Marrs novel gets two very solid thumbs up.

The premise of The Passengers intrigued me from the start.

It sounds like it will be The Purge but set in a Tesla.

Surprisingly enough, it is actually more like The Hunger Games but set in a Tesla and I was so down for that!

In a near-future U.K., Level 5 autonomous vehicles are now the law of land. Said to make personal travel completely safe, that isn’t necessarily the case.

Situations are still going to arise where an accident is imminent, but without a human to control the vehicle, what will happen if you are to say, hit a grandmother crossing the street, versus crash head on into another vehicle carrying the country’s most loved football star?

The vehicle, or more accurately, the computer controlling the vehicle will have to come to a decision. A sort of cost-benefit analysis for the greater good of society.

We meet eight individuals, all with one thing in common: they are getting into their autonomous cars around the same time, on the same day.

After settled in, the doors lock and a mysterious voice pumps through the car speakers telling them, their plans have changed and in just a few hours, they will all be dead.

Their collective plight is broadcast across all media outlets nationwide. The citizens of the country get to vote for one passenger to be the sole survivor.

Who will it be?

This whole story was so interesting. The commentary on our future with tech, the moral issues our dependence upon such technologies will bring about, as well as the potentially harmful nature of social media, was all spectacularly done.

There was never a moment while reading this that I felt bored, or that details were inconsequential to the story. It was so well crafted.

This may be my first John Marrs, but it certainly will not be my last!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity and had a wonderful time with it.

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Review: Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier

~ megs14malloy

Little SecretsLittle Secrets by Jennifer Hillier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Marin Machado is a boss.

A successful business woman, owning upscale hair salons catering to the stars, she is confident and happy.

Her equally successful and handsome husband, Derek, is also a business owner and the couple has a little boy, Sebastian, who is the light of their lives.

Marin has it all.

That is until someone nabs Sebastian from a busy shopping center just prior to the Christmas holiday.

In the blink of an eye, Marin and Derek’s world shatters. Devastated by Sebastian’s disappearance, they both retreat into themselves to deal with their pain and grief.

When the police investigation goes nowhere, Marin hires a PI to continue the search.

Over a year later, the private investigator uncovers something, but it isn’t about her son. It’s about her husband.

As further secrets are revealed the lines between love and hate begin to blur. A woman spurned is a serious force to be reckoned with and Marin has nothing to lose.

Her best friend, Sal, and a grief support group she is a part of, are Marin’s only real connections anymore. She feels so distant from Derek.

But who can she trust?

I had so much fun reading this book. It was captivating from the very first chapter.

I loved Marin’s character. All of her flaws and grief. I found her to be complex, yet relatable.

While I did guess one of the reveals earlier than I expect the reader is supposed to, it didn’t diminsh my enjoyment level at all.

I thought going along with Marin on her journey, as she learns the truth of her husband’s betrayal and what happened to her son, was so satisfying.

Hillier really impressed me with this one. My favorite Thriller of the year so far, I would say.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I cannot wait to see what Jennifer Hillier dreams up next!

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Review: The New Husband by D.J. Palmer

~ megs14malloy

The New HusbandThe New Husband by D.J. Palmer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Close to two years after her husband, Glen, goes missing, Nina Garrity is doing her best to put her life back together. She feels betrayed that he would just ditch her and their two children, Connor and Maggie.

In spite of this, when Simon Fitch walks into her life, she is charmed by him and suddenly ready to try love again.

Not everyone is pleased with this development. Particularly, her daughter, Maggie, whose precocious perspective we get throughout the novel, alternating with Nina’s.

Maggie’s perspective was definitely my favorite to read from. Sure, she’s sassy, but she’s thirteen and wise beyond her years. I found her to be an astute judge of character and considering the circumstances, I cherished her defiance.

When Nina and Simon buy a house together, the living environment becomes quite tense. Connor, Maggie’s older brother, really likes Simon. He believes his Father is dead and he is looking to move on, just as Nina is.

However, Maggie believes her Father is still out there and doesn’t understand why her Mother would just give up on him. Allowing Simon into their family seems like a hasty decision, as far as she is concerned, not to mention the fact that the guy is a complete creep. As a result, she’s fairly combative.

As a reader, it doesn’t take long before you begin to notice that Maggie is on to something. Simon’s behavior is definitely far from normal.

He’s clearly manipulating Nina, gaslighting her and distancing her from her friends, but why? Not only are his behaviors bizarre, they’re also dangerous. You start to fear for everyone in that house.

Full of twists, I mean, absolutely full of twists, I really had a fun time with this book. I loved the perspective shifts and seeing the story be pieced together that way was so intense.

I’ll agree with some earlier reviewers that it was a bit far-fetched as far as some of the plot twists went, but who cares? It was a wild ride and a great way to escape from life for a while. That’s always what I am looking for in a book. I want to get swept up in it, and this definitely provided that.

While it wasn’t perfect for me, it was pretty darn close. I find Palmer’s writing to be super compelling. He absolutely knows how to pull you in.

Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it and look forward to reading more from this author!

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Review: The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez

~ megs14malloy

The Vanished BirdsThe Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

This book went so far over my head, it’s in the thermosphere.

Let’s chat about it, shall we?

This is a GREAT book. The quality of the writing is delicious. Absolutely gorgeous storytelling, however, I have to rate the book based on my reading experience.

For me this was a good, to very good, reading experience. If I had the mental capacity to understand it more, I am sure my rating would have been higher.

I think what it boils down to is that this just isn’t my type of book. I am fast reader. Additionally, I am a polygamous reader. I read multiple books at the same time, quite quickly.

As annoying as this character trait is, it is the only way for me to do it. I have tried to take my time, or just read one book at a time, and it puts me into a reading slump.

Therefore, deep books steeped with a lot of philosophical meaning tend to be wasted on my brain.

I just don’t take the time to really sit back and assess the messages that the author is trying to convey. If wish I could. I envy those of you who are able to do that.

The Vanished Birds is a lyrical science fiction story of various relationships connected across space an time.

I think a lot of readers will be able to get so much out of this. Even I can tell that the quality of this story is far above average.

As a character piece, I think this holds a lot of value, and I’m not afraid to admit that it is beyond my comprehension.

I want to encourage everyone to read this synopsis and if it sounds intriguing to you, please pick it up. The synopsis is true to what is in the book, so I think it will draw in the appropriate readers.

With intelligent, subtle narrative, futuristic concepts and beautiful writing, for many scifi readers, I anticipate this being a 4-or 5-stars! Maybe that will be you!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Del Rey Books, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I appreciate it so much and look forward to seeing other reviews for this one!

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