Last of the books read in 2022
Today is International Holocaust Memorial day, so a World War II fiction review would have been more appropriate. However, for 2023 I didn’t start any historical fiction from this period yet.
Also this week in The Netherlands it are National Read Aloud Days (January 25 – February 4th). I don’t have much practice in this one, and mostly I read too fast and I certainly can’t do any voices. But the one that I loved to read was “If the S in Moose Comes Loose” by Peter Hermann. It was a fun way to familiarize my sister’s kids with the English language. And when I didn’t have the book at hand, I just let the author read his work aloud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71I57sFJ9ag&t=24s. Other books that are read from generation in our family are by Annie M.G. Schmidt; for example, Jip and Janneke https://www.amazon.com/Jip-Janneke-Annie-M-G-Schmidt/dp/9045106140/ref=sr_1_6?qid=1674830809&refinements=p_27%3AAnnie+M.+G.+Schmidt&s=books&sr=1-6 or Tow-Truck Pluck https://www.amazon.com/Tow-Truck-Pluck-Annie-M-Schmidt/dp/178269112X/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1674830809&refinements=p_27%3AAnnie+M.+G.+Schmidt&s=books&sr=1-2. For the older ones it is, of course, nice that they can read one chapter to you and then you read the next one, for this Roald Dahl books are ideal. But otherwise, I’m a bit out of the loop, of what 9 years old read.
My game-playing time on my iPad is much higher than my Kindle time, and for the moment the 5 second rule is not yet helping. The goal is to use this rule to get up at 5.15 am consistently. But will let you know how that is going in a future blog (at this moment, there is not enough experimentation to form a conclusion). However, I continue to read the book.
Other books I read this year are part of an Anthology I won’t blog about.
So, what will I blog about this week? Well, some books by Kaye Kennedy. Starting with Flirting with Faith. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09QLHXKK8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B09QLHXKK8&linkCode=as2&tag=kayekennedy-20&linkId=ee7ac6a3d73037a3baa78d394b4172c3 This one is part of the “Flirting with the Finest” series. Where we get to know Erik better, the latest member of the SITF. He has a one-night stand with Aubrey, who is older than Erik and a forensic medium. She is still looking for her twin sister who disappeared 17 years. When she moves apartments, her new neighbor turns out to be Erik. Erik is working on solving a murder of a woman in Staten Island, which Aubrey thinks is also linked to her sister’s disappearance. They try to fight their attraction to focus on solving the case.
I rely more on my head and facts than on my heart, so I don’t really believe in mediums until personal experience would prove me wrong. However, the book is a very good mystery story. And so well written, that at some point it felt as if I was standing right next to the victim when Aubrey saw her in one of her dreams. This book was definitely a 4*. I needed to let it sink in before getting my thoughts on paper. Unfortunately, I let these feelings and thoughts marinate a bit too long and forgot to put them on paper altogether. This was at the end of August.
Shortly after that, the following book came out “Rescuing Griffin”. It was part of the Kiss & Tell: An Amaryllis Media Anthology. While there are links in another book review https://bookreviewvirginialee.com/2022/09/11/blog-tour-kiss-and-tell-anthology/ I don’t find any active ones. But you can find a link to this single book on Kaye’s website: https://www.kayekennedy.com/bookshttps://www.kayekennedy.com/books
The proceeds of the original anthology went to St. Jude’s children’s hospital. Most of the stories are about a good “nerdy” girl and a bad boy, rarely the other way around, in a college setting. Also, most of them are prequels in a series of their own. “Rescuing Griffin” is the prequel to “Rescued by Chance”. The reader is introduced to good girl Holly and bad boy Griffin in this prequel. They had a hookup the previous semester and while Holly struggles to keep her feelings for Griffin under wraps, this becomes difficult when they are paired together for a project in one of their business classes. Griffin has a side hustle as a drug dealer and thinks he is not worthy of Holly so he is fighting this budding relationship from his side. When the fighting fails, he gives up the drug business to his second in command to ensure that Holly is safe and clear from his supplier. However, his supplier won’t leave them alone, until Griffin does one final delivery for him. This delivery is a big bust, literally, as the person, he gives the drugs to is an undercover cop. Griffin’s father is an admiral with the Army Rangers and strikes a deal with the prosecutor that allows Griffin to stay out of jail if he joins the Army Rangers. Upon hearing about all this, Holly’s father gets a restraining order against Griffin, so Griffin breaks up in a letter and they don’t see each other again.
That is until eleven years later, in “Rescued by Chance”. Holly is the CEO of Magic Wash the company they started together in college. At the same time, Griffin works for SSTC (Sua Sponte Tactical Corporation) after leaving the army Rangers. Holly is trying to get a divorce from her lawyer husband Christopher. However, Christopher isn’t agreeing to this. One day leaving work early to avoid seeing her husband, Holly is abducted. Her father hires SSTC to help find and get Holly back.
Trigger Warning: contains domestic violence
Spoiler Alert: They do find and rescue Holly. Shortly after Christopher is arrested for domestic violence but free on bail with an ankle monitor. While they (Holly and Griff) fight their feelings they can’t resist their feelings for each other and grow very close again. Until one day Holly is abducted again. This time SSTC is almost too late to rescue Holly and Griffin kills Christopher to make sure Holly can be happy. PTSD and this confession from Griffin drive them apart for a while but in the end, they get back together and in the epilogue, they are set to get married
The book started strong, but I personally found the second abduction a bit much. So I give it only 3*.
I have some historical fiction books already waiting for me, but if there are other fiction books you can recommend to me or want me to review feel free to share them in the comments.
