The Sweet Escape

I’ve put my reviews for the books I’ve read on this page.  I’d love to read more books in the historical romance, drama, general fiction and young adult genres. I don’t read a lot of fantasy or non-fiction, unless it’s a book on writing.

If you’d like me to read your novel, please send me a note via the Contact page with information about your release. I don’t promise a review, but if you send me a copy, I’ll give it my best shot!

• Sugar, Bernice McFadden [Review]

  At the beginning of Bernice McFadden's Sugar, we don't meet Sugar. We meet Jude, so to speak. Jude is the ghost in the story, the crux of every emotional scene in the novel. Jude is the murdered child of Pearl, a woman who befriends her next door neighbor that happens to go by the name 'Sugar'.

• Her Fearful Symmetry, Audrey Niffenegger [Review]

  This story begins oh, so right. Niffenegger (you mind if I call her Audrey? That name is a toughie)jumps right into the middle of the story and wades around in it. Our main character, you see... dies on Page One. And I figure if someone dies on Page One, there's a good reason for it and a good story behind it.

• Rainwater, Sandra Brown [Review]

  I'm a huge fan of period pieces, especially if the author does a superb job of transporting the reader back to a simpler time. I'm not really a thriller reader, so I had never even thought to read Sandra Brown before. It was a recommended novel on a Kindle list so I picked it up one day a few weeks ago.

• The Chosen One- [Review]

  arol Lynch Williams presents a heart pounding, engaging novel about a girl growing up in a Polygamist community, under the watchful eye and controlling thumb of a God-like figure, The Prophet. The Chosen One seems ripped from recent headlines about the infiltration of these communities and rescues of children ordered to marry men more than twice their ages, bear children, and become one of several wives.

• Dark Places- Gillian Flynn [Review]

  Here's what I can say: the plot is intricately weaved and the imagery is VIVID. Flynn is... OMG... I think my new favorite author right now. Grisly and gory but nail bitingly exciting. I'm still spinning from this book. We meet Libby Day immediately in the book and we're shocked by such an unlikely protagonist. I think Flynn's golden arrow is an unlikeable hero, because Libby is just as or more unlikable than the protagonist in Sharp Objects.

• Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn [Review]

  Sometimes my method of picking books is really calculated. And then sometimes I just see something and think, 'hmph. I'll read that, I guess.' Sharp Objects was chosen via the latter method. Suffice it to say,I think I started this book sometime last week, maybe over the weekend. It's Tuesday and I just finished it. Literally a few minutes ago... I've been buried in it all weekend.

• The Help- Kathryn Stockett [Review]

  This book was a slow start for me, but once it got going, it was hard to put down. I was almost late for work one morning, because I had started reading and couldn't stop. I literally sat down 4 hours ago to finish it, because I just couldn't stand not knowing what happened anymore. The Help is a riveting, entertaining first novel-- I think Ms. Stockett should be quite proud of herself.

• Stephen King- On Writing [Review]

  On Writing by Stephen King My goodreads review rating: 4 of 5 stars I picked up this book on a whim from Amazon, while searching for some books on Writing. It comes pretty highly recommended from those who have read it. I have to admit I really only read 1/3 of it but I will read the rest. Part 2, On Writing, is basically King's best advice to writers.