Friday Fives - Quick Reviews for Five Books I've Read Recently

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random fve lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. This week I'm sharing 5 quick reviews for books I've read recently.

1.  One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski - This thriller has been on my TBR since it came out so I was so excited to get started on it.  It's a dual timeline thriller one timeline being present day involving a disgraced weathergirl who needs a place to hide and rebuild her life.  The other timeline takes place in the mid-80s focusing on a teenager working at a traveling carnival who gets caught up in the world of Opal Beach.  Both women get in over their head.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book and was satisfied with the end.  The second half felt like it just dragged on and became a bit repetitive and angsty.  I listened to the audio version and enjoyed both narrators' performances but I think I would have gotten a bit frustrated with the pacing if I had been reading it in print.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

2.  Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea -  This was my first book by this author and it absolutely won't be my last.  From the first chapter to the end I was completely pulled into story and couldn't wait to find out just how everything unraveled.  Rory Moore is a crime scene investigator who uses her attention to detail to see things other people miss.  When her father, a criminal attorney, dies she becomes pulled into one of his cases as she works to put his affair in order.  The author alternates between the events that happened in the summer of 1979 and Rory's investigation in 2019.  I don't want to say much more about it as I knew very little going in and I think that really helped my enjoyment.  I loved the writing style and the characters.  While the story is intense and touches on dark topics it was never so bloody or violent that my cozy loving reading self struggled with it.  After finishing this I immediately added every book I could find by this author to my TBR.  My Rating: Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)

3.  The Lights of Sugarberry Cove by Heather Webber - I loved this one but then I've loved every book I've read by Heather Webber so far.  I loved the family dynamic - especially between the sisters and Leala.  There's a lot to heal but there's also a lot of shared bonds.  I loved the world of Sugarberry Cove and the cottage with the bits of lake magic woven through.   I listened to the audio and was absolutely capitvated from page one.  Both narrators did a great job bringing the book to life.  My only issue is that I have lived in Shelby County, Alabama and I have never known anyone with air condition to leave a window open during the summer! Every time I pick up a Heather Webber book I always what took me so long and this was no exception.  I loved this one from the beginnign and was sad to see the end - though the ending was so satisfying!  My Rating: Loved It! (5 Stars).  

4.  Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson - I had no intention of reading this book.  The premise and title didn't grab me at all but when the second book came out I really wanted to read that one and realized it was a series so grudgingly picked this one up and I'm so glad I did!  It took me a short chapter to get used to the main character's voice but then I was completely hooked and thoroughly enjoying it.  I loved the breaking of the fourth wall and the humor mixed in with the mystery.  There were a number of times my jaw literally dropped and times I laughed outloud.   This one really kep tme guessing and I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series!  The audio is well done and the narrator did a great job with really bringing the humor of the story out.  My Rating: Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)

5.  The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren - This is my second book by this author(s) and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Anna and West have a very straight forward marriage of convenience but after years apart Anna discoveres things are not quite as simple as she thought they were.  I wasn't sure I'd like Anna at the beginning.  She's under a lot of stress but she seems like such a mess and completely unable to get herself out of it.  I quickly learned though that the book starts with Anna at her lowest point and it didn't take long before I was fully on Team Anna.  I  couldn't help but love West as he tries to navigate his life and his incredibly complicated incredibly wealthy family.  After a few chapters I was pulled in and flew through this book.  While this is a sexy beach read it also tackles some serious subjects and that ending (happy sigh).  This was only by second book by Christina Lauren but it definitely won't be my last! My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)