On My Bookshelf – April 2022
It’s been a few months since I’ve done a reading round up and to be honest, I’ve missed having this little reminder of the books I read through the month. Therefore, I am hoping that you will indulge my resurrection of this monthly round up!
So, here is what I’ve been reading during April.
The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver
This was my first Jeffery Deaver book and I have to say I was very impressed! The first Katheryn Dance novel, it mixes the drama of an escaped convict with the fascination many people have with cults and the dynamics that make people first join, and then stay.
What was interesting about The Sleeping Doll though was Dance herself, as a kinetics expert it had a brilliant insight into peoples actions and behaviours, both intentional and subconscious.
A gripping “catch me if you can” thriller that keeps you turning page after page as Dance tracks down Daniel Pell, but the closer she gets the higher the stakes become.
These Vengeful Hearts by Katherine Laurin
They always say not to judge a book by its cover and sadly in this case I was left disappointed as Theses Vengeful Hearts fell a little short of that stunning book art.
Ember is a high school student who wants into the Red Court: a secret society that has the power to make or break you. What the society doesn’t know though is the Ember plans to destroy it from the insides. Things don’t quite go to plan though, as Ember falls deeper into the Red Court, the lines between right and wrong begins to blur and the old saying of absolute power corrupting absolutely starts to ring true.
These Vengeful Hearts both started and ended well, but the story slumped quite a lot in the middle which had me counting down the pages until I finally got it finished. It is well written though and I can’t help but think that this was was a little bit TOO YA for my particular YA tastes despite my usually enjoying this genre.
I read a review which said this These Vengeful Hears was fairly enjoyable and utterly ridiculous and I can’t help but agree.
Smile and Look Pretty by Amanda Pellegrino
This was an absolutely brilliant book. Tired of being treated badly by their bosses, 4 friends – Cate, Lauren, Olivia and Max – create a tell all website in an attempt to take back some of the power from those who abuse it time and time again. However, in the process they end up starting a movement which quickly spirals out of their control. Can they protect their identities and their jobs?
This is a brilliantly written exploration of gender power in the workplace woven together in the bonds of sisterhood. The humour that fills the story stops Smile and Look Pretty from becoming bitter.
Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlane
Utterly brilliant. If you’ve not read a Mhairi McFarlane book yet then you are in for a treat. With characters that simply come to life in her stories, she creates people that you really care about.
In Mad About You that’s Harriet, a wedding photographer that is newly single and looking for someone to live. It soon becomes apparent though that she has jumps straight out of the pot into the pan. There is no doubt though that there is a lot that Harriet needs to face from her past if she has any hope of looking forward to a future.
I absolutely loved the themes of friendship and women supporting women throughout Mad About You and for that reason I love love LOVED many of the female characters in this story including Harriet, her best friend Lorna and both Nina and Marianne – who I can’t divulge their identity without spoilers. Needless to say though, this is definitely worth a read!
And that’s it! Only 4 books this month but they were 4 good ones. What have you been reading? I’m always looking for bookish inspiration.
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