Review of Lies Like Wildfire by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

 

An intense high-stakes story about five friends and the deadly secret that could send their lives up in flames, perfect for fans of Karen McManus and E. Lockhart.

In Gap Mountain, California, everyone knows about fire season. And no one is more vigilant than 18-year-old Hannah Warner, the sheriff's daughter and aspiring FBI agent. That is until this summer. When Hannah and her best friends accidentally spark an enormous and deadly wildfire, their instinct is to lie to the police and the fire investigators.

But as the blaze roars through their rural town and towards Yosemite National Park, Hannah's friends begin to crack and she finds herself going to extreme lengths to protect their secret. Because sometimes good people do bad things. And if there’s one thing people hate, it’s liars.

Review:

5 Stars

Kids do stupid things. They say stupid things and embarrass or disappoint their parents no matter how hard they try. It's life. No matter how hard the parents try to instill good ethics and morals free will is always going to be a factor. 

When Hannah and her friends start a deadly wildfire their first instinct is to lie to save themselves and the futures that they each hold dear. A lie that will will quickly start to eat at each of them and turn them against each other, as quick as the spreading fire that they are responsible for. 

Throughout the story you hear of someone wanting to do the right thing, but again and again being vetoed, no matter how much damage and destruction lays at their feet. 

Filled with heartache and loss, this is an emotionally charged story that will have your eyes stinging with tears while sitting on the edge of your seat. 

Review of The Replacement Wife by Darby Kane

 

A domestic suspense novel that asks, how many wives and girlfriends should disappear before your family notices?

Elisa Wright is a mom and wife, living a nice, quiet life in a nice, quiet town. She’s also convinced her brother-in-law is a murderer. Josh has one dead wife and one missing fiancée, and though he grieved for them he starts dating someone new. Elisa fears for that woman’s safety, and she desperately wants to know what happened to her friend, Josh’s missing fiancée.

Searching for clues means investigating her own family. And she doesn’t like what she finds. A laptop filled with incriminating information. Other women.

But when Elisa becomes friends with Josh’s new girlfriend and starts to question things she thinks are true, Elisa wonders if the memories of a horrible incident a year ago have finally pushed her over the edge and Josh is really innocent. With so much at stake, Elisa fights off panic attacks and a strange illness. Is it a breakdown or something more? The race is on to get to the truth before another disappearance because there’s a killer in the family… or is there?

Review:

4 Stars

I honestly do not know what I would do if one of my in-laws had one dead wife, a missing fiancée and now a new girlfriend. It really doesn't look good for that person and I can definitely see where Elisa's concern is coming from. 

Is it Josh that is at the center of these crimes or is there something more sinister going on in this seemingly quiet family than meets the eye. Digging into such matters can also unbury secrets that otherwise would have gone undiscovered. 

A suspenseful and thought provoking story. 

Review of The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

 

The next electrifying novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author duo behind The Wife Between Us.

Wealthy Washington suburbanites Marissa and Matthew Bishop seem to have it all—until Marissa is unfaithful. Beneath their veneer of perfection is a relationship riven by work and a lack of intimacy. She wants to repair things for the sake of their eight-year-old son and because she loves her husband. Enter Avery Chambers.

Avery is a therapist who lost her professional license. Still, it doesn’t stop her from counseling those in crisis, though they have to adhere to her unorthodox methods. And the Bishops are desperate.

When they glide through Avery’s door and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course. Because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it’s no longer simply a marriage that’s in danger.

Review:

4 Stars

Breaking trust is something that has a lasting impact on any relationship. When a person is unfaithful in a marriage it destroys not only the trust, but the entire foundation that the marriage was built upon. Many times people don't even want to try and see if repairs can be made, but Marissa loves her husband and wants more than anything to be back in his good graces. 

Matthew cannot fathom his wife cheating on him, let along going along with her idea of therapy to try and repair the damage that she has brought to their life. When Matthew meets Avery and listens to the unorthodox way of her program he's even less thrilled with this proposed journey. 

This book delves into the secrets that people keep from not only each other, but from themselves as well. An eye opening and emotionally charged story.