Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens

Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, March 2016

Genre: Fiction

Pages: Paperback, 384 pages

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary (from goodreads.com):

Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash escaped into the night with her young daughter and left an abusive relationship. Her ex-husband was sent to jail and she started over with a new life. Now, Lindsey is older and wiser, with a teenage daughter who needs her more than ever. When her ex-husband is finally released, Lindsey believes she’s cut all ties. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her. Her new boyfriend is threatened. Her home is invaded, and her daughter is shadowed. Lindsey is convinced it’s her ex-husband, even though he claims he’s a different person. But can he really change? Is the one who wants her dead closer to home than she thought?

Review:

** A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No compensations were made and all opinions are my own **

Have you ever read a Chevy Stevens book? I have read every single one, including her novella, and each one gets better than the last. It's hard for me to say that Never Let You Go is her best to date because I still remember my first read by her and I get chills... in fact, all of her books leave me with chills!

Chevy Stevens is a writer of thriller/suspense novels and one of the best part about her writing is how she makes you crave more. I don't think a single one of her books has every taken me more than a couple of days to read because, once you start, you cannot stop. Fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat suspense will leave you sleepless.

One of the things that I love about Chevy's books are her characters. They are so real, so relatable and developed to feel like you would see them on the street or in the local coffee shop. The characters in Never Let You Go were no different. I loved Lindsey (I mean, her name alone) and felt that her story, her strength and her love for her daughter was so real that I understood why she did what she had to to get away from a dangerous situation. A mother's love is no joke... they will bring out the bear when needed. Sophie was another great character. Full of the typical teenage angst and trouble that you never know if you love them or hate them. As for the other, supporting, characters, every single one fit the story so well and worked to advance the story exactly as they should have!

When you are an avid reader of mystery books, you tend to learn to expect the unexpected (any Big Brother fans out there) and start to look at the most unlikely character to be the 'bad guy' but, once again, my jaw dropped when everything comes together at the end.. I love that feeling. It's rare and i takes some serious talent to be able to have the reader constantly second-guessing 'who dun it?' BRAVO!!

Overall, a stunner of a book and one that you MUST read. I can't say enough about Chevy Stevens, she is the queen of mystery and at the top of my must-read author list... perfection in a book!!

Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton

Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, September 2016

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir

Pages: Hardcover, 272 pages

Rating: 4/5 pages

Summary (from goodreads.com):

Just when Glennon Doyle Melton was beginning to feel she had it all figured out—three happy children, a doting spouse, and a writing career so successful that her first book catapulted to the top of the New York Times bestseller list—her husband revealed his infidelity and she was forced to realize that nothing was as it seemed. A recovering alcoholic and bulimic, Glennon found that rock bottom was a familiar place. In the midst of crisis, she knew to hold on to what she discovered in recovery: that her deepest pain has always held within it an invitation to a richer life.

Love Warrior is the story of one marriage, but it is also the story of the healing that is possible for any of us when we refuse to settle for good enough and begin to face pain and love head-on. This astonishing memoir reveals how our ideals of masculinity and femininity can make it impossible for a man and a woman to truly know one another - and it captures the beauty that unfolds when one couple commits to unlearning everything they’ve been taught so that they can finally, after thirteen years of marriage, fall in love.

Review:

Before I begin, I have to tell you that I don't read the book synopsis of any book before diving in. I like the surprise element so before I began Love Warrior, all I knew was that it was a memoir (non-fiction) and because that is my least favourite genre, I was not anticipating enjoying it... not only that, but I may have even harboured thoughts about skipping it entirely and if it wasn't the Paper & Glam Book Club book for February, I would have likely done that. However, by the second or third page of the book, I was HOOKED and it turned out to be an amazing story of a woman who went through so much before she was able to love herself.

While most of what Glennon goes through from her adolescence through to her adulthood are things that I have never personally dealt with (bulimia, alcoholism, drug abuse, infidelity), I have suffered many similar things to different degrees so I felt very vulnerable reading her story and relating to so much of it. I loved how candid she was while telling her story and that there really was no hiding from her issues. She laid everything out on the table and basically said, "Take me as I am" because that was, indeed, who she was.

Again, because I don't read the synopsis before diving in, I didn't realize that there was a spiritual aspect to this book and I was so grateful as I read about Glennon's love for God. I was moved to (near) tears as she realized just how much God loved her and that no matter what she does in her life, she will always be loved... she will find her eternal home with unending love. It was so heartwarming.

Overall, if you have, or even if you haven't, felt the pressure that society puts on us to be perfect but realized that perfection is unattainable so felt like you were failing at life, this is a book that you must read. I feel that so many people would benefit from Glennon's story about becoming a Love Warrior. You don't have to be religious or spiritual to enjoy this story... you just have to love yourself or have a deep desire to learn to love yourself!

Always Watching by Chevy Stevens

Always Watching by Chevy Stevens

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, June 2013

Genre: Fiction

Pages: Hardcover, 342 pages

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary (from goodreads.com):

She helps people put their demons to rest.

But she has a few of her own…

In the lockdown ward of a psychiatric hospital, Dr. Nadine Lavoie is in her element. She has the tools to help people, and she has the desire—healing broken families is what she lives for. But Nadine doesn’t want to look too closely at her own past because there are whole chunks of her life that are black holes. It takes all her willpower to tamp down her recurrent claustrophobia, and her daughter, Lisa, is a runaway who has been on the streets for seven years.

When a distraught woman, Heather Simeon, is brought into the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit after a suicide attempt, Nadine gently coaxes her story out of her—and learns of some troubling parallels with her own life. Digging deeper, Nadine is forced to confront her traumatic childhood, and the damage that began when she and her brother were brought by their mother to a remote commune on Vancouver Island. What happened to Nadine? Why was their family destroyed? And why does the name Aaron Quinn, the group’s leader, bring complex feelings of terror to Nadine even today?

And then, the unthinkable happens, and Nadine realizes that danger is closer to home than she ever imagined. She has no choice but to face what terrifies her the most…and fight back.

Sometimes you can leave the past, but you can never escape.

Review:

I have now read all of Chevy Stevens books and have to say that she remains at the top of my must-read authors. Like her other books, Always Watching is set in British Columbia Canada, which I love, and delves into the crazy world of cults. Unlike most of the mystery/suspense authors I read, Chevy Stevens books deal with issues that are unique and she handles the storyline flawlessly. Each of her books, this one included, read like they are based on true stories and keep you turning the pages to find out what happened next ... I always want to google the locations and the story to read more.

While Always Watching started off a lot slower than the other Chevy Stevens books I've read, it sure picked up and WOW... Was it ever a great read.

If you enjoy books that involve "cults" and mystery... I would definitely recommend this one.

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, November 2011

Genre: Fiction

Pages: eBook, 352 pages

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary (from chapters.indigo.ca):

Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wiseguys, average Joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even bigger money problems (since losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash-fast-but times are tough, and soon she's forced to turn to the last resort of the truly desperate: family...

ONE FALSE MOVE

Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnie's bail bonding company. She's got no experience. But that doesn't matter. Neither does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli. From the time he first looked up her dress to the time he first got into her pants, to the time Steph hit him with her father's Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. And now the hot guy is in hot water-wanted for murder...

Review:

I've had this book on my TBR for years... like too many years to count but knowing that the series is now 23 books deep, it seemed like such a commitment to get into. When the movie came out, I bumped it up a little higher on the list because I don't like to watch movies before I read the books but even then, it took a hot minute to get it read. Thankfully, after all that time waiting, it was a really good and enjoyable book and I am really glad to now have it marked as 'read'.

Being a fan of mysteries, I found the story line of 'One for the Money' great, in that I really wasn't sure what was happening or 'who dun it?' but it was a very easy to read/chick friendly (and no, I'm not being sexist but it's not a scary novel so I instantly think Chick Lit) type of crime novel.

The characters were well developed and I found both Stephanie Plum (the main character) and Joe Morelli to be very endearing. For a tough guy, you can definitely tell that Joe is a teddy bear when it gets right down to it. Stephanie is the type of fun-loving, accident prone, only has half-a-clue character that I instantly fall in love with so I can fully understand why this series has been such a hit and is going on after all this time.

Overall, a great read and I have already added the second book to my TBR... now to find time to read it!

The Other Side by Chevy Stevens

The Other Side by Chevy Stevens

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, April 2013

Genre: Fiction, Short Story

Pages: eBook, 44 pages

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary (from chapters.indigo.ca):

An original ebook short story from bestselling author Chevy Stevens featuring Psychiatrist Nadine Lavoie and Staff Sergeant Sandy McBride, from Sandy is working the biggest case of her life - the Campsite Killer, who has been hunting women for almost forty years.  She's finally close to nailing him, if she can just keep her head in the game.  But when an old friend calls with a lead about Sandy's mother's murder, Sandy is pulled into the past—a past she thought she'd closed the door on. Her life is about to get real complicated, real fast.

Review:

Even at 44 pages long, Chevy Stevens has me pulled in with her amazing writing style. I absolutely love how she weaves a story and how her characters feel like real people.

The Other Side is a short story based off the characters and plot of the book Never Knowing so I definitely recommend reading that first. There was a significant amount of overlap between the two and at least half of this story was pulled directly from Never Knowing so if you read them back-to-back, it may come off as redundant. As it was a while between the stories for me, it was a nice refresher. I did enjoy the added elements to Sandy McBride's story.

As with all of Chevy Stevens work, this was a worthwhile, and very quick, read!

Holiday Reads | A Shoe Addict's Christmas

A Shoe Addict's Christmas by Beth Harbison

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, October 2016

Genre: Fiction, Christmas

Pages: Hardcover, 160 pages

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary (from chapters.indigo.ca):

Noelle is not a fan of the holidays and to make matters worse, she is at a crossroads in her life when it seems that love and adventure are no longer possible. When she stays late at her job in a department store on a snowy Christmas Eve she accidentally gets locked in after closing. She isn't too concerned about the prospect of spending the night in the store.until a woman appears out of nowhere and tells Noelle that she's her guardian angel. Soon Noelle finds herself camped out in the shoe department facing several "ghosts" of Christmases past, present, and future...Will visiting the holidays of yesterday and tomorrow help Noelle see the true spirit of Christmas? And will the love she has longed for all her life be the best surprise gift of all?

Review:

It would feel wrong if I didn't first point out that this book is SHORT, under 150 pages, and I went in thinking, 'how is this possible?'... 'there can't be a full story here.' but, it was a wonderful book!

A Shoe Addict's Christmas is a very modern retelling of the classic, A Christmas Carol, with a twist and I fell in love with it almost from the get go. I mean, who wouldn't want to be stuck in a high end department store on Christmas Eve, with the snow piling up outside? Okay, maybe not everyones dream, but for someone with little else to do, it seemed perfect for Noelle.

There are really only two characters in the book and I found myself really liking both of them and rooting for the outcome of the story, without really even knowing what was possible.

Overall, a quick read that will leave you with a smile on your face and the spirit of the season in your heart.