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Let’s talk about books. What type of book do you like to read? Do you stick to the same authors or are you willing to take a chance on something radically different from your norm? I have a cluster of authors that I gobble up the new books they put out like a binge eater…all in one sitting. And in between waiting for said authors to put out the next book, I have a group of “fill in” authors. And then there are the ones I read because I am so very curious about everything. It has been pointed out to me that my reading list is probably linked to Homeland Security but how can you have an opinion on anything if you haven’t fully researched it?

On my bookshelf you will find every James Patterson novel, every Laurell K. Hamilton, every Stuart Woods, Harlan Coben, Catherine Coulter, Iris Johansen, Anne Rice, Laura Childs, Tom Clancy, George R.R.Martin, Kim Harrison, Kathy Reichs, Patricia Cornwell, Lisa Scottoline, Lisa Unger, Karin Slaughter, Don Winslow, Sara Blaedel along with all the classics. I don’t do romance books, no heaving bosoms or glistening abs for me.

Reading is a magical thing that can take you places you would never have access to in the living world. I love everything about books. The cover, the feel, and smell of the paper, it all has to come together for me.  Books are like a good friend who stays around.

So here we are going to be talking about books. What we’ve read, what we are reading and what we hope to read. I find it so interesting that two people can read the same book and have totally different takes on it. But that is the fun of books and imagination. Everyone is different and I am intrigued by those different opinions.

Stick around for some really good, new authors I have found and feel free to make suggestions and comments!  Join us on Facebook for free books, authors looking for reviewers and new releases and giveaways! On Twitter, @GaPirate  Email me at piratepatty@hotmail.com. Have your Marketing people or Publisher contact me for reviews.

VERITAS: A Harvard Professor, A Con Man and the Gospel of Jesus’s Wife by Ariel Sabar

 

Veritas: A Harvard Professor, a Con Man, and the Gospel of Jesus's Wife

 

The gripping true story of a sensational religious forgery and the scandal that engulfed Harvard.

Dr. Karen King, a well-respected professor at Harvard Divinity, announced to the attendees of a scholars conference, steps from the Vatican.

Someone had given her a scrap of an ancient papyrus where Jesus calls Mary Magdalene his wife.  As you can imagine, this was huge. I know I followed this in the news because I had an interest in the Gnostic Gospels and what was and wasn’t true. I never saw Mary of Magdala as a prostitute and I never found any corroboration of that.

Imagine if all these years later we find out Jesus had a wife. What? What a shakeup that would be for the Catholic Church especially. If he was married, why celibacy in the priesthood? Why no women in positions of power? There was a powerful uproar and King’s reputation suffered. Was this piece a forgery and if so was King in on it?

Amid all of these questions, journalist Ariel Sabar started digging into the story. Where did the fragment come from? With impeccable research and detective skills, he brings us the story of King and the man who may or may not be a forger.

This was a brilliant look at the rivalries in academia. The hopes of King that there was an alternative to the bible out there that was more inclusive to women. I’ll leave you to enjoy the mystery.

I am still mulling over questions this book brought up. And I’m sure I will be for a long time.

Well Done!

NetGalley/ August 11th, 2020 by Doubleday Books

 

 

 

THE KEY LIME CRIME by LUCY BURDETTE

The Key Lime Crime (Key West Food Critic Mystery, #10)

Key West Food Critic Mystery Series #10

Back in one of my favorite places! Key West and Houseboat Row! With my favorite food critic, Haley Snow. Haley and new hubby, Nathan, are still living with Miss Gloria and the pet menagerie while the renovations plod slowly on the newlyweds very own houseboat, so it’s crowded, to say the least.

With the busy time between Christmas and New Year, the town is packed with unruly tourists, enjoying all of the local food and drink. The police are stretched to their limits and Haley is participating in the Best Key Lime Pie contest, covering the event and tasting all of the entries for the local magazine.

Add into the chaos a surprise last-minute visit from her new mother in law, her parents slammed with their own catering business and deadlines due now!

Haley is hoping to entertain Nathan’s Mom and still get everything done on time. But her nerves are stretched.

Local, self-appointed Key Lime Pie expert, David Sloan persuaded the city to host the event and it looks like the competition is deadly. Especially since the newest pastry chef in town is told in front of everyone that her pie is not a pie and can not be entered.

And you know there is going to be a body. And that isn’t even the most surprising thing. Her mother in law turns out to be nothing like Haley imagined. She has a new partner in crime-solving.

This is one of my favorite series. In this cozy, you’ll be biting your nails and drooling in the same paragraphs! The recipes are delish and her writing is so effortless. The characters are quirky and fun.

Well Done!

NetGalley/ August 11th, 2020 by Crooked Lane Books

 

 

 

Bronte’s Mistress by Finola Austin

Bronte's Mistress

This dazzling debut novel for fans of Mrs. Poe and Longbourn explores the scandalous historical love affair between Branwell Brontë and Lydia Robinson, giving voice to the woman who allegedly corrupted her son’s innocent tutor and brought down the entire Brontë family.

This is a tale of Branwell Bronte and Lydia Robinson, the mistress of Thorp Green Hall. It is 1843 in Yorkshire and Lydia has suffered not one but two devastating losses this year. Her mother and her youngest daughter.

She doesn’t get much sympathy from her husband, who all but ignores her and the children, and to be honest, she isn’t a very sympathetic character. 

She already has one Bronte sister tutoring her teenage daughters but now has hired a tutor for her only son. And Branwell is the lucky chap. Down on his own luck, at loose ends and fighting his own demons while dealing with his own rather odd family.

He is very passionate about life, the theater, and music and regales them with tales of his sisters, but under the surface, you can just feel the rather manic energy and short temper. As the two begin an illicit relationship, he gets more and more erratic and Lydia knows she must end things to keep her own reputation intact and before those pesky sisters get involved.

 

NetGalley Review/ August 4th, 2020 by Atria Books

THE FIRST TO LIE by HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN

The First to Lie

Ryan is a genius at twisty, suspenseful writing! I felt the same way about this book as I do when all of my necklaces get tangled up in my jewelry box…I’m never going to get this untangled!

A daughter of privilege and wealth betrayed by the people who should have loved and protected her wants revenge and to get it she will have to be someone else.

A young, heartbroken widow. Betrayed in the same way.

A reporter trying to take down a big pharma company touting a drug that has horrific side effects. And doing it any way she can.

All it takes is a lie. But who will be the first to lie? And are any of them who they claim to be? And when the truth does come out, will one of them be the first to die?

Another crazy, suspense-filled tangle of a thriller!

NetGalley/ August 4th, 2020 by Forge Books/MacMillan

 

 

 

 

 

Ghost Ups Her Game by Carolyn Hart

Ghost Ups Her Game

A Bailey Ruth Ghost Novel #9

Bailey Ruth Raeburn is back in Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions. Busy dispatching heavenly emissaries to those in need of a bit of help. Satisfied with herself for doing such a heavenly job matching everyone up, she suddenly gets an emergency call for help from her hometown of Adelaide, Oklahoma.

Bailey wastes no time jumping aboard the train engine, she heads out quickly with Wiggins yelling in her ear!

All she knows is Iris Gallagher is in trouble and Bailey must help her.

A fun twist in this one is that Iris can see Bailey! All the time. And while Bailey Ruth tries to stick to the rules, she is barely skating by on this one. And when her good friend Sam arrests Iris for murder, Bailey does whatever she must to find a killer before he kills again!

Oh, Bailey Ruth! I do love this ghostly character. These characters are so well written and I can’t wait for the next one!

NetGalley Reviews/August 4th, 2020 by Severn House Publishers

 

THE CHRISTMAS FAIR KILLER by AMY PATRICIA MEADE

The Christmas Fair Killer

A TISH TARRAGON MYSTERY

It’s almost Christmas and the Hobson Glen Holiday Fair is upon us. Tish and crew are serving up delicious food and selling it like crazy. They are also catering the Williamsburg Theatre Group which is performing several shows a day.

Tish is at her finest creating memorable themed dishes. Very clever. To save time, Tish delivers the meals to the actors and ends up meeting a tight crew who have known and worked with each other forever. Well, not all of them have. And of course, that’s the one that Tish finds dead in her trailer.

Jenny Inkpen is not what she seems. Even her name is fake. But the look of fear and horror on her dead face is not fake. Someone hated her and wanted her dead. As Tish digs, politely, of course, she and her motley crew of friends find that everything isn’t as chummy as they claim to be. Secrets are behind every door and now they are seeing a ghost?

Severn House is one of my favorite publishers and their authors are some of my favorite authors. Ms. Meade is one of those and I absolutely love her characters! And this one has an ending that left me in tears and wanting to email her and ask what is up with that?

I’ll have to wait to find out.

NetGalley/ August 4th, 2020 by Severn House Publishers

 

The Love Scam by MaryJanice Davidson

The Love Scam

 

A rich playboy wakes up in Venice with the worst hangover of his life! And all of a sudden he has a daughter too.

This one had a lot of inconsistencies and I was confused and not amused during the entire book.

This one just needed a lot of pulling together of facts and plots.

NetGalley/August 4th, 2020 by St. Martin’s Griffin

 

 

Hello August! Please Be Gentle With Us!

Happy August! And Sunday!

This has been the strangest year so far. With the Plague, the Murder Hornets and Bounties on our troops, and everyone losing their everloving mind!

Let’s start with the plague. OU Boy and I had this before it had a name. It turned into pneumonia and while he bounced back, I did not. Six weeks of feeling horrible and finally just about the time they named it, I was better.

We went to the beach for a week in Texas and did not come into contact with anyone and we arrived home just as Texas became a hot spot.

On our days off we headed to a secluded lake and camped and hiked and turned off the news! Then one of the employees tested positive and came into work to tell us. SMH

So everyone got tested and they were all fine. And then I got it again. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. Okay, that’s probably not true. Trump and his entire crime family could have it. It was bad. My doctor told me I was wheezing and put me on a nebulizer and steroids and the Z pac. Then told me I should probably go to the hospital.

I did not listen as I knew there were really sick and contagious people there. So home we go and I used the breathing machine for 4 solid days but tossed the meds. I tried explaining that it was swimsuit season and steroids make me bloat and I was allergic to the antibiotic. Finally this week I felt human. I was floating in my pool with a mask every day. So that explains where I have been. Much the same as everyone we are still in limbo with work and why in the world people keep coming from Texas and Florida and Iowa and complaining because Marriott is requiring a mask or you can leave. Some people have been downright violent. The world has lost its mind.

Curacao is still not letting us in so we have rebooked for November hoping we can, at last, get back. I hope you have all been well and I have missed reading your thoughts and adventures!

See you tomorrow!

xx P

THE NIGHT SWIM by MEGAN GOLDIN

The Night Swim

True Crime Podcasts are all the rage at the moment. And Rachel Krall has become an overnight success with hers after helping to set an innocent man free. She receives tons of mail and e-mails begging for her help solving cases and while her voice is distinctive and recognizable, her face is not. Not everyone is a fan and she takes care to keep herself safe.

On her way to cover a rape trial in Neapolis, she finds an envelope under her windshield at an out of the way diner. Creepy. But it seems to be just someone going that extra step to ask for help.

In the meantime, she discovers the town is quite divided and secretive. The accused rapist is a swimmer on the way to Olympic greatness with a family who is very shady. The girl, the granddaughter of the former police chief.

Rachel is determined Season Three of her podcast will be a success and is determined to dig in and do her homework before the trial begins. But the mysterious letters keep appearing. In her locked hotel room, her car and Rachel is intrigued.

Hannah Stills is begging for Rachel to help find who killed her 16-year-old sister twenty-five years ago. Officials say she drowned. But there is no police report or autopsy report. Hannah was only ten years old when this happened and her mother died soon after. But she never forgot what she saw and heard. Or the threats.

When Rachel begins to ask questions she is met with silence. But when she uncovers similarities in the old case and the new one, she digs in to find justice for both girls and in the process may not have worry about Season 3!

Small towns have a way of protecting the rich and connected and demonizing anyone different. What these men did was horrific and unforgivable and the sad part is they may get away with it a second time.

Always a thrill ride with Goldin! I absolutely loved it!

NetGalley/ August 4th, 2020 by St. Martin’s Press

 

 

 

 

behind the red door by Megan Collins

Behind the Red Door: A Novel

From the author of The Winter Sister, comes this psychological thriller that seriously messed with my head!

Fern had an unorthodox upbringing to say the least! There are gaps in her memory and one day watching the news she sees a story about Astrid Sullivan, 34, and missing. But this isn’t the first time she has gone missing. Fern is positive she knows this woman. Scraps of memories bring nightmares that feel real.

Fern’s husband is convinced she is probably just remembering reading the first story as it happened near her childhood home. But Fern isn’t so sure.

When her distant father asks her to come home to help him clear out the house, she should have just hung up the phone!

I really don’t want to say a lot about the story. It is too wickedly twisted and you should have the joy of discovering what I did. And OMG! I just thought my family was screwy!

A great followup to The Winter Sister!

NetGalley/ August 4th, 2020 by Atria Books