Review: Slap Shot (Kelly Jamieson)

Slap Shot
Series: Aces Hockey, #5
Publication Date: October 17, 2017
Publisher: Loveswept
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

My name’s Max Hall, and I need to f***. As a pro hockey player who’s been away from the game for over a year, my libido has picked one hell of an an inconvenient time to come roaring back to life.

After my wife died from a rare form of cancer, sex was the last thing on my mind. Same with hockey, the other love of my life. Now, after fifteen months of eating too much, drinking too much, and generally just feeling sorry for myself, I’m facing a steep uphill battle to get my ass in shape and play my way back onto the Chicago Aces.

So I’m not looking for a relationship. Just sex. Yeah, I know how that makes me sound. But the truth is, I’ll never love another woman the way I loved my wife. When I meet a sexy bridesmaid at my teammate’s wedding, I decide to scratch that itch. A fling with Kendra Armstrong in her posh hotel room could be just what the trainer ordered.

Not only is Kendra smokin’ hot, she’s dynamite in bed—one of the perks of being a sex toy designer. Since she lives in New York anyway, we agree to keep things casual, no strings attached. The arrangement is perfect . . . until one of us falls in love. And it’s not me.


Slap Shot is officially my new favorite book by Kelly Jamieson! I absolutely loved it. It was such a touching story about dealing with grief and finding love again. Oh, and there were a ton of great sports moments, too.

Max was an intense character. He had lost his wife almost two years prior and was just beginning to move on from her death. Moving on was tough for Max. It meant giving his all to playing professional hockey again. It also meant accepting that he was able to feel attraction to someone other than his dead wife. His struggle was real, and uncomfortable. It was easy for him to put everything he had into his training and diet, but personal aspects of his life were tougher.

Meeting Kendra completely threw Max off his game. When one night with her wasn’t enough, Max dealt with it the only way he knew how. He made a casual agreement with Kendra. As hard as they both tried, casual wasn’t easy to maintain. Feelings grew and they both ended up in positions they didn’t want to be in.

What made this story so special was the struggle Max went through. It felt real, raw, and honest. I couldn’t help but hurt for him. For Kendra, too. She couldn’t have imagined that a one-night stand would cause the chaos it did.

I absolutely loved the way Slap Shot played out. I couldn’t imagine the story any other way than it was. It was such a pleasure to read. It makes me excited to see what Kelly Jamieson will right next. I really hope we’ll get to see more of the Aces hockey team.

Review: Still (Kennedy Ryan)

Still
Series: Grip, #2
Author: Kennedy Ryan

Publication Date: September 24, 2017
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

**STILL is the conclusion of Grip & Bristol’s emotional journey. You must read FLOW, the prequel, and GRIP, book 1 before beginning STILL**

I’ll be there.
Through thick and thin.
Ride or die.
You can count on me.

The promises people make.
The vows we take.
Assumptions of the heart.
Emotion tells us how we feel, but life…life has a way of plunging us in boiling water, burning away our illusions, testing our faith, trying our convictions.
Love floating is a butterfly, but love tested is an anchor.

For Grip and Bristol,
Love started at the top of the world
On a Ferris wheel under the stars
But when that love is tested, will they fly or fall?


It’s been over a week and I’m still thinking about this book. It was just so much. Does that even make sense? It brought out so many emotions and feelings I wasn’t expecting. I knew Grip and Bristol’s final book would be epic. What I could never have guessed was the journey this book would take me on.

I read Still in one sitting. I couldn’t and wouldn’t put it down. Bristol and Grip’s love story took over my mind, my heart and my soul. Some moments were sweet, some were bitter. I cried on more than one occasion — and I can count the number of books I’ve cried during on one hand. Still touched me in so many ways.

Still wasn’t just a romance, though. Like its predecessors, it was a social commentary directly related to today’s society. Still built on the story that began in Flow and Grip and went deeper into the issues of race, interracial relationships, and the police. There were also new issues that I won’t give away that were brought to attention and dealt with. Still was so eye-opening.

Kennedy Ryan is such a phenomenal writer. I honestly could go on and on about how amazing this book is. I would if I could do it without giving away anything. Instead, I’m going to end by saying that if there’s one series you don’t want to miss in 2017 it is Grip. It’s one of the best series I’ve read this year and in my entire life. It’s simply stunning.

Top Ten Tuesday: Supporting Cast Members Who Stole the Show

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Ten Books That Feature Characters ____________: Examples: Ten books that feature black main characters, characters who hold interesting jobs, characters who have a mental illness, characters that are adopted, characters that play sports, etc, etc. This week I’m going with:

Supporting Cast Members Who Stole the Show Book

These are some of my favorite characters who should have been an MC.


1. Frank Sanger
This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills

Every chance I get, I tout Frank Sanger’s praises. He is one of my all time favorite characters. Frank Sanger truly stole the show. If Emma Mills were to write a book about him, I would send her a thank you card.

2. Tiny
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green

I know Tiny has since gotten his own book, but I couldn’t leave him off the list. Will Grayson, Will Grayson will always be my favorite John Green book simply because not so tiny Tiny made it shine.

3. Logan Kade
Fallen Crest High by Tijan

Okay, so Logan got his own novella, but I wanted an entire book or series about the guy. He’s just so funny.

4. Kyle
A Boy Like You by Ginger Scott

Kyle was such a supportive friend and all-around great guy. I would love to see him go off to college to find his true love.

5. Noah
Where I Belong by J. Daniels

I really, really need Noah to grow up and for J. Daniels to tell his love story. It has to be with Dylan’s daughter from Sweet Addiction series. If you’ve read the books, you know why!

6. Trent
Wicked Restless by Ginger Scott

Honestly, this entire list could have been an ode to Ginger Scott’s side characters. There are so many who I’ve wanted to become main characters over the years. Trent is one that I have wished would get his own book for years.

7. Colt
Don’t Tempt Me by Lori Foster

I would love for Colt to get an NA book all about him. He seems like a really great kid who has gone through a lot of tough times. I would like to see him make friends and experience his new high school.

8. Jackson James
Truth or Beard by Penny Reid

Jackson is Jessica’s older brother. He seems like a big jerk, but I think he’d make an excellent MC. I’m sure there is more to him than what I’ve met so far. Plus, I love Penny Reid’s humor and I can only imagine what predicaments she would put the police officer through.

9. George (or any of the other Garretts)
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Anyone who has read My Life Next Door cannot get enough of the Garrett family. I’m one of those people. They’re a close knit, amazing bunch of people. I specifically picked George because his facts kill me. I love them!

10. Earl
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

This is an odd choice for me. I did not really like this book. I couldn’t stand Greg, but I loved Earl. I think he would make a way better MC. I wouldn’t mind seeing the world through his point of view.


After finishing my list, I noticed that all of these characters are male. I’m not sure what that says about the books I’ve read. I know many of the female characters I love get their own books because they’re usually in series. Maybe that’s it? I hope that’s it.

Review: On a Tuesday (Whitney G.)

On a Tuesday
Series: One Week, #1
Author: Whitney G.
Publication Date: September 19, 2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

We met on a Tuesday.
Became best friends, then lovers, on a Tuesday.
And everything fell apart on a Tuesday…

Charlotte Taylor has three automatic strikes in my book: 1) She hates me. She also claims that I’m a “domineering jerk with a huge, overbearing ego.” (I do have something huge. It’s not my ego, though.) 2) She takes our mandatory tutoring sessions way too seriously. 3) She’s sexy as hell…And a virgin.

At least, those were her strikes before our study sessions started lasting longer than they were supposed to. Until one innocent kiss became a hundred dirty ones, and until she became the first woman I ever fell hard for.

Our future together after graduation was supposed to be set:
Professional football for me. Law school for her.

But she left me at the end of the semester with no explanation, and then she completely disappeared from my life.

Until tonight.

We met on a Tuesday.
Became everything, then nothing, on a Tuesday.
And now it’s seven years later, on a Tuesday…

This is a full length second chance romance, inspired by Adele’s “When We Were Young”.


On a Tuesday was a fusion of romance subgenres. It was part new adult college romance, part second chance contemporary romance. The story began in present day, but then jumped back and forth in time from college to present day to reveal how Charlotte and Grayson met, fell in love, broke up, and then reconnected. On a Tuesday definitely had more of a new adult feel to it since the majority of the story was set in the characters’ college years.

To be honest, I had a little bit of a hard time connecting to the characters and their love story. There were a couple of reasons why. First, both characters were a little unlikable. Charlotte was prickly, especially toward Grayson. That prickliness was felt right through the pages. I have to praise Whitney G. for creating a character that made me feel something because I felt Charlotte’s dislike for Grayson as if she disliked me. I didn’t feel sorry for Grayson because of Charlotte’s dislike, though. Grayson was so full of himself that I couldn’t really fall in love with his character. His ego was too much for me. The other issue I had with the characters was due to the novella length of this book. It really limited the story. I liked how Charlotte and Grayson’s love story was laid out for the reader, but the majority of the story was given to the past. The present felt rushed.

Despite not feeling a deep connection to the characters, there were a lot of good things about On a Tuesday. Whitney’s writing was as amazing as ever. I liked how the story was centered around Tuesdays. It was a fun way to read a story. And I did like how the story jumped around in time. I also loved knowing it was based on a song. That was really cool. Overall, it was a really fun book to read — on a Tuesday.

Review: Mine for the Week (Erika Kelly)

Mine for the Week
Series: Wild Love, #2
Author: Erika Kelly

Publication Date: October 1, 2018
Publisher: EK Publishing, LLC
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ 

Synopsis:

From the award-winning author of MINE FOR NOW comes the next sizzling story in her Wild Love series, about a chance meeting that changes the course of two people’s lives.

As the top collegiate shortstop in the country, Ryan O’Donnell’s life is about discipline. But a growing restlessness causes him to bail on his baseball team over spring break to join his buddies at a singles resort. He just needs one week to escape his life, and then he’ll get back on track. But moments after arriving he meets HER, and the world as he knows it changes irrevocably. It should only be a hookup—that’s what spring break’s all about—but one taste of this sexy, vibrant woman isn’t enough. He has to have her. Even if it’s only for a week.

Sophie Valentine—yes, that Valentine—just found out her siblings want to sell off Crazy Hearts—the Peeps of the Valentine’s Day world. Upset, she takes off with her friends on their spring break vacation. She only wanted an escape—she never imagined meeting HIM. But he’s about to start a Major League Baseball career, and she’s launching a fight for her family legacy. They have no future. It’s just…she’s never felt this way for anyone before.

Are they really going to walk away from this kind of connection…this passion?


Mine for the Week is my first Wild Love novel, but I’ve been a fan of Erika Kelly’s writing for a while now. I loved her Rock Star Romance series. I wanted to love Mine for the Week, but I didn’t. It ended up being a book that wasn’t well suited to me. That’s not to say it’s a bad book. There were just some things that didn’t jive with me.

I’m going to start with the things I did like. As always, I enjoyed Erika Kelly’s writing style. I loved the characters’ backgrounds. Each had a great back story. Jake was consumed by the pressure he felt as a top-notch college athlete. He felt the need to follow a path set for him as a child. He loved baseball but needed a break. Jake also had some worries about letting down his family. Emma was an heiress who wanted to play a bigger part in her family business. She wanted to honor tradition, but had to figure out a way to do that without dividing her family. The way they shared their histories and the problems those histories created boned Jake and Emma together well. I liked how they seemed to naturally understand each other. I also liked how they knew how to help with each other’s problems.

Another thing I loved was the setting. The tropical island Emma and Jake were on helped create a special environment for them to bond. Emma’s sense of adventure helped as well. She was in a new, tropical place and wanted to spend her time exploring that. I loved what that created for her and Jake.

What I loved most about this book was the ending. The ending was everything I desire from a contemporary romance ending. It was so cute! It was everything I wished the rest of the book was.

The things I didn’t like overshadowed some of those good things. The setting is one of those. I loved the tropical setting, but I didn’t love singles resort theme. It seemed unnecessary for two people who weren’t really into it. A normal resort would have worked just as well.

My biggest problem with Mine for the Week was the way Jake blatantly pursued Emma. She made it obvious she wasn’t into hooking up, but he wouldn’t let up. He was almost stalkerish. It felt like he was forcing things even when she was into it. It made me uncomfortable.

Obviously, I had mixed feelings about Mine for the Week. The good and the bad seemed to even each other out. When it comes down to it, this book was a good book, but it just wasn’t the book for me. I know other romance readers would enjoy it. I would still like to go back and read the first book in the series, and I would read the next book.

Review: Forever With You (Beverley Kendall)

Forever With You
Series: An Unforgettable You Novel
Author: Beverley Kendall
Publication Date: September 12, 2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

I’d never fallen harder for anyone than I did for Graham Prescott. The British hottie was like no other guy I’d ever met. And the attraction between us was mutual and red-hot.

I would have done and said almost anything to be with him. So I’d told him one harmless, little lie…

But it hadn’t been.

Harmless or little.

That lie nearly destroyed his life.

Seeing him again after four years stirs up feelings I have no right to feel. So I tell myself the only thing I want from him is his forgiveness. But first I have to earn his trust—something easier said than done. Especially when he makes it clear there’s only one thing he wants from me.

To stay the hell out of his life.


When I first started reading new adult novels, I was constantly looking for new authors to try. I would happily purchase books Amazon recommended to me that sounded good. One of the novels that was recommended to me was Trapped by Beverley Kendall. After finishing it and loving it, I found her Unforgettable You series. I loved the college setting and the emotional relationships found in each book. I also loved how all of the books spotlighted friends from the previous books.

Forever With You is Emily’s story. She’s been around in past books as April’s old modeling BFF. I didn’t remember much about her, but I didn’t need to. Her story was nicely laid out in this book. There was so much behind this young woman’s beautiful appearance. She was smart and caring. Emily had no problem admitting her faults and trying to be a better person.

Emily’s relationship with Graham was a second chance love story filled with forgiveness. Both were hurt by their past and decisions Emily made. I completely understood both of their feelings, and loved the way they resolved their past.

My only complaint about Forever With You is how long I had to wait for it to be released. Two years since the release of Always Been You felt so long! I had completely forgotten about the series. I understand that it takes a while to write and release a good book, so I’m not really complaining. I just hate waiting. 😉

If you’re a new adult fan, you need to give Beverley Kendall’s books a try. They’re so much fun to read. You can start at the beginning of the series or jump right in at Forever With You.

Review: The Anatomical Shape of a Heart (Jenn Bennett)

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart
Author: Jenn Bennett
Publication Date: November 3, 2015
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Beatrix Adams knows exactly how she’s spending the summer before her senior year. Determined to follow in Da Vinci’s footsteps, she’s ready to tackle the one thing that will give her an advantage in a museum-sponsored scholarship contest: drawing actual cadavers. But when she tries to sneak her way into the hospital’s Willed Body program and misses the last metro train home, she meets a boy who turns her summer plans upside down.

Jack is charming, wildly attractive, and possibly one of San Francisco’s most notorious graffiti artists. On midnight buses and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who Jack really is—and tries to uncover what he’s hiding that leaves him so wounded. But will these secrets come back to haunt him? Or will the skeletons in her family’s closet tear them apart?


Earlier this summer, I read Alex, Approximately. It was my first book by Jenn Bennett, and I knew it wouldn’t be my last. I absolutely adored that book. It’s what lead me to read The Anatomical Shape of a Heart.

I didn’t immediately fall in love with The Anatomical Shape of a Heart the way I did with Alex, Approximately. It took me longer to get into. I didn’t connect with Beatrix or Jack the way I wanted to at first. I’m not exactly sure why. My best guess is that I personally dislike getting in trouble, and Jack had trouble written all over him. Beatrix’s connection to him and his secrets made me nervous for her. It wasn’t until about halfway through the book when I started to get a better understanding for the characters and the importance of the story.

From that point on, I was in love with The Anatomical Shape of a Heart. I loved that it wasn’t simply about Bex and Jack connecting through art and falling in love. It was about what made them who they were. It was about family relationships, and how their lives were shaped by them. There were so many great learning moments between all of the characters. I loved that!

While The Anatomical Shape of a Heart may have started off slow for me, it ended up pleasantly surprising me. It was a heartwarming young adult novel that was well worth reading.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books On My Fall TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR List. The books below are all from authors whose books I have loved reading in the past. They are a mix of YA, NA, romance, women’s fiction, fantasy, etc. 

1. Without Merit by Colleen Hoover
October 3, 2017

In Colleen Hoover’s gripping novel, reminiscent of the bestselling works of Liane Moriarty and Jojo Moyes, a young woman decides to reveal the dark secrets of her seemingly happy family before she leaves them behind, but when her escape plan fails, she must deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth.

2. All Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater
October 10, 2017

Here is a thing everyone wants:
A miracle.

Here is a thing everyone fears:
What it takes to get one.

Any visitor to Bicho Raro, Colorado is likely to find a landscape of dark saints, forbidden love, scientific dreams, miracle-mad owls, estranged affections, one or two orphans, and a sky full of watchful desert stars.

At the heart of this place you will find the Soria family, who all have the ability to perform unusual miracles. And at the heart of this family are three cousins longing to change its future: Beatriz, the girl without feelings, who wants only to be free to examine her thoughts; Daniel, the Saint of Bicho Raro, who performs miracles for everyone but himself; and Joaquin, who spends his nights running a renegade radio station under the name Diablo Diablo.

They are all looking for a miracle. But the miracles of Bicho Raro are never quite what you expect.

Maggie Stiefvater has been called “a master storyteller” by USA Today and “wildly imaginative” by Entertainment Weekly. Now, with All the Crooked Saints, she gives us the extraordinary story of an extraordinary family, a masterful tale of love, fear, darkness, and redemption.

3. Forget You, Ethan by Whitney G.
October 30, 2017

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer…

I’ve hated Rachel Dawson since I was seven years old. My next door neighbor and number one sworn enemy, she’s the reason why almost all of our childhood fights ended with me setting something of hers on fire. (Or, vice versa.)

She snitched on me when I broke curfew.
I snitched on her when she lied about having a boyfriend.

We went back and forth like this throughout high school, both vowing to never talk to each other again when we went off to college.

But that was until she showed up at my apartment during my senior year and asked me for a temporary place to stay. Until I realized just how much between us had changed, and the line I thought we’d never cross became harder and harder to ignore…

4.  Lovers Like Us by Krista & Becca Ritchie
October 31, 2017

Maximoff & Farrow’s story continues in Lovers Like Us.

The Like Us series is a true series, one continuous timeline, that follows a family of wealthy celebrities and the people that protect them.

5. Hear Me Now by Lisa De Jong
September 24, 2017

If you’re reading this letter, I’m already gone.

He told me he was going to do it, and I didn’t believe him.

I told him I would follow, but he left anyway.

Sometimes, you love someone so much that living without them isn’t an option. Ty Wise was that person for me.

Maybe this is selfish.

Maybe I should’ve stayed away when he asked.

Maybe he should’ve listened to what I told him.

Life is full of maybes.

Do you think he can hear me now?

6. Far From the Tree by Robin Benway
November 7, 2017

A contemporary novel about three adopted siblings who find each other at just the right moment.

Being the middle child has its ups and downs.

But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including—

Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Having grown up the snarky brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she’s quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite-strangers. And when her adopted family’s long-buried problems begin to explode to the surface, Maya can’t help but wonder where exactly it is that she belongs.

And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After seventeen years in the foster care system, he’s learned that there are no heroes, and secrets and fears are best kept close to the vest, where they can’t hurt anyone but him.

7. Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
September 5, 2017

The story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket into a charmed life. But how many times can someone reinvent themselves? You be the judge.

Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat.
Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete.
An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two.
A bad romance, or maybe three.
Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains.
A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her.
A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.

8. Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills
December 5, 2017

A contemporary novel about a girl whose high school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream leads her to new friends—and maybe even new love.

The day of the last party of the summer, Claudia overhears a conversation she wasn’t supposed to. Now on the wrong side of one of the meanest girls in school, Claudia doesn’t know what to expect when the two are paired up to write a paper—let alone when they’re both forced to try out for the school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

But mandatory participation has its upsides—namely, an unexpected friendship, a boy band obsession, and a guy with the best dimpled smile Claudia’s ever seen. As Claudia’s world starts to expand, she finds that maybe there are some things worth sticking her neck out for.

9. Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins
December 26, 2017

One step forward. Two steps back. The Tufts scholarship that put Nora Stuart on the path to becoming a Boston medical specialist was a step forward. Being hit by a car and then overhearing her boyfriend hit on another doctor when she thought she was dying? Two major steps back.

Injured in more ways than one, Nora feels her carefully built life cracking at the edges. There’s only one place to land: home. But the tiny Maine community she left fifteen years ago doesn’t necessarily want her. At every turn, someone holds the prodigal daughter of Scupper Island responsible for small-town drama and big-time disappointments.

With a tough islander mother who’s always been distant and a wild-child sister in jail, unable to raise her daughter–a withdrawn teen as eager to ditch the island as Nora once was–Nora has her work cut out for her if she’s going to take what might be her last chance to mend the family.

But as some relationships crumble around her, others unexpectedly strengthen. Balancing loss and opportunity, a dark event from her past with hope for the future, Nora will discover that tackling old pain makes room for promise…and the chance to begin again.

10. Logan by Jay McLean
October 1, 2017

“Whats beneath the bravado, Logan Preston?”

Mini Reviews: Flow and Grip (Kennedy Ryan)

Flow
Series: Grip, #0.5
Author: Kennedy Ryan
Publication Date: February 25, 2.17
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

My thoughts:

Kennedy Ryan is a phenomenal writer. I’ve never read a novella packed with such depth and emotion as FlowFlow didn’t just feel like an introduction to the characters love story. It felt like a window into Grip and Bristol’s souls. It was really beautiful, and I loved every minute of it.

I do have to warn readers that there is a MAJOR cliffhanger at the end of Flow. It changes everything and would be a killer to be left with if Grip wasn’t yet written. Luckily for us, it has been written and released. Thank goodness because I had to start Grip the moment I finished Flow.

Grip
Series: Grip, #0.5
Author: Kennedy Ryan
Publication Date: February 25, 2017
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

My thoughts:

If I thought Flow was full of depth and emotion, I had NO IDEA what I was getting into with Grip. Grip was a masterpiece. It was Grip and Bristol’s amazing love story, but it was so much more than that. It was a commentary on today’s social and political atmosphere. It beautifully encompassed so many important issues like racial profiling, interracial relationships, family and forgiveness. It taught me so much while making me feel so much. I can’t begin to explain how much Grip touched me personally.

Grip is not just one of the best romance novels I’ve read in 2017, but one of the best books I’ve ever read. I cannot give it enough praise. I absolutely loved it and think everyone should read it. I now understand why so many readers are impatiently waiting for its sequel, Still.

Review: See What I Have Done (Sarah Schmidt)

See What I Have Done
Author: Sarah Schmidt
Publication Date: August 1, 2017
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Genre: Historical Fiction, True Crime

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Haunting, gripping and gorgeously written, SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE by Sarah Schmidt is a re-imagining of the unsolved American true crime case of the Lizzie Borden murders, for fans of BURIAL RITES and MAKING A MURDERER.

When her father and step-mother are found brutally murdered on a summer morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden – thirty-two years old and still living at home – immediately becomes a suspect. But after a notorious trial, she is found innocent, and no one is ever convicted of the crime.

Meanwhile, others in the claustrophobic Borden household have their own motives and their own stories to tell: Lizzie’s unmarried older sister, a put-upon Irish housemaid, and a boy hired by Lizzie’s uncle to take care of a problem.

This unforgettable début makes you question the truth behind one of the great unsolved mysteries, as well as exploring power, violence and the harsh realities of being a woman in late nineteenth century America.


Lizzie Borden was a name I had heard before, but her story wasn’t one I was familiar with. When my friend picked See What I Have Done as our next book club pick, I wasn’t sure what to think. Was this book going to be gory? Was it going to be thriller suspenseful? I didn’t know how to prepare myself for it. Luckily, for my sake, See What I Have Done wasn’t a gory or stressful read.

If you’re unfamiliar with Lizzie Borden like I was, I’ll give you a little history. Lizzie was an adult woman who lived at home with her father, stepmother, older sister and maid, Bridget. While her sister, Emma, was spending time out-of-town at a friend’s, their parents were murdered. The weapon was an ax. Lizzie and the maid were both home at the time of the murders. Lizzie was tried and acquitted of the crime, but many still suspect that she was the murderer. (I had to look all of this up after reading the book to find out what was fact and what was fiction.)

See What I Have Done tells the story of the murder of Andrew and Abby Borden through the eyes of four narrators: Lizzie, Emma, Bridget and Benjamin. The story mostly takes place over the day before the murder and the day of. The events of those days are set up by each character. Together, their point of views crafts a look at what might have happened and who might have been the killer.

If this was a true account of the crime, I could understand why Lizzie was charged with murder. Lizzie was a little off and I wasn’t quite sure what to think of her. Listening to her thoughts made her seem like the most likely murderer. I completely understood why Emma felt the way she did about Lizzie. Lizzie was pretty horrid to her. That made me question some of Emma’s later devotion to Lizzie, though. I understood their relationship, but it was really weird.

Another thing that was really weird were the parents. Andrew Borden was made out to be a horrible man. Abby wasn’t made out to be much better. The dynamic in the household between the parents and the daughters was odd. The fact that Lizzie and Emma were grown women made it even weirder. I kept wondering if this is really how people saw the Bordens in real life?

The character I felt most sorry for was Bridget. I’m surprised she wasn’t the killer. (Maybe she was???) The Bordens were horrible to her. She waited on them hand and foot, and they took complete advantage of her. I liked her thoughts on the murder and the suspects. I have to admit that I was happy the murder let her escape the horrible household.

As for Benjamin, I wasn’t sure what to think of the addition of his character. He’s not in any of the official accounts of the murder. I guess he was a “What if?” situation to show what might have happened if someone other than Lizzie was possibly involved.

As you can probably guess, this book had me a little confused! In real life, the case was never solved. In See What I Have Done, there is only speculation. I wish I could find out the truth! Too bad the people who could answer the tough questions are long gone.

Overall, See What I Have Done was a fun read. It took an unsolved crime and gave it new life. I liked the author’s writing and the way she brought the characters to life. I was impressed that this is her début novel. It’s a book a would recommend to those who like true crime or historical fiction. It had me looking up the history behind the story the moment I finished reading it.