Book ~ "Dark Ambition: The Shocking Crime of Dellen Millard and Mark Smich" (2019) Ann Brocklehurst

From Goodreads ~ In 2013, Tim Bosma of Hamilton, Ontario, put his truck up for sale online and then disappeared during a test drive with two strangers. In the disappearance and the murder investigation that followed, he made headlines on over several weeks that spring. Weeks later, two men were arrested for Bosma's murder: a petty criminal with the Dickensian name of Mark Smich, and Dellen Millard, the good-looking heir of an aviation millionaire. 

Disturbingly there appeared to be no motive for the gruesome killing of Bosma, whose charred remains were found on Millard's farm. It seemed to be a cold-blooded "thrill kill" carried out by what some would deem a psychopath and his sidekick. Furthermore, the investigation of Bosma's death would eventually lead to the discovery of two other murders: the pair would be charged with the murder of Laura Babcock, Millard's former girlfriend, who disappeared in 2012, and Millard alone would be charged with the murder of his own father, Wayne Millard, whose death was previously ruled a suicide. 

Dark Ambition tells the true story of Dellen Millard and Mark Smich, two men from Ontario who were eventually convicted of multiple murders. The book focuses on how a guy from a prominent aviation family (Millard) and his sketchy drug dealing friend (Smich) ended up being cold-blooded killers. 

The story starts in 2013 when Tim Bosma, a regular guy and father from Hamilton, vanishes after taking two strangers on a test drive in his truck one evening. The truck and Tim are never seen again ... not until police uncover a horrifying trail that leads to Millard’s farm, where Tim’s remains were found incinerated in a piece of farm equipment called “The Eliminator.” As investigators dig deeper, they connect Millard and Smich to two other suspicious deaths ... Laura Babcock, Millard’s ex-girlfriend, who vanished in 2012, and Wayne Millard, Dellen’s father, whose death had originally been ruled a suicide in November 2012. 

It was a shocking story when Tim Bosma disappeared. His family didn't give up hope that he would come home but alas, he never did. The sad part is that it wasn't just about the plan to steal his truck ... it was also about the thrill of a kill. Millard could afford to buy anything he wanted but he and Smich went on "missions" to steal things like Bobcats, trailers, etc. Millard and Smich ended up getting consecutive life sentences for Bosma and Babcock's murders (so not eligible for parole for 50 years) plus Millard got a consecutive life sentence for the murder of his father so isn't eligible for parole until he's 103!

It was a hard book to read but interesting to learn more about what happened. I found it to be an interesting read, though confusing at times as the timelines bounced around a bit and it got a bit technical and detailed. It's obvious the author did a lot of research. There are some photographs at the end.

Book ~ "The Housekeeper" (2019) Natalie Barelli

From Goodreads ~ She's a liar. She's a stalker. She's in your house.

When Claire sees Hannah Wilson at an exclusive Manhattan hair salon, it's like a knife slicing through barely healed scars. It may have been ten years since Claire last saw Hannah but she has thought of her every day and not in a good way. So Claire does what anyone would do in her position - she stalks her.

Hannah is now Mrs. Carter, living the charmed life that should have been Claire's. It's the life Claire used to have, before Hannah came along and took it all away from her.

Back then, Claire was a happy teenager with porcelain skin and long, wavy blond hair. Now she's an overweight lazy drunk with hair the color of compost and skin to match. Which is why when Hannah advertises for a housekeeper, Claire is confident she can apply and not be recognized. And since she has time on her hands, revenge on her mind and a talent for acting.

Because what better way to seek retribution - and redress - than from within the beautiful Mrs. Hannah Carter's own home?

Except that it's not just Claire who has secrets. Everyone in that house seems to have something to hide.

And now, there's no way out.

Growing up, Claire had it all ... money, family and a future. But that all disappeared after a nanny named Hannah was hired by her family to take care of her younger brother and accused Claire’s dad of something terrible. It destroyed Claire’s family and according to Claire, wrecked her life. Now in her mid-20s, Claire is barely getting by ... she's working part-time in a doctor's office and giving him special "treatment" for extra pay. One day she sees Hannah in a fancy hair salon ... Hannah is now the rich and classy Mrs. Carter. Claire decides she's going to get revenge for all the wrongs Hannah had done to her family. She fakes her identity (hoping Hannah doesn't recognize her) and gets hired as Hannah’s housekeeper and nanny to her baby. Then she puts her plan into action.

This story is written in first person perspective in Claire's voice. When I started reading it, I didn't know what to make of it. It's not the usual kind of story I like. Right away, Claire is unlikable. She lies often and from her description of herself, she's not attractive but doesn't really care. If she was that gross, I found it unbelievable that she was able to successfully seduce her boss and thought she could seduce the rich and attractive Mr. Carter (who has a hot young wife). Instead of rising above what happened when she was younger, she didn't and blamed Hannah for her crappy life. Plus what kind of a person puts their life (such as it was) on hold to get revenge for something that happened 10 years ago? Claire wasn't seeking money ... all she wanted was Hannah to admit she made it all up. Huh??!! But I carried on and was curious to see how it was going to end. Then when the twist came, I wasn't buying it. The ending was ridiculous and unbelievable given Claire's actions and personality. As a head's up, there is swearing, violence and adult activity.

Book ~ "How to Hack a Heartbreak" (2019) Kristin Rockaway

From Goodreads ~ Swipe right for love. Swipe left for disaster.

By day, Mel Strickland is an underemployed helpdesk tech at a startup incubator, Hatch, where she helps entitled brogrammers - "Hatchlings" - who can't even fix their own laptops but are apparently the next wave of startup geniuses. And by night, she goes on bad dates with misbehaving dudes she's matched with on the ubiquitous dating app, Fluttr.

But after one dick pic too many, Mel has had it. Using her brilliant coding skills, she designs an app of her own, one that allows users to log harrassers and abusers in online dating space. It's called JerkAlert and it goes viral overnight.

Mel is suddenly in way over her head. Worse still, her almost-boyfriend, the dreamy Alex Hernandez - the only non-douchey guy at Hatch - has no idea she's the brains behind the app. Soon, Mel is faced with a terrible choice: one that could destroy her career, love life, and friendships, or change her life forever.

Mel Strickland is in her mid-twenties and working in tech support at a male-dominated startup in New York City. Tired of dealing with rude men, both at work and on dating apps, she uses her coding skills to secretly build JerkAlert, a site where women can anonymously warn each other about bad dates and predatory behavior from men on the dating app, Fluttr. The site takes off, gaining more attention than Mel ever expected. As it goes viral, she struggles to balance the site's success, her job and a budding romance with a nice colleague named Alex, who might not be who he seems.

I was in the mood for something light and this kind of did the trick. It's written in first person perspective in Mel's voice. Mel has a job she hates but lots of student loan debt so feels trapped and has to put up with the crap of the men she works with, which no support from her male boss. But it did partly spur her into creating JerkAlert, using the skills she has but never really put them to use for herself. Happily she has three good friends who she sees often. She's looking for love but because of her father's cheating when she was younger, she's paranoid of all men. As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

Book ~ "Why My Cat Is More Impressive Than Your Baby" (2019) Matthew Inman

From Goodreads ~ "Why My Cat Is More Impressive Than Your Baby" is chockfull of comics about cats, babies, dogs, lasers, selfies and pigeons! 

This book contains a vast wealth of never-before-seen comics, including informative guides, such as: 

• How to comfortably sleep next to your cat 
• 10 ways to befriend a misanthropic cat 
• How to hold a baby when you are not used to holding babies 
• A dog’s guide to walking a human being 
• How to cuddle like you mean it

If you are a cat lover like me, you'll find this book funny.

It's a quick read as it's just colourful and black and white graphics.

Some of the topics include:

• How to tell if your cat thinks you're not that big of a deal
• Cat vs baby: tactical analysis
• How to cuddle like you mean it
• Diary entries of cats versus babies

Book ~ "Crow" (2019) Amy Spurway

From Goodreads ~ When Stacey Fortune is diagnosed with three highly unpredictable - and inoperable - brain tumours, she abandons the crumbling glamour of her life in Toronto for her mother Effie's scruffy trailer in rural Cape Breton. Back home, she's known as Crow and everybody suspects that her family is cursed.

With her future all but sealed, Crow decides to go down in a blaze of unforgettable glory by writing a memoir that will raise eyebrows and drop jaws. She'll dig up "the dirt" on her family tree, including the supposed curse, and uncover the truth about her mysterious father, who disappeared a month before she was born.

But first, Crow must contend with an eclectic assortment of characters, including her gossipy Aunt Peggy, hedonistic party-pal Char, homebound best friend Allie, and high-school flame Willy. She'll also have to figure out how to live with her mother and how to muddle through the unsettling visual disturbances that are becoming more and more vivid each day.

Stacey was almost 40, living in Toronto and working for a marketing firm when she discovered she had brain tumours. Having just broke up with her fiancé, she needed someone to take care of her as she was dying so she headed home to rural Cape Breton and moved in with her mom, Effie, in her trailer. Effie works long hard hours as a cleaning lady in a motel and outwardly doesn't have a lot of time or patience for Crow (as Stacey is known at home) feeling sorry for herself. But as we get to know Effie, we find out she really is a caring woman.

Crow doesn't have a lot of support around her. Allie, her best friend, has been living in Halifax taking care of her dying mother. Char, another good friend, has been traveling the world having wild adventures and arrives home with a baby whose father was a murdered Congolese criminal. Peggy, her mother's sister, is a gossip. Willy is an old flame from high school who has a garage and sells weeds on the side. Her father disappeared about a month before she was born and his well-to-do family has never acknowledged her so Effie raised her as a single mom.

This sounds like a dreary story but it was actually amusing and quirky for the most part. I wanted to like it more than I did but it fell apart for me around the 80% point when it took some some weird turns which was disappointing. It's written in first person perspective in Crow's voice. As a head's up, there is swearing.

I lived in Cape Breton in my teens so could relate to some of the places and expressions. For a time, I lived in the general area where Effie's trailer was (on the Bras d'Or Lake).  "Town Town", which was the nearby city is really Sydney (where I lived) and "Bayflower Mall" is really the Mayflower Mall in Sydney. There were references to the "Butterscotch Palace", which was a psychiatric hospital in Sydney and has since been demolished and not far from where I lived.

Book ~ "The Jackass Whisperer" (2019) Scott Stratten and Alison Stratten

From Goodreads ~ A rallying cry for everyone tired of keyboard commandos and people who use speakerphones in open plan offices, "The Jackass Whisperer" is your guide to dealing with the worst people on earth.

Jackasses are those who make our lives needlessly harder. They drive too slowly in the fast lane and too quickly in the slow lane, reply all, heat up fish in the microwave at work and share way too much information about their cleanse on Facebook. They live in our homes, work in our offices and shop at our stores. Jackasses are among us and we have some bad news for you: if you can’t spot the Jackass at the (enter literally any place on the planet), then the Jackass is you.

After a lifetime of research, Scott and Alison Stratten offer the definitive guide to surviving the Jackassery in your life and making the world a better place, one set of noise-cancelling headphones at a time.

The Jackass Whisperer explores the frustrating world of difficult people, who the authors call jackasses. The message is that while we can’t control other people’s behaviour, we can control how we respond to them. 

With 125 different scenarios, they show common types of jackassery encountered in everyday life. Each chapter focuses on a different setting (at work, online, in traffic, in parenting, etc.) offering advice on how to respond with a jackass reaction or a whisperer reaction. At the end, you can tally your reactions and see what you are (I had mostly whisperer reactions).

I've read other books by Scott and have liked them. Like this one, not only is there humour but there are some skills you can take away and put in practice in your life.

Book ~ "The Mother-in-Law" (2019) Sally Hepworth

From Goodreads ~ From the moment Lucy met her husband's mother, Diana, she was kept at arm's length. Diana was exquisitely polite and properly friendly but Lucy knew that she was not what Diana envisioned. But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice who helped female refugees assimilate to their new country. Diana was happily married to Tom and lived in wedded bliss for decades. Lucy wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.

That was five years ago.

Now Diana has been found dead, a suicide note near her body. Diana claims that she no longer wanted to live because of a battle with cancer.

But the autopsy finds no cancer.

The autopsy does find traces of poison and suffocation.

Who could possibly want Diana dead?

Why was her will changed at the eleventh hour to disinherit both of her adult children and their spouses?

Lucy's mother had passed away when she was young so when she started dating Ollie, she was looking forward to forming a bond with Diana, his mother. Tom, Ollie's dad, was friendly and welcoming but Diana was cold. Even after Lucy and Ollie got married and started having children, Diana never warmed up to Lucy (or anyone else except for Tom).

When Diana is found of an apparent suicide, everyone is shocked. The police have to investigate and as they do, they discover Diana's death was suspicious. Though a suicide poison was found near her body, she had none in her system. She had told her children she had cancer when it's discovered during the autopsy that she didn't. Her two children assumed they would inherit her vast wealth when she passed away but she had changed her will shortly before she passed away.

I liked this story and the writing style. It's written in first person perspective in Lucy and Diana's voices (the chapters are labeled). The timeline jumps back and forth from the past (from when Diana was a teenager) to present day (the chapters are labeled). If it was murder, there were lots of possibilities of who could have dunnit. As a head's up, there is some swearing.

Book ~ "The Arrangement" (2019) Robyn Harding

From Goodreads ~ Natalie, a young art student in New York City, is struggling to pay her bills when a friend makes a suggestion: Why not go online and find a sugar daddy - a wealthy older man who will pay her for dates and even give her a monthly allowance? Lots of girls do it, Nat learns. All that’s required is to look pretty and hang on his every word. Sexual favours are optional.

Though more than thirty years her senior, Gabe, a handsome corporate finance attorney, seems like the perfect candidate, and within a month, they are madly in love. At least, Nat is ... Gabe already has a family, whom he has no intention of leaving.

So when he abruptly ends things, Nat can’t let go. She begins drinking heavily and stalking him: watching him at work, spying on his wife, even befriending his daughter, who is not much younger than she is. But Gabe’s not about to let his sugar baby destroy his perfect life. What was supposed to be a mutually beneficial arrangement devolves into a nightmare of deception, obsession, and, when a body is found near Gabe’s posh Upper East Side apartment, murder.

Nat is an arts university student in NYC barely making it financially. She was recently fired from her part-time job and her roommates keep threatening to kick her out because she can't pay her share of the bills. When a fellow student tells her about a website where she can look for a sugar daddy, in desperation Nat signs up. Right away she connects with Gabe, a 55-year-old divorced attorney and he sets up her up financially and they fall in love. Though Gabe does care for her, what she doesn't know is that is Gabe actually has a wife and daughter and plans on keeping his secret life secret. Then the time comes for Gabe to make a choice ... Nat or his family. He chooses his family and Nat doesn't take it well at all.

I liked this story (such an intriguing premise) and the writing style. I kind of knew things weren't going to end happily ever after for Nat so it was interesting to see what happened. The ending had a bit of a surprising twist and I was buying it. This story is written in third person perspective. As a head's up, there is swearing, adult activity and violence.

Book ~ "I'll Never Tell" (2019) Catherine McKenzie

From Goodreads ~ What happened to Amanda Holmes?

Twenty years ago, she was found bludgeoned in a rowboat at the MacAllister family’s Camp Macaw. No one was ever charged with the crime.

Now, after their parents’ sudden deaths, the MacAllister siblings return to camp to read the will and decide what to do with the prime real estate the camp occupies. Ryan needs to sell. Margaux hasn’t made up her mind. Mary believes in leaving well enough alone. Kate and Liddie - the twins - have opposing views. And Sean Booth, the groundskeeper, just hopes he still has a home when all is said and done.

But it’s more complicated than a simple vote. The will stipulates that until they unravel the mystery of what happened to Amanda, they can’t settle the estate. Any one of them could have done it, and each one is holding a piece of the puzzle. Will they work together to finally discover the truth, or will their secrets finally tear the family apart?

It's the summer of 1998 and the MacAllisters run a summer camp. Margeaux is one of their teenage daughters and works there along with her best friend, Amanda, as camp counsellors. Amanda is found dead in July and no one was ever found guilty of her murder.

Twenty years later, the elder MacAllisters had died that spring in a train accident and their wish was to have their will read at the end of the summer. Ryan, Margeaux, Kiddie, Kate and Mary, their now adult children gather at the camp to attend the reading of the will. They assume they will all inherit the camp and some have plans/hopes to sell it while others don't. It turns out the will is convoluted so it's not as easy as they think. No one can forget about Amanda's death as it factors into the division of the property.

It's been a few years since I've read one of this author's book and I wasn't crazy about it. I found the writing boring and draggy and hard to get through. Alas, by the time I got to the end, I didn't really care "whodunnit" and it was actually a bit of a letdown. It is written in the adult children's voices in third person perspective and Amanda's voice in first person perspective (the chapters are labeled). As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Our New Normal" (2019) Colleen Faulkner

From Goodreads ~ Liv Ridgely prides herself on being the responsible wrangler of all things stay at home mom, caretaker of elderly parents, supporter of husband Oscar’s career, savior of her wayward sister. 

Now with her son off to college and her ambitious daughter, Hazel, a year away from following him, it’s Liv’s turn. She’s even established her dream career of bringing beautiful old homes back to life in the most picturesque part of Maine. Until she learns that 16-year-old Hazel is three months pregnant. Hazel insists she will have the baby and raise him with her boyfriend, Tyler, who’s no one’s idea of a model father. 

Clearly, there are going to be some conflicts to iron out. Liv just doesn’t expect them to be with her husband. As it turns out, Liv and Oscar have very different ideas about what to do. Perhaps it’s because Liv, who was adopted, has a unique perspective on this baby’s future. And perhaps it’s because, as a mother, she knows better than anyone how Hazel’s young life will be changed forever. As the family fractures in every direction, past resentments and pain come tumbling out. After years of putting others first, Liv wonders if she can do what’s best for her daughter, her parents, and her marriage - while still being true to herself.

Liv is married and in her 40s. Her son, Sean, will soon be off to university and her daughter, Hazel, is almost finished high school. Finally Liv can focus on herself and start her home redesign business. Then 16-year-old Hazel announces she is pregnant and though she has plans of eventually becoming a doctor, she is adamant about keeping the baby ... having an abortion or putting the baby up for adoption are out of the question. Everyone thinks Liv is selfish and controlling because she thinks Hazel keeping the baby is a bad decision, especially since they know Tyler, Hazel's boyfriend, is a loser. Liv knows a lot of the responsibility will fall on her (she's already taking care of her parents) and she's not willing to take that on at this point in her life.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I hated it. It is written in first person perspective in Liv and Hazel's voices (the chapters are labeled). I didn't care for most of the characters. Liv tried to stand up for herself and be honest about how Hazel's baby would affect their lives and everyone thought she was being controlling and selfish. Liv's parents are ailing and it's up to her to take care of their needs. Her father's mind was failing should have been put in a home but no one thought he was bad enough (huh?! at one point he didn't even recognize himself in a picture!). Beth, Liv's younger sister, who was apparently their mother's favourite, was flakey and left everything for Liv to take care of. Oscar, Liv's husband, was a jerk and gave her no support and expected her to put her life on hold again so she could raise Hazel's baby. Granted Hazel was only 16 and apparently a smart girl but she was a spoiled brat ... she's lucky her family, especially her mother, supported her as much as they did considering how she treated them. If I was Liv, I would have bailed a lot sooner and let them all take care of themselves.

Book ~ "Baby, Don't Hurt Me: Stories and Scars from Saturday Night Live" (2019) Chris Kattan

From Goodreads ~ You may know him as Mango, Mr. Peepers, the gibberish-spouting Suel Forrester or one half of the head-bopping brothers in "A Night at the Roxbury". Maybe you remember him as the forlorn gothic kid Azrael Abyss, Gay Hitler or the guitarist in the "More Cowbell" sketch. Whichever it is, Chris Kattan has earned a spot in the hearts of a generation of comedy fans.

Chris Kattan has defied comparison, expectations and sometimes gravity with his inimitable style of physical comedy. By creating some of the most memorable "Saturday Night Live" characters, as well as his many roles in film and television, Kattan has remained one of the most fearless and versatile comedians in the world.

Not long after Chris was labeled one of the improv group Groundlings' "must-see" performers in the company, he was cast on "SNL" - and within the first six weeks, Chris's film career also took off.

Now, for the first time, Kattan opens up about eight seasons on "SNL", performing alongside friends and future legends including Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey, and guest hosts from Charlize Theron to Tom Hanks to David Bowie. He also shares stories of his unusual childhood (involving a secluded mountain with zen monks) with Leonard Cohen and Alan Watts. "Baby, Don't Hurt Me" offers an unprecedented look into Chris's life, from his fascinating relationship with Lorne Michaels, a private Valentine's Day dinner with Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, an unforgettable flight with Beyoncé and even breaking his neck on live television.

"Baby, Don't Hurt Me" is a candid revealing memoir from a timeless comedian and a window into the world of millennium-era "SNL", from the rehearsals to the after-after parties, as narrated by your hilarious and inspiring friend - who just so happened to be there for all of it.

I recently watched A Night at the Roxbury (I've seen it a few times). When I came across this memoir, I was still kind of in a Roxbury state of mine so thought I'd check it. I know of Chris Kattan from A Night at the Roxbury but hadn't really watched much of Saturday Night Live by the time he was on it ... I was a fan when it first came on but lost interest as I thought it had gone downhill over the years (I don't find it all that funny when I occasionally watch it now).

I found it surprisingly I like it more than I thought it would. I thought Kattan had an interesting story to tell. His parents split up when he was young and he was raised in two worlds ... his mother and stepfather's world was in a Zen environment living on a mountain and his father's world was in the entertainment field.

Because I had pretty well tuned out of Saturday Night Live by the time he was on, I found myself Googling and looking for the bits he talked about when he did his characters and with the various guest hosts.

I like reading memoirs, especially in the entertainment world to get the behind the scenes scoop on different shows and personalities. It was interesting to find out who Kattan had relationships and friendships with. I liked the writing style and found it at times humorous. As a heads up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Things You Save in a Fire" (2019) Katherine Center

From Goodreads ~ Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she's seen her fair share of them and she's excellent at dealing with other people's tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to uproot her life and move to Boston, it's an emergency of a kind Cassie never anticipated. 

The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie's old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren't exactly thrilled to have a "lady" on the crew, even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the handsome rookie, who doesn't seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can't think about that. Because she doesn't fall in love. And because of the advice her old captain gave her: don't date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping ... but will she jeopardize her place in a career where she's worked so hard to be taken seriously?

Cassie's family broke up on her sixteenth birthday when her mother left to be with another man. Also on that birthday, a older boy did something bad to her. These two things hardened her and she swore off love. Ten years later, she is working as a firefighter in Texas and is considered one of the best. 

On the night she is getting an hero's award (yes, that's how good she is!), she does something that jeopardizes her career. She's given a choice to either resign or transfer to another fire station and work her way back. I don't know why she would throw away her career by not telling why she had reacted the way she had at the awards dinner. The #MeToo movement had already started by the time the book was written. If Cassie was as tough a firefighter as she was made out to be, she should have been jumping all over it.

Diana, her estranged mother, isn't well and asks Cassie to move back home to the Boston area for a year to take care of her while she gets better. Cassie doesn't have a choice and gets a job at a local fire station. Her captain in Texas, who is also female, warns her that the captain in Boston doesn't want her because she's a girl and gives her advice on how to mix in with her new colleagues. On her first day reporting to work, there is a rookie who has also been recently hired and it's apparently love at first sight for them, though they try to fight it.

I thought this story was bearable until the big fire ... then it became more farfetched and went downhill. Then a stalker and violence was introduced which made this story even more crazy. It's hard to believe that this story was written in 2019 (so is "present day") and that Cassie's Texas captain, for example, had to prep her on what to expect with her new captain who didn't believe in "lady firefighters. It would have been more believable if the story took place in 1959. This is not a book I would want a young woman to read ... I'd hate for her to think this is how women should act and how they are treated by men.

It is written in first person perspective in Cassie's voice. The ending wrapped up rather quickly and unrealistically ... all is forgiven by everyone (really?) and there's a happy ending. As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

Book ~ "Bentley" (2019) Ellen Miles

From Goodreads ~ The Petersons are off to a weekend in the woods. Charles is excited to venture into the outdoors with his puppy, Buddy. When the family arrives at Misty Valley, Charles discovers that a smart Weimaraner named Bentley is lonely and in need of a home. 

But Charles is only there for the weekend. Can he find Bentley a home in just three days?

Charles is in elementary school. His family, the Petersons, have a puppy named Buddy plus they foster dogs and help them find homes.

Charles and his family are on a camping trip at Misty Valley. When they check in, they see a Weimaraner puppy named Bentley in a cage in the office ... he was found a couple weeks early roaming around and no one had claimed him. The owner of Misty Valley can't keep him and doesn't know anyone else who will take him. Charles gets attached to Bentley and is determined to find him a good home.

Though this book is a quick read and directed at elementary-aged children, I found it entertaining. There is a learning experience and a puppy tip at the end. It is written in third person perspective and first person from Bentley's point of view. It is the 53rd in the Puppy Place series, which currently has 66 books in the series, and works as a stand alone.

Book ~ "Rusty" (2019) Ellen Miles

From Goodreads ~ Lizzie is so ready for animal camp at the Caring Paws Shelter during her school vacation. She loves spending time with all the animals and already has her sights set on one to be her Pet Pal. But once she arrives, Lizzie gets a special assignment from Ms. Dobbins ... Rusty, a beautiful and energetic Irish setter. 

Can Lizzie teach Rusty a few new tricks before the week at camp is up?

Lizzie is in elementary school. Her family, the Petersons, have a puppy named Buddy plus they foster dogs and help them find homes.

Lizzie is spending the week at Caring Paws Shelter's new animal camp. Everyone will be assigned a pet pal and she had her eye on Nora, an older dog. But when she arrives, Ms. Dobbins, the owner of the shelter, instead assigns her to Rusty, a young Irish setter with a lot of energy, who is looking for a new home. Working with Rusty, Lizzie discovers that he is easy to train to do tricks as her family fosters him. Lizzie hopes to find that right adopter for Rusty.

Though this book is a quick read and directed at elementary-aged children, I found it entertaining. There is a learning experience and a puppy tip at the end. It is written in third person perspective and first person from Rusty's point of view. It is the fifty-fourth in the Puppy Place series, which currently has 66 books in the series, and works as a stand alone.

Book ~ "Roxy" (2019) Ellen Miles

From Goodreads ~ Charles needs an idea for his science project fast! But when the Petersons take in Roxy, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel and Chihuahua mix with an injured leg, Charles has an idea. 

Can Charles train this new pup using the scientific method and help her find a new home?

Charles and his older sister, Lizzie, are in elementary school. Their family, the Petersons, have a puppy named Buddy plus they foster dogs and help them find homes.

Charles and his father are driving home one night when they come across a wounded Cavalier King Charles spaniel and Chihuahua mix puppy by the side of the road. They take her to their vet and it turns out the vet has the puppy's mother and two brothers. Her leg is sprained so the Petersons agree to foster her, and name her Roxy, until she is better and they can find her a home. In the meantime, Charles need to do a science project and decides to see if dogs will do tricks if they are given better and more fun treats.

Though this book is a quick read and directed at elementary-aged children, I found it entertaining. There is a learning experience and a puppy tip at the end. It is written in third person perspective and first person from Roxy's point of view. It is the fifty-fifth in the Puppy Place series, which currently has 66 books in the series, and works as a stand alone.

Book ~ "Cuddles" (2019) Ellen Miles

From Goodreads ~ Lizzie loves her dog-walking job after school. It's the best way to be around so many different puppies. 

Then she meets Cuddles, a lonely and very adorable teddy bear pup. It looks like Cuddles is home alone all day and could use some extra attention. Can Lizzie help Cuddles get what she needs?

Lizzie and her younger brother, Charles, are in elementary school. Their family, the Petersons, have a puppy named Buddy plus they foster dogs and help them find homes.

Lizzie and her three friends have a dog walking business they run after school. When one of her friends can't walk Misha, one of her dogs, for a couple days, Lizzie covers for her. While walking Misha, Lizzie comes across Cuddles, a teddy bear puppy who is barking and hyper because she's cooped up on a porch. She convinces the elderly owner to let her walk Cuddles for free and Poppy, Cuddle's young neighbour who is crazy about dogs, tags along.

Though this book is a quick read and directed at elementary-aged children, I found it entertaining. There is a learning experience and a puppy tip at the end. It is written in third person perspective and first person from Cuddle's point of view. It is the fifty-second in the Puppy Place series, which currently has 66 books in the series, and works as a stand alone.

Book ~ "Pretty Revenge" (2019) Emily Liebert

From Goodreads ~ Kerrie O’Malley, jobless and in an unfulfilling relationship, can isolate the singular moment in her life when things veered off course - the night she was irrevocably wronged by someone she looked up to. Eighteen years later, when Kerrie sees the very woman who destroyed her life on television, a fire ignites inside her. The stakes are high. The risks are perilous. But she’ll stop at nothing to achieve the retribution she deserves.

Jordana Pierson is a gilded New Yorker who appears to have it all: wealth, glamour, a successful and handsome husband, and a thriving wedding concierge business. Her record is spotless. Her business is flourishing. No one knows the truth about her and the dark shadows of her past.

No one, that is, except Kerrie. 

Kerrie and Jordan were neighbours in a small town in Connecticut. Kerrie was 12 years old and watched Jordan, who was 17, and wanted to be friends but Jordan didn't know she existed. One night, the only night they ever met, Kerrie saved Jordan's life. While Jordan was grateful, things happened that night to make Kerrie regret it and vowed to get revenge ever since.

Eighteen years later, Jordan is now Jordana, living in New York City, is married to a rich husband and has a successful wedding conciege business. Kerrie is still in Connecticut and struggling. When she sees Jordana being interviewed, she vows to get revenge on what happened that night 18 years ago. She moves to New York City, becomes Olivia and manages to get the position of Jordana's assistant and gaining her trust and friendship, and sees that Jordana's life isn't as great as she'd like you to think. Olivia starts her plan by sabotaging Jordana and her business without Jordana suspecting a thing.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I thought it was okay. It is written is first person perspective in Kerrie/Olivia and Jordan/Jordana's voices (the chapters are labelled). Most of the story takes place in present day but it does bounce back to the past so we can eventually find out why Kerrie/Olivia is seeking revenge. The ending came together quickly and was a bit unbelievable. As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

Book ~ "Before She Knew Him" (2019) Peter Swanson

From Goodreads ~ Hen and her husband Lloyd have settled into a quiet life in a new house outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Hen (short for Henrietta) is an illustrator and works out of a studio nearby and has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder. Finally, she’s found some stability and peace. But when they meet the neighbors next door, that calm begins to erode as she spots a familiar object displayed on the husband’s office shelf. The sports trophy looks exactly like one that went missing from the home of a young man who was killed two years ago. 

Hen knows because she’s long had a fascination with this unsolved murder - an obsession she doesn’t talk about anymore, but can’t fully shake either.

Hen and Lloyd have recently moved to the suburbs ... she is an artist with a studio nearby and he works every day in the city.  When their next door neighbours, Matthew and Mira, invite them over for supper, Hen recognizes a fencing trophy in Matthew's office as belonging to a young man who was murdered a couple years ago, which is still unsolved.  Matthew said he bought it at a yard sale but he knows that Hen somehow knows the truth that he had killed the young man.  When Hen goes to police to report her hunch, no one really takes her seriously (not a big surprise, right?) especially when they look into her past and find she has a bipolar disorder.  Hoping to stop Matthew from killing again, she starts meeting with him and discovers that nothing is going to stop him.

This book is written in third person perspective.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.  When I started reading it, I wanted to stop not too far into it because I wasn't digging it ... it was so boring and dumb.  But I continued on because I've read some of this author's other books and enjoyed them and hoped it would get better ... but it didn't.  There was a lot going on and it was so convoluted and unbelievable.  The ending was ridiculous ... when I got there, I was surprised at how it ended (I didn't see it coming) but was also stunned at how absurd it was.

Book ~ "Not Like the Movies" (2020) Kerry Winfrey

From Goodreads ~ Chloe Sanderson is an optimist and not because her life is easy. As the sole caregiver for her father, who has early onset Alzheimer's, she's pretty much responsible for everything. She has no time - or interest - in getting swept up in some dazzling romance. Not like her best friend Annie, who literally wrote a rom-com that's about to premiere in theaters across America ... and happens to be inspired by Chloe and Nick Velez, Chloe's cute but no-nonsense boss.

As the buzz for the movie grows, Chloe reads one too many listicles about why Nick is the perfect man and now she can't see him as anything but Reason #2: The Scruffy-Bearded Hunk Who's Always There When You Need Him. But unlike the romance Annie has written for them, Chloe isn't so sure her own story will end in a Happily Ever After.

Chloe works in a coffee shop owned by Nick.  She's good at what she does but she has a lot on the go ... her father is in a home with Alzheimer's and Chloe is his sole caregiver.  She is working on getting her BA degree online.  Her best friend, Annie, recently wrote a screenplay fictionalizing the attraction between Chloe and Nick, which is attracting unwanted attention.  Plus Annie is getting married to Drew, an actor, and in addition to being her maid of honour, Chloe has promised to make a bunch of pies and pompoms for the wedding. The attraction between Nick and Chloe can't be denied but she doesn't have time for a relationship, which adds even more pressure.

This was a cute light story and is the second in the Waiting for Tom Hanks series ... I read the first one last week.  It works as a stand alone and you don't have to read the first one in the series to know what's going on.  It’s written in first person perspective in Chloe’s voice. I like the writing style … it was a fun read and I look forward to reading others by this author.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Her Secret Son" (2019) Hannah Mary McKinnon

From Goodreads ~ When Josh’s longtime partner, Grace, dies in a tragic accident, he is left with a mess of grief - and full custody of her seven-year-old son, Logan. While not his biological father, Josh has been a dad to Logan in every way that counts, and with Grace gone, Logan needs him more than ever.

Wanting to do right by Logan, Josh begins the process of becoming his legal guardian - something that seems suddenly urgent, though Grace always brushed it off as an unnecessary formality. But now, as Josh struggles to find the paperwork associated with Logan’s birth, he begins to wonder whether there were more troubling reasons for Grace’s reluctance to make their family official.

As he digs deeper into the past of the woman he loved, Josh soon finds that there are many dark secrets to uncover, and that the truth about where Logan came from is much more sinister than he could have imagined.

Josh and Grace are living together and raising Grace’s eight-year-old son, Logan. Josh has been in Logan’s life since he was two years old and considers him his son (Logan’s biological father was a apparently a one night stand and is not in their lives). When Grace suddenly passes away in a freak accident, Josh realizes he has to start the process of formally adopting Logan so he can keep them together. To do this, he needs Logan’s birth certificate and other documentation. If Josh can’t prove that he has any legal right to Logan, he’s concerned they will take him from him. Grace was estranged from her parents and has no other family. When Josh can’t find anything, he requests it from the state Grace said Logan was born in … but there is no record of Logan’s birth. Grace liked living under the radar … paying cash for everything, not wanting to get a mortgage, not wanting to get married, etc. In hindsight, this gets Josh wondering who Grace really was and was Logan really hers? Josh becomes determined to find out who Logan really is, even it if means losing him.

I’ve read a few books by this author and liked this one. It took a weird turn towards the end that seemed unrealistic to me but I guess it had to happen to have the ending make sense. I was satisfied with the “why” thinks had happened. It is written in first person perspective in Josh’s voice. As a head’s up, there is swearing.