ARC Review: Dying to Tell by Rita Herron

Dying to Tell 

Author: Rita Herron

Publication: Montlake Romance (December 24, 2012)

Description: What happened to Sadie Nettleton’s twin sister at the psychiatric hospital all those years ago?

Sadie Nettleton fled Slaughter Creek ten years ago, leaving behind the only home she’d ever known—and the only man she ever loved. Unable to cope with her sister's madness, or the terrible secret she and her sister share, Sadie swore never to return. But when her grandfather is murdered, and her sister charged with the crime, Sadie has no choice but to come back and face the ghosts of the past...

For Sheriff Jake Blackwood, time has not dimmed the love he felt for Sadie Nettleton—or the pain of her leaving. Now that she’s back, he’s determined to help her uncover the truth about her grandfather’s death and what happened to her sister at the asylum. As their investigation leads them deeper into a world of secrets, lies, and betrayal in Slaughter Creek, Sadie becomes the target of a madman who will do anything to keep the truth buried. Jake would give his life to protect Sadie. But can he again risk giving her his heart?

My Thoughts: This was a creepy, twisted thriller that I can't tell you very much about because almost anything I could say would be a spoiler. Sadie Nettleton comes back home to Slaughter Creek after her mentally ill sister apparently kills their grandfather. But it isn't that simple.

Sadie Nettleton ran from Slaughter Creek after a disturbing incident that happened when she was seventeen. She moved to San Francisco and became a psychiatric therapist who uses art therapy to help children who are the victims of crimes. When she ran, she left behind Jake Blackwood - the love of her life, her twin sister Amelia, and her grandfather.

Amelia Nettleton has alternate personalities including three-year-old Bessie, sexpot Viola, and teenage rebel Skid. She has been in and out of the Slaughter Creek sanitarium since she was three years old. She has spent years in a drugged haze.

Jake Blackwood has come back to Slaughter Creek after years in the military because he wants to find out what happened to his father who disappeared at almost the same time Sadie left him and to find a safe place to raise his motherless daughter Ayla. His experiences with Sadie and Ayla's mother have given him a firm distrust in women. He is also the sheriff who has to deal with the murder.

This twisted tale has murders, secret government projects, and lots of danger and suspense. It was a great thriller that sent chills up my spine on more than one occasion. I thought it was a less successful romance mainly because the event that caused Sadie to run and never look back was the sort of romantic deal-breaker that would be very hard to get over. Telling you what is was would be a spoiler even though it happens early in the book.

Read this one if you are looking for a complex, psychological thriller that will send chills up your spine. 

Favorite Quote:

A frown of disapproval furrowed Dr. Tynsdale's brow. "Amelia has been my patient for years, Sadie. You have to trust me."

Anxiety knotted Sadie's shoulders. That was the problem.

She didn't trust anyone anymore.

I got this ARC through the Amazon Vine program. You can buy your copy here.

WoW: Dream Eyes by Jayne Ann Krentz

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This is where we can post our links and see what books others are waiting for. It spotlights upcoming releases.

Jayne Ann Krentz, an author on my auto-buy list, has a new book coming out on Jan. 8, 2013. Dream Eyes is her latest paranormal romance. Here is the description:

The death of her friend and mentor, Evelyn Ballinger, brings psychic counselor Gwen Frazier back to the small town of Wilby, Oregon, and brings back memories she would rather forget. Two years earlier, a killer stalked the members of one of Ballinger's research studies including Gwen. And though she survived while two others didn't, Gwen knows that Ballinger's death is related.

Sent by a friend to help Gwen, psychic investigator Judson Coppersmith arrives in Wilby barely in control of his own talent and his own life, haunted by urgent dreams. His attraction to Gwen is primal, but there are secrets he must keep to protect himself from surrendering to her completely, even as their investigation draws them into dreamscapes, into decades of deception, and into the paranormal fires of a desire too strong to resist. . . .

Teaser Tuesday: Dying to Tell by Rita Herron

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week my teaser comes from Dying to Tell by Rita Herron. I got this romantic suspense title through the Amazon Vine program. It will be released on Dec. 24. Here is the description:

What happened to Sadie Nettleton’s twin sister at the psychiatric hospital all those years ago?

Sadie Nettleton fled Slaughter Creek ten years ago, leaving behind the only home she’d ever known—and the only man she ever loved. Unable to cope with her sister's madness, or the terrible secret she and her sister share, Sadie swore never to return. But when her grandfather is murdered, and her sister charged with the crime, Sadie has no choice but to come back and face the ghosts of the past...

For Sheriff Jake Blackwood, time has not dimmed the love he felt for Sadie Nettleton—or the pain of her leaving. Now that she’s back, he’s determined to help her uncover the truth about her grandfather’s death and what happened to her sister at the asylum. As their investigation leads them deeper into a world of secrets, lies, and betrayal in Slaughter Creek, Sadie becomes the target of a madman who will do anything to keep the truth buried. Jake would give his life to protect Sadie. But can he again risk giving her his heart?

Teaser:

"Can we have another coloring party?" Bessie asked.

Her heart broke for the child in front of her. For her sister, who had no idea what she'd done. For what would happen to Amelia's fragile psyche when she realized she'd taken her own granddaddy's life.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (Dec. 17, 2012)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Here is what I read last week:

I finally got a chance to read The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts which was the last book in the Inn Boonsboro trilogy. I love Nora Roberts' romances for the strong relationships that she writes. The romantic relationship is well-written and realistic but I love the relationships she writes - the relationship between brothers and the relationships between friends. My review will be posted on Dec. 22.

Dying to Tell by Rita Herron was a romantic suspense title that I felt was much stronger for suspense than it was for romance. I thought the suspense was spine-chilling but the romance was really unbelievable. My review will be posted on Dec. 20.

I read Dragon's Heart by Jane Yolen which has been sitting on my TBR mountain since January 2010. It was the long awaited fourth and final book in a series that Yolen began writing in 1982. I enjoyed it once I had read enough to remember the characters and the situations. The story was an exciting science fiction story with dragons. My review will be posted on Dec. 22.

Aurelia by Anne Osterlund has also been on TBR mountain since January 2010. This was a historical fantasy title about a princess. I liked the writing and the characters and ordered the sequel immediately after I finished this one. (One advantage to letting a book age on TBR mountain is that the sequel is already available.) My review will be posted on Dec. 20.

The last book I am listing but actually the first one I read this week was Fire Season by David Weber. This recent release (Oct. 2) was the sequel to A Beautiful Friendship. It is young adult science fiction and comes complete with treecats - wonderful alien characters. My review is here.

I am not reading anything right now. I just finished a book and decided to write this post before starting the next book. Here is what I have on the stack to read for the next couple of weeks:

Most of the adult book on the pile are from my vast TBR mountain. Here they are:

Cold Days by Jim Butcher

Mortal Ties by Eileen Wilks

Redoubt by Mercedes Lackey

 Cold Fire by Kate Elliott

Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

These are January adult review books:

Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus

Ever After by Kim Harrison

The young adult books in my plans for the next couple of weeks are my January review books. Here they are:

Splintered by A. G. Howard

Delusion by Laura L. Sullivan

The 13th Sign by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

Cleopatra Ascending by Maureen Lipinski

Black Ice by Andrew Lane

I am planning to start with Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison because I want to space out the books in that series ending the month with the new one that I have for review. I know I am not listing the book just before the new one in my reading plans but I have it sitting on TBR mountain. I plan to read that one after the first of the year.

This is our last week of school before Christmas Break. We go to school all week. Next Saturday I will be traveling up to Duluth to spend the holiday with my brother. I should have lots of reading time while I am there. We do have plans to go see The Hobbit while I'm home but the rest of the time is unscheduled.

I plan to return here to my home on either Dec. 29 or Dec. 30 depending on the weather or weather forecasts. That will give me a couple of days here at home before I go back to work on Thursday, Jan. 3.

What are your plans for this coming week?

Stacking the Shelves (Dec. 16, 2012)

Tynga of Tynga's Reviews has a meme to spotlight the books we receive each week. Visit her site to check out the linky and see what everyone gets. I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow.

This week I added six books to my TBR mountain - four print books and two new ones for my Kindle.

I am a fan of Jill Shalvis' romances. When I saw that Amazon had picked Forever and a Day as one of the best romances of the year, I had to buy a copy for my Kindle.

I also got Think About Love by Vanessa Grant which was free this week for my Kindle. I saw it on someone's blog and thought it sounded interesting. 

I also thought it was time to take a look at my Amazon wishlist and either buy the book or take it off the list. I got a copy of An Apple for the Creature which is an anthology containing stories by lots of authors I like. I am not a big fan of anthologies in general but I wanted to read those stories. 

I also recently saw a posting about the best Star Trek novels. I had read most of them but there were a couple I hadn't ever read. I had a chance to get The Captain's Daughter by Peter David for a good price through the Amazon Marketplace and decided to buy it.

My keeper copy of Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder arrived this week. I read the eARC from NetGalley and had to get this one for my keeper shelf.

Finally, I bought The Silvered by Tanya Huff. I like her work and this sounded like an interesting fantasy story. 

What did you add to your stack this week?

ARC Review: Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder

Scent of Magic
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Publication: Harlequin MIRA; Original edition (December 18, 2012)

Description: As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomaniacal King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confidant, returns to Alga to summon his country into battle.

Though she should be in hiding, Avry will do whatever she can to support Tohon's opponents. Including infiltrating a holy army, evading magic sniffers, teaching forest skills to soldiers and figuring out how to stop Tohon's most horrible creations yet: an army of the walking dead—human and animal alike and nearly impossible to defeat.

War is coming and Avry is alone. Unless she figures out how to do the impossible…again.

My Thoughts: The action continues unabated in this sequel to TOUCH OF POWER. Avry and Kerrick must go off on separate tasks in their joint quest to stop King Tohon from taking control of all of the fifteen Realms. 

Avry is heading into the Realm controlled by Estrid who happens to be something of a religious fanatic but still an opponent for King Tohon. However, Avry's estranged younger sister is there working as an aide to General Jael. Avry wants one more chance to try to reconnect with her sister. 

Avry goes in disguise because everyone thinks she died while saving Prince Ryne from the plague. Since Avry is the only Healer left in the Realms, she is the focus of lots of negative attention. King Tohon has developed an obsession for her and Jael wants to kill her because she might foil her plans. Avry finds a place in Estrid's army training the soldiers to move silently through the forests which might be their only way to defeat the much larger forces of King Tohon. Unfortunately Tohon has found a way to reanimate the dead which has created an army no one knows how to defeat.

Kerrick goes north to rendezvous with Prince Ryne who is Tohon's major opponent. Ryne sends him even further north to investigate rumors that the tribes from the wildlands are invading his home realm. When he arrives he learns that his brother has formed an agreement with Tohon which has saved his Realm. However, he has also sent most of the Realm's soldiers to join Tohon's army. Ryne is left with only a couple hundred soldiers to try to force the northerners back to their own lands.

Both Avry and Kerrick face many difficulties before they are reunited. Both suffer greatly wondering about the fate of the other. The story is told in alternate sections from each character's point of view. In the eARC I read the settings frequented shifted in the middle of paragraphs. Hopefully, the final print and ebooks will correct this very jarring transition.

Fans of the first book will really enjoy this one and will be eager for the next book in the series. I don't know that this book would stand alone well. Much of it depends on the reader knowing what happened in book one. However, the characters were interesting and the action was non-stop which might be enough to lure in new readers who would then be eager to find out what they missed in book one.

Favorite Quote:

After waiting for her to calm, I said, "What's so funny about that?"

"Come on, Baby Face. First, he's a prince, and second, everyone knows there is only one man for you."

That surprised me. "Really? Which man?"

"We've no idea. But you're the prettiest sergeant around and you've been so oblivious to the interest from the other guys that we've figured you had to be in love with someone else. Did he die from the plague?"

"No." My reply just popped from my mouth.

"Then why isn't he with you?"

"It's complicated."

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. You can buy your copy here. 

Friday Memes: Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

This week I am spotlighting Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder. I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley. The book will be released on Dec. 18. This is the sequel to Touch of Power. Here is the description:

As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomaniacal King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confidant, returns to Alga to summon his country into battle.

Though she should be in hiding, Avry will do whatever she can to support Tohon's opponents. Including infiltrating a holy army, evading magic sniffers, teaching forest skills to soldiers and figuring out how to stop Tohon's most horrible creations yet: an army of the walking dead—human and animal alike and nearly impossible to defeat.

War is coming and Avry is alone. Unless she figures out how to do the impossible…again.

Beginning:

"I'm dead," I said to Kerrick.

He kept his flat expression, and I knew I'd get more cooperation from the cave's stone walls. Too bad for him that I didn't need his approval. 

Friday 56:

A loud crash sounded behind him. Kerrick spun, grabbing for his sword. His fingers wrapped around an unfamiliar hilt.

"My bad," Quain said, returning the copper statue that had fallen to the marble floor, turning it so the dent was no longer visible. He glanced at Kerrick's hand. "Expecting trouble?"