Search This Blog

2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (Hosted by Yours Truly)

2024 Challenge Sign-Up Post

January Reviews Link-Up

February Reviews Link-Up

March Reviews Link-Up

April Reviews Link-Up

May Reviews Link-Up

June Reviews Link-Up

July Reviews Link-Up

August Reviews Link-Up

September Reviews Link-Up

October Reviews Link-Up

November Reviews Link-Up

December Reviews Link-Up

My Progress:


9 / 30 books. 30% done!

2024 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California (3)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (1)
- North Carolina (1)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia (1)
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*

International:
- Australia (1)
- Canada (1)
- England (5)
- France (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Scotland (1)
- The Netherlands (1)

My Progress:


12 / 51 states. 24% done!

2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


10 / 50 words. 20% done!

2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge


15 / 50 books. 30% done!

Booklist Queen's 2024 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


32 / 50 books. 64% done!

2024 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


27 / 52 books. 52% done!

2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


21 / 40 books. 53% done!

2024 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge


13 / 40 books. 33% done!

2024 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


5 / 25 books. 20% done!

2024 Medical Examiner's Mystery Reading Challenge

2024 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge

My Progress


17 / 26.2 miles. 65% done!

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


15 / 100 books. 15% done!

2024 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

My Progress:


34 / 104 books. 33% done!

Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


31 / 52 books. 60% done!

Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge

My Progress


32 / 165 books. 19% done!
Friday, December 28, 2018

Novel Does Engrossing, Compelling Justice to Its Fascinating Premise

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Ten years ago, a troubled drifter took his 10-year-old son camping in the Boundary Waters—a vast, remote wilderness on the Canadian border—and was never heard from again.  A ravaged campsite seemed to indicate a fatal bear attack.  A decade later, everyone is shocked when one of the "victims" emerges from the wild.  Caught while robbing an outfitter store, 19-year-old Lucas Blackthorn becomes violent.  After his subsequent arrest, the uncommunicative young man is admitted to a mental hospital in Duluth.  Despite repeated attempts to find out what happened on their ill-fated camping trip, Lucas will say nothing about himself, his father, or anything else.

At the end of her rope, the psychologist in charge of the facility assigns Maya Stark, her former patient and a newly-licensed speech therapist, to try her luck with stony Lucas.  It's an impossible task, but Maya's determined to get through to her client, whose haunted past reflects Maya's own.  The more involved she becomes, however, the more she's willing to do for Lucas, a man she's not even sure she can trust.  As the risks she's taking become increasingly dangerous, Maya must decide just how far she's willing to go for the enigmatic patient whose demands could cost Maya everything she's worked so hard to gain.      

The premise of Leave No Trace, Mindy Mejia's newest, intrigued me from the moment I heard about it.  Happily, the novel does its premise justice in this tense, engrossing page turner.  The characters are sympathetic and interesting, as are the questions at the center of this novel—What is crazy?  Who are the real savages—those who retreat to the peace of the isolated wilderness or those who destroy it with pollution and noise?  With a compelling storyline, an appealing cast, and a fascinating setting, Leave No Trace kept me totally spellbound.  I loved it. 

(Readalikes:  Reminded me a little of The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah and If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for language (a handful of F-bombs, plus milder expletives) and violence

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

My Favorite Salty Sea Girl Sails Again in Seventh Bloody Jack Adventure

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for Rapture of the Deep, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Jacky Faber adventures.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Ever since her first adventure as an orphaned street urchin turned swashbuckling sailor, Jacqueline "Jacky" Faber has pined for one James "Jamie" Fletcher.  Now 16, Jacky is finally getting her wish to marry her long-time love.  Only moments before she takes her vows, however, she's captured by her constant enemy, British Naval Intelligence.  The powers that be force her to take on another dangerous mission, although this one is much more to her liking.  This time, Jacky will be searching the Caribbean sea for lost Spanish treasure.  With the glint of gold in her eye, she embarks on her newest adventure—one that will bring Jacky new challenges, fresh risks, and another chance to appease her greedy, sea-yearning soul.  Along the way, there will be plenty of laughs, romance, and at least one "starkers" episode that will surely go down in naval history.

As Rapture of the Deep is the seventh installment in L.A. Meyer's incomparable Bloody Jack series, you've no doubt heard me rhapsodize about how much I adore these books.  Each is an engrossing, exciting tale full of laughs, romance, adventure, and derring-do.  Jacky is the kind of bright, fun, admirable character that you never want to stop reading about.  Unfortunately, her creator passed away in 2014, so after Wild Rover No More, the 12th book in the series, there are no more high sea chanteys for my beloved Bloody Jack.  I'm reading the remaining tales slowly so I can savor every word.  Rapture of the Deep, by the by, is just as much fun as its predecessors.  It gets a little long-winded (like every seafaring storyteller does at times), but it's still a charming, always entertaining read.  It might not be my favorite of the bunch; still, I adore any Jacky yarn and this one was no exception.

(Readalikes:  Other books in the Bloody Jack series, including Bloody Jack; Curse of the Blue Tattoo; Under the Jolly Roger; In the Belly of the Bloodhound; Mississippi Jack; My Bonny Light Horseman; The Wake of the Lorelei Lee; The Mark of the Golden Dragon; Viva Jacquelina!; Boston Jacky; and Wild Rover No More)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for language (no F-bombs), violence, blood/gore, and innuendo/mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Rapture of the Deep from Half Price Books with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

Blog Widget by LinkWithin


Reading

<i>Reading</i>
End of Story by A.J. Finn

Listening

<i>Listening</i>
My Contrary Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows



Followin' with Bloglovin'

Follow

Followin' with Feedly

follow us in feedly



Grab my Button!


Blog Design by:


Blog Archive



2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Susan has read 0 books toward her goal of 200 books.
hide

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction