Serenity's Plain Secrets

I've been reading the Serenity's Plain Secrets series for a couple of years. It's pretty similar to the Kate Burkholder series, only not as dark. If you've read my reviews for those books, then you will know that I mentioned reading another Amish mystery series before I started that one. Well, this is that series. I finished reading the fifth book yesterday, so I thought I would post my reviews of the previous books, along with my review for that one. Here are my reviews for books 1-5 of the series:




Lamb to the Slaughter by Karen Ann Hopkins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: It's been a while so I don't remember, but these books generally have pretty non-descriptive or fade to black sex scenes.
 

Reviewed on July 24, 2016

The death of a teenage Amish girl in a cornfield looks like an accident, but sheriff Serenity Adams suspects foul play. To solve the murder, she must investigate the nearby Amish community with the help of a man who was shunned years ago.

Lamb to the Slaughter is a story about the intertwining lives of three unlikely people in an Indiana Amish Community and the devastating results when a rebellious teenage girl is found shot to death in a corn field during the harvest.

I'm a sucker for an Amish mystery and Lamb to the Slaughter did not disappoint. The Amish community is a little creepy, but innocent at the same time and that's what I think I like about it. So far I've enjoyed reading about Serenity and Daniel. Serenity is believable as a Sheriff, although sometimes I want to hit her upside the head for being so stubborn and closed off to other people, especially to Daniel.

The only real criticism I have about this book and the others in the series is that it could have used better proofreading. There are several typos that include missing words, wrong words, and missing letters in words. I have been able to overlook those things and still enjoy the books so far. I'm definitely hooked.




Whispers from the Dead by Karen Ann Hopkins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: It's been a while so I don't remember, but these books generally have pretty non-descriptive or fade to black sex scenes.


Reviewed on July 30, 2016

Sheriff Serenity Adams and Daniel Bachman are once again partnered up in a criminal investigation, when they travel to a northern Amish settlement that has been riddled by arsons for the past two decades. Serenity quickly discovers that there is a lot more going on than just barns being set on fire in the touristy community of Poplar Springs. And this group of Amish has their own secrets to hide. Serenity begins to unravel an extensive criminal underworld that threatens to destroy everything that the simple people of Poplar Springs hold dear, and once again puts her own life in jeopardy.

Sorry just a short review here since I read this while on vacation.

Whispers from the Dead was a good second installment to the series. I'm enjoying the budding relationship between Serenity and Daniel and the Amish and their secrets continue to keep me on the edge of my seat in these books.

This series is a light vacation read for me and I'm completely enjoying it. Still the same issues with the typos, but otherwise no complaints.




Secrets in the Grave by Karen Ann Hopkins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: It's been a while so I don't remember, but these books generally have pretty non-descriptive or fade to black sex scenes.


Reviewed on August 2, 2016

Just when Sheriff Serenity Adams thinks life is getting back to normal, the death of a young, pregnant Amish woman rocks the community. Is it circumstance…or murder? It’s up to Serenity and her ex-Amish boyfriend, Daniel Bachman, to discover the truth about the new shaman-type medicine man who’s brought his dark secrets to Blood Rock.

But Serenity has secrets of her own, and if she and Daniel don’t work it out, the reappearance of a woman from his past could threaten to ruin their relationship.

I liked Secrets in the Grave a little less than the first two books in the series, mainly because the main character, Serenity has begun to get on my nerves a little bit. Serenity's lack of trust in Daniel and petty jealousy is getting old. Also, we know Daniel is a good looking man, we don't need to be reminded of it at least twice every book. And Serenity is a 35 year old town sheriff; can she stop with the teenage stomach fluttering every time she looks at him? Serenity also made a pretty poor decision in this book and then freaked out at the possible consequences. I'm not going to spoil what it was about here, but this probably bothered me more than the above mentioned things. Be an adult and be responsible for goodness sake, and don't freak out about it if you're not.

Despite those annoyances I still liked the book and I still like the series as a whole. I thought the mystery was pretty good, but easy to figure out. The same problem with typos and words or letters missing in sentences is still an issue in this book, but I'm still willing to overlook it because the books are entertaining. There is one more book that has been written in the series and I will read it, but I'm kind of hoping it is the last one. I'm not sure how much longer this series will hold my interest.




Hidden in Plain Sight by Karen Ann Hopkins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: It's been a while so I don't remember, but these books generally have pretty non-descriptive or fade to black sex scenes.

Reviewed on August 5, 2016

In the fourth installment of the bestselling Serenity’s Plain Secrets’ series, Serenity must work with US marshals to uncover the truth behind a shockingly brutal fifteen-year-cold murder.

Desperate for answers, Serenity finds herself in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where she unravels secrets that threaten to tear her and Daniel apart. But digging up the past is dangerous, and the quaint Amish settlement isn’t as safe as it seems.

Hidden in Plain Sight is apparently NOT going to be the last book in this series. I was afraid of that. That might sound odd coming from someone, who for the most part, enjoyed the series, but I just feel like I won't be able to keep reading this series without losing interest. The first two books were very compelling and the Amish felt somewhat sinister in the way they dealt with things. I liked that a lot about the first couple of books. Now that Serenity has gotten to know and understand them better they have lost that secretive, sinister feel. Now it just sort of feels like the mystery of the week kind of thing.

In this book Serenity's trust issues have abated somewhat, which I was very happy about. There was also less about how hot Daniel was and next to no stomach fluttering, which was an improvement. There is a point where Daniel hides something from Serenity that pertains to himself and the case she is working on. Serenity kind of freaks out over it, which I thought was silly since she knows Daniel well enough that she should realize there must be an explanation that doesn't involve him helping with the murder. I couldn't understand why she wouldn't have just asked him about it instead of pretending she didn't know. And Daniel surely would have known she was going to find out that he withheld the truth about something, so why do it? It was just manufactured drama that I could have done without.

There were some implausibilities in this book, like federal marshals asking a small town sheriff to accompany them to another state to investigate a cold case. I could see them consulting her about the part of the case that pertained to the Amish in her town, but there would surely be someone in that other state who would know the Amish there well enough to help them.

Mostly this book was dull compared to the other ones in the series. We only got Serenity's point of view in this one. I can understand why we didn't get a point of view from Daniel (the whole mystery about what he was hiding and all), but it just felt like something was missing without it.

I enjoyed reading these. I won't completely rule out reading another book in this series, but for now I feel like I've been there, done that and now I need to move on.





Paper Roses by Karen Ann Hopkins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content:A couple of pretty non-descriptive sex scenes.



Reviewed on March 30, 2018

When the mutilated corpse of a young Amish woman is discovered in Blood Rock, Sheriff Serenity Adams embarks on her most terrifying case yet, facing a killer unlike anything she’s seen before.

Paper Roses is the fifth book in this series and I feel like the series has gotten weaker as it has progressed. I didn't feel as enthralled with this one and I picked out the killer easily. Also, despite the grisly nature of the killings, I didn't feel like this was Serenity's most terrifying case, even though that's what the synopsis says. The first two books in the series were more terrifying to me, simply because of the unknowns involved with the Amish,and their creepy behavior.

In my past reviews I've mentioned how Serenity seemed like a love struck teen around Daniel and how her focusing in on his looks and how he made her feel got old. Well that is completely absent in this book, which wasn't a bad thing. This time around Serenity is starting to have some reservations about their relationship because she feels like they are so different in some key areas and beliefs, which are actually valid concerns. Mostly though, the romance between them takes a backseat here. Daniel is featured but is mostly in the background.

In this book we get chapters from the point of view of Serenity and her friend C.J. I found myself forgetting whose point of view I was reading at times and confusing the two, but I really liked C.J. The forbidden romance aspect of her story was good, but a little too insta-love for me. This being a short book, I didn't feel like the characters spent enough time with each other before bonds were formed between them, and I don't just mean between C.J. and Joshua, but between C.J. and his kids as well. This resulted in the feelings between them not feeling as genuine as I would have liked.

My biggest complaint however is that this book just like the rest of the series needed more proofreading. There are a lot of typos in the Kindle version; missing words, words added into sentences that didn't belong, the wrong word in a sentence. These are mistakes that could be easily eliminated by proofreading.

Overall this was an ok addition to the series, but not as good as the others. After reading book four, I was feeling a bit weary of this series, but after a long break from the series I'm feeling more interested in it again. I mostly want to see where things go with the relationships so I'll continue reading when the next book is published.



View all my reviews

The Empress by S.J. Kincaid

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Sci-fi, Fantasy
Content: A couple of non descriptive sex scenes, talk of sex, steamy kissing scenes, recreational drug use, A very brutal killing.

It’s a new day in the Empire. Tyrus has ascended to the throne with Nemesis by his side and now they can find a new way forward—but having power isn’t the same thing as keeping it, and change isn’t always welcome. The ruling class, the Grandiloquy, has held control over planets and systems for centuries—and they are plotting to stop this teenage Emperor and Nemesis, who is considered nothing more than a creature and certainly not worthy of being Empress.

Wow what a follow up to The Diabolic. This did not go at all the way I thought it would. It alternated so many times between heartbreak and hope that I was never sure how things would end up. Quite honestly my stomach was in knots by the end of this! Predictable it was not.

I do need to point out that I don't feel like this series is for young teens at all. There are some gruesome killings in this series and they are a bit shocking for a YA book. I'm not saying they are happening right and left, but the few that are included in the series are brutal. There is also recreational drug use and that bothered me more than the killings. I'm not sure this book is sending a very good message to teens about drug use. Sure this is a messed up society, but when the main character is of the opinion that drugs are the best way for her friend to cope with loss of loved ones that just doesn't set well with me. Nemesis is of course a bit of a flawed character and she is not equipped to handle the grief her friend is experiencing. After all, she only just started dealing with real human emotions herself, but the way the sentence was written bothered me. Here is the sentence as it is written: "Drugs are a most excellent means of coping with grief." I just can't feel comfortable with that.

There is also quite a bit of talk about sex in this book. Nothing in detail, but we are told of some real voyeuristic traditions in this book involving consummating relationships. This is a hedonistic society so it makes sense in the context of the book, and it being a YA book, we get no details at all, but I feel the subject matter is too mature for young teens.

My only complaint about the writing itself would be that sometimes I feel like the author doesn't quite think her scenes out completely. One in particular is where Nemesis and Tyrus have gotten ready for bed. Tyrus has removed his clothing and is seemingly in his underwear. He has placed the all-important scepter that he has to carry around with him on the nightstand. Before going to sleep they talk for a while and then something happens that causes them to suddenly have to leave in a huge hurry (I won't spoil what it is here). The circumstances in which they had to leave did not allow him to get dressed then and there, and you would think he would have been very concerned about the scepter at that point, but it isn't mentioned. Quite a bit happens and we are never told that Tyrus retrieves the scepter or whether he finds clothes to put on at some point. So I'm just picturing him running around doing all of this in his underwear. Also the scepter just reappears later in the book like he has had it all the time.

Despite those things, overall I really enjoyed reading this book. As an adult, I appreciate that this series excludes some of the annoying tropes that are prevalent in YA books. No love triangles and teen angst here. There is more revealed about the religion, and the banning of technology that helps to clarify some things that were fuzzy to me in the first book. I thought this was pretty well done and it made me rethink my criticism of that aspect of the series. I don't want to spoil anything about the plot, but I will say that things don't end up all rosy at the end and we are left in a place that is not good. Because of this I wanted to hate this book, but I also loved it. This book evoked such a jumble of emotions. I'm definitely going to read the next book, but there is no date set yet for when it will be published. It's going to be torture waiting!



View all my reviews

A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: A mostly non-descriptive sex scene, prostitution is alluded to

 
Just beyond the Gilded Age, in the mist-covered streets of New York, the deadly Spanish influenza ripples through the city. But with so many victims in her close circle, young socialite Allene questions if the flu is really to blame. All appear to have been poisoned—and every death was accompanied by a mysterious note.

A Beautiful Poison is set during WWI amidst the Spanish Influenza outbreak of 1918. For a good portion of the book I didn't like the three characters that this novel follows, and at one point I almost quit reading, however I stuck it out and I'm really glad I did. In the end, thanks to some growth on their part, I actually came to like a couple of them quite a bit.

It seems to be a rare thing of late for a mystery to keep me guessing so hats off to the author. She kept me guessing throughout most of the book. There finally came a point where things clicked into place and I wondered why I didn't see it sooner. This along with the character growth are the reasons I decided to give this book 4 stars. It's always a good thing when an author can take unsavory characters and turn them into likeable ones in the end.

There were a couple of things in this book that were revealed near the end that my mind had touched on as possibilities but then dismissed, mainly because the author was pretty clever. One thing I did guess from the beginning and I thought was pretty obvious was what was poisoning the character Birdie. There are quite a few different poisons used in this book and it made me wonder which poison the title referred to, or if it wasn't one of those poisons at all, but the poisoning of a life and a mind instead.



View all my reviews

Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Content: Strong Language, Some gruesome killings



Gina Royal is the definition of average—a shy Midwestern housewife with a happy marriage and two adorable children. But when a car accident reveals her husband’s secret life as a serial killer, she must remake herself as Gwen Proctor—the ultimate warrior mom.

With her ex now in prison, Gwen has finally found refuge in a new home on remote Stillhouse Lake. Though still the target of stalkers and Internet trolls who think she had something to do with her husband’s crimes, Gwen dares to think her kids can finally grow up in peace.

But just when she’s starting to feel at ease in her new identity, a body turns up in the lake—

I think my bad streak with mystery thrillers may be over! I actually liked this one quite a bit. The main character was likeable and so were her kids. I felt a lot of sympathy for them. It wasn't perfect but it was good. What I liked most about Gwen was how much she loved her kids and would do anything to protect them. I liked that she was able to reinvent herself from Gina, an average woman who never had to think twice about the evils in the world, to Gwen, a savvy woman, who despite the fact that she wasn't crazy about using a gun, learned how and became really good at it because she saw that it was necessary. I do feel like she contradicted herself a bit on this subject, but at least she knew that it was the best way to protect her family. And she becomes a fierce protector.

The plot twists were pretty obvious to me, but most of the mystery thrillers I read are that way so it didn't make me like the book any less. Still it would be nice to read something that actually surprised me. What I disliked about the book was the fact that Gwen trusts a couple of people too easily, and also that she defeats the killer way too easily. I felt like there wasn't nearly enough of a struggle there. Other than that, this was a good read that kept me reading right from the opening line. I probably would have preferred if this book had been a stand-alone, but the sequel isn't a bad idea. I do wonder why it ends up being a trilogy though. I guess I'll find out.



View all my reviews

Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Content: Some mild cursing, a mostly off page sex scene

 
They are the wild and the broken. The werewolves too damaged to live safely among their own kind. For their own good, they have been exiled to the outskirts of Aspen Creek, Montana. Close enough to the Marrok’s pack to have its support; far enough away to not cause any harm.

With their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf–but can’t stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills–his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker–to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn…

Burn Bright was an enjoyable read. I liked the direction the story took, even though I predicted who the traitor was pretty much right away. As usual I enjoyed learning more about Anna's Omega ability and how it works. And I love Charles and Anna together and the way they complement each other.

This time around we learn more about the wildlings, in particular the artist, Wellesley. I liked reading the chapters about him and his past the most. Another enjoyable character in this book was Asil. I did feel like the story dragged in a couple of places, and I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I enjoyed the last book in the series, but overall it was nice to revisit Charles and Anna and this world in general. Patricia Briggs has become one of those authors whose books I look forward to every year. I love her writing style and the fact that she can somehow make an Urban Fantasy feel like a warm and cozy read as well.



View all my reviews

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Content:  Lots of Strong language, Rape, Attempted Rape, Sex


Georgina, known as Geo, is a 30-year-old rising executive when her world comes crashing down. Her high school boyfriend has been identified and arrested for a series of serial murders, including Angela, Geo's best friend in high school. Angela disappeared without a trace at 16 and her body has just been found. Now Geo is under arrest for helping her then-boyfriend cover it up. And it's one of her other close friends from high school, Kaiser Brody, who arrests her.

Everything turns on what really happened that tragic night back when Geo and Angela were high schoolers. Everyone thinks they know the truth, but there are dark secrets buried deep within other secrets, and it may be too late for anyone to survive the truth.

Maybe I should just give up on reading thrillers. Yet again I found myself not enjoying one of them. The people in this one were too twisted for me. I need someone I can actually like in the books I read, and there was absolutely no one in this book that I could like. I wanted to like and sympathize with Geo, the main character, and Kaiser, her former friend turned police detective, but they were both too messed up for me. Kaiser less so than Geo. Kaiser is mainly guilty of not being able to get over his high school love - an unrequited love I might add - which happens to be Geo. I will never understand people who can't get past their high school love interest. I doubt many people at 35 would still be pining over someone from high school, but it happens way too often in novels, and that's the case here in this one. Kaiser makes some poor life choices because of this stupid fixation he has always had on Geo, including having an affair with a married woman.

The title of the book comes from a mason jar that was filled with cinnamon hearts - a gift to Geo from her 21 year old boyfriend, Calvin. It was an apology for hitting her. To Geo that jar symbolized the end of her teen innocence, but in reality her teen innocence ended before that. It wasn't the moment the jar was given to her, or the reason it was given to her. It wasn't the moment the jar was emptied of candy, or the events that occurred at that time. It was the moment Geo, a 16 year old, chose to dial the number a 21 year old man wrote on the back of her hand. She dated a 21 year old man behind her father's back and got sexually involved with him. I get that she was only 16 years old and she really wasn't equipped to handle the situation she found herself in, but she still made the choice in the first place to date someone she knew wasn't good for her. She still made the choice to hide the relationship from her father who loved her and whom she had a good relationship with, and it all began partly because she wanted to one up her best friend - because she felt like she was always in her shadow - and partly because he was just plain hot. That's stupid teen girl logic for you.

We go back and forth from past to present in the book and I didn't like Geo any more as an adult than I did as a teen. I honestly didn't care what happened to her, especially by the end of the book after we find out all the horrible little details of what happened that night when her best friend Angela disappeared. I can't say that I liked Angela either though. She was pretty unlikable herself, so nothing that happened to her or any of the other characters bothered me all that much. And when I stop to think about the fact that this book involves three rapes and an abusive relationship, among other things that would normally be difficult to read about in a book, I think that says a lot about how unlikable I found these characters. There was one attempted rape near the end of the book that I found really disturbing, because of the persons involved (that was just sick) and that's all I can say so that I don't spoil anything.

Overall this book reminded me of one of those true crime shows on the ID channel where the teen gets involved with an older guy who manipulates and abuses her, and her good judgment goes out the door from the moment she meets him. I've seen a few that could actually be this book. I prefer to spend my reading time with characters that are redeemable; that I can sympathize with.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me a copy of this book for review.






View all my reviews

March 2018 Book Club: Red Sister

Red Sister by Mark  Lawrence

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Strong Language, Talk of nuns sharing beds


It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size. For Sister Thorn of Sweet Mercy Convent Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men.

I know practically everyone has the above quote in their reviews of this book, which means normally I would steer clear of using it, but I couldn't help myself, it was a great opening for the book, and I loved it.

I need to admit here that I had originally decided against reading Red Sister. I had heard Mark Lawrence's books were pretty dark, so I decided it probably wasn't for me. But it ended up being the book that was chosen for my fantasy book club this month, and so I read it. And I'm really glad I did! I ended up really enjoying this book and it wasn't nearly as dark as I thought it might be. Sure, it's set in a really rough world where there are some despicable people, and there is some blood and gore, but it wasn't over the top. Most of the characters were easy to love and I'm always a sucker for the kids at the magic/battle school plot.

The idea of the convent training assassins reminded me a little of Grave Mercy, and although I enjoyed both books a great deal (Grave Mercy is still one of my favorite YA books), that is really the only comparison. This one is written for adults and I would say the writing is superior here, and this is much darker. Others have said this reminds them of Harry Potter for adults, but besides the fact that they are at a school the books really have nothing in common. They don't even have the same feel to them.

If the book has a weakness it's that Nona and the other novices feel older than they are. I kept picturing them well into their teens instead of 10-12 years old, but for the most part I was able to overlook that. There were too many things to like and, for me, they all outweighed that flaw. The friendships between the girls, and the different personalities of the Sisters were two of my favorite things about this book. And there was a bit of humor that would creep into the story from time to time that I appreciated as well. This is the first book in a series, and I'm looking forward to reading the next one. I'm hoping it won't be a long series though. I really enjoyed this book and wouldn't mind reading a couple more books, but I don't want it to wear out its welcome.

Biome by Ryan Galloway

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre:  Sci-fi, Dystopia
Content: Clean

 
Inside the gleaming domes of Mars Colony One, seventeen-year-old Lizzy Engram and her fellow cadets work to make the Red Planet habitable.

And every Sunday night, the doctors erase their memories.

Week by week the procedure is carried out. Until one morning, Lizzy wakes with all of the missing memories inside her head. And not just her own, but the memories of every cadet on the planet--

The whole time I was reading Biome I thought it was a stand-alone, that is until I got to the giant cliff-hanger of an ending. That probably explains why I didn't see the ending coming. For the most part I enjoyed this, although there were times the main character came across a bit slow to me. There were times she was confused by what another character was saying to her, but I didn't think what he was saying was confusing at all. There were also times when I didn't like her all that much, but I have to say that I was impressed that the author actually wrote a teenage character that eventually sees her own faults and is able to humble herself enough to apologize for her shortcomings and make changes to herself.

I think the biggest flaw in the book is the fact that the main character is able to evade capture so easily when there are cameras almost everywhere. It never really felt like she was in too much danger. There was also some teen romance drama that became mildly annoying, although I liked that this book didn't get too deep into the romance. The best part about the book was probably the ending, although I really would have loved if this had been a stand-alone. Because of that ending, there is no way I will be able to pass up the next book. I really need to know what happens next. In a way this reminded me slightly of The 100. If you enjoy sci-fi dystopian novels give it a try.



View all my reviews