Sunday, July 28, 2019

A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson


Title: A Nearly Normal Family
Author: M.T. Edvardsson
Publisher: Celadon Books
Release Date: July 11, 2019





M.T. Edvardsson’s A Nearly Normal Family is a gripping legal thriller that forces the reader to consider: How far would you go to protect the ones you love? In this twisted narrative of love and murder, a horrific crime makes a seemingly normal family question everything they thought they knew about their life—and one another.

Eighteen-year-old Stella Sandell stands accused of the brutal murder of a man almost fifteen years her senior. She is an ordinary teenager from an upstanding local family. What reason could she have to know a shady businessman, let alone to kill him?

Stella’s father, a pastor, and mother, a criminal defense attorney, find their moral compasses tested as they defend their daughter while struggling to understand why she is a suspect. Told in an unusual three-part structure, A Nearly Normal Family asks the questions: How well do you know your own children? How far would you go to protect them?









What would you do for your child? 
Would you lie for her?
Would you go against your principles to save her?

This is the conundrum, Stella's parents will find themselves in M.T. Edvardsson's debut novel.

Stella Sandell is not your typical teenager. Her mother is a criminal defense lawyer and her father is a well-known pastor. Stella has had problems since she was a child. She had problems with impulse control, explosive anger disorder, ADD, and she has dwelled for a little bit with drugs and alcohol. 

In Stella's mind, her father, Adam is too overprotective. When she was little she adored him but as the years passed, she started becoming annoyed by him. She plans to take a trip to Asia to be free of his constant presence. On the contrary, her mother, Ulrika was a workaholic and Stella felt she was never there for her growing up. For Stella, the only constant in her life has been Amina Besic, her best friend since they were in kindergarten. These girls are loyal to each other and they have each other's backs. Stella and Amina decided early on not to let any man come between their friendship. They have no idea that on this, their friendship will be tested.

While on a night out, Amina and Stella meet an older man, Chris Olsen. In the beginning, it seems that Chris is interested in Amina but as the night progresses and a taxi cab ride later, Stella and Chris are in route to becoming a couple. What develops should be a romance, instead just a few weeks later, Chris is found murdered and Stella is the prime suspect.

I enjoyed this Swedish novel. It's narrated in three parts. The first part by Adam, the second part by Stella and the third part by Ulrika. 

I got to be honest here, I didn't like Stella one bit while Adam was narrating his part and even at the beginning of Stella's POV. Yet, by the time I finished hers and began Ulrica's, I had completely changed my mind. 

The ending was just like I imagined it: Very satisfactory. I'm not sure what it says about me.

“I was full of conflicting emotions. As a lawyer, I was guilty of the most horrific violation of the law one could imagine. As a mother, my choice was the only correct one. I still had no idea what had happened on Friday night, but I knew with certainty that it was my duty to protect my daughter”

3.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Celedon Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Her Deadly Secrets by Laura Griffin


Title: Her Deadly Secrets
Series: Wolfe Security #2
Author: Laura Griffin
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: July 2, 2019
Trade Paperback - Price: $16.00 - ISBN: 9781501162435
eBook - Price: $7.99 - ISBN: 9781501162442





A young private investigator finds out the price of keeping deadly secrets when a vicious killer sets his sights on her in this pulse-pounding thriller from the USA TODAY and New York Times bestselling author of the Tracers series.

Private investigator Kira Vance spends her days navigating the intricate labyrinth of Houston’s legal world, and she knows all of its shadowy players and dark secrets.

On a seemingly normal day, she’s delivering a report to her top client when suddenly everything goes sideways and the meeting ends in a bloodbath. Twenty-four hours later, the police have no suspects but one thing is clear: a killer has Kira in his sights.

Fiercely independent, Kira doesn’t expect—or want—help from anyone, least of all an unscrupulous lawyer and his elite security team. Instead, she launches her own investigation, hoping to uncover the answers that have eluded the police. But as Kira’s hunt for clues becomes more and more perilous, she realizes that she alone may hold the key to finding a vicious murderer. And she knows she must take help wherever she can find it if she wants to stay alive…

Written with Laura Griffin’s signature “gritty, imaginative, sexy” (Cindy Gerard, New York Times bestselling author) style, Her Deadly Secrets is an electrifying and scintillating novel that packs a powerful punch.







Her Deadly Secrets is the second book in the Wolfe Security Series.

Kira Vance is a private investigator who's meeting her boss/mentor, Ollie Kovak at the house of their well-known client, Brock Logan, a defense attorney. She's bringing important information in regards to the case they are working on when a gunman surprises them. Her boss is shot, Brock is shot as well and a bullet grazes Kira's body.

The police are called to investigate the crime and this is where we meet another important female character, Charlotte Spears. She's a police detective, who with the help of her partner, Alex Diaz, will go looking to find the shooter. 

Kira and the police will continue their investigations parallelly. But Kira is not alone. Her life is in danger and the client hires Wolfe Security to help take care of the threat. Kira is not happy with this new arrangement since she has to uncover the responsible party and there is no way she can stay sequestered in a hotel room when she needs to follow the few clues she has. Thankfully, her assigned bodyguard is Jeremy Owen, a man of few words but someone who makes Kira feel safe in all possible ways.

Laura Griffin can spin a Suspense Romance like no other. Her stories are always well organized and addictive. Once you open the first page, you're pulled into her make-believe world and nothing is as important as finishing the novel. 

I love that in Her Deadly Secrets, we get two relevant female characters. Both women were strong-minded, smart and unstoppable. I like Jeremy too. He understood quite early that Kira was not another job. He tried to keep his distance but failed miserably. 

I can't wait for the next book in this series!

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs 

A complimentary copy was provided by Gallery Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.








Laura Griffin is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tracers series, the Wolfe Sec series, the Alpha Crew series, and several other novels. A two-time RITA Award winner and the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award, Laura lives in Austin, where she is working on her next book. Visit her at LauraGriffin.com, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/LauraGriffinAuthor.