#BlogTour Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate @LisaWingate @QuercusBooks

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Two families, generations apart, are forever changed by a heartbreaking injustice in this poignant novel, inspired by a true story, for readers of Orphan Train and The Nightingale.

Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge—until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents—but they quickly realize that the truth is much darker. At the mercy of the facility’s cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together—in a world of danger and uncertainty.

Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions—and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or redemption.

Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.

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I love the Carolina Heirlooms series by Lisa Wingate. So, when I saw this book did I just know that I had to read it. However, I waited a while to read it after getting it because I needed to be ready to tackle this book with such a serious subject.

Before We Were Yours is based on a real scandal. During the 30s and later were children kidnapped and sold to wealthy families all over the country. For their own good. However, it was a very lucrative enterprise. This book tells a story about a family of siblings that are taken to Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage after their parents have left them on the riverboat they are living on. Their mother is having a baby and it's all going wrong so the hospital is the only solution. The whole family would never be together again. Years later will Avery Stafford through a chance encounter start to unravel the truth about her families history. And she learns that not everything is as it seems...

To say that this book is an emotional reading is an understatement. The worst part is that it's based on a true scandalous story. I knew since before that Lisa Wingate is a wonderful author and, as usual, is the writing on top. What really moved me in this book is actually the very end. Without giving away what happens will I just say that it's a wonderful although bittersweet ending. I will leave it at that and just say read the book!

I want to thank Quercus Books for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

#BookReview Yrsel (Dizziness) by Annika Widholm (SWE/ENG) @AnnikaWidholm

Yrsel by Annika Widholm
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SWEDISH REVIEW

Clara har nyligen flyttat in hos kärleken Markus när hon börjar drabbas av mystiska svimningsattacker. Hon vaknar upp på oväntade ställen utan att veta hur hon kommit dit. Dessutom har hon en obehaglig känsla av att vara förföljd. Hon försöker alltmer desperat ta reda på vem det är som spionerar på henne och är rädd att det kan ha någonting att göra med den dödsolycka som drabbade familjen för ett år sedan. Vad hände egentligen Markus tidigare fru? Hur ska Clara nå fram till hans tonårsflickor som saknar sin mamma? Och varför är ett av rummen i våningen alltid låst?

Samtidigt behöver hon fokusera på att skriva klart en uppsats i psykologi. Studierna om medvetandets gränser blir ett sätt att hantera det som händer i hennes eget liv, men för henne också allt djupare in i det okända. Annika Widholms vuxendebut är en oavbrutet spännande psykologisk thriller med rysarinslag.

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Jag började läsa den sent på kvällen och fick tvinga mig att inte fortsätta (eftersom jag ville vara något piggare när jag läste boken). Yrseln är en fängslande och mystiskt thriller med en underliggande krypande känsla av obehag. Jag fullständigt slukade boken dagen efter. Varför svimmar Clara? Vad händer under blackouten? Och vad hände egentligen med hennes pojkvän Markus fru? Varför är ett av rummen i lägenheten alltid låst? Så många frågor att grubbla över.

Annika Widholm bok Yrsel är en stämningsfull och välskriven thriller. Jag älskar verkligen hur Widholm på ett målande sätt lyckas beskriva omgivningar så att man verkligen kan se dem framför sig. Korta intensiva kapitel som gjorde att jag hade svårt att lägga ifrån mig boken. Håller Clara på att förlora förståndet? Är hon paronoid? Sjuk? Eller är det något annat som pågår, någon som vill henne illa?

Jag kommer definitivt hålla ögonen öppna för fler böcker av Annika Widholm. Blev verkligen positivt överraskad av denna bok!

Tack till Bonnier Bookery för recensionsexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

Clara has recently moved in with her boyfriend Markus when she begins to suffer from mysterious fainting attacks. She wakes up in unexpected places without knowing how she got there. In addition, she has an unpleasant feeling of being stalked. She tries to find out who is spying on her and is afraid that it may have something to do with the fatal accident that Markus' family a year ago. What really happened to Markus's former wife? How is Clara going to reach his teenage girls who miss their mother? And why is one of the rooms on the floor always locked?

At the same time, she needs to focus on writing an essay in psychology. The studies of the limits of consciousness become a way of dealing with what is happening in her own life but take her also deeper into the unknown.

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I was really taken with this book. I started reading it late in the evening and forced me not to continue (since I wanted to be a bit more awake to take in the story). Dizziness is a captivating and mysterious thriller with an underlying creeping feeling of discomfort. Why does Clara faint all the time? What happens during her blackouts? And what really happened to her boyfriend Markus's wife? Why is one of the rooms in the apartment always locked? So many questions to ponder.

Annika Widholm's book Dizziness is a moody and well-written thriller. I really love how Widholm succeeds in describing surroundings so that I can really see them in front of me. Short intensive chapters that made me unable to put the book down. Is Clara keep losing his mind? Is she paranoid? Ill? Or is there something else going on, someone who wants to hurt her?

I will definitely keep my eyes open for more books by Annika Widholm. Was truly and pleasantly surprised by this book!

Thanks to Bonnier Bookery for the review copy!

#BookReview Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine @rachelcaine @BerkleyPub @FreshFiction

Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To save the Great Library, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone, Paper and Fire, and Ash and Quill put themselves in danger in the next thrilling adventure in the New York Timesbestselling series.

The opening moves of a deadly game have begun. Jess Brightwell has put himself in direct peril, with only his wits and skill to aid him in a game of cat and mouse with the Archivist Magister of the Great Library. With the world catching fire, and words printed on paper the spark that lights rebellion, it falls to smugglers, thieves, and scholars to save a library thousands of years in the making...if they can stay alive long enough to outwit their enemies.

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What would be like if the Great Library of Alexandria had never burned down? Would all the amazing knowledge that was stored there and now is gone have enriched the world? Just imagine what a different world we could live in today. That is what Rachel Caine has done with The Great Library series. She created a world where the library never burned down and is now a presence in every major city in the world, controlling knowledge. Through alchemy, the library can deliver any of the content in the library directly to anyone. However, it's forbidden to own books. Anyone threatening the power of the Great Library is put down.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

#CoverCrush The Jaguar's Children by John Vaillant

For new visitors do I want to explain that Cover Crush is something that my friend Erin over at Historical Fiction Reader came up with and I adopted the idea together with some other friends. And, now we try to put up a Cover Crush every week. You can check below my pick of the week for their choices this week!

An unforgettable, page-turning survival story recounted by Hector, a man trapped-perhaps fatally-inside a tanker truck during an illegal border crossing, telling of his hopes for rescue, the joys and trials of his life, and what has brought us all to this moment 

From the best-selling author of The Tiger and The Golden Spruce, this debut novel is a gripping survival story of a young man trapped, perhaps fatally, during a border crossing.

Hector is trapped. The water truck, sealed to hide its human cargo, has broken down. The coyotes have taken all the passengers’ money for a mechanic and have not returned. Those left behind have no choice but to wait.

Hector finds a name in his friend Cesar’s phone. AnniMac. A name with an American number. He must reach her, both for rescue and to pass along the message Cesar has come so far to deliver. But are his messages going through?

Over four days, as water and food run low, Hector tells how he came to this desperate place. His story takes us from Oaxaca — its rich culture, its rapid change — to the dangers of the border. It exposes the tangled ties between Mexico and El Norte — land of promise and opportunity, homewrecker and unreliable friend. And it reminds us of the power of storytelling and the power of hope, as Hector fights to ensure his message makes it out of the truck and into the world.

Both an outstanding suspense novel and an arresting window into the relationship between two great cultures, The Jaguar’s Children shows how deeply interconnected all of us, always, are.

Thoughts:

Oh, what a glorious cover. Just look at the birds crossing the sky just perfect at the book's title. It's details like that I love with covers. Something that catches my eyes and then makes me see the other details, like the blood red sky, and the city. 

Check out what my friends have picked for Cover Crush's this week:

Stephanie @ Layered Pages

Heather @ The Maiden's Court

Holly @ 2 Kids and Tired Books

Colleen @ A Literary Vacation

Meghan @ Of Quills & Vellum

Erin @ Historical Fiction Reader

#BookReview Syndabocken (The Scapegoat) by Sofie Sarenbrant (SWE/ENG) @SofieSarenbrant

Syndabocken by Sofie Sarenbrant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SWEDISH REVIEW

En inbrottsvåg drar genom den välbärgade Stockholmsförorten Bromma, och tjuvarnas metoder blir allt värre. När ett mord på en tonårspojke skakar idyllen kopplas Emma Sköld in på fallet. Är det ett villainbrott som har gått snett?

Misstankarna riktas mot städerskan som hittade den mördade pojken. Eller är det den baltiske gästarbetaren som grips på bar gärning under ett inbrott? Fast besluten om att lösa fallet tar Emma saken i egna händer och försätter därigenom både sig själv och andra i livsfara.

Syndabocken är den fristående sjätte delen i den omtyckta serien om kriminalinspektör Emma Sköld. Det är en fängslande samtidsdeckare om lögner, hemligheter och hämnd. Hur förödande kan det bli om du förvränger sanningen?

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Jag har bara läst en bok tidigare i serien om Emma Sköld, och det är Tiggaren boken innan denna. Jag tyckte mycket om Tiggaren så jag var intresserad av att läsa Syndabocken. Det tog lite tid för mig att komma ihåg karaktärerna då det var ett tag sedan jag läste Tiggaren. Men 50-öringen lossnade inom kort och själva berättelsen var lätt att fastna för.

Inbrottsvågen som sker i Bromma var intressant att följa. Speciellt näthatet i samband med inbrotten. Brommaborna har sitt eget forum på nätet där hatet får råda. Emmas syster som vanligtviv bor i Bromma men som nu bor i Malta medan Emma har hennes hus följer med stigande oro det som sker genom forumet och samtal med Emma. Emma själv har personliga problem då hennes kollega tillika pojkvän vill gifta sig med henne. Men hon är osäker och det påverkar både ders privatliv samt arbete.

Syndabocken är en bok som belyser rasism och fördomar. När brott sker är det invandrare som ligger bakom det och hatet är speciellt stort på nätet. Detta är något som jag tycker verkligen speglar verkligenheten vi lever i idag. Boken är en riktig bladvändare och jag verkligen älskade slutet och ser fram emot att få läsa nästa bok i serien.

Tack till Bookmarks förlag för recensionsexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

A lot of burglaries are happening in the wealthy Stockholm suburb of Bromma, and the methods the thieves are using are getting worse. The idyll is truly shaken when a teenage boy is murdered. Emma Shield is the one that is leading the investigation. Could there be a cause of a burglary going wrong?

The suspicions are directed at the cleaning lady who found the murdered boy. Or is it the Baltic guest worker arrested during a burglary not long after the murder? Deciding to resolve the case, Emma takes the matter into her own hands, thereby putting herself and others in danger.

The Scapegoat is the independent sixth part of the popular series of detective Emma Sköld. It's a captivating contemporary crime novel about lies, secrets, and revenge. How devastating can the effects be it be if you distort the truth?

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I have just read a book earlier in the series about Emma Sköld, and it is The Beggar, book before this one. I loved reading that that book so I was interested in reading the Scapegoat. It took some time for me to remember the characters since it was a while since I read The Beggar. But I soon placed them all and their past stories and the story itself was easy to get caught up with.

The burglary wave that takes place in Bromma was interesting to follow. Especially the online hate in connection with the crimes. Bromma has its own forum on the internet where the citizens of Bromma can write anything they want and much of it is hatred towards immigrants. Emma's sister, who usually lives in Bromma but now lives in Malta while Emma has her house is watching with increasing concern about what is happening through the forum and conversation with Emma. Emma herself has personal problems when her colleague who is also her boyfriend wants them to marry. However, she is uncertain and it affects both her private life and work.

The Scapegoat is a book that highlights racism and bigotry. When crimes occur, is the view that it is immigrants behind it and the hate is especially big online. This I felt truly reflects the world today. The book is a pageturner and I really loved the ending of the book and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thanks to Bookmarks förlag for the review copy!

#BookReview It All Falls Down by Sheena Kamal @WmMorrowBooks

It All Falls Down by Sheena Kamal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The brilliant, fearless, deeply flawed Nora Watts—introduced in the "utterly compelling" (Jeffery Deaver) atmospheric thriller The Lost Ones—finds deadly trouble as she searches for the truth about her late father in this immersive thriller that moves from the hazy Canadian Pacific Northwest to the gritty, hollowed streets of Detroit.

Growing up, Nora Watts only knew one parent—her father. When he killed himself, she denied her grief and carried on with her life. Then a chance encounter with a veteran who knew him raises disturbing questions Nora can’t ignore—and dark emotions she can’t control. To make her peace with the past, she has to confront it.

Finding the truth about her father’s life and his violent death takes her from Vancouver to Detroit where Sam Watts grew up, far away from his people and the place of his birth. Thanks to a disastrous government policy starting in the 1950s, thousands of Canadian native children like Sam were adopted by American families. In the Motor City, Nora discovers that the circumstances surrounding Sam’s suicide are more unsettling than she’d imagined.

Yet no matter how far away Nora gets from Vancouver, she can’t shake trouble. Back in the Pacific Northwest, former police detective turned private investigator Jon Brazuca is looking into the overdose death of a billionaire’s mistress. His search uncovers a ruthless opiate ring and a startling connection to Nora, the infuriatingly distant woman he’d once tried to befriend. He has no way to warn or protect her, because she’s become a ghost, vanishing completely off the grid.

Focused on the mysterious events of her father’s past and the clues they provide to her own fractured identity and that of her estranged daughter, Nora may not be able to see the danger heading her way until it’s too late. But it’s not her father’s old ties that could get her killed—it’s her own.

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It All Falls down is the sequel to the fabulous The Lost Ones. In this book is Nora Watts approached by a man that claims to have known her late father. Nora doesn't know much about her father, and the man's inquest about her and her sister makes her search for facts about her father. This eventually takes her from Vancouver to Detroit where Sam Watts grew up. The more she learns about her father and ultimately her mother makes her realize that the circumstances around her father suicide are more complicated than she thought.

At first, the story in this book seems to be just about Nora's father. Then, Nora starts to discover more about the mother she hardly remembers. And, ultimately Nora will realize that her own ghosts are still out to get her. If you have read the first book do you know about Nora's hunt to find her daughter Bonnie (that she gave up for adoption) that disappeared. She may have brought Bonnie home, but there are still people out there that will Nora ill.

I love how this book gave Nora and the reader more knowledge about Nora's parents. As the first book was about Nora and Bonnie does this feel great to get to know more about Nora and her family. Of course, Bonnie is still there in the story. Love the pics they send to each other, in a way to tentatively have a contact. Then, there is Jon Brazuca doing his own research into the death of a friend's mistress. That part was OK even though I much preferred when he decided to help Nora instead. The ending of the book makes me long for the next book in the series!

I want to thank William Morrow for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review!

#BookReview Stormsystern (The Storm Sister) by Lucinda Riley (SWE/ENG) @BazarforlagSE @lucindariley

Stormsystern by Lucinda Riley
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

SWEDISH REVIEW

Den begåvade seglaren Ally D'Aplièse är mitt i förberedelserna inför ett av världens mest utmanande tävlingsrace när nyheten om hennes fars död når henne. Hon tar farväl av sitt livs kärlek, en man hennes familj inte vet existerar, och skyndar tillbaka till sitt barndomshem, ett förtrollande château där hon och hennes fem systrar - alla adopterade som nyfödda - växte upp. När systrarna samlats tilldelas de alla varsin ledtråd som ska leda dem i sökandet efter sina ursprung.

Efter en fruktansvärd olycka lämnar Ally haven. Den ledtråd hon fått av sin döde far leder henne till Norge, och omgiven av den majestätiska skönheten i ett okänt fädernesland upptäcker Ally en etthundra år gammal historia om Anna Landvik, en begåvad sångerska med en överraskande koppling till kompositören Edvard Grieg. Men ju mer Ally lär sig om Anna, ju mer börjar hon ifrågasätta vem hennes adoptivfar, Pa Salt, egentligen var - och varför hennes sjunde syster saknas.

Lucinda Rileys spännande berättelse för samman två starka kvinnor, åtskilda av ett decennium, och väver ihop deras liv i en oförglömlig roman om familj, kärlek och identitet.

Stormsystern är den andra boken i en unik serie om sju böcker baserad på legenden om Plejaderna, de sju systrarnas stjärnkonstellation, och har gjort stor internationell succé.

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Stormsystern är den andra boken i De sju systrarna serien av Lucinda Riley och boken är alldeles fantastisk! Böckerna är skriva på ett sätt att det gör inget om man läser dem i en annan ordning. Dock kan det vara en bra idé att läsa dem från början. För att på så sätt följa de sju adopterade systrarna medan de i bok för bok finner sin historia. Det händer lite saker i deras liv i böckerna som kan vara intressant att följa kronologiskt. 

I stormsystern är det Ally D'Aplièse tur att finna sina rötter. Förlusten av faderns bortgång tär på henne och inom kort drabbas hon på nytt av dödsbud som förkrossar henne. Någon nära henne har drunknat. Ally som alltid älskat att segla klarar inte längre det och det är nu ledtråden som hennes far gav henne kommer in i bilden. Ledtråden tar henne till Norge och till historien om Anna Landvik, en begåvad sångerska som levde för hundra år sedan.

Lucinda Riley visar än en gång vilken mästarinna hon är på att skriva berättelser med två olika tidslinjer. Att bokens berättelse i detta fall utspelas mycket i Norge tycker jag är mycket spännande. Det är ju nästan som hemma samt att jag älskar att kompositören Edvard Grieg spelar en stor roll i boken handling. Stormsystern är en roman som är svår att lägga ifrån sig och jag verkligen älskade att följa både Ally och Annas äventyr. Jag grämde mig kopiöst mycket när Annas berättelse tog slut. Jag vill ju veta vad hände härnäst. I och för sig fick man ju veta när man läste Allys berättelse vad som hände, men jag hade allt bra gärna läst Annas egna berättelse än att få höra hennes "egna ord".

Fantastiskt bok! Rekommenderas varm!

Tack till Bazar Förlag för recensionexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

Ally D'Aplièse is about to compete in one of the world's most perilous yacht races, when she hears the news of her adoptive father's sudden, mysterious death. Rushing back to meet her five sisters at their family home, she discovers that her father - an elusive billionaire affectionately known to his daughters as Pa Salt - has left each of them a tantalising clue to their true heritage.

Ally has also recently embarked on a deeply passionate love affair that will change her destiny forever. But with her life now turned upside down, Ally decides to leave the open seas and follow the trail that her father left her, which leads her to the icy beauty of Norway...

There, Ally begins to discover her roots - and how her story is inextricably bound to that of a young unknown singer, Anna Landvik, who lived there over 100 years before and sang in the first performance of Grieg's iconic music set to Ibsen's play 'Peer Gynt'. As Ally learns more about Anna, she also begins to question who her father, Pa Salt, really was. And why is the seventh sister missing?

Following the bestselling The Seven Sisters, The Storm Sister is the second book in Lucinda Riley's spellbinding series based loosely on the mythology surrounding the famous star constellation.

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The Storm Sister is the second book in the Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley and the book is amazing! All the books in the series are written in a way that does not matter if you read them in whatever order you want. However, I would say that it's a good idea to read them from the beginning, in order to follow the seven adopted sisters while each of them finds their roots. There are some things happening in their lives in the books that may be interesting to follow chronologically.

In The Storm Sister is it Ally D'Aplièse turn to find her roots. Her father's death hits her hard, and soon she faces another devastating blow when someone close to her drowns. Ally, who always loved to sail, feel that she can't return to the sea and it is now the clue that her father gave her to come into the picture. The clue takes her to Norway and to the story of Anna Landvik, a talented singer who lived one hundred years ago.

Lucinda Riley shows once again that she's a master when it comes to writing stories with two different timelines. It's very exciting that the book story is taking place a lot in Norway. It's almost like home, and I love that composer Edvard Grieg plays a big part in the book story. The Storm Sister is a novel that is hard to put away and I really loved to follow Ally and Anna's adventures. I was vexed when Anna's story ended. I want to know what happened next. Of course, we do get to know what happened next in Anna's life while reading Ally's story. However, I would have loved reading the story as it unfolds not just as snippets in Ally's story.

Fantastic book! Highly recommended!

Thanks to Bazar Förlag for the review copy!

#BookReview Splinter in the Blood by Ashley Dyer @WmMorrowBooks

Splinter in the Blood by Ashley Dyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A propulsive debut suspense novel, filled with secrets, nerve-jangling tension, perplexing mystery, and cold-blooded murder, in which a police officer on the hunt for a macabre serial killer is brutally attacked, and only his partner knows the truth about what happened—and who did it

After months of hunting a cold-blooded murderer that the press has dubbed the Thorn Killer, Detective Greg Carver is shot in his own home. His trusted partner, Ruth Lake, is alone with him. Yet instead of calling for help, she’s rearranged the crime scene and wiped the room clean of prints.

But Carver isn’t dead.

Awakening in the hospital, Carver has no memory of being shot, but is certain that his assailant is the Thorn Killer. Though there’s no evidence to support his claim, Carver insists the attack is retaliation, an attempt to scare the detective off the psychopath’s scent, because he’s getting too close. Trapped in a hospital bed and still very weak, Carver’s obsession grows. He’s desperate to get back to work and finally nail the bastard, before more innocent blood is spilled.

One person knows the truth and she’s not telling. She’s also now leading the Thorn Killer investigation while Carver recuperates. It doesn’t matter that Carver and the rest of the force are counting on her, and that more victims’ lives at stake. Ruth is keeping a deadly secret, and she’ll cross every line—sacrificing her colleagues, her career, and maybe even her own life—to keep it from surfacing.

Utterly engrossing and filled with masterfully crafted surprises, Splinter in the Blood is a propulsive roller-coaster ride, filled with deception, nerve-jangling tension, perplexing mystery, and cold-blooded murder.

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Splinter in the Blood starts off strong with a woman covering up a crime scene. Why is Ruth Lake covering up a crime scene at home of her partner, Detective Greg Carver? And what will happen next?

Reading this book feels a bit like starting to watch a movie in the middle or on a random page start a book. Not that the book has that confusing feeling. Instead, it feels like you are in the middle of an investigation and you get to know more about what happened before as the story progresses.

Now I want to say that one thing is a bit of a downer with this book. It was pretty easy to figure out who the serial killer is. True, the author throws out some red herrings, but I had my eyes set on a person quite early one, and then I just had to wait to find out if I was right. And I was btw. This actually was both a blessing and a curse. I mean, I like to be surprised and I was never surprised by reading this book, on the other hand, do I like feeling like I'm one or two step ahead in the story. Another thing is that I can't say that this book is in any way successful. It was interesting, a perfectly alright crime novel, and I would definitely read more in this series. I especially liked Carver's new talent after he wakes up after being shot. Hopefully, the next book will take me by surprise and get my pulse raising.

I want to thank William Morrow for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review!