Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

This is the story of three best friends: one who was murdered, one who went to prison, and one who’s been searching for the truth all these years . . .

When she was sixteen years old, Angela Wong—one of the most popular girls in school—disappeared without a trace. Nobody ever suspected that her best friend, Georgina Shaw, now an executive and rising star at her Seattle pharmaceutical company, was involved in any way. Certainly not Kaiser Brody, who was close with both girls back in high school.

But fourteen years later, Angela Wong’s remains are discovered in the woods near Geo’s childhood home. And Kaiser—now a detective with Seattle PD—finally learns the truth: Angela was a victim of Calvin James. The same Calvin James who murdered at least three other women.

To the authorities, Calvin is a serial killer. But to Geo, he’s something else entirely. Back in high school, Calvin was Geo’s first love. Turbulent and often volatile, their relationship bordered on obsession from the moment they met right up until the night Angela was killed.

For fourteen years, Geo knew what happened to Angela and told no one. For fourteen years, she carried the secret of Angela’s death until Geo was arrested and sent to prison.

While everyone thinks they finally know the truth, there are dark secrets buried deep. And what happened that fateful night is more complex and more chilling than anyone really knows. Now the obsessive past catches up with the deadly present when new bodies begin to turn up, killed in the exact same manner as Angela Wong.

How far will someone go to bury her secrets and hide her grief? How long can you get away with a lie? How long can you live with it?

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Based on my WWW Wednesday – June 27, 2018 post, some of you are very intrigued by Jar of Hearts.  I’m happy to say that it’s so much more than a pretty cover, it has an amazing story line with a mystery that had me guessing and thrown off!

This novel won’t be for everyone. It’s graphic both in the murders (which includes children) and sex scenes. It’s an uncomfortable read in that regard.

I was hooked right away. Geo is in court and she needs to testify against her ex-boyfriend, Calvin, who not just murdered her best friend, but also three other women. Geo in this moment knows that she is going to lose everything that she has built for herself, including her career and wealthy fiancé.

I loved that the story went a bit backwards. You learned who is responsible for Angela’s death and they are sent to jail. Then you learn more details about Geo’s and Calvin’s relationship and why they did the things that they did. There is also a new mystery with new bodies appearing after Geo is sent to prison.

5 calculators out of a potential 5!! If the description intrigues you then you must read it! Now excuse me, I’m off to check out Jennifer Hillier’s other novels!

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I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it’s really a school for spies.

Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real “pavement artist”-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her? 

Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she’s on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.

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So, so cheesy, but in a really good way! I didn’t think I would enjoy I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You, but it was a quick read that kept me entertained.

You need to know going in that this is about teenager girls who are in a private spy school and one of them falls for a teenage boy, who knows nothing about who she is and the school that she attends. This isn’t going to be a deep read.

I found that the novel did have a bit of a Harry Potter vibe with the private boarding school with really cool classes about learning how to be a spy. It made me really want to go to the school, even though I would be horrible at being a spy!

3 calculators out of a potential 5. It’s a fun light read! I’m excited to read the rest of the series!

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WWW Wednesday – June 27, 2018

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme is hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

This is the story of three best friends: one who was murdered, one who went to prison, and one who’s been searching for the truth all these years . . .

When she was sixteen years old, Angela Wong—one of the most popular girls in school—disappeared without a trace. Nobody ever suspected that her best friend, Georgina Shaw, now an executive and rising star at her Seattle pharmaceutical company, was involved in any way. Certainly not Kaiser Brody, who was close with both girls back in high school.

But fourteen years later, Angela Wong’s remains are discovered in the woods near Geo’s childhood home. And Kaiser—now a detective with Seattle PD—finally learns the truth: Angela was a victim of Calvin James. The same Calvin James who murdered at least three other women.

To the authorities, Calvin is a serial killer. But to Geo, he’s something else entirely. Back in high school, Calvin was Geo’s first love. Turbulent and often volatile, their relationship bordered on obsession from the moment they met right up until the night Angela was killed. For fourteen years, Geo knew what happened to Angela and told no one. For fourteen years, she carried the secret of Angela’s death until Geo was arrested and sent to prison.

While everyone thinks they finally know the truth, there are dark secrets buried deep. And what happened that fateful night is more complex and more chilling than anyone really knows. Now the obsessive past catches up with the deadly present when new bodies begin to turn up, killed in the exact same manner as Angela Wong. How far will someone go to bury her secrets and hide her grief? How long can you get away with a lie? How long can you live with it?

Thanks to some awesome bloggers who raved about Jar of Hearts, I knew I had to read it!

What did you recently finish reading?

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it’s really a school for spies.

Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real “pavement artist”-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her? 

Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she’s on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.

So corny, but I enjoyed it! Review will be posted tomorrow!

What do you think you’ll read next?

The body of a middle-aged man is discovered in Southampton’s red-light district – horrifically mutilated, with his heart removed. Hours later – and barely cold – the heart arrives with his wife and children by courier.

A pattern emerges when another male victim is found dead and eviscerated, his heart delivered soon afterwards. The media call it Jack the Ripper in reverse; revenge against the men who lead sordid double lives visiting prostitutes. For Grace, only one thing is certain: there’s a vicious serial-killer at large who must be halted at all costs…

Recently I blogged about the first novel in the series Eeny Meeny (Helen Grace #1) by M.J. Arlidge and I loved the first novel! I can’t wait to read the second novel in the series!!

What are your WWW? Have you read Jar of Hearts, I’d Tell You I Love You, but Then I’d Have to Kill You or Pop Goes the Weasel?

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Top Ten Tuesday – Series I’ve Given Up On/Don’t Plan to Finish

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Series I’ve Given Up On/Don’t Plan to Finish.

Most of the below are well known series. I read at least one novel in the series and I realized that I didn’t like the series and I have no desire to revisit the series.

What are some series that you don’t plan to continue? Did you enjoy any of the series that I have above?

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The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

Riley MacPherson has spent her entire life believing that her older sister Lisa committed suicide as a teenager. Now, over twenty years later, her father has passed away and she’s in New Bern, North Carolina cleaning out his house when she finds evidence to the contrary. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why exactly was she on the run all those years ago, and what secrets are being kept now?

As Riley works to uncover the truth, her discoveries will put into question everything she thought she knew about her family. Riley must decide what the past means for her present, and what she will do with her newfound reality.

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The Silent Sister was such a great read for this weekend. This weekend was horrible weather-wise and for the majority of the weekend, I stayed in and read. The Silent Sister had me wanting to keep reading and flipping more and more pages.

I liked how there was a lot of secrets in this family, including the one where Riley’s sister Lisa may possibly be alive after Riley thought she committed suicide 23 years ago. Riley quickly realized that the family that she thought she knew isn’t who she thought.

There were a lot of things that I didn’t enjoy about the novel, the biggest being that I found it too easy to figure out what happened. I was hoping for a big twist that would throw me off, but it never happened. I also wasn’t satisfied with the ending, I felt that there were some loose ends and the author tried to tie up everything neatly.

3 calculators out of a potential 5. Not my favourite Diane Chamberlain novels. For those that haven’t read one of her novels, I would highly recommend Necessary Lies.

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