Pale Highway

Gabriel Schist is spending his remaining years at Bright New Day, a nursing home. He once won the Nobel Prize for inventing a vaccine for AIDS. But now, he has Alzheimer’s, and his mind is slowly slipping away.

When one of the residents comes down with a horrific virus, Gabriel realizes that he is the only one who can find a cure. Encouraged by Victor, an odd stranger, he convinces the administrator to allow him to study the virus. Soon, reality begins to shift, and Gabriel’s hallucinations interfere with his work.

As the death count mounts, Gabriel is in a race against the clock and his own mind. Can he find a cure before his brain deteriorates past the point of no return?

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

Nicholas Conley creates a different world in his novel, Pale Highway. A world where AIDS has been cured by a brilliant doctor. Sadly, this doctor is now suffering from Alzheimer's and his life as a scientist seems to be over. Then the Black Virus appears, a virus that imitates other diseases. The genius Gabriel Schist is the only one that can cure it, but he must do so within the confines of Bright New Day nursing home.

 

Gabriel Schist is a man demonized by his memories and the struggle to remember them. He's always been a loner, an imitator, a man amazed by the immune system. Gabriel has never fit in and therefore turned to alcohol at a young age in order to blend in with the crowd. He cursed his intelligence after he was deemed a crackpot by the scientific community. Readers will feel empathetic toward Gabriel as they witness his flashbacks and see how many obstacles he overcame. They'll connect with him sympathetically through his loss-of-love story. Alzheimer's is such a debilitating disease, readers will undoubtedly feel for Gabriel through his steady decline.

 

The plot of Pale Highway is an emotionally charged delusion. I have a two theories as to what the book is actually depicting. The first is that the novel does actually take place in a parallel universe in which a scientist did in fact cure AIDS. Once Gabriel Schist begins suffering from Alzheimer's, as his friends in the nursing home die one by one, he believes that some disease is terrorizing them and therefore convinces himself that he can cure them. The administration goes along with it in order to keep him calm. He creates a world where an alien race of slugs and the grim reaper is helping him try to save humanity. 

 

The second theory is that there is no Black Virus, there is no AIDS cure, there is no Nobel Prize winning Dr. Gabriel Schist. There is only Gabriel Schist, recovered alcoholic and Alzheimer's patient who has lost his memory to complete delusion. If the first theory is correct, then the depiction of the world outside his mind is the only truth that readers can depend on. Other characters do acknowledge that Schist created the AIDS vaccine and 'help' him with his study of the Black Virus. If the second theory is correct then the entire book is a dream in which Gabriel Schist struggles to forgive himself for the mistakes he made throughout his life. Both of the theories work as long as readers accept that Gabriel is the character calling all of the shots. If readers believe that other characters in fact say and do what the narrator describes, then the novel has to take place in another universe. Regardless of which theory readers go with, Pale Highway is an imaginative book that explores Alzheimer's from the patient's point of view. Of course, there is always the third theory in which everything the book depicts is true. Though, in that case, I'd label Pale Highway as an emotionally charged science fiction novel.

 

Rating: 3/5 Cups

 

WWW Wednesday (187)

To play along just answer these three questions:

[x] What are you currently reading?

[x] What have you recently finished?

[x] What are you reading next?

         



01. Currently Reading:
Pale Highway by Nicholas Conley. A deadly virus is in the infancy of major outbreak and one man bears witness, a famous scientist who is suffering from Alzheimer's. Can he save the population or will his disease reveal this as a delusion? Must say I am enjoying this book so far.

02. Recently Finished:
The Gravity-Assist Technique by Dalene Flannigan. A book I couldn't put down! Wonderful story about finding love after loss and tragedy.

03. Reading Next:
A Decent Bomber by Alexander McNabb. A retired bomb maker is forced back to work by terrorists after twenty years. Looking forward to this thriller. McNabb always seems to deliver.

The Gravity-Assist Technique

Ella was just taking the dog to the woods. She didn’t intend on becoming a peeper, and she couldn’t foresee how it would alter everything, especially her friendship with Kevin.
In 'The Gravity-Assist Technique', Ella and Kevin each tell the story of their past, and map the small decisions and unintended consequences that led from then to now. It is a story about friends, family, loss, love, trust, and how our individual choices affect each other's lives.

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

As I understood it, The Gravity-Assist Technique is a complex calculation that uses gravity of other planets to project a satellite into a specific direction. That idea is adapted by Dalene Flannigan and transposed onto the characters in her novel named after the phenomenon. After her husband dies, Ella is lost. Slowly over the course of three years, she comes back to herself. But, tragedy is random and it can strike more than once in different forms.

 

Ella and Kevin take turns playing narrator in The Gravity-Assist Technique. Ella is a 43 year-old woman who suffered the tragic loss of her husband to a car accident. Her daughter is off to college and she suddenly finds herself alone. The loss that Ella has already experienced will immediately draw readers to her side. They'll understand and empathize with her plight. Ella is a strong woman who fights to keep the darkness at bay. She's hopeful for the future, insistent on becoming a whole person again.

 

Kevin is the cousin and best friend of Ella's deceased husband, Aaron, and he has always been in love with her. After Aaron's death, Kevin focuses on providing Ella with all the help she could possibly need. Lost in his focus to take care of Ella, Kevin moves away from his wife. Though readers will understand the necessary business after a death, they will also understand the hurt and abandonment that his wife, Beth, is feeling. Kevin is a good man. He doesn't lie. He doesn't cheat. Though readers won't truly begin to connect to him until they know the details of his love and support for Ella and see that without a little 'gravity-assist' he would forever stay dedicated to his wife.

 

Blame is a fickle concept and Dalene Flannigan makes it tough on readers to cast it. Which, of course, makes for a very interesting story. One afternoon is all it takes to turn a life upside down. When Ella takes her daughter's dog for a walk and spots Kevin's wife and a  strange man kissing on the back patio of a beautiful house near her own, she is mortified. She begins to think that Beth simply had a slip, made a mistake and stumbled but would find her way back to Kevin. When Beth reveals that she is pregnant, Ella begins to doubt everything that Beth says. What if it isn't Kevin's child? Then a lightning bolt strikes and Ella realizes that she's in love with Kevin. She can't say anything, of course she can't. But are her hands truly tied? Flannigan takes readers on a travel from loss to love, using The Gravity-Assist Technique to propel characters toward their fated destination.

Rating: 4/5 Cups

 

Teaser Tuesday (196)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers

 

 

Pale Highway (Kindle 5%)

   - Nicholas Conley

 

Many decades ago, someone had once told Gabriel that he had "an amazing mind." The compliment had meant a lot to him. His mind had defined him.

 

Not anymore.

The Girl on the Train

A debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people’s lives.

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

Compulsively readable, The Girl on the Train is an emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller and an electrifying debut.

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

People watching often evolves into story. Made up names, careers, desires, beliefs, personalities. Then given enough time, enough dedication, they become something more. The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins, connects strangers, separated by tracks and timetables, through death and deceit.

 

Rachel is an alcoholic who struggles to want to change. She's been through the ringer: unfulfilled plans, cheating husband. The blame weighs heavily on her shoulders. And she takes it. Rachel takes the blackouts, the hangovers, the depression and somehow continues on. Readers will see her fail, again and again to take control of her ever-downward spiraling. As a character who is drunk more often than not, she not a very reliable narrator. She seems untrustworthy, angry, and some readers may give up on her, but... there's something about Rachel that doesn't sit right. Some inkling of misunderstanding between readers and her harrowing tales of drunken stupor. The reason behind her drinking is understandable. If I were in her situation, three glasses of wine and a few gin and tonics may seem likely to help the pain. Though alcohol is never the answer, at the bottom of the darkest pit, maybe a little forgetting is okay. I think most readers will see that Rachel's depression and lost dreams are holding her back. The character depicted is not the real Rachel. The real Rachel is the refracted beam of sunlight striking the glass windows of a train, there for a moment in perfect clarity.

 

Megan and Anna also share the status of narrator with Rachel. Megan is the missing woman. The woman who Rachel watched from the train with the seemingly perfect life. Anna is the mistress, the woman who replaced Rachel, the woman who gave her husband a child. Readers will worry about Megan in the beginning, care for her. But secrets have a way of getting out and her life is far from the perfection Rachel imagined. Though readers will still form a connection with Megan, Anna might not make the cut. Mistress, replacement, worried mother. Readers may see that Anna doesn't have it so easy, but home-wreckers aren't often given the benefit of the doubt. However, there is more to Anna than an ugly label.

 

These three women share the stage as all of their worlds collide. Rachel still loves her husband and he often talks her down off the ledge while trying to keep Anna happy. But Megan's disappearance upsets the norm after Rachel sees Megan kissing a man, most definitely not her husband, from her seat on the train. She is compelled to help move the suspect scope away from the loving husband. But she was there. Rachel was in town the night Megan went missing. She saw something but her mind refuses to release the blacked out information. Readers will feel just as compelled to know what happened. The Girl on the Train is a gripping disaster with too many questions and possibilities, not enough answers or truth. Once I started this enveloping novel, I couldn't quit until the memories were sorted. For those who like a good mystery, or a great mystery, read this book.

 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups

The Victim

In the spring of 2003 on a desolate stretch of Arizona highway, Anton Mackey’s life was changed forever. A reckless decision to get behind the wheel when he was in no condition to drive spawned a moment that threatened to destroy everything the 21 year-old had spent his life working toward. In an instant, Anton made a decision to save himself. A decision that claimed the lives of two people.

Eleven years later, Anton is a rising star in the Miami criminal defense community. He is married and has an infant daughter. He is earning a good living and steadily building a name for himself as an aggressive advocate for the accused. Anton shares an office with veteran defense attorney, Jack Savarese. A mentor of sorts, Anton strives to model his practice - and career - after Jack’s. A Miami criminal defense legend, Jack’s accomplishments in the courtroom are second to none. However, Jack remains burdened by the conviction of Osvaldo Garcia, a mentally-ill client from ten years earlier found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for the death of a troubled teen.

When Daniella Avery, the beautiful wife of a man accused of a heinous act of domestic violence, comes into Anton’s office seeking his services, Anton thinks he’s landed a great case with a great fee. But when he succumbs to temptation, he realizes that Daniella is a figure from his past.

Anton finds himself caught between the possibility of being exposed and the fact that his client - Daniella’s husband - may be an innocent pawn in the victim’s attempt to carry out her revenge against Anton. As Anton struggles to balance defending his client while concealing the secret he has sought to forget, he uncovers the truth behind what really happened on that highway eleven years earlier. The truth that may be connected to the conviction of Osvaldo Garcia.

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

The label of victim is sometimes easy to assign, though that isn't the case in Eric Matheny's novel, The Victim. By definition, a victim is someone who has endured harm. But when each character has been dealt horror by other characters, who is considered the hero, the villain? Matheny challenges readers to judge his characters, tally their crimes, and bear witness to tragedy and revenge and terror. And, no, it won't be easy.

 

Anton Mackey, successful lawyer, proud father, understanding husband.

Murderer.

A man who thinks that the past will never catch up to him though he's still inhaling smoke from the fire he set. Anton is a character that straddles the fence between good and bad. Readers will see his crimes, see his punishment. Though he is a likeable character, his misdeeds weigh heavily. Anton is strong, brave, understanding, and in his own way, loving. He's also a liar, a criminal, self-preserving. Readers will struggle to understand their feelings about his character. I didn't like him through most of the novel, however his regret and sorrow did eventually win me over. Compared to Daniella, he does look like the hero, though scarred.

 

Daniella Avery, abused wife, scared woman, bruised, yet hopeful.

Liar.

Daniella is motivated by one thing: revenge. Revenge against the man who killed two people who mattered the most to her. She's devoted her entire life to finding justice. She wants Anton to break, to suffer. She sets up her husband in attempt to force Anton's hand. If he confesses to his crimes, she'll confess to hers. Like I said, Matheny doesn't make this easy for his readers. Daniella is not a likeable character, nor is she completely sane. But therein lies the blur. The inability to cast all the blame on her. She may be vengeful and angry and a murderer herself, but it isn't cut and dry. There are no simple solutions to this chaos.

 

The Victim is a novel of interweaving madness. When Anton takes the case of Bryan Avery he assumes that this man is guilty of beating and nearly killing his wife. Then Daniella admits to making the whole thing up, lying to the police, knowing about Anton's  past decision to destroy evidence and therefore killing two people. Anton believes that he can fight his way through this, use his lawyer training and quick wit to catch Daniella in a lie and save his client. He believes that he can win though the odds are stacked against him. Daniella has had eleven years to plan. Every movement. Every word. Trapped in a situation where there are no winners, the fight becomes a desperate need to survive and readers will find themselves lost in a wreck that threatens no survivors.

 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

A New Hope (Thunder Point #8)

After losing her child, Ginger Dysart was lost in grief. But since moving to Thunder Point, a small town on the Oregon coast, and with the help of her cousin Ray Anne, Ginger is finally moving forward. Her job at the flower shop is peaceful and fulfilling, and she's excited to start her first big assignment, assisting with the Lacoumette wedding.

In spite of her lasting heartache, Ginger finds herself swept up in the pleasure of the occasion. But the beauty of the Lacoumette farm and the joy of the gregarious family are ruined by an unfortunate encounter with the bride's brother, Matt. Struggling with painful memories of his own recent divorce, Matt makes a drunken spectacle of himself and Ginger when he tries to make a pass at her, forcing Ginger to flee the scene in embarrassment.

But when Matt shows up at the flower shop determined to make amends, what started out as a humiliating first meeting blossoms into something much deeper than either of them expected. Discovering they have a lot in common, they form a solid friendship, though everyone around them worries that Ginger will end up with a broken heart yet again. But if Ginger has the courage to embrace the future, and if Matt can finally learn to let go of the past, there may still be hope for a happy ending.

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

Every once in a while, readers need a book that is just a feel good story. A story that will lighten the mood, bring a smile, maybe even spark a little inspiration. Robyn Carr delivers exactly that in her the eighth installment of the Thunder Point series, A New Hope.

 

Two main characters, two similar stories of heartache, two dreams of moving on to the future. Ginger is the nicest woman you've ever met or will ever meet. She loves helping people whatever it may entail. She made the mistake of marrying the wrong man when she was a bit younger and heartbreakingly lost a baby to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Though she's lived through the darkest of depressions, Ginger is starting to rediscover herself and her hope for the future. Readers will enjoy her honesty, her goodness, and her open-hearted nature. She's a character that is easy to connect to and easy to understand.

 

Matt is a little more difficult to understand but he's still rather relatable. He also married the wrong woman when he was younger. And it was awful. An aspiring model doesn't exactly fit in on the farm and his wife never did, but the main reason he divorced her is a secret. A secret that's eating at him. A secret that he has never told anyone. Matt is a little worse off than Ginger, as she has had a bit more time to let go of her misfortunes. But they both still struggle. They dream of a life full of love and family. A life that seems, at times, unobtainable. Readers will come to care for the brooding farmer as he attempts to sweep Ginger off her feet, but if he can't let go of his anger then there will be no happy future.

 

The story line is a nice and easy tale of falling in love and choosing that love over hate. Matt and Ginger meet at his sister's wedding and when Matt realizes that he made a complete fool out of himself to a beautiful woman, he must track her down and apologize, over dinner. Thus begins a friendship that inspires new hope for the future, together. Readers will certainly be entertained by the couple's banter, decisions to overcome their obstacles, and let go of their darkness. Oh, and a little romance. Wonderful, quick, easy read.

 

Rating: 3.5/5 Cups



WWW Wednesday (186)

To play along just answer these three questions:

[x] What are you currently reading?

[x] What have you recently finished?

[x] What are you reading next?

         

01. Currently Reading:
The Victim by Eric Matheny. Not very far into this one yet, but so far a young man has killed two people in a drunk driving accident and a lawyer has saved a client from a DUI conviction, ten or eleven years apart. Interested to see how these two stories come together.

02. Recently Finished:
A New Hope by Robyn Carr. Review to be posted later today. A woman who lost a baby to SIDS moves to Thunder Point in hopes of starting over. It becomes the perfect place to build a new life with new hopes sprouting up around her.

03. Reading Next:
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. I've been looking forward to this one for some time now. Found a copy in my favorite used book store. Can't wait to dive into this mystery.

Teaser Tuesday (195)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers

 

 

A New Hope (p.156)

   - Robin Carr

 

He ran. He could've stayed overnight at his sister's house and had a more leisurely drive in the morning, maybe even a little more time with Ginger, but instead Matt hit the road and headed north, though it was almost nine. He was a little panicked.

Let Me Lead

A young ballroom dance instructor is the focus of two women who have very different plans for him: love and control.

Jared is caught between a student who loves him enough to help him question his life’s purpose and a brutal seductress who callously plays with his emotions.

Living through the pain of losing her husband and daughter is testing Christine’s faith, but this gentle woman is willing to put her heart in harm’s way one more time for her young instructor.

And Tracy? Well, to Tracy, people are merely tools to get what she wants--and what this sensuous young woman wants is complete control over handsome Jared.

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

Kathleen Sutton writes a harrowing yet hopeful tale of recovery, retribution, and sociopathic chaos in Let Me Lead. Three main characters take very different roads in their search for happiness as their lives intersect byway of a dance studio in Indianapolis. And though the intersection will direct them forward, it will certainly upset their normal routine.

 

Christine O'Garra, Jaden Gregory (who also goes by Jared), and Tracy Martin are the main players in this dance routine of life. Christine is an older woman who has experienced the loss of her husband to cancer, her daughter to fibromyalgia, and her son to the world. She feels completely alone in the world, with only her guardian angel and cat to keep her company. Christine is a motherly woman who thinks the best of everyone. Though she has a scar from her past, Christine doesn't let that interfere with how she sees the world. However, she does hold a bit of anger against fate and God and herself. She hopes that one day she'll earn her right to peace after all she's been through. Readers will connect with her sympathetically, and those readers who have experienced similar situations will connect on a much deeper level. Loss is a universal affliction and all readers will undoubtedly form a bond with Christine as they watch her try to rebuild her life after all is lost.

 

Jaden Gregory is a dance instructor with a past riddled with mistakes. His divorce. His son. Old drug habits. Drinking problems. But now, he's cleaned himself up and given himself a new name in order to move forward. All he really wants from life is a family with a wife who loves him and children he can take care of. Readers will be proud of Jaden for changing his life and bettering himself. He's a sweet thirty-year-old man who is ever polite and caring. Though he doesn't connect easily with others based on his unfortunate tries in the past. Jaden struggles to let people in, let people see the real him. However, when Tracy Martin steps into the picture, she threatens to ruin his newly built life.

 

Tracy Martin is a terrifying sociopath who enjoys creating misery for others. She's the very focused villain in this novel and readers will shrink back in fear of this woman. Some readers will be able to understand what is wrong with Tracy and therefore, be sympathetic to her plight, but she enjoyed her evil nature too much for me to even feel sorry for her. She's manipulative, mean, and readers will surely dislike her.

 

Let Me Lead begins with the death of Christine's daughter and husband, eliciting a strong initial emotional response. Then Christine is selected as a celebrity dance partner for an upcoming fundraiser. During her lessons, she meets Jaden Gregory. She immediately feels a connection to this man who reminds her so much of the son who ran away. As the gala grows close, Jaden develops feelings for Christine. Meanwhile, Tracy Martin takes over the bookstore next door to the dance studio for her Aunt in hopes that she can use the store as a front for her drug dealing business. When Tracy decides that Jaden is the perfect target to start a new side business she sets her sights on controlling him. The plot of Let Me Lead is incredibly engaging and with three different points of view, readers really get the whole story. Kathleen Sutton does an amazing job in crafting a story that involves such different characters and making it believable and understandable.

 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

Reinforcements

The novel is the first of the Ron Tuck series. It is set in 1969 and explores the relationship between two friends whose lives are going in different directions. It is a story that moves the reader from a bowling alley to a college campus and finally to an anti-war demonstration in Washington, D.C. It is a comedy that pokes fun at coming of age sexuality, social mores, and familial relationships. It is a story about self-exploration and the need to learn.

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

Kenneth Hart explores the line dividing childhood and adulthood in his novel, Reinforcements. Ron and Hank are friends, both in their early twenties, forging different paths in an attempt to define themselves. Ron chooses to leave work at IBM and go back to school, though he doesn't know what for, while Hank chooses to take a chance at love.

 

Ronald Tuck is a young man with only one thing on his mind: women. He seems to believe college will allow him to find an endless supply of sexual encounters. Ron is a self-centered character with a sketchy past involving therapy and being misunderstood. Though he is an interesting character with many layers, readers may have a hard time connecting with him. He's not the nicest guy on campus and has a short fuse when he isn't getting what he wants. When he is faced with people who don't share his opinion, Ron becomes quickly frustrated. In his first semester of college, Ron is subjected to an array of situations that are outside of his comfort zone. Soon he finds his place with the student newspaper, creating controversy with his outspoken nature and opinion of the war.

 

Hank is just as naïve as Ron but in a different way. Hank wants to love and be loved. Unfortunately his rose-colored glasses cloud his judgment and he becomes involved with a woman who does nothing but take advantage of him. Hank believes that he can sweep JoLee away from her pig of a husband, turn her life to luxury, and fulfill her every dream. Readers will have hope for Hank though it seems nothing will be enough. After he pretends to marry JoLee, Hank's parents continue to support him. JoLee sees him as weak and soon he begins to believe it. Readers can see that Hank is soon suffering from a debilitating depression that he can't find his way out of. Everything that he thought would make him happy just causes him to sink deeper into his uncertainty. I think empathy and understanding of Hank's circumstances will help readers connect with him better though it's hard to understand how he doesn't see the stem of the problem.

 

The plot of this novel isn't an easy linear projection. Reinforcements is focused on emotional response and situational awareness as well as the growth that comes from each. Defining and discovering oneself isn't an easy undertaking, but it's a universal experience. As Ron explores what college has to offer and Hank focuses on creating a life revolving around love, the characters learn more about themselves, face challenges that disrupt their world views, and encounter new people with different beliefs. Though it may have been the formatting of the Kindle edition of this book, at times the storyline was a bit difficult to understand. The focus between Ron and Hank quickly shift, sometimes without prior clarification. Also, character history is dropped randomly in the middle of important situations. The interesting nature of the story conflicts heavily with the vulgar and blunt writing style. Reinforcements is not a book for the faint of heart or anyone who shies away from the occasional curse word or sexual description. Reinforcements is the first book in the Ron Tuck series and it's unclear where the characters will lead, or find, themselves in this coming of age tale as they search for knowledge and self-truth.

 

Rating: 2.5/5 Cups

Teaser Tuesday (194)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers



Reinforcements (Kindle 39%)
   - Kenneth Hart

"People whose eyes change can't get trapped into a single way of looking at things."
"Come on," he said. "That's not true. How could you prove something like that?"
"That's just it. You don't have to prove anything. Things are always changing without anybody's proof."

Poisoned Apple

Snow White’s a goth and Prince Charming’s a jerk.

On Neve’s eighteenth birthday, her stepmother kicks her out. A group of diner rats offer her refuge—including Brendan, who offers his couch for her to crash on. But the more time she spends with him, the more he confuses her. One second, he’s kissing her. The next he’s pushing her away.

Believing her life has reached rock bottom, Neve struggles to ditch her “damaged girl” label. But when she uncovers the truth about her life, she’s rocked to her very foundation. Will Neve be able to hold on to the good things coming her way, or will her bad luck poison everything?

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

Sometimes life seems like a fairy tale. And other times, it tries to turn you into the villain. It's an old cliché, but it still resonates: life is hard. For Neve, it's almost impossible. Poisoned Apple, a novella by Katherine McIntyre, shares the story of an abandoned, orphaned girl and how she tries to overcome the bad luck that follows her.

 

Neve knows that there is no love between her and her stepmother. Evil doesn't even begin to describe the witch, but Neve still hoped that after her 18th birthday she would still offer Neve a place to live. Alas, no. The novella begins with Neve celebrating her special day by packing her suitcase and leaving her home. From the beginning, readers see both Neve's bravery and her vulnerability. An instant connection is made as the author appeals to the pathos of the readers. The connection deepens with each obstacle that Neve encounters. The writing style helps to sway the reader onto Neve's side by showcasing the nature of other characters. With all that Neve goes through, it's courageous that she still fights for happiness.

 

The plot begins with Neve's birthday and her stepmother kicking her out of the house since the child support will sequentially stop. Neve packs a suitcase and leaves, finding a 24-hour diner with a group of friends that invite her to sit with them. She doesn't know it, but this group of guys will be her saving grace. Readers will whip through this entertaining and emotional novella. I found Poisoned Apple quite engrossing, but I was a little confused by the title. Though I saw the parallels, I thought that it would more closely follow the story of Snow White ... it did not. I still enjoyed the novella overall. The only real problem I had with the story was the ending. Emotions were high and it looked as if Neve would never overcome the unfortunate hand that life had dealt her. And then Prince Charming appears. Romantic and heroic, but it was a little too corny for my tastes. Neve's promise of happily-ever-after just didn't seem real. Though I emotionally connected with Neve and wanted her to find that elusive happiness, the ending didn't hit home. However, I'm sure some readers will love the ending as it paints the future in a purely positive light. Poisoned Apple it a novella that swells with emotion, loss, and the hope to rise above it all.

 

Rating: 3/5 Cups