Top Ten Tuesday: March 5th

It’s Tuesday which means it’s time for another TTT courtesy of That Artsy Reader Girl! This week’s topic is…

Characters I’d Like To Switch Places With

Ooooh, this is a tough one. Let’s see…what books would I love to be a part of…after careful consideration there’s only one character I would love to become…

Jessica Reel

Jessica Reel is part of the Will Robie series by David Baldacci. They both work for the same secret agency and we first meet them when Robie is supposed to kill her. Spoiler alert, he doesn’t, they team up and actually make a good team. I would love to go around, spying, and saving the world from dangerous people. She sounds fun and dangerous…and provided my outcome ends up like hers, I’m ok with switching places with her! I would love to walk on the dangerous, wild side for a day or two, especially if I had Robie to protect me too!

What character from a book would you like to switch places with?

Top Ten Tuesday

Another TTT courtesy of That Artsy Reader Girl! This week’s topic is…

New To Me Authors I Read In 2018

2018 is the year I really took back reading as a hobby so I have a LOT of new to me authors I read over the course of a year! I suppose I did not realize how many new favorites I acquired over the year until I sat down to do this list! I am listing these authors in no particular order, just the way they pop into my head! Please note, I did not include any authors that had a debut novel in 2018 as they would be new to everyone, I only included authors with published works in 2017 or earlier! Enjoy!

1. Elin Hilderbrand

I was first introduced to Elin Hilderbrand when a colleague gave me The Perfect Couple to read. I. Was. Hooked. Since then I have read Winter In Paradise and bought all of her Winter Street series books I plan on binge reading. I also have another book coming in the mail too. What can I say? I’m into her!

2. David Baldacci

My father LOVES Baldacci. He has read almost every single one of his books and has kept them all. I started off by reading his book The Hit and I couldn’t stop. I am in love with Will Robie and this series. I just finished reading the first book in the series, nothing like reading them out of order or anything, ha. I hope to make a big dent in his books in 2019, especially with the box of 25 or so my dad lent me!

3. Kerry Anne King

I first learned of Kerry Anne King thanks to Amazon First Reads. I read her book Whisper Me This and was blown away. I borrowed I Wish You Happy from the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library and just recently her first book, Closer Home, went on sale on the Kindle so I snatched it up!

4. Ruth Ware

From the same colleague who introduced me to Hilderbrand, I learned of Ruth Ware. She learned I was going on a cruise so she said I had to read The Woman In Cabin 10. Don’t worry, I had no such experiences like this book on my cruise this past summer! I picked up The Lying Game from a thrift store for 97 cents (what a find)!! I can’t wait to read more from her!

5. Jenny Han

Oh Netflix, you were the ones who turned me on to Jenny Han. I *LOVE* to read a book and then watch the movie it was based off of so when I heard about To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before I had to read it. Mistake. As soon as I read that I had bought the next 2 in the series and finished them up within 2 days. All of her other books are on my TBR pile! PS, I loved the book so much I refuse to watch the movie!

6. Iris Johansen

I was on eBay when I stumbled across a book by Iris Johansen called Killer Dreams. LOVED IT! Now I am collecting all of her Eve Duncan books, slowly but surely, and can’t wait to read more from her! When I mentioned I was looking for books by her my grandmother replied with, “Oh, she’s good!” Well thanks for not letting me sooner Gram!

7. Kylie Brant

I learned of Kylie Brant thanks to Amazon First Reads and her book Pretty Girls Dancing. Every month I make sure to get my free book and eventually I get around to reading them. I wish I read it as soon as I bought it as this was a page turner. I cannot wait to read more from her!

8. Sarah Pekkanen

I first read Sarah Pekkanen when I read my very first advance reader copy of The Wife Between Us. I know it was a joint effort with Greer Hendricks but what I did not realize until just recently is that Pekkanen has written novels before! I loved this story and loved what came from her mind, I can’t wait to read more!

9. Fiona Barton

I learned of Fiona Barton thanks to Netgalley and the advance copy I got of The Suspect. I love thrillers and I love an author who can write an amazing one. I will be checking out her previous work for sure.

10. Lisa Wingate

Another colleague turned me on to Lisa Wingate when she lent me Before We Were Yours. The book made me emotional and every now and then I love my heartstrings to be pulled and tugged at when I read. She has a beautiful way with words!

I am amazed with all of the new authors I was exposed to in 2018 and I am excited to see who I will discover in 2019! Although I already have a lot of works by these authors in my current TBR pile, I will be sure to spice things up with new authors too! Any of these your favorite authors as well? Did you discover any of these authors in 2018 as I did too? Thanks for visiting!

Book Review: The Innocent

My first read of 2019! My first box checked on the 2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge as well! I actually started this book in 2018 and had every intention of finishing it in 2018, however, life happens and here we are 2 weeks in to January and I just finished it. Oh well, at least I get to check off a box for the challenge!

I would like to note that I read his book The Hit first, not realizing it was part of a series. I am glad I read this book next so I could get a little background on some of the characters that were present in that book. But on to this amazing read!

This is the book where we first meet agency employee Will Robie. He gets called out to make a kill and when he walks in to an apartment where it’s a young mother, he freezes and can’t do it. Something seems off. Bullets fly through the window, killing the mother and her child, and threatening Robie’s life. It turns out Robie’s gut feeling was right and the young mother should have never been killed. Now Robie is being hunted by someone in his own agency to be taken out.

Who went rogue within his agency? This book takes us on a twisty, turny tale to find out. Along the way Robie ends up helping a 14 year old, Julie, who has just lost both of her parents. He notices a man about to kill her on a bus and when he intervenes, saves her life. They both get off the bus and as soon they do it explodes, killing everyone on board except them. What is going on?

I was highly intrigued the whole story. It was interesting to see how various events intertwined together and how Robie and Julie end up needing each other. It was thrilling, intoxicating, and a joy ride that I did not want to see end. It was action packed

Overall I am giving this book 5 stars. When I read a book and go, “just one more chapter,” for 5 or so extra chapters, it’s a great read. I enjoyed how Robie and Julie worked together and the ending was one I did not see coming. Not even from a mile away. It just came out of left field for me. Wow. It also left any loose ends tied up and made me smile. I cannot wait to read the 3rd book in this series! Any fellow David Baldacci fans out there?

Title: The Innocent

Author: David Baldacci

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Release Date: April 17, 2012

ISBN-10: 1455519006

Buy It On Amazon