A special thank you to Greer Hendricks for a copy of the audiobook.

When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.  

At first, the book alternates between the perspectives of Richard's ex-wife, Vanessa, and his new-and-improved younger fiancée, Nellie.  Vanessa was left humiliated and penniless with the break up and she has a drinking problem—is this what was responsible for the dissolution of the marriage?  Nellie can't shake the feeling that she is being followed and that there is something to the anonymous calls she has been receiving.  Vanessa is jealous and becomes obsessed with her replacement—she is determined to stop Richard from marrying again.  Just how far will she go?

That's about all I can safely synopsize.  But what I can tell you is that I'm speechless.  What a fantastic book.  

The writing is BRILLIANT!  You can tell that Pekkanen is a seasoned author and by extension, Hendricks' previous editing experience also makes her a great writer.  The attention to detail and pace is what really sets this book apart in this genre, especially with all the "girl" and "wife" titled books out there right now.  (Is it me, or does every other mystery/thriller book have "girl" or "wife" in the title?)  

And the plot is so layered—when you think the story is over, there is one final twist.  So.  Bloody.  Clever!  The difference between 4 and 5 stars was the subplot with Maggie and Jason.  I actually thought this was a bit of filler that wasn't necessary.  

By:  Paula Treick DeBoard

ISBN: 0778330265

Publisher: Park Row Books 

Publication Date:  1/30/2018 

Format: Paperback

My Rating: 5 Stars 

Buy the Book

From the critically acclaimed author, of The Drowning Girls, The Fragile World, and The Mourning Hours (all five glowing stars-review links below), Paula Treick DeBoard follows with her latest riveting suspense, coming Jan 2018— HERE WE LIE. 

Rich in character, a look inside the secret lives of two different unlikely friends from two different social classes. A world of privilege and secrets. The lies and secrets they tell themselves, and to one another —with devastating consequences. 

Ripped from today’s headlines: Scandal, power, cover-ups, and deadly secrets. Messy, complicated and imperfect lives. 

Told in alternating first-person perspectives, moving between past and present. Megan Mazeros and Lauren Mabrey. Each views the world differently— from diverse backgrounds.

As the book opens it is 2016. A press conference. Someone is about to spill a lie. Age thirty-five. Female. A lie kept silent for fourteen years is about to be exposed to the world. 

“Fourteen years was a long time. It was long enough to forget, forgive, move on.” A long time to keep a secret. 

Megan is from Kansas. She lived for years watching her dad die each day slowly from asbestos fibers (a poor man’s cancer) from the mesothelioma with his job. She holds a secret. Her father’s dying wish.

“Something had to die so something else could live.”

With the life insurance money, Megan can attend a college of choice in combination with a scholarship and her good grades. She wants nothing more than to escape this town and her past. Her mom has moved on to Gerry, her boss at the accounting firm. 

She decides on Keale College in Scofield, Connecticut— a unscale private girls-only school. She realizes that wealth lives here and people of privilege. People different than herself.

She meets a regular local boy named Joe on her first day. Soon after that, her roommates commits suicide, assigning her another roommate.

Lauren Mabrey is the wild child with continued reckless behavior from a wealthy family. From the elite, boarding schools, and old money pedigree. The cars, wealth, homes, status, power, and the best education. She is the daughter of a U.S. senator from Connecticut. Lauren has a poor GPA; however, with her parent’s money, she can pretty much do as she pleases. 

She also feels like an outsider in her only family and goes against the traditional values, causing disarray in her family. Often she wanted to be regular so as not to have to live up to the expectations. 

A bit rebellious, she encounters some problems with drugs before she goes off to college, which lands the guy in jail, and ultimately ended up dead in a prison yard. This event haunts her. However, her parents manage to keep this out of the news. Her mom warns her they cannot continue to bail her out. 

Lauren loves photography and takes her talent a little too far. Her family dismisses it. After an encounter with her current roommate, Erin she is assigned a new one.

Lauren and Megan become best friends in their freshman year 1999-2000. Lauren is everything Megan is not. Lauren sees Megan as normal. Due to her family environment, she finds herself attracted to Megan, Joe, Marcus, and others she meets, unlike her status.

However, Megan distorts her life offering shocking lies about her family. She exaggerated about how poor her family was and how many boyfriends she had. She wants to be someone else, someone different from the dull girl she is. To feel better about herself. Both girls are insecure in their ways. 

Lauren loves Megan’s wit, and the two develop a friendship based on lies. Telling each other their best and worst truths and lies. As time moves on, they also become jealous and angry with one another. 

Megan meets Lauren’s family and becomes exposed to a different way of life. Their home, a job, and a private summer island off the coast of Maine. This trip was to be their last vacation before senior year. 

However, one night something happens which changes the course of their lives. A house of money. To cover up the dirty deeds of its family members. 

Dreams of Harvard are no longer in view. Shattered by one night. Worse than her father dying. A choice to make. A decision. Who would believe her—a girl from nowhere? The Mabrey's had the kind of power that could buy justice—that could shape truth. 

The lies she had told. She could not put herself through it. She would remain silent. One girl all alone. Dreams shattered. Another one left clueless about the events unfolding around her. Where was the trust in one another?

Many years later when the girls have their separate lives and families of their own, someone comes forward with rape and sexual assault. A political scandal. If someone had come forward earlier, could it have saved others down the road? 

The silence broken, shattering lives and the ugly truth revealed. Allegations, investigation, and a trial. The what ifs.

What a fabulous story— highly relatable to the events which surround us today. Even though fictional, unfortunately, it is all too real for many women who experience sexual assault at the hands of famous figures such as politicians and celebrities. The victims often are viewed in a negative light; therefore they remain silent. 

An avid fan of the author, for years—her books continually land on my top books of the year. Unique and compelling, her stories possess a common thread. Thought-provoking, she writes of powerful bonds of friendships, family, and betrayal. 

Paula’s writing is superb! The dual timelines and alternating perspectives keep the reader engrossed in the lives of the two young women at different ages. From college years to the present, the author gives a glimpse of the gap and how words and actions have consequences resulting in hurt and resentment. A convincing look at lies and how they come back to haunt (no matter the age). 

From teenagers to young women with families of their own to their true selves. In addition to the topic of friendship, a strong focus on daughter/father and daughter/mother relationships. 

Highly charged topics: enjoyed how she tied female friendship, sexual assault, political scandal and moral complexities together in one dynamic story. HERE WE LIE is an ideal choice for book clubs and further discussions (Reader’s Guide Included).

An added bonus—a insightful Q&A with the author! Highly recommend. A "read-in-one-sitting" kind of book. 

JDCMustReadBooks 

A special thank you to the author for the lovely print copy and Park Row and NetGalley for the digital advanced reading copy. 

The Drowning Girls 
Top Books of 2016 

The Fragile World 
Top Books of 2014 

The Mourning Hours

Praise

"With this story of two very different young women, DeBoard portrays the lies that people tell to find acceptance and the terrible acts that powerful people casually commit... While the rape looms in the future as a foregone conclusion, DeBoard only slowly reveals the details, so the final revelations are all the more powerful." –Publishers Weekly

"With each chapter shifting perspective between Lauren and Megan, DeBoard lets each woman's story reflect and distort the other's, deftly angling the mirror of truth... A wrenching tale of broken friendship and shattered dreams." –Kirkus Reviews

"A nuanced and complex look at the long-standing consequences of privilege and toxic masculinity. At its heart, Here We Lie examines the seemingly unbreakable bonds of both friendship and family, and the lengths one will go to take care of their own. Compulsively readable!"-Kate Moretti, New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Year

"With Here We Lie, Paula Treick de Board spins a mesmerizing tale of two former best friends and one shocking secret. Suspenseful and evocative, with pitch-perfect prose and pacing, Here We Lie is a story that resonates long after the last word. An engrossing read." -Kimberly Belle, bestselling author of The Marriage Lie

From her riveting first chapter, DeBoard casts a line back in time and reels an unlikely college friendship ever closer to the novel's inevitable conclusion. An absorbing exploration of how we attain personal power and the consequences of wielding it." -Kathryn Craft, award-winning author of The Far End of Happy and The Art of Falling

"Set against a backdrop of college life, politics, and sexual assault, Paul Treick DeBoard explores the exquisite joy of discovering the perfect friendship--then the acute pain of disentangling when that friendship sours. Here We Lie takes you a remarkable journey of two girls who learn, together and alone, to decide who they will ultimately be-it is at once observant, devastating, and thoroughly satisfying."-Emily Carpenter, author of The Weight of Lies and Burying the Honeysuckle Girls

About the Author 

 

Paula is a reader, writer, drinker of strong coffee and an all-around slave to public education. She wrote her first novel when she was nine years old, in the back seat of an orange 1977 Chevy Caprice station wagon with wood paneling. It was exactly as good as you might expect a novel written by a nine-year-old to be.
 
In the intervening years, Paula majored in English, taught junior high and high school English and earned an MFA in Fiction Writing from the University of Southern Maine.
 
These days, she splits her time between teaching (at the University of California, Merced), chatting about writing whenever she has a chance, and staring at a laptop screen for uninterrupted hours. Her novels include The Drowning Girls, The Fragile World and The Mourning Hours. 
 
Her heart—and her remaining spare time—belongs to Will and their four-legged brood. Read More  

Kerry Lonsdale continues with another heartfelt tale, following her debut, Everything We Keep, with her latest upcoming, ALL THE BREAKING WAVES —an emotional family domestic suspense saga of dark secrets, mystery, and magical realism.

Lonsdale paints a vivid portrait of a contemporary family filled with secrets, strife and ultimately—love.

ALL THE BREAKING WAVES is a mystery suspense with strong twists of romantic, historical, and paranormal elements. A talented sea glass artist, Molly Brennan whose daughter, gifted with visions, predicts Molly’s death. Molly has five days to outwit fate or make the ultimate sacrifice any parent can make. The daughter’s premonitions come with dangerous side-effects.

Molly Brennan grew up in the Pacific Grove, a coastal town on the Monterey Peninsula in California. She loved the ocean and combing for treasures. She had once believed the surf-tumbled glass had come from mermaids.

When the mythical creatures wept for sailors lost at sea, their tears hardened and washed ashore by the latest storm front. Mermaid tears were treasures, meant to be guarded close to one’s heart. They brought wishes of true love and kept you safe from those who meant harm.

However, time had taught her two valuable lessons: Fairy tales and fables paled in comparison with real nightmares, and psychic abilities were a power, the human body should not possess.

Years ago, Molly had left her home following a tragic accident. In the process, she also left the man she loved, Owen. Telling him she did not love him, but she did and always will. She was only trying to protect others around her. Her mom was murdered, and her dad died in a fatal car accident. She had no one left but her Nana, and she was getting old. And her daughter, she has to protect.

Four generations of women with "the gift." A gift which could be a torture and misunderstood by many. Ordinary to extraordinary.

Since this time, twelve years later Molly has made a home for herself and her eight-year-old daughter Cassie. Molly teaches art history at a local community college and makes jewelry from the glass she collects with a side business, selling to boutiques. They live a quiet life in San Luis Obispo in a small bungalow.

However, now her worst nightmare is facing her head on.

Cassie is experiencing horrific visions and debilitating nightmares. She is making predictions at school to keep her friends out of harm’s way. She is being bullied and frightening the parents, students, teachers, and her friends. Everyone thinks she is a freak.

Mollie’s daughter Cassie has dreams, with premonitions. They were getting worse and more gruesome. The accidents she foresaw were followed by nightmares that recurred until the premonition came to pass.

Her latest, she told her friend Grace she would be hit by a car on her bike, so she keeps telling her to be safe and wear a helmet. Maybe she could keep her from dying. To keep her from having brain damage. Both mother and daughter are desperate to have the visions go away.

They were vicious little monsters. They only echoed Molly’s own grammar school experiences. The taunting and jeers, the cautious glances. It was easier to play the role of the social outcast than to explain the odd things she saw or seemed to make other people do.

Cassie’s abilities had only recently manifested and Molly was worried she was already a social outcast. If only she could learn not to talk about them at school.

After all, Molly knew how bad her father hated her abilities, so it was hard to force her daughter to keep quiet when those close to her were in danger. Things get out of control at school. Molly is called in by the principal and teachers. Instead of seeing a child psychologist, Molly knows there is only one person who could possibly help Cassie. Her grandmother, Nana Mary. In hopes of understanding and harnessing her gifts.

She had to do something to help her daughter. The psychological damage, the nightmares, and the lack of sleep. The visions had become horrific. Tormenting. Now that Grace’s accident had come true, she was having the worst visions yet. Cassie sees her mother drowning. She couldn’t breathe and sees her dying.

Molly is frantic and decides they need to pack up for a short visit with Nana Mary. She will be able to help control Cassie’s visions. However, how was she going to avoid the water when her Nana’s house was so close to the ocean?

From guilt and regret, the unexpected. Her Nana is in poor health, and Owen has purchased the family home next door to her Nana. The one place she swore she would never come back to. The haunting memories. Returning to Pacific Grove always roused Molly’s own fears and doubts about her own abilities.

From the past to present the author takes us back to four generations of women. All with psychic gifts. However, somewhere along the way, they were handled differently. From loss, love, and tragedy and second chances, Lonsdale takes delivers a compelling story of the strong bonds of family, and fears which haunt and destroy.

Molly is forced into the unraveling of the events of the past: Her shame, her internal journey; guilt, her mother Shelia, domestic violence, her controlling father, her Nana, and her love for Owen and her daughter Cassie. As she faces her own fears she finds the healing she needs in the salt air of the Pacific. Discovering unexpected treasures.

Combined with suspense, mystery, romance, and magical realism the multi-generational saga has many parallels from the sea glass as trash turned into treasures similar to the lives of the characters. Their psychic gifts, on one hand, are viewed as evil, versus helpful or extraordinary. The twists and comparisons with Owen’s guilt, and Mollys.

At the heart of the novel: Molly represents every parent faced with difficult, and sometimes life-threatening choices about a child’s well-being. Sacrifices for our children. An ongoing theme of facing decisions to either embrace or dismiss life choices. From acceptance, death, forgiveness, family, love, motherhood and sacrifice.

For fans of Jayne Ann Krentz, Christina Dodd, Karen Robards, and Lisa Unger (romance, suspense, mystery, psychic, paranormal); Karen White, Sarah Addison Allen, Lisa Van Allen and Alice Hoffman (historical, magical realism).

A multilayered mystery where interlinked stories, and generations, as well as unearthed secrets of a damaged family lead to courage and healing.

Look forward to the sequel to Everything We Left Behind, Coming July 1, 2017.

A special thank you to the author, Lake Union, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

JDCMustReadBooks

A comical Labrador is the latest hit in the new children's book travel series, THE SPECTACULAR WORLD OF WALDORF- Mr. Waldorf Travels to Russia, featured in the fourth installment by Beth Ann Stifflemire and Barbara Terry.

Mr. Waldorf is a lovable and adventurous canine on a voyage to see the United States and the world!

His first stop on his journey: Mr. Waldorf Travels to the Great State of Texas, the second Mr. Waldorf Travels to the Wild State of Alaska, then Mr. Waldorf Travels to the Mysterious China and now Waldorf is making his journey to Russia, the largest country in the world! Join him as he discovers this new adventure.

Waldorf begins his adventure with art and culture, exploring the beautiful city of Saint Petersburg, Russia where he sees the world famous ballet. He enjoys dancing with his new friends. Next, he attends the Opera, as the singer tells an amazing story in a song.

Next, he visits the Saint Petersburg Zoo, the oldest zoo in Russia, where he visits with new friends and Polar Bears. After the zoo, he journeys through the Ural Mountains in Western Russia. He discovers jewels, mountains, and heads for the oldest, deepest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Baikal.

Next, he ventures off to the Eastern Forests of Russia and enjoys the beautiful tall trees and visit more animals and a Siberian Tiger. Next, he decides to complete his trip in the capital of Russia, called Moscow.

He loves the old colorful and beautiful buildings. He also is excited to visit the Russian State Library, where he finds plenty of books.

With bold colorful illustrations, ideal for kids ages seven-nine. From second-third grade reading level. In addition, younger children will enjoy the images while parents or older siblings read to them.

My granddaughter, Avery is in AIG classes (3rd grade) and she gives the series her “thumbs up, a seal of approval!” My grandson, Brady, (1st grade) loved the adventure with lots of fun along the way.

Educational, informative, adventurous, and entertaining!

Well-crafted, a great way to help children learn about different cultures, diversity, languages, geographical areas while assisting them with reading, and social studies, as well as introducing them to new things.

A clever fun way to help kids explore other parts of the country in the privacy of their own home or school. Parents, grandparents, educators, teachers and kids will love Mr. Waldorf and will want to follow him to the many cities, and parts of the country where he explores. A fun learning experience!

Mr. Waldorf loves to read and needs his specs. He tends to lose them along the way. Readers will need to help him find them. This comical Labrador draws children into his whimsical adventures in search of his lost reading spectacles for a little mystery.

The strong visual narrative makes this an appealing choice for a wide range of ages. By the turn of the last page, children will immediately begin imagining the next adventure. (Hi-res glossy images pop with color)!

Get on board, and join Waldorf, as he travels to his next stop. Join him as he discovers interesting and fun places. Collect them all- Idea for gift giving and the upcoming holiday season!

A special thank you to Waldorf Publishing and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

JDCMustReadBooks

By: Jennifer Jaynes

ASIN: B015SSKD46

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication Date: 5/3/2016

Format: Other

My Rating: 5 Stars 

Talented crime writer, Jennifer Jaynes returns following Never Smile at Strangers, and Ugly Young Thing with her “best yet”- DON’T SAY A WORD, an enthralling psychological crime mystery suspense thriller, guaranteed to keep you glued to the pages from the first page, to the explosive ending- leaving you breathless!

Allie Callahan has not had an easy life. An orphan, with a horrific past and childhood—her mom and brother suffered from mental illness. In her younger years, she even attempted to end her own life, when left all alone to face the brutal world. She still has scars and fears.

At sixteen, she was given the opportunity to have a real life. A real family. A new start. She was adopted by her kind older foster mom, Bitty Callahan. She loves and respects her. A home she has always dreamed of.

Now twenty-two, Allie and her young son, Sammy and dog Piglet--- reside with Bitty, in their comfortable home in Texas. She is putting her demons behind her. However, she has to continue to put the old unhealthy voices from her biological mother aside. Bitty always taught her, “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.”

Allie always feared losing her mental health and become incapable of being the type of mother her four- year- old son, Sammy deserved. Sammy was her reason for living. For everything. Allie was excited about the new chapter in her life, in terms of her career, she was following in Bitty’s footsteps as a wellness practitioner. She was drawn to the work for many reasons, but mainly because it was rewarding and flexible.

As the book opens there is a brutal murder. Two twelve-year-old twin girls (Zoe and Carrie), are left in their home alone for days with their murdered parents. They are traumatized. When the authorities arrive, the girls are sent by child protective service to reside in foster care with Bitty.

Allie was a little nervous, when foster children came to stay. She always felt uneasy each time a new kid arrived; however, she could not tell Bitty. Allie admired the fact Bitty fostered kids. Bitty had given her a second chance at happiness—a chance most kids with past like hers never got. So she would help any way she could. She owed it to Bitty.

The twins are NOT ordinary. They were coming from the rich Sherman Landing area nearby. Even though the girls had lived in a poor white trash trailer park, their deceased dad had recently won $1.2 million dollars. From drugs and abuse from mom, and truck driver dad, on the road the majority of the time.

When the caseworker brought the girls to stay with the Callahan's, they soon learned the girls are very disturbed. Carrie would not speak and very withdrawn. Zoe tended to be more outspoken, and even manipulative, at times. Could she trust them around her son? Zoe-dissociative amnesia. Carrie selective mutism.

Due to their trauma, the caseworker mentioned in addition to their parent’s murder, the younger brother was hit by a truck and killed three years earlier and the girls witnessed the tragic event. The grandmother wants nothing to do with them. Total dysfunction.

From detectives, forensic therapist, Child Advocacy, and caseworkers-- everyone was involved in the case. Allie knew all too well, people never healed from the horror of murder. Not completely. Allie always helped Bitty with the foster children—she was never emotionally invested. This time she becomes involved.

As the investigation continues, Gary, the mom’s boyfriend shows up, putting them all in danger. Allie’s former boyfriend, Johnny (Sammy’s dad) shows up without any notice, and she is ready to put him out of her life. Their personal lives and home become insanity. A check written for seven hundred thousand the day before the murders?

Prone to depression and anxiety attacks, Allie had learned to control her thoughts before they spiraled out of control. However, since the twins came to live with them, nothing is normal. Strange phone calls, cars, hang ups, and weird behavior with both girls. Another murder. Since she laid eyes on these girls, the whole safe world that had taken her years to build felt as flimsy as a house of cards.

There is tension between the twins, and something is not right. Carrie was more self-conscious (Allie can relate to her, if she will let her in). Carrie has been cutting herself and is slowly slipping away. Zoe tends to want to bond with Allie; more confident--her personality goes from good to bad.

Allie wants to trust the girls around her son Sammy, however, she is overprotective. Is she putting him in danger around the girls? From blood-curdling shrieks, screams--the girls needed her help—she could not deny them; she can sympathize—she has been there; however, is she putting her life and her son’s in harm’s way?

Who really murdered the twin's parents?

Wow, this is one intense saga---secrets and lies. Flashing back and forth we hear from the time prior to the murders. Slowly the author cleverly peels back the layers of the events leading up to the murders. Nothing is as it appears.

Chilling, dark, gripping, shocking, and un-put-downable!When I looked up from the book for the first time 50% through the book. From 50%-75%, the intensity is mind-blowing. From 75% to the ending, fast-paced action--twists and turns you do not see coming! You are totally invested in the characters—Damaged with a Capital “D”. Forget about sleeping.

With Allie’s delicate complex and tortured past, co-mingled with the twins domestic current and past mental situation, strongly emphasizing the psychology of its characters and their unstable emotional states. Obsessive, pathological, moral conflicts, fear and anxiety are strong drivers. No one can write EVIL better than Jennifer.

I enjoyed hearing from Sammy's perspective; a four-year-old’s view (priceless), as well as Zoe, Carrie, and Allie. (Since the author is a mother of younger twins, she shines here). Sammy is full of wonder and curiosity- very observant. You will love him and want to give him a big hug. He likes to spy on others. He is innocent and he thinks it is fun. A cautionary tale for mothers--you never know what secrets your child may be keeping. A strong mother’s love. Sammy is her priority.

You will love Bitty, and readers root for Allie, to the end--and sympathize with her situation. Hoping Allie will find some happiness in the next book with a possible new budding romance with the sexy Detective. (Knowing Jaynes, it will not be a smooth road). Can't wait.

If you are looking for a scary crime thriller that send chills down your spine, leaving you on the edge of your seat until the very end---this one is for you.

A mix of Gothic, domestic, crime, psychological, detective, action, drama, horror, suspense, mystery, and thriller. The author rocks! Integrating personal character elements into mystery and suspense, toeing the line between a dramatic character study and a plot structure you'd expect from a strong psycho-crime horror thriller movie. (would make for a great Prime series).

For fans of Mark Edwards, Kathryn Croft, Lisa Unger, and Jennifer Hillier.

Recommend reading Jennifer’s first two books above, while awaiting the release date of her third installment. Even though Don’t Say A Word, may be read as a standalone -the author does an outstanding job of getting you up to speed; however, in order to really get a good grasp of the main protagonist, you will want to read the previous books----All three are top quality!

The author just keeps getting better (if this is possible). Thanks Jennifer, all your efforts have not gone unnoticed. A winner! 5 Stars +

A special thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.