Exposure by Ramona Emerson

 

The plot:  Rita Todacheene is a forensic photographer with the Albuquerque police department. She can also see the ghosts of murder victims. And since her last case, when she almost died, the ghosts won't leave her alone. It's making her sick. She heads to her grandmother's house in Tohatchi hoping to find some healing on the Navajo reservation. But she gets drawn back into a murder investigation in Gallup, where a detective suspects that a serial killer is stalking and killing indigent Native Americans.

My thoughts:  I loved Emerson's first novel about Rita Todacheene; Shutter was a magical mix of Navajo myth and culture, mystery, suspense and ghostly hauntings. Rita is a fascinating character. This novel picks up where Shutter left off. It's more character-driven, with chapters alternating between Rita with all her current struggles and the serial killer's own story, which was more sad than creepy/scary. It also focuses on the plight of Native Americans in places like Gallup. It's both heartbreaking and enraging. This was a different mystery than what I was expecting, but it's a compelling read and I continue to be a fan of Rita Todacheene.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

That's Not My Name by Megan Lally

 

The GIRL:  "I think I might be dead."  She wakes up in a ditch by the side of the road, bruised and bloodied. And unable to remember who she is or how she got there. The police find her, and so does a man claiming to be her father. He says her name is Mary Boone. And he has photos of her, an old school ID, and her birth certificate. He must be telling the truth. So why does nothing about him feel familiar?

DREW:  "Life really goes to shit when everyone thinks you killed your girlfriend."  Drew's girlfriend, Lola, went missing five weeks ago, and everyone in their small Oregon town blames him, including the police. They keep trying to get him to confess. But Drew knows he didn't hurt her; he thinks someone may have taken her. And he's determined to do everything he can to find her. 

My thoughts:  What a fun summer thriller! Lally does a great job of building a sense of dread and unease as she alternates between Mary's and Drew's POV.  Mary's fears grow as she notices inconsistencies in her father's story; and Drew's desperate search for Lola is equally compelling. These two characters are both believeable and easy to root for. The story itself has suspense and tension and a good twist at the end. I really liked it. 4.5/5 stars.

Top Ten Tuesday...

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme: FREEBIE.

So, in honor of it being the week of July 4th, which is one of my favorite holidays, I decided to go with 10 BOOKS WITH FIREWORKS ON THE COVER.

I haven't read any of these, have you?

Happy Reading!

On the Slopes of Tahoe by J.A. Forde

 

There's so much I loved about this captivating romance! Here's just some of the things:

* Single dad Breck Kylie and all of his sweet and loving interactions with his seven-year-old daughter, Willow.

*Rory falling in love with her older brother's best friend...and with his cute daughter, too.

*That picturesque Lake Tahoe setting (and because it's winter that means there are fun scenes including snowboarding lessons, ice skating, sledding, and a snowstorm that strands Rory at Breck's and Willow's condo overnight).

*Found family.

*Swoony kisses. (I also appreciated that this is a fade to black romance with no explicit sex scenes.)

*That flirty spark between Breck and Rory and how their friendship deepened into love.

*Rory's dream of starting her own photography business and how Breck totally supports her.

*How Rory helps Breck and Willow heal.

*Her grand gesture!

*A fireworks proposal.... and a very happy ending for everyone. 

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Random scenes from my morning walks...

•  Ants. Swarms of them. So many it felt like I was walking into an Antapocalypse. What's up with that?
• Baby robins hopping after their mother in search of breakfast.
• The cutest dog, tail wagging, happily carrying his own red frisbee on his walk to the park with his owner.
• Lovely white yucca blossoms. So many of them. Everywhere except in my own yard. For some unknown reason, my yucca plants refuse to bloom. 
• Three chattering squirrels running along the top of a fence then leaping onto a branch of the tree right above my head. For a moment I was afraid I was about to be centerstage in a viral video called "When Squirrels Attack!"
• A sign in someone's flowerbed that read:  Garden of Weeden. (It made me laugh.)
• And my favorite thing of all--this quote that my neighbor posted in his front yard:  "You believed in the tooth fairy for years; you can believe in yourself for five minutes."

Have a great day!

P.S.  I think my comments are falling into spam limbo again; I don't know why, but it happens periodically. So if you haven't heard from me for awhile on your blog, check your spam folder. My comments might all be there. 

Another fun summer romance...

 "Adventure awaits."

Emily Edwards is not adventurous or outdoorsy, but she's made a promise to scatter her dad's ashes on Isle Royale, a remote National Park in Michigan that her dad always wanted to visit. So she hires Ryder Fleet to be her guide. Only it was Ryder's older brother, Caleb, who was the outdoorsy one, not him. He doesn't even know how to use a compass. But he needs the money, so he agrees to be Emily's guide. What happens to them on this remote island is some crazy kind of fun that includes getting lost in the woods, a bear spray incident, a pirate shipwreck, some bad guys, and a legendary lost diamond. I thought The Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea was laugh-out-loud funny. I loved how Emily and Ryder are total opposites yet connected because of their grief over lost loved ones; I also loved how they found a way to let go of past regrets and move forward with laughter and love together. This book made me smile all the way through. And for that:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Haiku Reviews

 

Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid

Wedding trip plane crash

strands bridesmaid with her old flame;

can love re-ignite?

Contemporary romance .... 293 pages .... 4/5 stars.

(Cute forced proximity second chance summer romance.)

The Passengers by John Marrs

Eight self-driving cars

hacked and programmed to collide

as the world watches.

Science fiction .... 337 pages .... 3.5/5 stars.

(Thought-provoking, fast-paced and twisty. And will make you never want to own a self-driving car.)

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

Filming Coast Guard hero Hutch

makes Katie face her fears and

learn to love herself. 

Contemporary romance ... 302 pages .... 4.5/5 stars.

(Favorite quote from this fun romance:  "No one's born fearless. You have to earn it. Every time you have to be brave, you get to be a little braver next time."

Happy Reading!