Book Mail

 

Author: Jay Newman

Publisher: Scribner Books

Publishing: January 25, 2022

📪 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐥! 📪 

Thank you @scribnerbooks for this #gifted copy of Undermoney by Jay Newman. This looks like a terrific #thriller and I can’t wait to dive in! 

Synopsis-

An electrifying thriller about a group of American operatives who secretly take over the world’s largest dark money fund—an astonishing, audacious debut by a seasoned insider of global finance. 

When a U.S. airdrop of billions of dollars disap­pears in the desert sands of Syria, only a small group of military operatives knows its ultimate destination or why it has been stolen. Their goal is no less than the restoration of America’s geopolitical dominance on the global stage. Essential to this scheme are Greta Webb, a sophisticated CIA operative who is an expert on dark money, not to mention lethally skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and Elias Vicker, the damaged, dangerous soul who runs the world’s largest hedge fund. 

To achieve its goals, the group must form dangerous alliances. One is with the hidden family that manages the largest private pool of capital that has ever existed. Another is with Fyodor Volk, the ruthless founder of Russia’s most successful private military company, a mercenary with ties to Vladimir Putin. Volk has his eye on Greta. She would be wise to avoid him but cannot. 

Arcing from Manhattan’s finest apartments to Washington, D.C., from Middle Eastern war zones to private European bank vaults, Jay Newman’s Undermoney follows the Americans as they are enmeshed in the world of dark money and confront ever-increasing danger. Ultimately, they must decide whether their objectives are worth the cost of sacrificing not just a few but potentially many human lives. Brilliantly rendered with the details only a sophisticated financial insider knows and filled with jaw-dropping action, Undermoney reveals the secret intentions and savage deeds of the world’s richest people.

Undermoney publishes on January 25th. 

QOTD: What’s your latest binge watching recommendation? 

My answer: I finished watching the second season of Emily in Paris last night. It was cute. 

#bookmailisthebestmail #bookmail #bookstagram #undermoney #jaynewman #scribnerbooks #thrillerbooks

#financialthriller

Our Woman in Moscow

 

Author: Beatriz Williams

Publisher: Williams Morrow Books

Year: 2021

📖 𝙌𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 📖

I’m trying to catch up on reviews, so today you’re just getting some quick hits of my thoughts on Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams. 

* Character driven

* Slow burn

*Intriguing with lots of tension

*Good mix of domestic fiction and espionage 

*Two strong and interesting female main characters 

*Interesting locations - NYC, Italy, and Moscow

*Spans pre and post WWII years

This was a solid and satisfying read that I’d recommend to anyone who likes historical fiction, espionage, or domestic drama. I enjoyed it very much! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy Monday! I was just outside with the dogs and 🥶! They were on a mission looking for a squirrel that dared to enter their yard. 

QOTD: How’s the weather in your little corner of the world? 

Cold and windy and getting colder tonight and tomorrow. I’m done with winter already. And now I have to take the dogs out again to look for the squirrel. 🐿

#ourwomaninmoscow #beatrizwilliams #williammorrowbooks #espionage #spy #thriller #espionagethrillers #historicalfiction #moscow #sovietunion #coldwar #diplomat #domesticfiction #bookstagram #librarybook #bookworm #booknerd #bibliophile #thrillerfiction #kindle #kindlepaperwhite #lovemylibrary

Ink and Shadows

 

Author: Ellery Adams

Publisher: Kensington Books

Year: 2021

📚 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑻𝒐𝒖𝒓 📚

Thank you @kensingtonbooks @elleryadamsofficial & @tlcbooktours for the #gifted copy & having me on the tour! 

How could I not be interested in a book about a book-selling former librarian who solves murders?! 

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘆 𝗲𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿--𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘂𝗽 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱…

Known for her window displays, Nora Pennington decides to showcase fictional heroines like Roald Dahl’s Matilda & Madeline Miller’s Circe for Halloween. But a family-values group disapproves of the magical themes & wastes no time launching a modern-day witch hunt. Suddenly, former friends and customers are targeting not only Nora & Miracle Books, but a new shopkeeper, Celeste, who’s been selling CBD oil products.

Nora & her friends in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society are doing their best to put an end to the strife--but then someone puts an end to a life. Declared an accident, the ruling can’t explain the old book page covered with strange symbols and disturbing drawings left under Nora’s doormat. It’s up to Nora and the Secret, Book, and Scone Society to sort out the clues before more bodies turn up and the secrets from Celeste’s past come back to haunt them all…

Even though this is the fourth book in the series, I had no problem jumping right in. I loved how Nora and all her friends were so supportive of each other. I could so relate to Nora’s love of books and her desire to put the right book into the right person’s hands. This #cozymystery is all about friendship, books, reading, and solving murders. I definitely have to read the rest of this delightful series now!

Happy Friday! QOTD: any plans for the weekend? 

Today is our son’s birthday. We’re watching the weather to see if we can take a road trip to celebrate. 

#InkandShadows #elleryadams #kensingtonbooks #KensingtonCozies #cozymystery #bookstore #bookseller #mysteryfiction #miraclebookstore #murdermystery #bookstagram 

#readerlife #bibliophile 

Her Name Is Knight

 

Author: Yasmin Angoe

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer /Amazon Publishing

Year: 2021

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲! 

Her Name Is Knight is an intense, high octane, and violent thriller. 

As a teenager, Nena’s world is ripped apart when her small village in Ghana is destroyed by marauders and her family is killed. Nena survives, but becomes a victim of sex trafficking. She eventually escapes from her torturer and is adopted by a wealthy family from London. Her new parents are are leaders of The Tribe-a secretive organization dedicated to protecting and and advancing the countries of Africa. Nena becomes Echo, a highly trained assassin for The Tribe. Her latest mission brings her in contact with the monsters from her past and she must use all her skills to survive. 

Nena is a kickass main character and the action is nonstop. The story swings back and forth between Nena’s present and past. This is a polished debut thriller and it looks like it’s the first book in a planned series. TW: violence, sex trafficking, sexual abuse. This is not for the faint of heart. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Well, I didn’t win last night’s big lottery jackpot. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I only indulge in buying a lottery ticket when the money gets really big. So here’s my QOTD: if you won a huge lottery jackpot, what’s the first thing you’d do or buy with the money? 

First thing I’d do would be to get new phones and only give close family members and friends the numbers. I’d talk to a lawyer and financial planner. Then I’d pay off the mortgage and go someplace warm. 

#hernameisknight #yasminangoe #amazonpublishing #thrillerthursday #crimefiction #thrillerfiction #ghana #miami #assassin #thetribe #kindlefirstread #bookstagram #kindle #bookworm #alwaysreading 

Anticipation

 

Author: Melodie Winawer

Narrator: Jacques Roy et al. 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Year: 2021

🎧𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄🎧

Thank you Simon & Schafer Audio for the #giftedbook. 

A grieving mother and her nine-year-old son vacation in Greece where they meet Elias, a mysterious man who keeps many secrets. As Helen, a scientist, and Alexander tour the ancient city of Mystras with Elias as their tour guide, Helen learns of a centuries old family that has been passing Hunting’s, a degenerative neurological disease, through each generation. Helen meets a professor who promises to get funding for her Huntington’s research. But she also learns Elias could hold the key to a cure. 

Elias has been protecting the city of Mystras for 800 years. As a baby, his mother pledged Elias’s eternal service to the Profitis Ilias in exchange for saving Elias from a deadly illness. So Elias has spent centuries in service to the the city and trying to keep out of the hands of the dangerous Lusignan family. A family fated with Huntington’s and who believes Elias’s blood is the cure. 

This is an engaging mix of fantasy, historical fiction, medical thriller, and romance. Told across timelines of present and past, narrator Jacques Roy leads a cast narration that brings brings the ancient city to life. I definitely recommend this to fans of Outlander and other readers who like a mix of genres in one book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: what’s your favorite healthy snack? 

I not usually a healthy snacker. My tastes run to chocolate, chips or popcorn. But over the holidays we received a lovely box of dried fruit and nuts. I the dried dates right after I took this pic and they were very good. So expect to see lots of dried fruit and nuts appearing in my posts! 😀 

#anticiaption #melodiewinawer #simonaudio #audiobookstagram #audiobookreview #audiobooksofinstagram #greece #mystras #manoutoftime #historicalfiction #fantasyfiction #romance #bookstagram #bibliophilelife #readerlife #alwaysreading #byzantium #pastandpresent #huntingtonsdisease #audiobooklover 

Currently Reading

 

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲!

I’m #currentlyreading The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly. It features Det. Renée Ballard and his long time main character Harry Bosch. I love a good police procedural and Connelly never fails to deliver. 

Det. Ballard works the night shift, so that go me thinking- 

are you a morning person or a night owl? 

When I was young, I was more night owl and I could stay up really late reading. Can’t do that anymore! 

#coffeeandcurrentlyreading #thatsnotcoffeeinmycup #thedarkhours #michaelconnelly #littlebrown #policeprocedural #mystery #mysteryfiction #crimefiction #thrillerfiction #losangeles #bookstagram #alwaysreading #bibliophile #booknerd #keepreading #readerlife 

December Reading Wrap Up

 

🎉 𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒓! 🎉

Hard to imagine we turned the page and started a new chapter. 

December was a slow reading month for me. I didn’t do much reading because of losing my father and then the holidays. I managed to read 7 books and I’m surprised that I accomplished that. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 Stuntboy, in the Meantime - this is a fantastic audiobook for middle grade readers. Guy Lockard’s narration is is full of energy and fun. 

📖 Seasonal Work - a new collection of crime fiction short stories from author Laura Lippman. Even if you see the twist coming, Lippman always has a fresh perspective on it that makes you go “woah!” Out January 4th. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Clark and Division - a WWII era story about a Japanese American girl looking for the truth about the death of her older sister.

🎧 One to Watch - a plus size blogger is the contestant on a reality dating show. Enjoyed this one a lot! 

🎧 The Collective- a grieving mother gets involved with a secretive group that metes out it’s own brand of justice. 

🎧 Anticipation- a grieving mother and son vacation in Greece where they meet a mysterious man. This was a mix of history, fantasy, and science with a side of romance thrown in. 

QOTD: do you have reading goals for 2022? 

I set my @goodreads challenge for 100 books. I do that every year. My main goal is always to just read great books. 

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous year filled with amazing books! 

#decemberwrapup #readingwrapup #monthlywrapup #bookstagram #bookstagramcommunity #bookrecommendations #audiobooks #audiobookstagram #justread #alwaysreading #happynewyear