Ashleigh's Bookshelf

A Killing in Vail by D. M. O'Byrne Reading the newspaper one morning, Ryn learns about the death of a dear friend. The Vail police are calling it an unfortunate accident, but Ryn is calling their bluff. Determined to figure out what happened to her friend, she begins an investigation of her own against the advice of her boyfriend, the Trout Fork police captain. But, when her life is put in danger, she must examine not only her suspects, but also the importance of her relationship. I must admit, I had a rough start reading this mystery. There is a lot of front matter that I had to scroll past before I could get to the actual story. Then, I got to the first chapter. The story begins with an info dump in the form of an epistolary and, I gotta say, I think it works. In a few short pages, we learn the main character's name, her boyfriend's name, and their hometown, as well as the name of her friend and a little background information. It was just enough ...

Derailed Plot by Summer Campbell After finding her husband in bed with another woman, Astrid decides to accept an offer to review a transcontinental train across Spain while she reexamines her life. However, when she becomes the prime suspect in a murder, she finds herself trying to find the real culprit before she is handed over to the Spanish policia. Although this book claims to be a cozy murder mystery, the murder does not happen until chapter 6 (out of 15). The beginning of the book focuses more on Astrid reexamining her life and getting to the train. It is also very difficult to feel immersed in the story. Beginning on page one, the book is full of scenes where the narrator tells us what has just happened during the scene break instead of showing it as it happens. Combined with the occasional errors in grammar and tense, I had a difficult time being engaged in the story. And the scene where Astrid goes clothes shopping with a complete stranger in a Madrid ...

Switched by Amanda Hocking Seventeen-year-old Wendy has not had an easy life. Her father died when she was five. At her sixth birthday party, her mother decided she was not really her child, but a monster who had assumed her child's life. Her aunt and older brother have done their best to raise her, but she hasn't exactly been the easiest child to live with. Now, a strange boy at her new school has taken an interest in her and the things he says makes her wonder whether her mother was right all along. I found this book while clearing my virtual bookshelf and I couldn't remember anything about it. When I checked goodreads, I found I had rated this book 3 stars in 2015 but left no review (how dare I!), so I decided to reread the entire trilogy. This review is actually for all three books. I have read several stories of changlings and one of the questions I always have is what happens to the human baby that was switched? I was pleased to see that this b...

Louisiana Longshot by Jana Deleon When CIA assassin Fortune Redding's life is endangered, she sets out on her most dangerous undercover mission yet - posing as a beauty-queen librarian in the Louisiana Bayou. But maintaining her cover isn't easy when a human bone is found on her property on her first day. When the Ladies' Society involves her in the investigation, Fortune begins to wonder if she was better off as prey for the hired assassins. I absolutely loved this book. While I liked watching Fortune bumbling in an identity that goes against her very nature, I fell in love with Gertie. I found her hilarious, especially when discussing the local laws. The Banana Pudding War (which, according to Gertie, was worse than the Civil War) had me laughing out loud. In fact, there were several pages where I found myself laughing aloud, a true rarity for me. I did have a few minor issues with the grammar and slips in point of view, but it wasn't enough t...

Crossroads in Jerusalem by Elizabeth Raum In this book, the reader is the main character. You begin your journey by selecting your character: a young boy, a young girl, or a lawyer's apprentice, all set in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus's preaching. As your journey continues, you select your path. The different combinations result in many different stories within this short book. I have always been a fan of interactive books and was excited to read this story. However, even though I knew this book was geared towards children, I found myself disappointed. While the stories were interesting and engaging, I was not thrilled with the bible passages, including Jesus's teachings. There are many English versions of the bible and I think a book for elementary students should use a translation children can understand. I think a lot of the message the author was trying to teach would go over a young reader's head. I am a grown adult very familiar with ...