A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley

TITLE:  A Desperate Fortune

AUTHOR:  Kearsley, Susanna
GENRE:  Historical Fiction

DATES READ:  10/22/2017 - 11/12/2017

MY RATING:  3.5/5

I've loved all of Susanna Kearsley's novels and cannot wait to read this next prize from a library book sale!

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A new time-slip romance mixing the past journal of Mary Dundas, a Jacobite exile, and future codebreaker Sara Thomas, who must crack the journal's cipher.

Another classic time-swapping Kearsley tale! I love her style. She always mixes romance with history, drama, past and present. In this particular novel, I liked the characters in the past much more than the character in the present. But then again, I do love historical fiction. Mary was brilliant. And who couldn't love the mysterious Hugh?

I appreciated Kearsley widening her horizons and including a main character with Asperger's syndrome. She was strong and bright and vulnerable. A lovely character. I also really enjoyed the secret codes (ciphers) involved in the story.

Overall, another lovely read. If you like Kearsley's other books, you will love this.

Will read and write soon!

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Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

TITLE:  Heart-Shaped Box

AUTHOR:  Hill, Joe
GENRE:  Horror

DATES READ:  10/26/2017 - 11/2/2017

MY RATING:  5/5

My Stephen King Book Club decided we wanted to add an extra book on this month to read some of his son's work. I'm leading this month's discussion, so here's hoping it s a great discussion book. Looks like it's about ghosts...

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Aging rock star, Judas Coyne, has an obsession with all things macabre and fancies himself a collection. So when he gets a chance to purchase a ghost online, he jumps at the chance. When the heart-shaped box box arrives, it contains not only a dead man's suit but a vengeful spirit. A vengeful spirit that has it out for Judas...

Oh my gosh! This book was just plain horrifying in the best way possible. In the beginning, I wasn't sure. What's scary about buying a ghost?

Good lord, everything...

Judas Coyne was such a great/iconic character with a strong impact. The aging rocker persona just worked. It was perfect and added to foreboding vibe. You wanted not to like him (calling his ladies by their home state to dehumanize them...) but in the end, his true nature comes out and you root for him.

It was a little happier of an ending than I expected, but it's one of the scariest books I've even read. Joe Hill truly is his father's son. Highly recommended for anyone who doesn't mind some serious creep factor.

Will read and write soon!

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