Cheryl's Book Nook

Six years ago, ten-year-old Sophie Albright disappeared from a shopping mall. Her mother, Jesse, is left in a self-destructive limbo, haunted by memories of her intense and difficult child, who was obsessed with birds. Trapped in her grief and guilt, Jesse stumbles through her workdays at a bookstore and spends her off hours poring over Sophie’s bird journals or haunting the mall to search for the face of her missing child. When Star Silverman, Sophie’s best friend, starts working at the bookstore, Jesse is uncomfortable around the sarcastic teen, who is a constant reminder of her daughter. But Star has secrets of her own, and her childhood memories could be the key to solving Sophie’s disappearance. With help from Star and Kentucky “Tuck” Barnes, a private detective on the trail of another missing girl, Jesse may finally get some closure, one way or the other. My Review This book moves slowly but it is not a bad thing. Usually, moving slowly through a story can be a bad t...

When former Marine Reid Griffith started his moving company, hiring only veterans, he just wanted to help his brother Cash adjust to civilian life. But when Cash is caught taking down a thief mid-robbery, the video goes viral. Suddenly Vets on the Go! are local heroes…and Reid’s phone explodes. He needs help handling the deluge of interest—fast. When PR expert Naomi Starr sees the news spot of a muscular vet expertly apprehending a bad guy with duct tape, she knows Vets on the Go! is just the thing to revive her career. There’s just one problem. Naomi has vowed to never mix business with pleasure. Ever. Again. And tall, dark and brawny Reid Griffith is a whole package of temptation. My Review I really liked the concept of Reid and his brother, Cash's business. A moving company that hires veterans. Instantly, I was rooting for the brothers. Although, I will admit that Cash won me over first before Reid. This is because Cash has a more outgoing personality. While, this s...

Sergeant Detective D. D. Warren confronts the strangest case of her career in this exclusive eBook short story by the #1 New York Times bestselling author. D. D. Warren was pretty sure she'd seen it all. Then a man walks into police headquarters, attempting desperately to convince the squad that he's dead. Explaining to him that he's very much alive, they finally send him o Sergeant Detective D. D. Warren confronts the strangest case of her career in this exclusive eBook short story by the #1 New York Times bestselling author. D. D. Warren was pretty sure she'd seen it all. Then a man walks into police headquarters, attempting desperately to convince the squad that he's dead. Explaining to him that he's very much alive, they finally send him on his way . . . and then hours later, he turns up actually dead. And it's on D. D. Warren to figure out how and why the dead man died . . . twice.   My Review   This is a fun, cozy short read. Although, i...

NEWARK, CA – America Deconstructed follows the journeys of sixteen immigrants as they maneuver cultural differences and uncomfortable situations while working to find a sense of belonging in their American homes. Naseer was nine years old when he escaped Taliban and fled Afghanistan; his story chronicles the resilience of a young boy as he travels from Afghanistan to America in quest of the American dream. Another essay showcases the love story of Chidibere and Ifeyinwa and their struggles with language and being true to their African culture in America. Lisian’s story takes us through his journey to America, and frequently being asked where he comes from. Parag describes his journey as a young sixth grader who hid his attraction to boys in conservative India to embracing his sexuality in America. America Deconstructed tells the story of courage, resilience, and identity from real perspectives of first-generation immigrants and their pursuit of the American Dre...

  Description Have you fallen deeply in love, But get nervous approaching your dove? Don't be stupid; Hire a cupid! 'Cause sometimes love needs a shove. Eliza Herman (a.k.a. The World's Worst Cupid) has spent her entire life carefully avoiding her calling as a Descendant of Eros. After all, happily-ever-afters are nothing but a myth. But when a family crisis requires her to fill in at the local Cupid-for-hire shop, Eliza finds herself enchanting couples under the watchful eye of her assigned mentor, Jake Sanders...the one man she could never get out of her head. Before long, Eliza is rethinking her stance on romance—until things start going terribly wrong with her enchantments. Now Eliza and Jake must fight to unravel a conspiracy that could destroy thousands of relationships, including their own...and spell the end of Love itself. No pressure, right?     My Review   I picked up a copy of this book due to the premise. It sounded good and I wa...

A harrowing psychological thriller debut about a woman who awakens after an assault with no physical proof of the attack and who must try to convince everyone of what really happened. When Dr. Alex Taylor opens her eyes, she is hooked up to an IV, is bound to an operating table, and her legs are raised in stirrups. Disoriented and alarmed, she assumes she's been anesthetized and brought to surgery after being in an accident. But the man standing over her, with his face hidden behind a surgical mask and wielding instruments, is no doctor she recognizes at the hospital where she works as a successful and respected doctor. He’s a stranger—and he’s calmly and methodically telling her how he's about to attack her. Before Alex can even scream for help, she succumbs to another dose of anesthesia, rendering her unable to defend herself…. When she comes to on a gurney, she finds herself surrounded by her colleagues and immediately reports the attack and rape. The police are skeptic...

Dr. Jack Forester, the lead character of author Frank J. Edwards’ previous best-selling medical thriller,  Final Mercy , faces the challenge of his life when a religious terrorist bombs the medical center to stop a new experimental procedure that promises to rewrite the rules for the reproductive care of women worldwide. As usual, Jack soon finds himself at the heart of a mystery, which grows more interesting and terrifying when his journalist wife Zellie decides to dust off her sleuthing skills. My Review Dr. Nirav Desai is a bioengineer. He works on the prosthetic fallopian tube project called Gilchrist Tube. The concept of the project is that the prosthetic separates the X and Y cells based on differential molecular weight to help determine the gender of the unborn child before it is conceived. The project is controversial to say the least. Yet, there are some who don't want the project to gain ground. I have not read the first book but this book can be read as a stand ...

From New York Times bestselling author Katy Regnery comes a dark and twisted retelling of the beloved fairytale, Cinderella! My name is Ashley Ellis… I was thirteen years old when my mother – retired supermodel, Tig – married Mosier Răumann, who was twice her age and the head of the Răumann crime family. When I turned eighteen, my mother mysteriously died. Only then did I discover the dark plans my stepfather had in store for me all along; the debauched "work" he expected me to do. With the help of my godfather, Gus, I have escaped from Mosier's clutches, but his twin sons and henchmen have been tasked with hunting me down. And they will stop at nothing to return my virgin body to their father …dead or alive. My Review This is the first book I have read in this series. I have to say that this new modern twist on Cinderella is not one that I have read yet. Warning as the use of the "f" word is used a lot throughout the story. In other words the "f...

Audiobook Details: Book Title: Spring Thaw by Lauren Carr Category: Adult fiction, Unabridged Audiobook Genre: Murder Mystery, Short Stories Narrated by: Mike Alger Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins Release date: October 23, 2018 Publisher: Acorn Book Services Content Rating: PG (mild violence and sexual suggestion) Book Description: In today’s hectic world, many whodunit fans don’t have time to get their mystery fix diving into a whole novel. Lauren Carr’s SPRING THAW AND OTHER MYSTERY SHORT STORIES is for these fans—but that doesn’t mean whodunit fans who do have time can’t dive in as well. A novella, Spring Thaw features retired federal agent Chris Matheson from Lauren Carr’s newest bestselling cold case series. When his late father’s former friend is indicted for the seven year old murder of a church bishop, Chris renews old broken friendships to thaw out the cold case. Featuring Mac Faraday from Lauren Carr’s popular Mac Faraday Mysteries, an estate auction tur...

RADIO UNDERGROUND by Alison Littman, Historical Fiction, 354 pp., $10.97 (paperback) $9.99 (kindle) Title: RADIO UNDERGROUND Author: Alison Littman Publisher: Last Syllable Books Pages: 354 Genre: Historical Fiction After years of suffering under the communist regime in Cold War Hungary, Eszter Turján—fanatical underground journalist—would sacrifice anything, and anyone, to see the government fall. When she manipulates news broadcasts on Radio Free Europe, she ignites a vicious revolution, commits a calamitous murder, and is dragged away screaming to a secret underground prison. Her daughter Dora, then a teenager, cowers in her bedroom as the secret police arrest her mother. Haunted and hurt, Dora vows to work against everything Eszter believes in. But, it’s not that simple. After nine years, Dora meets a strapping young fan of Radio Free Europe and is unwittingly drawn back into Eszt...

They live in the shadows, Jack and Jill, feuding twins who can never stop running. From earliest memory they've been taught to hide, to hunt, to survive. Their prowess is outdone only by Clare, who has always been mentor first and mother second. She trained them in the art of espionage, tested their skills in weaponry, surveillance, and sabotage, and sharpened their minds with nerve-wracking psychological games. As they grew older they came to question her motives, her methods--and her sanity . . . Now twenty-six years old, the twins are trying to lead normal lives. But when Clare's off-the-grid safehouse explodes and she goes missing, they're forced to believe the unthinkable: Their mother's paranoid delusions have been real all along. To find her, they'll need to set aside their differences; to survive, they'll have to draw on every skill she's trained them to use. A twisted trail leads from the CIA, to the KGB, to an underground network of global assa...

The Winner Maker by Jeff Bond on Tour December 1-31, 2018 Synopsis: Bob Fiske — the 74-year-old dinosaur who’s taught Honors English and coached varsity football for five decades — is missing. To his Winners, class favorites Fiske designated over the years for their potential to “Live Big,” it’s heartbreaking. Fiske did more than inspire with soaring oratory; he supported their ambitions into adulthood. Four of his brightest former stars reunite to find him, putting high-octane careers on hold, slipping police barricades, racing into the wilds of Northern Michigan for clues about the fate of their legendary mentor. Others don’t see a legend. They see an elitist whose time has passed. When a current student — female — disappears just hours into the Winners’ search amid rumors of inappropriate meetings, the Great Man’s reputation is a shambles. Feints, betrayal, explosive secrets from their own pasts: as facts emerge, each Winner must decide how far they’ll go for Fis...