True Confessions of the Stratford Park PTA

I picked up True Confessions of the Stratford Park PTA, a Harlequin Next novel, at the UBS. Harlequin Next novels are always a nice, pleasant read that hardly take more than a couple of hours to read. It was an ok read, average, and I gave it at a 2.5 out of 5.

When the going gets tough, the tough... join the PTA?

Yes, according to Maggie, Barbara and Elizabeth. Because despite their differences- one is a recent widow; one is a late-in-life mother; and one is a supermom whose surprise pregnancy, she fears, will result in complications- all three women have one thing in common: their daughters. They'd do anything for them...

But is anything enough? Because one girl just can't adjust, one is terrified to be alone- and one is the mystery blogger who's wreaking havoc from one end of the student body to the other. Seems as if there are a lot of secrets in this small town. And despite the gossip, not a lot of talking going on.

The blurb on the back of the book is a little misleading. While everything that is mentioned on the back is part of the book, it isn't the main part of the story. There is a small romance and the blogger isn't that big of a part of the story. The main issue is all about growth and how three women of all different ages are going through major changes in their lives. As I mentioned above, it is a very quick read and I feel it probably could have been better if it had been carried out a bit more showing how everyone deals with the changes. I doubt I will be taking much with me from this book as it is not very memorable. A good read for when you only have a few minutes here and there but nothing earth shattering or even much character development. In fact, I found myself skimming quite a bit which I hardly do, especially with a book this short.

Up next is Janet Evanovich's Plum Loving which finally came in from the library. I was planning on buying this, but am so glad I did not. It is $16.95 and not even 170 pages! I am sure I will be finished with it very fast. But I am looking forward to reading it.

Moving is Murder

I requested Moving is Murder after reading a review somewhere. My memory isn't working too well, however, and I can not remember where I read the review. It was a nice cozy, and was all right. 2 and 1/2 stars out of 5.

Moving four times iin five years has honed Ellie's considerable skills. But unpacking with a newborn daughter, record-breaking heat wave, and the realization that their dream neighborhood is known as Base Housing East is enough to make her turn to chocolate for comfort. She and her husband, Mitch, moved off-base for privacy and peace of mind. Now half of their neighbors are with the 52nd Air Refueling Squadron. Forget privacy.

Forget peace of mind, too. Driving home from her first squadron barbecue, Ellie finds neighborhood environmental activist Cass Vincent dead on the side of the road. The police call it an accident-Cass, fatally allergic, was stung by wasps- but Ellie's not so sure. Cass's husband said she always had an EpiPen in the car. Unfortunately, all Ellie found was a cup with sugary gunk and bits of bees at the bottom. She saw Cass argue violently at the barbecue with Mitch's buddy Jeff about something mysterious... and it just so happens Jeff knows a lot about bee-keeping.

Hoping to clear Jeff before the police get around to suspecting him, Ellie starts snooping in earnest. What she finds shocks her- alchoholism, blackmail, betrayl, secret debt... even illicit medical treatment the Air Force would never tolerate. But what's the connection to Cass? When suspicious "accidents" start happening in her own backyard, Ellie realizes she's getting closer to the killer... maybe too close!

This book was all right. The mystery was a little too mixed up, and there were way too many characters to keep track of. Ellie and her husband move due to his job in the Air Force, and there were a lot of abbreviations that were related to the Air Force that made it difficult to understand. There was a glossary in the back, however, it was a pain to keep flipping in the back to look things up. Another thing that didn't work for me was the amount of time jumping that occurred. You couldn't tell that the days had changed and it could go from one day to then two weeks later.

What I did like was Ellie and her friends as well as the Air Force life. I enjoyed getting a look on the inside of Air Force life, especially on the wives and families point of view. I loved the short chapters and there were tips at the end of each chapter for moving and being organized. Since I am an organizational freak, I really loved those! I may check out future ones in the series, but not right this minute since I have some books on the TBR that are calling my name. I also have one more book checked out from the library that I am going to try and get through this weekend, though I do have a test on Tuesday that I need to study for! Have a great weekend!

Sunstroke by Jesse Kellerman

I picked up Sunstroke from the library after reading a review on Jesse Kellerman's next book which is released next month, I believe. The review was great, and I figured I would try out his first book. I was also interested in seeing what, if any, talent of his parents he had. The book was somewhat of a problem for me to get through, and I grade it a 2.5 out of 5.

Gloria Mendex is thirty-six, single, and hopelessly in love with her oblivious boss, a soft-spoken loner twenty years her senior. Her friends might urge her to look for someone more her age, but Gloria knows the real thing when she sees it.

So when he disappears while on vacation in Mexico, it's Gloria who goes in search of him. As she follows his trail deep into the desert, she runs face first into a staggering history of betrayal and death: the wreckage of a hidden past. Carl Perreira was not the man she thought she knew- nor was he anything she could have imagined.

Her journey will teach her as much about herself as it does about Carl. And as she plunges closer to his fleeing shadow, she will find herself fighting not only for the truth, but for her life.

Well, where to start. First off this book is listed as a thriller and also has some humor in it. I would not consider this book to be a thriller and can not recall a moment where I laughed or smiled even... so I would have to say that that description is not very true. I would even have a hard time calling it very suspensful. I really did not like Gloria, and found her to be whiney and not very realistic. She totally idolized Carl, and there did not seem to be a very good reason why.

I think my biggest problem with the book was the character and story development. You don't see Gloria change or grow very much, and I felt that the story was kind of choppy. The "mystery" did pick up a bit towards the end, and once I had a little time to sit and read it, I finished it pretty quickly. I already have Mr. Kellerman's newest novel on hold at the library, and will probably read it, but if it does not grab my attention after the first 25% of the book, I will not continue to read it. I probably should have given up on this one, but did become involved in what happened to Carl. Up next, Linwood Barclay's next novel. He is a new to me author who I really enjoyed and had me laughing throughout the book. And oh yeah, more school reading!