#lucindaberry

THE PERFECT CHILD is a heart-stopping psychological thriller by Lucinda Berry, that touches on motherhood and the choices we make to protect those closest to us! The book tells the story of a husband and wife, Hannah & her husband as they try to look after troubled young girl Gemma.

Plot Summary Of The Perfect Child

The couple have a history of infertility— Hannah and her husband, who is a pediatric surgeon. After unsuccessful attempts to pull off a pregnancy, they resort to the adoption route and go in search of that very child who could fill up their lives. In walks Gemma, a 6-year-old girl who has been in and out of the foster care system. At first glance, Gemma seems to be the perfect child but actions quickly highlight some real psychological problems.

Since my husband works a night shift a few days a week and we don’t have children, I often get people who look at me with a sad face because I “must be so lonely!” all by myself. Well, if you count the pets, I’m 3 cats and a dog away from ever being lonely, and then there’s my books.  When I’ve got one that is more of a slow-pace or a little dry, then maybe, MAYBE, I think it might be nice to have company…but it’s a completely different story when I’m slapping through the pages!  During those times, I’m incredibly grateful there’s no one around to interrupt my reading.  Now if I could only teach the animals to make their own meals and walk-themselves, then I’d really be on to something!

The Prisoner by B. A. Paris

Amelie has a bit of a sad story:  Her mother died when she was younger, and now her father has just passed away and she has no where to go and no one to turn to.  Now that she’s in London, she runs into some good fortune by finding a job, some good friends, and even a billionaire for a husband.  So when Amelie wakes up in a completely blacked-out room, one that she can’t get out of, she learns that not everyone is who they seem, and that a trusting the wrong people can even be deadly.  As with most of BA Paris’s books, I could not put this down.  The suspense kept me reading this even when I probably should’ve been doing other things, but I loved it.  At least until the ending.  I wanted a bit more, which is why I couldn’t give a full 5-stars, but I still think it’s worth the read.

4 Stars

Special Note:  Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Off The Deep End by Lucinda Berry

When Jules crashes her car through the ice of a lake, she keeps her wits about her and rescues her teen-aged son from drowning.  At least that’s who she thinks she’s been able to save until she looks over and sees her neighbor’s son, Issac, laying on the ice next to her.   Her initial reaction is to dive back into the icy water, but that doesn’t work.  And when she tries to kill herself over the grief of losing her son, that doesn’t work either.  But when Isaac comes to see her in the hospital, they realize they share a bond---one that no one else can really understand.  There’s so much more to this storey and I want to be careful to not give away any spoilers.  Lucinda Berry keeps us reading as we ride the rollercoaster of emotions she throws at us. Again, I wasn’t in love with the ending, but the story is so good I have to give it the full 5 stars.

 5 Stars

I recently came back from a trip to Canada where I got to visit with my youngest brother and his family. The days there were all very full with family plans, playing with my niece and nephews, and even a little sight-seeing for my husband (this was his first time there).  It was a wonderful trip, but I was so tired at the end of each day, I didn’t get nearly as much reading done as I had hoped.  I supposed that’s why I’m glad I get to read at the airport and on the planes---long travel days aren’t as hard for me when I have a good book, so I always try to plan accordingly!

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Carrie has loved tennis her whole life, so much so that it literally became her life.  After she “retires” and a younger competitor top’s Carrie’s record, Carrie realizes she’s not ready to be done with her favorite sport just yet. As someone who knows very little about tennis, I was counting on TJR to find a way to hold my attention---and she did! The book is a fast read and definitely hard to put down.  I figured it would probably be good, I just didn’t realize HOW GOOD.  😊

5 Stars

Special Note:  Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Under Her Care by Lucinda Berry

When the mayor’s wife is found brutally murdered and a 14-year-old autistic boy is found next to her covered in blood, it’s natural for the police to want to consider it an open and shut case.   But when Casey Walker, a specialist who works with autistic children, is brought into the case to review, she realizes there’s a lot more to the story than just what the police know.  I really enjoyed reading this book; fast pages, likeable character in Casey, and a true mystery as to what happened and who was behind it all. Unfortunately, the ending more or less fell apart.  I’m still wondering about some of the loose threads and am super disappointed since I think this could’ve been a really great book if the ending had only come together a little better.

4 Stars