You know how sometimes technology just doesn't cooperate?  Couple problems with my blog app - I wrote this review when I finished the book, saved it...and realized that it didn't save my review!  Re-wrote it...republished....and then this morning, figured out that it still didn't save!  So....rewriting this review now...and hoping that it actually saves/publishes! Gah!!

Things You Save in a Fire is a wonderful, uplifting story of the importance of family, love, and the power of forgiveness.  Cassie Hanwell is a courageous firefighter, whose bravery is recognized by the fire department and her colleagues.  She believes that her success on the force demonstrates that she has overcome the trauma of her teenage years, and made a good life for herself.  However, a phone call from her mothers soon shows her that she hasn't completely moved past the trauma she experienced, and needs to continue to work to resolve this in her life and move on. Things You Save in a Fire is the story of Cassie Hanwell's journey through her attempts at moving on, forgiveness, and love.

I thoroughly enjoyed Katherine Center's newest book.  From the beginning, I liked Cassie Hanwell's personality.  She sees herself as no-nonsense, and her can do attitude is admirable.  Overall, this novel was uplifting.  The ending was slightly over the top for me.  However, I think that regular readers of this genre and those that enjoy stories with a focus on family will find this book uplifting and enjoyable.  

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC!! See below for a link to pre-order on Amazon.  #ThingsYouSave comes out on August 13th!

My favorite!! Bookmail!! Can’t wait to check out #TheWhisperMan...this one sounds creepy, but murder mysteries are right up my alley....I’ll keep you updated as I read it! Thanks for the advance copy!! @CeladonBooks

Traveling today. Got to start my ARC of The Escape Room while on a train. Glad I was on a train instead of an elevator - might avoid those for a while!

So far, The Escape Room is intriguing. It alternates points of view, between the participants in the escape room team building activity, and Sara Hall. Sara recently graduated with a masters in business and finance, and is desperately seeking a job. At first, it isn’t clear how these two different story lines connect, but after a couple of chapter, a dramatic reveal links the two...

Just finished this lovely book last night. It’s nice to have a book light so I can read while everybody else is sleeping. Really enjoyed this one!!

​Ellie Mack seemingly had it all - smarts, looks, the perfect family and boyfriend. Until one day, she was gone. When Ellie disappeared, her family fell apart. Her parents divorced, her mom and sister were alienated from each other. Then She Was Gone is the story of not only what happened to Ellie, bit also of what became of her family on their long path back to life.

Lisa Jewell alternates time periods, as well as narrators as you progress through the story. However, it is very easy to keep track of both the time period as well as the narrator, as she clearly labels each section. Little details give you clues as to what is coming, but they don’t spoil the final reveal. Even though I had an inkling of the big picture ending, many of the details were still surprising.

I recommend this book to anybody that enjoys mysteries and thrillers; this one will certainly keep you turning the pages!

This thriller is about a group of coworkers that participate in a team building activity - an escape room. However, things quickly go awry and the coworkers are trapped in a dark room and fighting for their lives. I’ll let you know how it goes!!

Starting a new book today - Then She Was Gone, by Lisa Jewel. Swim lessons seemed like a good time to sneak in a little reading!