Title: The House on Candlewick Lane

Author: Amy M. Reade

Print Length: 263 pages

Publisher: Lyrical Underground (February 7, 2017)

Publication Date: February 7, 2017

Sold by: Penguin Random House Publisher Services

Language: English

ASIN: B01FBZXR3K

When Dr. Greer Dobbins receives a call from her daughter’s school to confirm that her little girl is out, she is surprised. Ellie should have been in school.

Ellie is missing, and Greer could experience no greater agony. Having been abducted by her ex-husband Neil, Ellie has been taken by her own father. A marriage that fell apart over Neil’s gambling addiction, there’s no telling where he’s taken, Ellie. Distraught, Dr. Dobbins is at her wit’s end as she and the police try to piece together the details of the disappearance.

They discover a man is spotted on an airport security video in Albany, New York, holding the hand of a little boy. The man’s face is concealed, but the little boy turns around and faces the camera. The little boy is Ellie. Greer is taken aback. Neil has cut their daughter’s hair and dressed her in boys’ clothes.

Unfortunately for this professor, things do not get better. Having already sugar-coated the divorce details to the police, Greer must inform them that neither she nor Neil is from the United States. In providing information about Neil’s parents and siblings, she reveals that she and Neil are both from Scotland. At this point, after discovering that both she and her daughter’s passports are missing, it is clear that Neil is headed home.

After a frantic attempt at boarding a plane without a passport and going through several airport personnel to rectify the situation, Greer heads to Edinburgh, Scotland, searching for her daughter. On the plane, she meets James, and a casual conversation sparks the beginning of a relationship and a long search ahead. We learn more about Neil and Greer’s relationship, her strained relationship with her former parents-in-law, and other secrets the city holds.

I enjoyed how the author didn’t allow the book to end until all the questions were answered. I love this in a good novel: everything is resolved before the book end and we have a solid and satisfying conclusion.

Plot Movement / Strength: 4/5

Entertainment Factor: 3/5

Characterization: 4/5

Authenticity / Believable: 3/5

Thought Provoking: 3/5

Overall Rating: 3 / 5 stars

The House on Candlewick Lane is available now on Amazon.

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Amy can be found online at the following places:

Website: www.amymreade.com

Blog: www.amreade.wordpress.com

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Stay tuned for my next awesome author!

Title: House of The Hanging Jade

Author: Amy M. Reade

Print Length: 246 pages

Publisher: Lyrical Underground (April 26, 2016)

Publication Date: April 26, 2016

Sold by: Penguin Random House Publisher Services

Language: English

ASIN: B0138NHCMO

Not willing to cope with Washington’s brutal winters, Kailani breaks up with restaurant owner Geoffrey and leaves her job to return home, returning to the warm weather and beauty of Hawaii, black sand, and the curling waves of the Pacific Ocean. In preparation to return, Kailani searches for employment and secures a position as personal chef to Lars Jorgensen, owner of Kaimana Surf Company, and his wife, Dr. Barbara Merriweather, on the West Coast of the Big Island in the district of North Kohala.

When she arrives, the Jorgensen’s house is beautiful, and this sous-chef is ill-prepared for what awaits beyond the lush tropical gardens of palm trees, midnight jasmine, red ginger, and pergola laden with hanging Jade. As Kailani settles in, a series of events begin to unfold that question the stability of the Jorgensen household. First, Lars and Barbie don’t seem to like each other much, which could have something to do with Barbie’s roaming eye.

When Barbie asks Kailani to make more nutritious meals to reduce her family’s craving for junk food, the kids dislike Kailani’s healthy cooking. Nevertheless, this is not the full scope of Kailani’s issues. As Geoffrey relocates to Hawaii to be with her, things start to become strange, and a body is discovered on the Jorgensens’ property.

I liked reading about the kinds of meals Kailani would make for the family because she is a chef, especially as she started to get inventive to convince the kids to eat healthily. I got a sense of Hawaiian culture through it.

I also like how the plot focuses on this one family. That gives the story a TV show feel, which I like. Whenever I put my Kindle down, I think about what I will read in tomorrow’s House of the Hanging episode. The Jorgensen’s are off the chain.

What’s really going on in the house with the hanging Jade?

Ratings:
Plot Movement / Strength: 4/5
Entertainment Factor: 4/5
Characterization: 5/5
Authenticity / Believable: 4/5
Thought Provoking: 5/5
Overall Rating: 4 / 5 stars

House of the Hanging Jade is available now on Amazon!