The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes By Diane Chamberlain

Have you ever had a moment where you're completely swept off your feet? Doesn't necessarily have to be with love, but where you're caught in a moment in which your judgement is taken out of the picture and everything you do or say becomes a blur.

In Diane Chamberlain's book The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes this became a reality for CeeCee. At the ripe age of 16 CeeCee's life wasn't sunshine and roses, she was alone and naive in the context of love and life. When she meets Tim she finds herself spiraling into an abyss of kidnapping, abandonment, and love. The last of those three being the ultimate lesson for someone so young.

This book is very well written and a page-turner at that. When you start reading this book you may think that the ending is cliche and overdone, but you will find yourself asking for more as the past life of CeeCee unravels. CeeCee faces challenges and consequences based on the choices of her past that affected the innocent and guilty, yet her personality, love and strength shine through with the hope of making everything better.

As I explore the world of reading and finding new authors, this again was a book that broke me into the world of a new author for me. I'm picky when it comes to my reading, if I don't like the book, I'm less likely to give you a second try, therefore when your first book pulls me into the emotional state of the character and I'm asking for more even on the last page you have me as a life long fan. This is exactly what Chamberlain achieved with this book.

I recommend this book without a second thought.

Death of a Mill Girl (Josiah Beede Mysteries) By Clyde Linsley

This book took me three tries to get into, however I'm so thankful I stuck it out. Clyde Linsley's, Death of a Mill Girl was tantalizing and a page turner in the end. I'm not a normal mystery or suspense genre fan, which is why I think this book took me so many tries to grasp my attention.

The finding of a dead girl in the middle of a field with no possible suspects seems deterring and agonizing as the girl in herself is a complete mystery. Josiah Beede takes on the case in hopes of finding the killer and soon harbors his main suspect at his farm as a means of watching him.

The beginning of the book is very dry, but as I pushed forward I found myself increasingly interested in finding out who the murder was. The problem with this book is that I truly don't remember much about the killer or the plot, what I remember the most is that the book dived into the historical concepts of mill workers and the deplorable situations they were required to work and live in. Linsley's book while was a suspenseful mystery I stayed interested because of the history in the end more than the plot line.

While this is not a read I would pick up again I'm still interested in Linsley's work for the sole fact of bringing history to life on the pages. If you like a mixture of history, mystery and fiction this would be a great read for your library.

Nickel Plated by Aric Davis

As a writer and lover of the written word I'm always on the hunt for something new. Yes I have my favorite genre, women's contemporary fiction, but dipping into something new is always fun and usually rewarding.

I was scanning the shelves of Amazon looking for something particular one day and found an article about this new breakout author, named Aric Davis. I read the story and thought to myself "if he can do it, then I can too someday." I became curious about the book being featured in the article, Nickel Plated. 

It was completely out of my normal realm of fiction, having a contemporary male heroine of the story. I downloaded the sample and within a few pages of reading I wanted to know more about this character. 

Nickel has a back story that pushes him to do the deeds he does. He's not your average preteen; living along, selling drugs and investigating pedophiles. However, his intentions are always for the good. Nickel is soon sequestered to help look into the abduction of a missing girl. Through his journey you step into the world of boy who is out to get back at those who hurt him by protecting others. 

Nickel's adventures are intertwined with a teenage mindset that allows the reader to empathize with him as he lives a adult lifestyle. His mind set is straight forward on his work; he knows what needs to be done and he's willing to do anything in his power to achieve the answer, including blowing property up. But when it comes to his emotional side, you feel his yearning for love and company even under his stubborn demeanor.

Nickel proves everyone wrong as he hunts for the little girl, even himself at some points. His actions show that even the most unexpected person can be the hero. 

I highly recommend Nickel Plated, although its marked as a young adult story, the context and story between the lines can fulfill any readers need for mystery, joy and a little bit of love.