Book Review: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi

-
Image
Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi  was published on March 11, 2025 by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam. It opens with Claire finding out that her fiancé, Noah, isn't working where he said he was and is now ghosting her. Claire must find out why. Book Review: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Claire Darling by Callie Kazumi for free in exchange for my honest review. I was absolutely thrilled when my request for a copy was approved because the synopsis was so good. From the beginning, I absolutely loved the main character of Claire and her work friend named Sukhi. Throughout the novel, we learn about Claire's past and how terrible her mother was towards her. I kept hoping that somehow we would learn who Claire's father was and would eventually connect with him. It's really no wonder Claire had no self confidence as an ad...
Post a Comment

Book Review: Mind Game (Eve Duncan, #22) by Iris Johansen

-
eve duncan seriesIf you haven't checked out Goodreads.com, what have you been waiting for? What is Goodreads.com you ask? It is a website where you can keep track of the books you've read and the books you want to read. There is even an app you can put on your tablet and smartphone for those on the go. It makes it really convenient when you're at the bookstore or library to double check to see if you've already read the book you're about to buy or check out.

So, you're probably asking why I'm talking about Goodreads.com when this is supposed to be a book review of Mind Game by Iris Johansen. Well, another great benefit of being on Goodreads.com is that publishers and authors list their books on the website and members can enter to win advanced copies of books or books that are already out on shelves. This is how I came to read Mind Game by Iris Johansen . . . I entered a giveaway for the book on Goodreads.com, and I was a winner. I received an advance uncorrected proof of Mind Game for free for an honest review.

Mind Game is the twenty-second book in Iris Johansen's Eve Duncan book series and focuses on Jane MacGuire, Eve Duncan's adopted daughter. Jane is on a quest to find a treasure that a woman named Cira had buried by a lake in Scotland centuries before. But, she keeps having dreams about a girl that is in trouble. Jane is trying to find out if the girl is real or not so she can save her.

This is only the second book I've read by Iris Johansen, and it just happens that the other one I read by her was also part of the Eve Duncan series. I enjoyed Mind Game way better than the other book I read in this series. The story line is very action packed from the beginning and has two plots intertwined. Usually having two plots isn't very cohesive, but Iris Johansen pulled it off quite nicely in my opinion. Although this was more of an action novel, there was a bit of romance intertwined, which gave it a more realistic feel. The characters were very well developed, which you don't always see in a book series, and I found that to be quite refreshing.

Don't expect Mind Game to be a deep read though. It's more of a thrilling beach read that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I definitely recommend this book to others, and the nice thing is that you don't need to read any of the other books in the series to know the back story. Iris Johansen does a very nice job of bringing readers up to speed of things that happened in previous books without it being too obvious that she's doing that. I gave Mind Game 4 out 5 stars.



Follow Us On Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/runningbibliophile/https://www.instagram.com/therunningbibliophile/https://www.pinterest.com/therunningbibliophile/youtube the running bibliophile

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Review: The Dare by Natasha Preston

-
Image
The Dare by Natasha Preston is a young adult horror novel about Marley and her friends Atlas, Lucia, and Jesse are seniors in high school.  The senior pranks are fun and lighthearted until Rhett starts doling out dares that are more serious.  Will Marley and her friends survive? A huge thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy of The Dare  by Natasha Preston.  The last book I read by this author was so well written, I knew I wanted to give her latest story a try. The first thing I noticed about the story is it's reminiscent of R.L. Stine's Fear Street series, which brought back all the feels from my childhood.  Pretty quickly, the storyline shifts and is eerily similar to the movie I Know What You Did Last Summer .  It's at this point that I became disappointed with the book and almost stopped reading it.   Additionally, there were other parts t hat reminded me of The Secret Diaries by Janice Harrell.  So, overall, The Dare wasn't ...
Read more

Product Review: Mr. Clean: Clean Freak Deep Cleaning Mist - Gain Scent

-
Image
One particular weekend night, I was watching television, and a commercial came on advertising Mr. Clean: Clean Freak Deep Cleaning Mist. In the ad, it mentioned that it would take off grime and dirt after spraying it on the surface and wiping it off with a simple swipe. It went on to mention that it could be used in the bathroom, and I thought, "I really need to try this product on my bathtub." Excited, I couldn't wait to buy it and looked for it at the grocery store the next day while I was getting my weekly groceries. I wasn't expecting to actually find it in stores yet because it usually takes the stores in my area a few weeks to get products in stock after I see it advertised on television. Much to my surprise and delight, my local Kroger Grocery Store actually had the Mr. Clean: Clean Freak Deep Cleaning Mist in stock and in no less than two scents. I grabbed the Gain Scent bottle and stuck it in my grocery cart. Eventually, I decided to use it to cle...
Read more

Book Review: Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich

-
Image
Book Review: Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich  is the latest installment in the Stephanie Plum book series and opens with Joe Morelli asking Stephanie to dog sit his dog Bob while he is out of town testifying at a trial.  The typical chaos ensues when Stephanie has to bring Bob along to apprehend all of her FTAs and has her asking herself if she wants to be married. Each book in this series typically follows the same formula and is wrapped up in a neat, tidy bow at the end.  It's because of this that I enjoy the series . . . I always know that Stephanie is going to get herself into some sort of trouble and need Ranger or Morelli to help her, and the bad guy is always caught.  Sometimes, I just need something familiar and predictable to read.  And, I don't mean that in a bad way either because it allows me to escape reality and gives me a few chuckles along the way.  It's like the ...
Read more