A Rapid Review
Publisher: Simon & Schuster | April 2017
Format: Audio Download | 11 hours | Rating: 4½ stars
Audio Listening Level: Intermediate
What is the difference between justice and revenge? Two wronged women on very different paths find themselves in the same dark place…
What’s it about . . .
Two women, strangers to each other, each experienced a horrific trauma in their past.
Claudia Bishop’s life fell apart after a brutal assault left her with constant anxiety and a crumbling marriage. She is now rebuilding her life and has immersed herself in a home restoration project.
Zoey Drake experienced trauma as a child when her parents were murdered and she barely survived the attack. The crime was never solved. She has spent subsequent years training in the martial arts hoping to someday find the people responsible for killing her parents.
The two women are destined to meet. The house that is providing Claudia with the hope of rebuilding her life is the same house where Zoey’s parents were murdered. And urban legend says that a million dollars is hidden somewhere in that house – money stolen from drug dealers.
What did I think . . .
I enjoyed this psychological thriller. It had lots of action, a tight plot, fast pacing, and a tense storyline. The narration switches between Claudia and Zoey in what first appears to be two unrelated stories. Gradually, connections are revealed, secrets are exposed, and their stories converge in an exciting ending.
I read a lot of psychological fiction and although I guessed the twist at the end, I still found it very entertaining.
Audio production . . .
The audio was read by Julia Whelan. Excellent performance. She is a pleasure to listen to. Because the point of view switches and occasionally recounts the past, the listener needs to pay a little extra attention, but overall a fine performance and one that audio listeners both new to the format and experienced will enjoy.
Audio Sample . . .
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Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
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I only have a couple of zucchini plants this year, so I have been eating them as they mature and haven’t had to beg friends and neighbors to take them. But what to do with that giant zucchini that was hiding under the leaves? Make zucchini muffins or bread!
Zucchini Muffins
There are probably a zillion different zucchini bread recipes. I use the same recipe for muffins and bread. It’s easy to make and it stays nice and moist, even if you bake it a few minutes too long.
Ingredients
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 2 cups grated zucchini
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or spray muffin or loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large bowl beat eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar.
Add the flour mixture to the ingredients in the large bowl and mix well. Add the zucchini and walnuts and stir until combined.
Pour mixture into greased pans. Bake 40 to 60 minutes for loaf or 25 to 30 minutes for muffins. Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes then remove.
This post is linked to Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.
Participation is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.
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Almost wordless: Right on schedule, the Resurrection Lilies burst into bloom. This plant has an unusual life cycle. Foliage emerges in the spring and and dies off after several weeks. As summer wanes, it sends up tall stalks with flowers, the first week of August. And it does it at rapid speed, within a week!
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2017 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
Just one new book last week.
New Arrivals
The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld from Harper.
Naomi Cottle finds missing children. When the police have given up their search and an investigation stalls, families call her. She possesses a rare, intuitive sense, born out of her own harrowing experience that allows her to succeed when others have failed.
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© 2017 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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August 8th was national zucchini day, also known as Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day. Gardeners will understand this all too well! August is the time of year when we have zucchini overload. I only have a couple of plants this year and I still have more than enough for me and can give some away.
I’ve been grilling, frying, and cooking zucchini for a few weeks now. Even my parrots are eating zucchini. I have a zucchini recipes for bread, muffins, fritters, I grill them, steam them, fry them, fry the flowers, add and them to other dishes that call for vegetables.
Right about now I’m getting a little tired of them. But maybe you are not! So today I offer my simple, easy recipe for grilled zucchini.
Grilled Zucchini
Ingredients
• Young Zucchinis (about 6 to 7 inches or 15-18 cm long)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Garlic Pepper Seasoning
Preparation
Cut zucchini lengthwise into slices about ¼ inch thick (½ cm).
Brush olive oil on both sides and season with garlic pepper.
Let sit for a few minutes.
Grill on medium-high heat turning after 3 minutes. Grill other side for another 2 to 3 minutes.
A Meal or a Side Dish
Grilled zucchini make a perfect side dish, or add some couscous or rice, maybe a few other grilled veggies, and you have a tasty vegetarian meal.
This post is linked to Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.
Participation is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.
© 2017 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Advertisements appearing on this site are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed or approved by me.
Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
A couple of new books plus some audio downloads last week.
New Arrivals
Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart from Delacorte Press.
The story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket into a charmed life. But how many times can someone reinvent themselves? You be the judge.
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine from Harper.
A mesmerizing debut psychological thriller full of delicious twists about a coolly manipulative woman who worms her way into the lives of a wealthy “golden couple” from Connecticut to achieve the privileged life she wants.
Audio Downloads
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
‘Round Midnight by Laura McBride
From the author of We Are Called to Rise comes a novel about the interconnected lives of four women in Las Vegas, each of whom experiences a life-changing moment at a classic casino nightclub.
Beach House for Rent by Mary Alice Monroe from Gallery Books.
New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe returns to her beloved Isle of Palms to tell the poignant, charming story of two women, one summer, and one very special beach house.
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© 2017 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Almost wordless: While out monitoring for breeding birds, I came upon a pair of Northern Flickers defending their tree from a young Cooper’s Hawk. The male had stopped diving at the hawk and glared at him from the top of a snag.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2017 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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