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The Lake Escape
by Jamie Day
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These friends have continued to summer at the lake since they were children. Now adults, they look forward to those few weeks in summer when their family’s vacation together, keeping up the tradition. This year things are off. The friends are not comfortable with each other. Their children are not talking to each other, and the new nanny is an enigma. David, now divorced has brought a new girlfriend, along with his twin 5-year-old children and the new Nanny. He has also built a huge glass house that does not fit in to the area, and has blocked his friends’ views. There is tension among the friends. There is a legend that every thirty years a woman disappears from the lake…. the lake takes them. There have been 2 of these disappearances. It is now thirty years after the last disappearance, and guess what, David's girlfriend disappears. A complicated murder mystery with connections to three generations. Some outlandish sections, but if you can get over that, a good solid mystery. I actually enjoyed it, despite my misgivings.

Fever Beach
by Carl Hiaasen
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Carl Hiaasen is on of my favorite writers. His books aquirky a

No Ordinary Duchess
by Elizabeth Hoyt
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Elizabeth Hoyt, the very prolific author of more than 20 Recency Romance novels has written another one. Her latest, NO ORDINARY DUCHESS, is rich with characters, charm, and social settings that existed in the early part of the 1800's in Great Britain. To this is added the unique story for whatever novel. All of Hoyt's Recency Romance novels have a hero (handsome and brooding), a heroine(charming and headstrong) and , of course, a villain (ruthless and cruel). Frequently a kidnapping or blackmail is involved. So far, so good. However, this latest offering goes into great detail about the hero's problem. Rather than his problem being about money, the life of a second son, or a forced marriage - Julian Greycourt's problems are sexual. And, in a twist of roles, Lady Elspeth comes along to save him, rather than visa versa.... I'm all for gender bending stereotypes in literature (and life?) but a found this book to be more graphic than I like in Regency England.

The American Daughters
by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
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The author’s style is difficult to read. The storyline is interesting.

Witchcraft For Wayward Girls
by Grady Hendrix
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Imagine being a teenage girl in the late 1960’s, unwed and pregnant. Your family sends you to a home for wayward girls where you are given a different name for anonymity and lied to by the doctor, nurse and governess of the home. Fern, Rose, Zinnia and Holly meet at this home for wayward girls and become caught up with a charismatic librarian who gives Fern a book about witchcraft. The girls pledge their loyalty to the coven and become witches. As their babies are born and the realization of returning to their “normal” lives near, will the girls escape their pledge to the coven? Can the girls just leave the coven and live a normal life? Will they stay in touch? Read and find out.

The Honeymoon Crashers
by Christina Lauren
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This book was just what I needed for a summer read, light and breezy. Twin Olive announces to her very close family that she and her fiancé are going to elope in Hawaii so not to remind her sister, Amelia, of her failed marriage. The family plans to surprise the couple in Hawaii with a full blown wedding. Ami and her cousin Diego set off early to start the preparations. Ami is forced to plan the wedding with charismatic best man Brody and eventually they like each other. Was this whole elopement a ruse to get Ami out of her rut. Read and find out. I also recommend the audiobook, it is read with multiple actors and sound effects.

Hidden Pictures
by Jason Rekulak
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Mallory Quinn, fresh out of rehab and recovery from a recent tragedy, has taken a job as a nanny for an affluent couple living in the upscale suburb of Spring Brook, New Jersey, when a series of strange events start to make her ( and her employer) question her own sanity. Teddy, the precocious and shy 5-year old she's charged with watching, seems to be haunted by a ghost who channels his body to draw pictures that are far too complex and well-formed for such a young child. At first these drawings are rather typical, but then the illustrations take a dark turn, showcasing the details of a gruesome murder.

The Missing Half
by Ashley Flowers
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Two women decide to investigate together the disappearance of their missing sisters. The sisters were taken in different incidents separated by only a few weeks. Both cases were reported as runaways. Nicole Monroe and Jenna Conner don’t believe that their sisters ran away, and are determined to investigate together to determine what really happened. A little bit of a different concept. I like my mysteries so it was a good read for me. This is one of those that some of the incidents seem a bit preposterous, but keep the plot going.

The Housemaid: An Absolutely Addictive Psychological Thriller With A Jaw-dropping Twist
by Freida McFadden
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This is not a book I would have picked myself.. My sister read it for a Book Club and insisted I read it. I am so glad I did! Suspense, twist and turns. A book you cannot put down. Finished in 1.5 days and want to know what happens next for Millie.

Songs of Summer
by Jane L. Rosen
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Songs of Summer by Jane L Rosen is another enjoyable "Summer Reads" (If you haven't read it, SPOILER ALERT STOP READING HERE. The central plot takes place of Fire Island. The story while a little predictable still kept me interested. I was impressed by the characters back story. I would have preferred a few more surprises. I liked the ending BUT, it was for me, cookie cutter - It is as if Ms. Rosen didn't try hard enough to be creative which is why a 4 and not a 5.
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