Teen Tuesday: Invisible Son by Kim Johnson

Teenage or adult readers who like Young Adult novels might enjoy this week’s spotlight:

Title: Invisible Son by Kim Johnson
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Mystery
Length: 409 pages

Summary:

From the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of This Is My America comes another thriller about a wrongly accused teen desperate to recclaim both his innocence and his first love.

Life can change in an instant.
When you’re wrongfully accused of a crime.
When a virus shuts everything down.
When the girl you love moves on.

Andre Jackson is determined to reclaim his identity. But returning from juvie doesn’t feel like coming home. His Portland, Oregon, neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying, and COVID-19 shuts down school before he can return. And Andre’s suspicions about his arrest for a crime he didn’t commit even taint his friendships. It’s as if his whole life has been erased.

The one thing Andre is counting on is his relationship with the Whitaker kids—especially his longtime crush, Sierra. But Sierra’s brother Eric is missing, and the facts don’t add up as their adoptive parents fight to keep up the act that their racially diverse family is picture-perfect. If Andre can find Eric, he just might uncover the truth about his own arrest. But in a world where power is held by a few and Andre is nearly invisible, searching for the truth is a dangerous game.

Critically acclaimed author Kim Johnson delivers another social justice thriller that shines a light on being young and Black in America—perfect for fans of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and Dear Justyce by Nic Stone.

Goodreads

Purchase Link: Amazon * B&N

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Mystery Monday: Lay Your Body Down by Amy Suiter Clarke

If you love a good mystery then you should check out this week’s spotlight!

Lay Your Body Down by Amy Suiter ClarkeTitle:
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Psychological Thriller, Mystery
Length: 351 pages

Summary:

A young woman returns to her rural Minnesota hometown, where a radical evangelical pastor has poisoned everyone’s minds—and may be covering up a murder.

After Del Walker fled her small hometown and its cult-like church, she vowed to never return. The man she loved, Lars, left her to marry the local golden girl Eve, and their romance is now the focus of Eve’s viral blog espousing the pastor’s conservative philosophy about women and marriage. But six years later, Lars is suddenly killed, and she’s convinced it couldn’t have been an accident.

When Del returns to her hometown for the funeral, she discovers the now mega-church—and the insidious, patriarchal teachings of Pastor Rick Franklin—has grown not only in size but in influence. Eve was clearly discontent in her marriage, despite the carefully constructed “Noble Wife” positivity of her blog posts, and Del knows better than anyone just how far she will go to get what she wants. Del is determined to cut through the church’s lies and corruption to find out who killed Lars—even if it means confronting the religious trauma she’s spent years trying to bury.

Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon * B&N

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Book Talk: What have you been reading lately?

Welcome to this week’s Book Talk!

Last week was a great reading week.

The Long Way Back by Nicole Baart: 4.5 stars. After traveling around the country and achieving Instagram fame, mother Charlie and daughter Eva finally settle down Minnesota. When Eva goes missing, Charlie is frantic and does everything she can to motivate the local police into searching for her. Instagram posts detail their relationship and travels in the past while events in the present unfold from both mother and daughter’s points of view. While initially Charlie is a suspect in Eva’s disappearance, new details emerge and finally light a fire under the police and FBI. A shocking plot twist propels this suspenseful thriller to an action-packed conclusion.

Justice for Sara by Erica Spindler: 4.5 stars. You can read my thoughts on Friday’s June Reading Challenge Discussion post.

No Exit by Taylor by Taylor Adams: 4 stars. You can read my thoughts on Friday’s June Reading Challenge Discussion post.

Zero Days by Ruth Ware: 4.5 stars. Wowza! Non-stop action and a clever storyline keep the pages turning at an incredibly fast pace. Jack and her husband Gabe have very unique careers and a happy marriage. When Gabe is murdered, suspicion falls on Jack and she makes the risky decision to find his killer on her own. Desperate to find answers with the police closing in, Jack makes a shocking discovery that turns her world upside down. With plenty of adrenaline-fueled action, this thrilling mystery comes to a twist-filled conclusion.

Unwritten Rules by KD Casey: 4.5 stars. You can read my thoughts on Friday’s June Reading Challenge Discussion post.

Now it’s your turn. What have you been reading lately? Join the discussion by commenting below!

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The Week Ahead June 26-July 1

Here’s a look at what’s happening this week at Book Talk & More with Kathy:

Monday’s Book Talk: What have you been reading lately?

Spotlights

Mystery Monday
Teen Tuesday
Thrifty Thursday
Friday Feature

Winning Wednesday (6/28) eBooks up for grabs:

Our Place on the Island by Erika Montgomery
The Cafe at Beach End by RaeAnne Thayne
Bottom Line by G.B. Gordon

Click here for more info on entering the eBook contests.

This week’s Saturday Series Spotlight is Michelle Major’s The Carolina Girls and contest for one of the books in the series (winner’s choice).

Have a great week!!

***All the eBooks in this week’s Winning Wednesday & Saturday Series Spotlight giveaways have been purchased by Book Talk & More with Kathy.***

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Saturday Series Spotlight & Giveaway: Gayleen Froese’s Ben Ames Case File

Here are the eBooks in this week’s Saturday Series Spotlight contest:

Title: The Girl Whose Luck Ran Out by Gayleen Froese
Ben Ames Case File Two
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Genre: Contemporary, Gay, Mystery/Suspense
Length: 212 pages

Summary:

Can a disillusioned former cop track down a missing girl before it’s too late?

Seven years ago, criminologist Ben Ames thought he’d change a big city police force from the inside. He failed. Now he’s a private detective trailing insurance frauds and cheating spouses through the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Like police work, the job would be easier if he didn’t have a conscience.

When university student Kimberly Moy goes missing, her sister begs Ben to take the case. But before Ben can follow up on any leads—What does the Fibonacci series have to do with Kim’s disappearance? What do her disaffected friends know? And where is her car?—chance and bad timing drop his unexpected ex, Jesse, into the mix.

Ben doesn’t have time to train Jesse into the junior PI he seems determined to become. Amateur sleuths are always trouble. Unfortunately, this is turning out to be the kind of case that requires backup, and his intuition is telling him Kim’s story may not have a happy ending….


Title: The Man Who Lost His Pen by Gayleen Froese
Ben Ames Case File Book Two
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Genre: Contemporary, Gay, Mystery/Suspense
Length: 287 pages

Summary:

Calgary PI Ben Ames expects a relaxing evening off as he supports his boyfriend, Jesse, one of the star performers at a charity concert. But it turns out relaxing isn’t on the program.

When last-minute guest Matt Garrett shows up, it creates a frenzy backstage. An A-list movie star with an ego to match, Garrett has bad blood with many of the performers—Jesse included. So when Garrett turns up dead, Ben begins to dig for the truth, both to protect Jesse and to satisfy his own instinctive curiosity.

So much for his night off.

When the police arrive, emotions backstage heat up, but no one can step out to cool off, because the Western Canadian winter is so cold that hypothermia waits outside. With such a high-profile crime, the lead detective seems poised to make a quick arrest… and Jesse’s a prime suspect. Ben has his work cut out for him to solve the murder under the police and paparazzi’s noses before Jesse’s reputation becomes collateral damage.


Giveaway

I am giving away one eBook from the Ben Ames Case File series-WINNER’S CHOICE. Here’s how to enter the Saturday Series Spotlight contest:

You must Do TWO of the Following:

1. Sign up for e-mail updates (below). One email daily with the day’s posts.

Enter your Email:


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2. Be or become a fan of Book Talk & More with Kathy Facebook page

OR:

3. Follow me on Twitter (@BooktalkMore)

Make sure you have filled out the contest entry form:

4. To be eligible to enter contests on Book Talk & More with Kathy you MUST fill out the contest entry form (found HERE). This form only needs to be filled out ONCE. Your privacy is important to me, and I will not share your information.

And don't forget to:

5. Fill out the form below by 4 PM Mountain Time Monday afternoon.

* I am the only person who will have access to info that is submitted to me UNLESS a publisher or author has donated an eBook for the giveaway. For a prize donated by an author or publisher, I will forward your e-mail and format selection to the person responsible for distributing the eBook. Please refer to the privacy page HERE if you have questions about how your information is used. In the event the contest form is not working, please leave your book selection in the comments below.*

It’s that easy! The winner will be selected using random.org. I will e-mail one lucky winner the eBook of their choice in their preferred format. The winner will be posted HERE on Tuesday.

***The eBooks in this giveaway have been purchased by Book Talk & More with Kathy.***

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Friday Feature: Summer’s Gift by Jennifer Ryan

Do you love a good romance? Then you might like today’s Friday Feature!

Title: Summer’s Gift by Jennifer Ryan
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction, Romance
Length: 378 pages

Summary:

A young woman takes a DNA test on a whim and discovers the birth father—and half sisters—she never knew. New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ryan returns with this dramatic and page-turning novel perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover and Lori Foster.

A DNA test tells you who you come from, not who you are.

All her life, Summer Sutherland felt like the missing piece in a puzzle, left out and looking for the place she truly belongs. And when an at-home DNA test reveals her selfish mother and well-meaning grandfather lied about her father, Summer sets out to discover the truth.

Her new instant family comes with two half sisters: one who accepts her with open arms, the other resistant to the stranger staying in their house. But somehow Summer senses this is where she is meant to be—so she settles into her father’s Carmel home, ready to get to know them and find her place in the family she always wanted.

But while her newfound parent is thrilled to get to know Summer—and her romantic connection to his business partner, Cody, heats up—tensions rise within the family.

Will she ever fit in? Or should she return to her other life before tearing all their lives apart?

Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon * B&N

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