jbronderbookreviews

The History Major by Michael Phillip Cash

(Excerpt from Goodreads) After a vicious fight with her boyfriend followed by a night of heavy partying, college freshman Amanda Greene wakes up in her dorm room to find things are not the same as they were yesterday. She can’t quite put her finger on it. She’s sharing her room with a peculiar stranger. Amanda discovers she’s registered for classes she would never choose with people that are oddly familiar. An ominous shadow is stalking her. Uncomfortable memories are bubbling dangerously close to her fracturing world, propelling her to an inevitable collision between fantasy and reality. Is this the mother of all hangovers or is something bigger happening?

My Review

5 stars

Amanda has woken up with the king of all hangovers. But things are different. Her roommate is a stranger and she finds herself enrolled in a history class even though she hates history. But as a rude guy in a toga starts the class, she finds herself actually participating in the history lessons. Intermixed with that is parts of her own, dark past.

This story was not what I was expected when I started reading it. I thought there was going to be the normal horror aspect since it is by Michael Phillip Cash. But this story is so much more. Amanda goes to a history class that she signs up for and finds herself watching the events take place. But mixed with these stories are those from Amanda’s past. Amanda has a dark past, hopefully she can learn from it and never have to repeat it.

I loved this story. It is short but packs a big punch. It will leave you thinking. This is one book that I think everyone should read, even if it’s just so we don’t fall into the trap of our past.

To purchase The History Major make sure to check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, and Michael Phillip Cash’s website.

I received The History Major for free from Michael Phillip Cash in exchange for an honest review.

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Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf

(Excerpt by Goodreads) Sarah Quinlan’s husband, Jack, has been haunted for decades by the untimely death of his mother when he was just a teenager, her body found in the cellar of their family farm, the circumstances a mystery. The case rocked the small farm town of Penny Gate, Iowa, where Jack was raised, and for years Jack avoided returning home. But when his beloved aunt Julia is in an accident, hospitalized in a coma, Jack and Sarah are forced to confront the past that they have long evaded.

Upon arriving in Penny Gate, Sarah and Jack are welcomed by the family Jack left behind all those years ago—barely a trace of the wounds that had once devastated them all. But as facts about Julia’s accident begin to surface, Sarah realizes that nothing about the Quinlans is what it seems. Caught in a flurry of unanswered questions, Sarah dives deep into the puzzling rabbit hole of Jack’s past. But the farther in she climbs, the harder it is for her to get out. And soon she is faced with a deadly truth she may not be prepared for.

My Review

3 stars

Sarah and Jack Quinlan have been married for 20 years. When Jack was 15, there was a car accident that left both his parents dead. His Aunt Julia stepped up to raise both him and his sister Amy. But there is something about this accident that Jack doesn’t seem to have gotten over. Then they get the phone call from Julia is in the hospital after a bad fall. Both Sarah and Jack leave there home in Montana to return to Penny Gate, Iowa.

Penny Gate is a small town and it seems that there are some things that happened to Jack that are starting to come to the surface. It seems that there is more than a car wreck that killed Jack’s mother and Sarah wants to find out what really happened. Jack is not forthcoming with the information so she has to go digging herself to find out the truth.

When Sarah learns that there is more to Jack than she has known she is rather upset. If he could keep such a secret about his mother’s death, what else has he kept from her? She takes it upon herself to find out what really happens. I do find it highly unlikely that Margaret would just give Sarah the case file like she did, small town or not.

I have to say that I had a little bit of a hard time with this book. I don’t know exactly what it was that bothered me or if it was the overall story. Jack and Sarah don’t seem like a couple that has been together for 20 years. I understand how Jack doesn’t want to relive everything concerning his mother but I have to say that Sarah’s pursuit for the truth and her subsequent attitude kind of bothered me. I understand her wanting to know that truth but she was getting rather annoying about it.

This is not a bad book. I did like the mystery of what happened to Jack’s mother. The dialog is a bit lacking but this would be a good book for a read.

To purchase Missing Pieces make sure to check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, and Heather Gudenkauf’s website.

I received Missing Pieces for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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