"Remain: A Supernatural Love Story" by Nicholas Sparks with M. Night Shyamalan

Remain: A Supernatural Love Story (Oct. 14, 2025) by Nicholas Sparks.

   With M. Night Shyamalan.

<This is a standalone novel.>

New York architect Tate Donovan is in Heatherington, a [fictional] town on Cape Cod, meeting with his best friend, Oscar, and his wife Lorena. He’s designing their summer home and picking up Paulie, his cat. Tate’s aiming for a new start since losing his sister, Sylvia, to illness, then spiraling downward and being recently discharged from a swanky psychiatric facility. It’s said that Sylvia could see spirits trapped on this plane of existence, but he’s skeptical of her “gift” until he encounters a captivating woman doing yoga in the living room. After he speaks with Louise and Reece Gaston, the property’s caretakers, Tate learns that the woman is Wren Tobin ... and she’s been dead almost two years. Reece is Wren’s last-remaining blood relative. Tate comes to learn that there’s a Daytime Wren – who doesn’t realize she’s dead – and Nighttime Wren – who is terrifying and sometimes grotesque. Her death wasn’t gentle, and when Nighttime Wren finally communicates that she was murdered, Tate can’t help but do his own civilian investigation with Oscar’s help. He’s fallen in love with a ghost. Was it Griffin, Wren’s estranged, alcoholic husband whom she wanted to divorce? Or Nash, the business partner who was stealing money from her, and she was preparing a civil suit against him? What about Dax, the substance abuse counselor and Wren’s friend who wanted to be more than friends despite both being married? Tate will try to free Wren from what still tethers her here, knowing that that will mean the end of their strong, yet tenuous, relationship.

            A collaboration between romance author Nicholas Sparks and supernatural genre filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan? Talk about a plot twist! A collab such as this one I couldn’t pass by. Yes, I did find the paranormal love story to be a little weird sometimes, but the relationship remains a moving one. I did enjoy the supernatural element, and the contrast between Daytime Wren and Nighttime Wren is as different as a warm, sunny beach and a blizzardy winter night. There is strength in loving others, as this adult fiction standalone showcases. I’m pleased that I read this haunting and emotional love story. For those who startle easily, there are small sparks of horror. But worry not, for “Remain” is a reminder to “live well and love deeply. Look for reasons to be grateful. Treasure your friends. Embark on wonderful adventures.”

Rutabaga's Reads 2022: Part 26

Can this be? A third adult fiction compilation post in 2022? If you know me, this is unusual, but it’s thanks to my local library that I’ve stepped out and read more adult fiction novels than I normally do in a year. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had enough novels to create two posts. One of the novels is a library checkout; I purchased the other two.

The Mask Falling (Jan. 26, 2021) by Samantha Shannon.

*This is the fourth novel in a series.*

*Warning: Potential spoilers included for those unfamiliar with the series.*

The Pale Dreamer is dead. That is what the Republic of Scion wants everyone to believe. But dreamwalker Paige Mahoney isn’t dead, having eluded death yet again. She’s been snatched from captivity and consigned to a safe house in the Scion Citadel of Paris with assistance from the mysterious Domino Program (a network of free-world spies). They have plans for her, but she has plans of her own. That’s to be expected from the voyant (clairvoyant) who defeated Jaxon, her previous mime-lord, to become the Underqueen of London’s voyant community. This community is one-turned-rebellion, and she’s re-made herself as the Black Moth. She’s accompanied by Warden (Arcturus Mesarthim), a Rephaim who’s her former enemy-turned-bodyguard. Paige is not accustomed to taking orders, which may contribute to the bold moves she makes as Black Moth (vs. as an agent of the Domino Program). Bold sometimes equates to foolish, and, like any human, she can also jump to conclusions that may have devastating outcomes. Scion is really a puppet of the Rephaim under Nashira Sargas, who plans to force the voyant community to unwillingly serve the Rephaim. Paige and her allies want to undercut Scion, and their adventures will lead them into the catacombs of Paris and the glittering corridors of Versailles. But it isn’t all plans, plotting and undermining, as Paige simultaneously works through the trauma of torture at the hands of the Rephaim and her feelings for Arcturus. Paige may be a dreamwalker, but this world under Scion is a nightmare.

            With traumatic memories, fresh betrayals and a weighted sense of duty, plotting, near-death escapes and gut-clenching action, this fourth in the Bone Season series is a fantasy-slash-dystopian novel that’s also a paranormal-slash-political thriller. It’s a novel with a deeply emotional arc through Paige and contains excellent world-building. It is as epic as its predecessors, and there’s no question that Shannon is an incredible storyteller with a sharp, stunning imagination, but this volume does suffer from middle-book syndrome, in which it doesn’t quite live up to the WOW! factor of the first novel. I also struggled with the length between publication dates. When I finally got around to reading it, I felt like I needed a refresh session of the previous novel, though this feeling went away the further I delved into the story and remembered other bits and pieces. New readers will definitely want to start with Book One. Overall, the inventiveness of the series will be forward momentum to await the next installment. It’s gripping and unnerving, intricate and intrepid.

            Book One: The Bone Season (not reviewed)

            Book Two: The Mime Order (not reviewed)

            Book Three: The Song Rising (not reviewed)

A Mirror Mended (June 14, 2022) by Alix E. Harrow.

*This is the second novella in a series.*

Worry not, Sleeping Beauty, Zinnia Gray is coming to rescue you again. And again. And again. She’s still Dying Girl, that Generalized Roseville Malady (GRM) will snuff her out eventually, but she’ll be the dimension-hopping, damsel-saving warrior that she can be for as long as she can. Still, if some of those princesses would start solving their own narratives without her help, more power to them and less headache for her. She’s at yet another “happily ever after” wedding when she looks into the mirror and someone else is looking back. Eyes brimming with desperate hunger, her lips moving in a plea, Zinnia reaches out to her, is pulled right into another dimension and stares at a face of evil. Truly. She’s staring at Snow White’s Evil Queen (who has no real name until Zinnia starts calling her Eva). It’s the first inter-dimensional travel that hasn’t deposited her into another Sleeping Beauty story. But it turns out that sort of strangeness is occurring with more frequency: a golden egg in the belly of a goose, a talking wolf in the woods, Zinnia’s copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales with its grape juice stain and tatty ribbon that should be at her home in her own dimension, but clearly isn’t. The Evil Queen knows how her story ends and doesn’t want to be resigned to such a fate (understandably so). But can a character plotted for a villainous role become the protagonist of one’s own story? With the curiouser and curiouser things occurring where they shouldn’t, is that a result of Zinnia’s travels messing with the fairy tale multiverse?

            The next installment in the Fractured Fables series continues its female-centric theme:  of female empowerment, autonomy, strength and friendship. Of having one’s own agency. For those who’ve read the first novella, Zinnia oftentimes remains her crass, self-involved, crude self. Her fly-by-her-own-whims, thoughtless nature is ruining her friendship with her best friend, and with story-hopping consequences showing up, she needs to find her way home, probably for good. This novella traverses worlds with darkness and danger, and Harrow isn’t afraid to point out the unattractive. The author clearly knows her fairy tales and, like the first tale, this one contains a plethora of pop culture references, but readers do see growth in Zinnia. The novella presents queer relationships as relationships, and Harrow’s academic background (“I’m sure Charm would explain about the psychic weight of repeated motifs and the narrative resonance between worlds if I asked…”) shines through in her smart writing. She efficiently packs a lot into the slim volume, limited word count be darned, and creates a story that’s lively, yet can be read in a single sitting. It’s a story where a villain has the potential to be the protagonist and where the one the villain saves may save her in return. But I’ll be honest, I didn’t love the tale. I checked it out from the library because it’s short, and I trusted that I could finish the story despite the busyness of the Christmas season.

            Book 1: A Spindle Splintered

The Wish (Sept. 28, 2021) by Nicholas Sparks.

*This is a standalone novel.*

It is 2019, and Margaret (Maggie) Dawes is a renowned travel photographer. She leads a busy life, traveling the world photographing remote locations, running a successful gallery in NYC and maintaining her social media accounts. As the year is closing, she finds herself grounded over the Christmas holiday, having to come to terms with a sobering medical diagnosis that predicts she only has a few months left. Her own family notwithstanding, she’s got a found family in her assistant, Luanne Sommers, Trinity, a famous sculpture artist who showcases pieces in Maggie’s gallery, and Mark Price, her more-recently-hired young assistant (he’s 23). Mark’s been a model assistant; he doesn’t pry into her personal life and hasn’t even watched any of her YouTube videos since he was hired on. But as Mark runs the gallery while Trinity and Luanne are away on their respective vacations, Maggie tells him the story of another time. She reminisces back to 1995, when she made a choice and wound up pregnant. Sent away to an older aunt/former nun in Ocracoke, a remote village on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Maggie is 16 in 1996 when she gives birth to a baby she immediately puts up for adoption. While there, battling loneliness and depression, she grows close to Aunt Linda (her father’s much older sister), whom she didn’t know well, and Bryce Trickett, a rare teenager on the island during the winter season. Bryce is her tutor, the one who introduces her to photography and the boy she ends up loving. But in 2019, Maggie is a 39-year-old woman who’s never married. Has Maggie been that dedicated to her passion all these years, married to her work? Or was there a course change in the intervening years that couldn’t have been predicted?

            I’ll admit that I’ve struggled to read through some of Sparks’ more recent novels, because they either haven’t been engaging to me or I didn’t like one or both lead characters, but the tide turned favorable for this novel. “The Wish” is a tale you know isn’t going to have a happy ending, but the mental toughness and physical vulnerability of a body shutting down gave it so much weight and depth. It’s an emotional novel. Just because it’s a fictional one doesn’t lessen the impact of first love or demean the choices that pave the way or make someone wonder what if? It’s bittersweet, but can also be enchanting, though the winter backdrop and Christmas decorations certainly help with that picture. This is a story of love and loss and being found. It may also be a story that makes readers pause to think of their own mortality and their humanity, too.

Rutabaga's Reads 2022: Part 10

Hello, first adult fiction compilation of 2022. While I branch into adult fiction a very slim margin more than nonfiction, it remains a book group that I don’t often read. Update: My reading from this genre has improved somewhat since working in a library.

The Archive of the Forgotten (Oct. 6, 2020) by A.J. Hackwith.

*This is the middle novel in a trilogy.*

While Hell’s Library of the Unwritten has been saved from total devastation, the loss of books still number in the hundreds. When the remnants of those destroyed books manifest a pool of ink in the Arcane Wing, Claire and Brevity make their own decisions on how to deal with the ink. Their relationship is currently rocky. Claire is no longer Brevity’s boss, now that Brevity is the Librarian and Claire the Arcanist. Tensions rise when Claire’s actions in the damsel suite come across as an attack (her relationship with the Unwritten Wing’s books was fraught at best) and, essentially, get her kicked out of the place she used to be Librarian. Meanwhile, Brevity has accepted assistance from the Muses Corps, especially since the representative present is Probity, once a young muse that Brevity took under her hypothetical wing. Probity says Brev is the rightful Librarian, but with the choices she makes with Probity’s ulterior encouragement, rightful is a shaky adjective. There are also their companions Hero, who’s made from a book, and Ramiel (Rami), a fallen angel. Hero is acting as the Apprentice Librarian, while Rami assists in the Arcane Wing since he couldn’t return to his Watcher duties in Heaven. Together, Hero and Rami embark on their own quest, visiting other realms to search out clues to the mythical origins of the unwritten books. They must discover what lies at the heart of each story or the ink will “bury her under its own existence.”

            I maintain that I still want to visit Hell’s Library; location is inconsequential, for, if I could visit this one, I’d also be able to visit the library at Valhalla or the Unsaid Wing in Elysium. As with the first story, I was swept up in the story from the first page. It is a fantasy adventure novel imbued with powerful storytelling, thanks to the friction of two of the main characters, the author’s brilliant world-building and exquisite plotting across library wings and realms. Hackwith’s imagination is dazzlingly creative and undeniably phenomenal. She really gets to the soul of what it is to tell an intricate story!

            Book One in the Hell’s Library trilogy: The Library of the Unwritten

The Return (Sept. 29, 2020) by Nicholas Sparks.

*This is a standalone novel.*

Returning to New Bern, North Carolina, wasn’t expected, but it comes at an in-between time for Trevor Benson. A Johns Hopkins-trained orthopedic surgeon, he was on active duty in Kandahar when a mortar explosion sent him back to the States with devastating injuries, and the Navy let him go for disability reasons. Because of the injuries he sustained, returning to work as a surgeon is out of the question, so he’s soon to start a five-year psychiatry residency back at Johns Hopkins. He’s in New Bern, because his maternal grandfather, Carl Haverson, unexpectedly passed away, and he’s staying at his grandpa’s place. It needs fixing up, though he doesn’t think he’ll sell it, but he does want to make sure all is well with the bees and honey production. He meets Natalie Masterson, a local deputy sheriff, and is immediately taken in by her physical attractiveness. While his attraction to her is immediate, hers may be reciprocated, but at a distance, though Trevor does not understand why. He knows he’s fallen in love with her and would re-consider his new residency to stay in New Bern permanently, if it weren’t for whatever is causing Natalie’s hesitancy to move the relationship forward. Further complicating his stay is Callie, a teenage girl who lives in the trailer park down the road from him. She’s sullen and mistrustful and says she’s 19 years old when she doesn’t look older than 16. He mostly leaves her alone until a medical crisis prompts him to figure out Callie’s true past. Her life may depend on it. Trevor will struggle to understand what holds Natalie back, to discover Callie’s history and to piece together his grandfather’s last words to him. Some of it he can hash out with his therapist, Dr. Eric Bowen, but he’ll have to figure out plenty himself. Like what it is to love and understand how complicated it can be. And what it is to forgive oneself despite tragedy. And even, what it is to return to a place so that you can move forward.

            For fans of Nicholas Sparks, this novel is signature. It’s a love story featuring a charming town with beautiful sunsets, trips on a very unique boat, busy bees and even a farmers’ market. Multiple characters, not only Trevor, wrestle with personal demons, and so it’s a drama as well as a romance. It has secrets and a puzzle to piece together that will help another cog in the story, making it part mystery. It should make for an ideal beach read as well as a winter story and for many, it probably is, but for me, the story fell flat because of Trevor. I was impressed with Sparks’ inclusion of Trevor’s struggle with PTSD and the use of CBT and DBT (both are types of behavioral therapies) to help control/manage his symptoms associated with PTSD. Where the story fell flat for me was his instantaneous attraction to Natalie. I’m not saying that it’s weird for someone to look at someone and right away find that person attractive, but the way he fixates on her – wants her to text back right away or go out to eat with him that same week, want to run his fingers through her hair and sleep with her – is creepy. Is this fixation exacerbated by his continued struggle with PTSD? I don’t know. But it didn’t warm my heart; it creeped me out.

The School for Good Mothers (Jan. 4, 2022) by Jessamine Chan.

*This is a standalone novel.*

On Frida Liu’s one very bad day, “she needed to get out of the house of her mind, trapped in the house of her body, trapped in the house where Harriet sat in her ExerSaucer with a dish of animal crackers.” That one very bad day may cost Frida her parental rights. This will be determined by spending a year in a secret pilot program where bad mothers (bad fathers are at a different site) will participate at an institution that will measure their successes and failures. Is her motherese convincing? Did she give the correct hug, the one for soothing fear versus the one for allaying aggression? Is she displaying enough empathy or is her anger showing? The scans will show, the cameras will tell. This includes the video capture within Emmanuelle, her toddler doll. She will learn as Frida teaches her, though the dolls can also be programmed in various ways for training. They require maintenance, and they do not have to tuck them into bed each night. The dolls are stored in the equipment room. Frida yearns to have her daughter returned to her, and it’s her love for Harriet that carries her through the year. “I am a bad mother, but I am learning to be good.”

            Marketed as an adult, dystopian fiction novel, the story is all the more disturbing because it seems so close to present-day. Social media like Instagram and Twitter still exist and entities such as Child Protective Services are active, excessively active. I am as awed by this novel as I am disturbed. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read. The story is explosive and astonishing, frustrating and heartbreaking, punishing and infuriating. It’s remarkable. Chan’s plot is complicated, emotive and deep; Frida is tender yet angry, intricate as most humans are. Chan’s tale is imaginative, but it’s her potential real-world flourishes that chill a reader: stereotypes about mothers, stereotypes about parents of color, dealing with the state. The level of mass surveillance, the data and technology are also at an all-time creepy level. This novel is daring and complex, perfect for book club discussions.

            I want to add that I had wondered if I’d connect with this story, as I do not have human children. Chan’s writing is brilliant, and I had no trouble finding empathy. I am; however, immensely interested in discussing this story with others who have human children. How are our perspectives different? How might they be similar?

Rutabaga's Reads 2019: Part 17

I do not read much adult fiction. This would be why it’s taken me much of this year to create this compilation post featuring this age category. Surprisingly, it’s not the only adult fiction compilation on my blog this year thanks to the “Crazy Rich Asians” trilogy by Kevin Kwan.

Every Breath (Oct. 16, 2018) by Nicholas Sparks.

*This is a standalone novel.*

While a weeklong retreat to her family’s cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, preparing to attend a good friend’s wedding should be a joyous celebration, Hope Anderson is flailing. She’s thrilled for her friend, but her own life is nowhere she expected it to be. At 36, she’s been dating her orthopedic surgeon boyfriend for six years, and there is still no proposal in sight, plus Josh isn’t coming to the wedding since an explosive argument prompted him to put their relationship in “off” mode and go to Las Vegas, her parents have actually recently sold the family cottage at which she’s staying, and her dad has been diagnosed with ALS. It is 1990. Enter next door Tru Walls, a 42-year-old safari guide from Zimbabwe who’s staying at the monstrosity-of-a-beach-house awaiting his first meeting with his birthfather, who’s recently reached out to him. Hope and Tru’s first meet-cute is thanks to Hope’s dog, a sly Scottish terrier named Scottie with gobs of energy and selective listening skills. That meet-cute turns into an epic, whirlwind romance with a visit to Kindred Spirit, a lone mailbox on Bird Island. Their love is real; it’s not a fleeting moment to be chased away by the wind.

            Fast forward 24 years to 2014. Hope made a choice that did not involve Tru and put her life on a trajectory that succeeded in certain ways and failed in others. She tried to find Tru eight years ago, but could never locate him. Desperate to reach him, she went back to the only place she could think of to leave a message: Kindred Spirit. What sort of fates will have to be at work for Tru to be reached? Where has he been all these years?

            Whereas I struggled with the previous story I’d read by Sparks, I am relieved to say that I liked this novel. I enjoyed how the bookends of the story were written as though the author was explaining how he came across this story as though it’s reality, even though it is a work of fiction. I felt more invested with the characters where I did not in the other story, even knowing that Hope’s decision wouldn’t fully turn out in the long run. The depiction of Hope’s father’s ALS diagnosis and subsequent battle was very moving. The expected North Carolina setting is stronger for the real places involved, in particular the Kindred Spirit mailbox. (Road trip, anyone?) Sparks’ novels are about as much romance as I can handle. You know Tru and Hope will somehow return to each other, but it isn’t without a winding path of heart-wrenching decisions, tricky fate and desperate hope that an epic, sweeping love can transcend time and time zones.

Shattered Mirror (Apr. 24, 2018) by Iris Johansen.

*This is a standalone novel with recurring characters.*

In the disturbed and twisted mind of Rory Norwalk, instead of an eye for an eye, it’s a twin for a twin. He personally delivers a mystery skull to highly-sought-after forensic sculptor Eve Duncan. The skull looks alarming; there’s a bullet hole, and it has been blackened by fire. The face, which she calls Sylvie, courtesy of Michael, who’s now six, is stunning, and she wonders what monster would do something so dreadful to her. It becomes clear that Norwalk is targeting her, but also threatens those she loves, particularly Michael (her son) and Cara Delaney (her ward). While Cara thinks it’s her new roommate, Darcy Nichols, who may be the target, Jock Gavin has his doubts. He’s been keeping tabs on Cara, expecting a threat to her to arise with the knowledge of who her grandfather is. He will be very upset if Sergai Kaskov gets involved, but if Kaskov is one of the targets, he’ll get involved and not care if he steps on anyone’s toes. Why is Rory targeting Eve and Kaskov and those closest to them? What is the connection? Does there even need to be a connection with someone as clearly unbalanced as Rory Norwalk?

            I am torn. With Eve and Joe having a son, it on one hand adds a potential layer to the plot when Michael is involved, but it’s also a convenient filler. I’m not saying this is the case, but it can seem like Johansen brought a child into the picture to distract from a lack of new ideas. As a mostly loyal reader of Johansen’s novels over many years, I don’t apologize for thinking this. It is my opinion, after all. Additionally, I think it’s too convenient that Michael, like Bonnie, is wise beyond his years and isn’t usually so much a six-year-old than a conscientious adult with childlike conviction. I wouldn’t be able to write a current six-year-old and perhaps the author struggles in that arena, thus her reasoning behind making Michael so much broader and shrewder in his thinking. Also, what is the age difference between Jock and Cara? Because no, just no.

            If you’re thinking I should halt reading Johansen’s books, you’re right. I probably should quit reading her books. Or at least choose not to write about them after reading them. I see a new recurring character in Darcy. For anyone wanting to read what you’d expect from Johansen, you’ll be satisfied with this novel. For others, you may want to skip this one.

Vendetta (Oct. 23, 2018) by Iris Johansen.

*This is a standalone novel with recurring characters.*

I really thought I wouldn’t write about this book, but I changed my mind since Catherine Ling is in it. Catherine is an Asian woman in a stack of Johansen books usually featuring a white default.

            What CIA Operative Carl Venable says with his dying breaths both puts his daughter in the crosshairs of terrorist Max Huber and tries to protect her in convincing Jude Brandon to find Rachel Venable and keep her safe. Rachel is a spectacular physician who’s also highly proficient at crafting poisons. Huber has connections to Rachel’s past that she is unaware of, though she is aware that she’s responsible for the death of his father, though it was without her consent or initial knowledge. Huber is the leader of Red Star, and he’s orchestrating a catastrophic event in California that he wants to be vastly and impressively worse than 9/11. While Rachel is safe with Brandon, she wants Huber dealt with, no matter how scared dealing with him makes her. When he takes someone she cares about, she’s willing to set herself up as a sacrifice if there’s any chance the other person can be safely extracted from Huber’s evil and horrific clutches. She may come out alive as well. Familiar characters in Catherine Ling, Richard Cameron, and, to a lesser extent, Hu Chang come to fight the fight. Dealings with high-echelon CIA Operative Claire Warren are tense at best, and who is Nemesis?

            Action and drama from the get-go are constants for Johansen, which is a plus. Unfortunately, I was not fully engaged in the story. I had to make myself sit down to read one chapter a day. This, of course, is simply my opinion, but it seems that all of her characters – no matter which story you’re reading – are the same. Sure, they have different names and different physical features and different backstories, but they remain like fraternal multiples. An exception is given to Catherine, who is at least of partial Asian descent and not Caucasian. All the lead females are strong (which is good) and stubborn and holding it together but still savvy and strong with the same emotions and attitudes in each book no matter the character. All the lead males are masculine and tough and struggle to let the females be strong and want to hold them when they’re having a vulnerable moment, and it hurts them to see the women like that, and they want to wreak extra havoc on the bad guys. Same, same, same. I’ve read so many of Johansen’s books over the years that I can’t stop cold turkey, but I will be tapering off. I can’t say I’ll stop reading her stories for good, but I’m heading that direction, which does make the dedicated bibliophile in me a little sad.

Rutabaga's Reads 2018: Part 7

Because it is my favorite category, I read a lot of YA (young-adult) novels. And because I have received them from publishers, I next read a healthy amount of inspirational fiction titles. Then I read a fair amount of middle-grade stories. I will read from any age category, though certain age categories hold more weight for me than others. This compilation features novels geared for adults. However, since I don’t read a lot of adult fiction, there are only two titles here.

No Easy Target (Apr. 25, 2017) by Iris Johansen.

*This is a standalone novel with occasional recurring characters.*

Some people say they like animals more than humans. Margaret Douglas would be one such person, but it’s for a far more unique reason: she has the ability to communicate with them and understand them in a way that the animal understands. She changes her name as needed and never stays in one place overlong. The violence in her past has a name, and it’s Stan Nicos. He knows her ability, and he wants to use it for nefarious purposes. She escaped from him once and vowed never to return to Vadaz Island. But John Lassiter found her. It took him far longer than he’d have liked, but found her he has. Someone close to him is a captive of Nicos’, and he’s prepared to use Margaret as bait. Naturally, she fights that, and the two try to outwit the other until something of a tentative understanding comes to light. They have a common enemy, so they need to match wits to outwit him.

            I’ve been reading Johansen’s novels now for so long, that I automatically preorder them when a mass market edition is available, but I do ask myself why I keep buying her books. They are action-filled thrillers with macho men and steely women. A splash of the supernatural (like with Margaret’s ability) is not uncommon. The bad guys are always the great evils of the books. The baddies never have a moral compass, and the word “ethics” is probably not in their vocabularies. It’s a lot of the same, but with different characters and different locales.

            Perhaps 2019 will be the year that I quit preordering her books. I do not read those she writes with her son, Roy Johansen, so I’ve got that going for me. Her books are not bad; they’re simply very predictable.

Two by Two (Oct. 4, 2016) by Nicholas Sparks.

*This is a standalone novel.*

Idyllic life for the Green family is about to fall apart. Russell has missed all the telltale signs. After he leaves his job (before being fired), entrepreneur Russ starts the advertising company he’s dreamed of: Phoenix Agency. But building a client base is slow-going, which prompts his wife, Vivian, to get a job. She quickly secures a well-paying job. Suddenly, Russ finds himself bussing London to her numerous activities (even though she’s only five/six), while trying to gain his first client. Vivian’s new job is demanding, and she’s often on overnight trips. When they’re together, she’s very hot and cold. Vivian’s also masterful at making Russ feel like the guilty party. Every. Single. Time. While it’s so obvious from a reader’s perspective, it comes as a shock when the 32-year-old Russ sees the fault lines of his life are cracks that cannot be repaired.

            Mr. Mom-type character. Good idea. Banter between Russell and his older sister, Marge. Great. Emily’s a strong character, though it takes awhile for her to be involved in the story. Overall, unfortunately, I struggled to read this novel. I was bored. I started this book months ago, and I’ve read almost 20 books in between. Perhaps I missed the lack of suspense as in his more recent novels. Or, and I can’t believe I’m saying this about a Nicholas Sparks novel, it could be that he created an over-watered storyline with lackluster characters. Russ is a needy, over-thinking, naïve, hopeless romantic. Vivian, while a good mother, comes across as vain, spoiled and only beautiful on the outside. Both have woe-is-me mentalities, which, if this were real-life and not fiction, I expect would be damaging in the long-term to London. You know what the outcome of the couple will be, so you can only watch them spiral out-of-sync. The story ended conclusively; it was even a bit emotional, but don’t expect surprises. The disappointment of this novel won’t stop me from reading the next one, but unless you’re a loyal Nicholas Sparks fan (*raises hand*), I’d pass on adding this one to your bookshelf.

"The Longest Ride" by Nicholas Sparks

The Longest Ride (Sept. 17, 2013) by Nicholas Sparks.

French Slovakian Sophia Danko is a senior from New Jersey at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She’s a dedicated student belonging to the Chi Omega sorority, and her roommate/best friend, Marcia Peak, is the reason she finds herself watching a bull riding competition. She has her doubts about attending, especially after her skuzzy ex-boyfriend shows up. Then in swoops young, ultra-attractive cowboy Luke Collins (“eye candy” according to Marcia). Neither is looking for a relationship; Sophia continues to deal with her failed relationship with cheating Brian, and Luke is competing in a sport he had walked away from, but has returned to in order to help make payments on his mom’s ranch. He feels responsible for her being in the financial situation she’s in. Still, despite their separate issues, Sophia and Luke find themselves inexplicably drawn to each other. Making their very different lives work, though – an art history major wanting to work in a museum and a lifelong rancher – will make for a difficult relationship, not to mention Luke’s omission to Sophia.

            Ira Levinson, an elderly man in his nineties, is in trouble. He’s gone off the road on the way to Black Mountain. His collarbone and arm are broken, and something is wrong with his shoulder. He’s got a bleeding head wound, and although there is a full thermos of coffee, two sandwiches, prunes and a bottle of water somewhere in the car, there’s no way he can reach it. Even the littlest movement has lightning bolts of pain shooting through him. Perhaps it’s the pain that causes him to hallucinate about his beloved wife, Ruth, gone for nine years. But no matter, for her company focuses him and helps him remain alert, as he also hopes someone will find him on the steep embankment, because there’s one more thing … Through Ruth, he’s trying to remain alert, but he feels himself “… shrinking, like a sand castle slowly being washed away with every wave.”

            Classic Sparks again. If you know Sparks’ books, then you know the template: an intertwining storyline with a sweet romance sometimes bordering on over-sappiness. Some of these most recent books have also visited the dark sides of characters, but the main characters remain kind-hearted and good. They also show us that love is stronger than just about anything. As it is classic Sparks, it is a good book if you’re in the mood for romantic fiction. There are points that make you laugh and perhaps even shed a tear; other moments may have you rolling your eyes or wishing that your life held that spark – that spark being someone who is truly special. The story is poignant, as it can be following someone’s likely end-of-days, but it’s much more than that. It’s a story of an extraordinary journey. Not fantastical in a superstar sense, but that it’s just a life well-lived. It’s the longest ride, full of happiness and pain, expectation and disappointment, ups and down, but always full of love, even in the darkest of times.

Rutabaga's Reads 2012: Part 6

This is Part 6 of Rutabaga’s Reads 2012. This compilation of book summaries/reviews represent my most recent reads of the year + a couple picture books.

Anna Dressed in Blood (Aug. 30, 2011) by Kendare Blake.

Killing the dead is all in a day’s work for seventeen-year-old ghost hunter Theseus Cassio “Cas” Lowood. People send him tips on murderous ghosts, and he travels around with his witch-mom and his athame (special knife) to dispatch those ghosts. His most recent mission is in Thunder Bay, Ontario, to the home of Anna Korlov. She’s a lethal ghost whose M-O is to rip apart anyone who enters her house. But she doesn’t kill Cas. Her life ended brutally in 1958. What is her story? How is Anna different from other ghosts Cas has encountered? Cas will need help and befriends a couple peers who are a big help: Thomas Sabin, a psychic, and Carmel Jones, the popular girl who’s braver than she appears.

            This YA novel is a paranormal/horror tale. It is not for anyone with a weak stomach or who is prone to nightmares. There is some strong language, perhaps typical of teen-speak these days, but it is worth noting for those who like to know. I quite enjoyed reading this book. I like the droll humor and the allusions to the Ghostbusters. Despite the gore, reading this book was attention-grabbing with its humor, suspense, horror and light romance. The sequel, “Girl of Nightmares” is in this compilation as well.

The Best of Me (Oct. 11, 2011) by Nicholas Sparks.

Dawson Cole and Amanda Collier were high school sweethearts whose lives took different paths after graduation. Now both in their early forties, they find themselves back where they grew up, in the small town of Oriental, North Carolina. Their love for each other is still evident despite all the years apart. They’ll have some time to catch up on their current events and their past relationship. But members of Dawson’s violence-prone, criminal family know he’s back in town, and they want to rewrite the past in the present. Has Dawson’s past come back to haunt him? And can long-ago love override what is present-day life?

            “The Best of Me” is classic Nicholas Sparks with a twist. It is characteristic of his regular body of work: romance that isn’t too lovey-dovey, even if occasional lines teeter on that line, and has a strong message of love overcoming all, even when the going is rough. But the twist is the thriller element with a couple of Dawson’s relatives. They’re so broken in their deranged state that their thoughts are cringe-worthy. The story is heartfelt and heart-wrenching and may even have you shedding a few tears before the end.

The Bridesmaid (Sept. 11, 2012) by Beverly Lewis.

In this standalone second novel in Lewis’ Home to Hickory Hollow series, Joanna Kurtz is a single Amish woman in her mid-twenties. In the eyes of others, she is practically considered an old maid amongst the Amish. Residing in the fictional area of Hickory Hollow in the real Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, she longs to find that special someone. She wants him to exist in reality, not only in the fiction stories she jots down as a closet writer. While visiting Virginia Beach for the funeral of a relative who spent his life in Hickory Hollow and Shipshewana, Indiana, Joanna meets Eben Troyer. From Shipshewana, Eben is taken with Joanna right away and vice versa. He is fully prepared to move to Hickory Hollow to be with Joanna, but circumstances may not be in their favor …

            Is Joanna destined to remain a bridesmaid, but never a bride?

            As always, Lewis’ novel shines with love, sadness, happiness, betrayal, and above all, a devoted connection to the Lord. Her books continue to show her readership the strength of characters in their trust, faith and devotion. And after Joanna is betrayed by someone so dear, Lewis shows us Joanna’s willingness to forgive and her perseverance to keep tenacious, hurtful thoughts away. Are we as willing to forgive others as Joanna is?

The Five Chinese Brothers (Oct. 7, 1938) by Claire Huchet Bishop.

   Kurt Wiese, illustrator.

I read this on a recommendation from my Aunt Patty awhile back, and I’m so glad she recommended it to me, for it is a clever read. For those of you who’ve read it, you know it is not a happy-go-lucky story, but it’s witty. This Chinese folktale is about five Chinese brothers who all look identical to one another and each has a special talent. When the First Chinese Brother is condemned to death for something beyond his control, the brothers subsequently stand in for each other and employ their special talents to avoid death. What is the judge’s verdict at the end? The story is illustrated with simple pictures and little color, but that does not detract from the text.

Girl of Nightmares (Aug. 7, 2012) by Kendare Blake.

In this sequel to “Anna Dressed in Blood” (the first entry in Part 6), Cas cannot get Anna Korlov out of his mind. He sometimes sees her when he’s asleep and other times when he’s awake. Each time he sees her, Anna is being tormented in twisted and sadistic ways. His friends tell him to let her go – she’s truly gone this time – but he cannot. After a mysterious picture arrives, he is adamant about going to England, and he takes Thomas with him. He sees his old family friend, Gideon Palmer, and eventually Carmel shows up. They meet new faces, though they’re not entirely trustworthy, including Jestine Rearden, a teenager with the Order of the Biodag Dubh. No matter the animosity or danger, Cas will do anything to save Anna, but there will be a price. There is always a price.

            What I mentioned about “Anna Dressed in Blood” applies here as well, including a positive reaction to the book despite its darkness. It is simultaneously as ominous and horrible as it is moving and tender. Blake pulls you into a world both terrible and exciting. She’ll take you on a rollercoaster ride of fear, love, panic, desperation and light romance. Hang on tight and be careful of the Obeahman’s teeth. He bites.

Insurgent (May 1, 2012) by Veronica Roth.

Taking right off from “Divergent” (see Part 3), Tris Prior is seeking refuge after surviving the massacre on Abnegation (the selfless) that Jeanine (Erudite, the intelligent) initiated using the simulation-serum-induced Dauntless (the brave). The serum didn’t affect Tris due to her Divergent abilities. Tris moves a lot in this novel. She goes momentarily loopy when given too much peace serum in Amity (the peaceful), undergoes an interrogation by truth serum in Candor (the honest) and spends time with the factionless. She even chooses to walk herself over to Erudite and the traitor Dauntless twice, but each time for completely different reasons. She can’t handle even holding a gun right now, and she is at times so consumed with guilt and grief that it might overpower her.

            This is very much Tris’ story. Her mentality weighs more due to the weight of grief and guilt she carries, which doesn’t say much except that her actions are sometimes less Dauntless-brave and more reckless-suicidal. This occasionally makes for an annoying, self-pitying character, but despite that, Tris is still able to think logically, selflessly and bravely when she truly needs to, touching on her Divergent points. There is a reveal that hints at their gated origin. Roth’s two books are must-reads for anyone who’s into dystopian settings.

Little Known Facts about Well-Known Places: WDW (Aug. 25, 2011) by Laurie Flannery.

The title makes it obvious that this book is of very specific interest. This is a fun little book full of tidbits about Walt Disney World (WDW), most of which you probably didn’t know the history of or the story behind. I am a HUGE fan of WDW (please do not confuse it with Disneyland -- it will grieve me). In fact, I feel very passionate toward the vacation spot. So for me, this book is a good choice and may be for you as well if you love WDW as much as I do or enjoy learning random facts about different places. And, if you are heading to WDW anytime soon and need something to read on the airplane, grab a copy of this book. Just think how smart you’ll feel being able to blurt out random facts about WDW!

The Mark of Athena (Oct. 2, 2012) by Rick Riordan.

Riordan scores big again with his third installment in the Heroes of Olympus (HoO) series. The seven demigods have embarked on a quest after a friendly visit to Camp Jupiter becomes unfriendly. Aboard the magnificent Argo II ship – built to float and fly – dangers await all the demigods, both those from [Greek] Camp Half-Blood and [Roman] Camp Jupiter (especially for Annabeth, a daughter of Athena). From headache-riddled gods to angry Roman demigods to kill-hungry monsters, it’s just another day for a demigod, particularly for those on a quest. Good thing they have their mixed-martial-arts-obsessed, battle-happy, satyr-chaperon, Coach Hedge, with them. And their joint arsenal of superpowers doesn’t hurt, either. But all will cross humbling/intense obstacles. Can they all work together to protect each other and save Rome?

            Enthralling plot. Convincing characters. Dangerous expeditions. Marked with comedy. It is what I have come to expect from a Riordan novel. It’s a no-brainer must-read for already-followers of this series (or his previous ones). But, for newcomers to Riordan, you won’t want to simply start at Book One of HoO, you’ll want to start with the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. This book follows four demigod protagonists: two we’ve known since Percy Jackson and two we just met in HoO. Time to brush up on your Greek mythology with Roman counterparts!

The Night Before Father’s Day (May 10, 2012) by Natasha Wing.

   Amy Wummer, illustrator.

Whether you think this Father’s Day is long past or next year’s is too far in the future (or both), don’t ignore this most recent title from Wing’s “Night Before” series. While the dad is away on a [fairly lengthy] bike ride, his family gussies up his garage and makes his car shiny clean. As expected, it is written in rhyme and is a cute little story. Read it to your little ones or little ones you know and perhaps they’ll be inspired to make the next Father’s Day an extra nice one!

Rizzoli & Isles: Last to Die (Aug. 28, 2012) by Tess Gerritsen.

In the tenth installment, Boston PD Detective Jane Rizzoli and Boston Medical Examiner Dr. Maura Isles are back to keep three twice-orphaned teens safe. The parents of Teddy Clock, Claire Ward and Will Yablonski were once all murdered within a week of each other. Orphaned once. One-time survivors. Then two years later each of their foster families are murdered. Twice orphaned. Twice survivors. The three kids are sent to Evensong, a boarding school/sanctuary surrounded by acres of Maine wilderness with a locked gate and a state-of-the-art security system. Anticipating that there’s no place safer, imagine the surprise and fear when violence and death enter Evensong’s premises. Can these kids escape death a third time?

            Before “Last to Die,” I hadn’t read anything by Gerritsen, and I’ve never watched Rizzoli & Isles on TNT, but I expect I’ll read more from her. Her books are the type of thriller fiction that I prefer to read: bothersome moments, but not nightmare-inducing, and harmful scenarios without all the detailed, messy gore. There is some technical jargon, as is likely more expected from adult fiction than for a YA fantasy (though, fairly, those stories usually have their own set of “technical” lingo). I wasn’t sure I’d like this book, but I was immersed from the beginning, and it had a crafty ending. Smartly written. Additionally, the book was stand-alone, thus allowing me to not feel lost in back stories and tons of characters.