The View From Here by Rachel Howzell

Description
"The View from Here focuses on the beauties and hardships of marriage; the betrayals and promises made between husbands and wives; and the grief of one woman haunted by secrets.

Nicole Baxter has always tried to control every element of her life, but that control is slipping away. She has issues. Abandonment issues. Marital issues. Conception issues. And she thinks her house in the hills is haunted. It doesn't help that her husband Truman spleunks and climbs, making her worry more with each adventure he takes. As the two grow apart, Nicole makes decisions that may ultimately shatter her fragile marriage.

Her life changes on the afternoon she receives a phone call from the harbor. During a scuba dive, Truman disappears. No one -- not his diving instructor, not the Coast Guard -- can find him. Is he still alive? Or is grief making her believe the impossible?"

A very well written story of a dysfunctional marriage, and a husband who goes missing and is presumed dead. However You are never quite sure if he is alive or dead, or haunting his wife, or perhaps she is just losing her mind. Then again maybe her friends are conspiring to make her lose her mind. It will keep you guessing until the end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book for review

Better Left Buried by Belinda Frisch

Description
"Something from Harmony Wolcott's past is haunting her, leaving her with nowhere to turn but the supernatural. When a session with a spirit board reveals a street address, Harmony and her best friend, Brea, investigate an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. While neither recognizes the building's importance, there's a vague familiarity that draws them into researching its history.

For Harmony, it feels like home, and reminds her of a time when her and Brea's friendship wasn't forbidden, of a place where their families' lives had intersected years earlier, and of an unspeakable tragedy that might be the town of Reston's best kept secret. Unfortunately for her, sometimes the past is better left buried."


A coming of age story with a twist.
This well written story of Harmony, a teen with a troubled past, a strung out mom, and a secret she can't quite remember will haunt your memory long after you finish the book. The well developed and true to life characters nearly leap off the page and in your face.

I received a complimentary copy to review

The Rock by Laurie Kast-Klein

Description
"The smell of discontent oozed from her apartment. The dirty diapers, unwashed dishes and urine-stained floors were a relentless reminder that there was no escape.
Most days, Shelby felt trapped inside this world, not by a locked door but by the lack of expectation. - The Rock is a story of four very different individuals sharing a hallway at a subsidized apartment complex. You will laugh and cry along with them as they stumble along in life"


A peek into the lives of the tenants and manager of Rockefeller Hills Apartments, a rundown section 8 housing complex known as "The Rock" Not very realistic as far as portraying the struggle to even get housing, or should I say the lack of struggling. In the book you just show up and say you want section 8 housing and poof you get it just like that. Also in the book if you have no income your rent is free, when in reality if you can't pay any rent you can't get a section 8 apartment, but of course the book never claimed to be anything but fiction, and the story itself was entertaining.

When Myths Collide: Short Stories by Mark Ferry

Description
"From foggy remains of waking dreams come visions of things otherworldly.

When a routine bio exam turns into an inexplicable nightmare for an interstellar science team, the ship’s pilot is faced with a grim decision that could cost him everything.

The victims of a brutal home invasion learn that even those closest to us are sometimes not what they seem.

A young drifter’s selfless act leaves his soul in a battle for salvation.

And a dying woman finds hope for the future in a simple seven-word note.

These and five other tales"

I read a lot of short stories. I especially reach for them late at night when I just want a little something to read before bed, or when I want a break from a particularly long novel but don't want to get involved in reading 2 long books at the same time. A common issue I run across with short stories is that often times the characters lack depth as it seems their creators just lack the time to properly introduce you to them and they can seem one dimensional and underdeveloped. Well not here! These stories are incredible, and the characters are rich and full bodied with an intensity of spirit and emotion. For example in my 2 favorites out of the bunch "When Troy Fell" I feel like I know Walt and Rita personally and I do not doubt their love for each other. "Vegetarian Spiders" was also an exciting story of love and betrayal. I enjoyed all of the stories but those were my personal favorites.
I received a complimentary copy for review.