#SpoonsNbooks: 2018 a Book of a Year

It's the second day of the new year. Tomorrow I go back to work and fantasy about the next vacation time we have. Don't get me wrong -- I love my job and what I do but I love not doing anything even more.

The first half of 2018 I was giving up on becoming a teacher. I graduated in December of 2016 and wasn't gainfully employed like almost everyone I knew was. It was frustrating.

So, I decided to join Netgalley and start blogging more about the books I'm reading. I was already book blogging and reading book blogs but this time I was going to go full in.

Plus, I had no job so there wasn't a whole lot I was doing anyway.

July came around we decided to move out of the house. I was worried because once again -- I was the only person in this relationship not employed. My boyfriend's job was heavy on the work hours and it happened. Love that we've moved. I love having my own place so far no regrets.

The start of August I interviewed for a position that would start in like a few days. I had a feeling  I was not going to get it -- I mean, I've been interviewing since 2016 and no one wanted me. But I am now in my second semester at this job -- it has its challenges due to the students and my medical problems but I'm still survivin'

ANYWAY TO THE BOOKS!!

Since I was unemployed for most of 2018 I had a LOT of time to read books. I didn't meet my 125 goal for the reading challenge on Goodreads. BUT I forgot to drop down the book count to match how many books I did make it through. Many consider that cheating but I'm just challenging myself so why does it matter?

My goal was to read a lot and remember most of them. I usually read through things so fast that by the end of the year I'm like.. I read that?? Me??? Are you sure?? So, the reviews help keep them in memory.

BOOKS THAT I ABSOLUTELY LOVED:

by HAILEY EDWARDS:

Bayou Born 
Bone Driven

by NNEDI OKORAFOR

Binti

by ELLERY A. KANE

Daddy Darkest 

by EMILY SKRUTSKIE
The Abyss Surrounds Us

BOOKS THAT I'M GLAD I READ:

by TF Lince

Room 119

by KELLEY ARMSTRONG

Rough Justice

There's definitely more books but if we went through that..this would be a forever long blog entry. I have read a variety of books in 2018 and I'm glad it happened. I've found so many cute, educational children books to the fun, bizarre books for adults.

Daddy Darkest - Ellery Kane

Title: Daddy Darkest

Author: Ellery Kane

Publisher: Amazon 

Release Day: Jun 1, 2017 -- the eBook on Amazon is currently $3.99

Rating: 4 out of 5

First Sentence: I wish my first plane ride had ended in a crash.

Downloaded through Netgalley to read for an honest review!

Summary: A month after her high school graduation, small-town-girl Samantha "Sam" Bronwyn boards a plane with her best friend, Ginny. Destination: San Francisco. But when Ginny disappears inside an airport bathroom wearing Sam's letterman jacket. A past where secrets aren't all that's buried and where revenge comes at the highest price.

About the Author: Ellery Kane is a Forensic psychologist and her work inspires her stories. 

My Review: 

It's an interesting story that starts in the present day with Samantha Bronwyn. As the story progresses it's discovered that Samantha's current problem has something to do with her mother's past. Once we find this out we jump to 1996 following her mother Clare down her path that leads us to Samantha's problem.

Some of the information that, to me, could have been shocking reveals are told to us and then we learn how that information came to be in later chapters. Usually in the flashback chapters with Clare. 

We go between the past and the present to explain how and why we are where we are. It's well written and fun to read. Some parts I wish she wasn't that great at writing because holy shit vivid imagery was not something I needed for certain scenes. 

As everything happens Samantha learns that she doesn't know her mom like she thought she did. When the book ends she still has learning to do and wonders if her mother will ever open up about everything that went down. 

This was a fun and different read I bought the next book after finishing this. 

Spoilers Ahead: 

In Clare's chapters we find out that she was a victim of molestation when she was a teenager by her friends step-father. We see how the stepdad's actions/grooming effect her into her adulthood and her behavior and expectation of the men in her life.

She is a new psychologist in a men's prison. She meets and falls in love with a serial killer that is known as Cutthroat. They connect somehow on an emotional level due to her committing neonaticide when she was a teenager. 

Clare's relationship with Cutthroat almost gets Samantha and her friend, Ginny killed. Clare feels freed from Cutthroat and then she finds a note at her house saying to find him. It ends there. 

It's learned because Clare wanted Cutthroat to know that she had Samantha that she sent McKinnon (shady FBI lady) ultrasounds of Samantha. I think this was talked about to establish that Cutthroat's mom had been keeping tabs on her granddaughter and that's how he discovers that Sam & Ginny are going to San Francisco.

The thing that's confusing me though was how did they know where she lived and what her name was? Did Clare let it slip when she sent out the ultrasound of her new name and location? I must have missed something because I don't remember that being addressed. 

Because from my understanding she sent the ultrasound to the FBI lady when she lived in Oklahoma. She ends up moving to Texas and that's where she raises Samantha. So, how did Cutthroat's mom get more information???

Also, if she's keeping track of her granddaughter how did Cutthroat mess up that he grabs the wrong girl? Did they not find a picture of her on social media? I feel like I missed something there. It's established that Samantha looks like her father -- unless Cutthroat only realized they looked alike when he finally meets her later on in the book.

End of Spoilers

Recommend?: If you can handle stories that involve serial killers, child molestation/rape,neonaticide, suicidal thoughts/attempts and messed up characters...then, yes, it's recommended.

It's part of a series called Doctors of Darkness. But as far as I can tell the second book has no relations with the first book in regard to characters. It's called The Hanging Tree. The eBook is currently as I'm writing this 99 cents.