Review: All by Myself, Alone by Mary Higgins Clark

Title:  All By Myself, Alone

Author:  Mary Higgins Clark

Publisher/Publication Date:

Simon & Schuster; April 4, 2017

Format/Source:  Hardcover; Library

Genre: Suspense

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Book Summary from Goodreads

A glamorous cruise on a luxurious ocean liner turns deadly in the latest mystery from “Queen of Suspense” and #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark.

Fleeing a disastrous and humiliating arrest of her husband-to-be on the eve of their wedding, Celia Kilbride, a gems and jewelry expert, hopes to escape from public attention by lecturing on a brand-new cruise ship—the Queen Charlotte.

On board she meets eighty-six-year-old Lady Emily Haywood, “Lady Em,” as she is known throughout the world. Immensely wealthy, Lady Em is the owner of a priceless emerald necklace that she intends to leave to the Smithsonian after the cruise.  Read More

My Thoughts

Mary Higgins Clark is one of my all-time favorite suspense writers. In All by Myself, Alone, Clark presents a murder mystery at sea. It’s a quick, engaging read that’s divided into sections that reveal the events of the six day voyage, which—as the synopsis indicates—includes the murder of Lady Emily Haywood. Clark does a good job of presenting a variety of characters that might have the motive to commit the crime, which left me questioning whodunit until the end of the story. Needless to say, that this book is another page-turner by Mary Higgins Clark, and I look forward to reading additional work by this author.

Rating 4/5

Review: City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett

Title: City of Miracles
Author: Robert Jackson Bennett
Publisher/Publication Date: Broadway Books; May 2, 2017
Genre: Fantasy
Source/Format: Blogging for Books; Paperback

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Revenge. It's something Sigrud je Harkvaldsson is very, very good at. Maybe the only thing...

So when he learns that his oldest friend and ally, former Prime Minister Shara Komayd, has been assassinated, he knows exactly what to do and that no mortal force can stop him from meting out the suffering Shara's killers deserve. Yet as Sigrud pursues his quarry with his customary terrifying efficiency, he begins to fear that this battle is an unwinnable one. Because discovering the truth behind Shara's death will require him to take up arms in a secret, decades-long war, face down an angry young god, and unravel the last mysteries of Bulikov, the city of miracles itself. And perhaps most daunting of all finally face the truth about his own cursed existence...

My Thoughts:

When dealing with Divinities you never know what might (and mostly will) go wrong...

City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett is undoubtedly one of my most anticipated book releases of 2017. My sentiment about the second book in the series—City of Blades—is similar to my conclusion about City of Miracles: It was well worth the wait, because, oh man, this story was fantastic. City of Miracles was a bittersweet yet fitting end to this series.

After the sudden, unexpected death of Shara Komayd—who was one of my favorite characters—Sigurd is left with one goal in mind. However, when the Divine are involved, you never know what might happen. The actual plot of City of Miracles was awesome. Every time I thought I would take a break and set this book aside, I got to a good part. I basically stayed up well past midnight finishing it. There were so many twists, so many revelations that not only was this book exciting, it was packed full of action.

City of Miracles picks up years after the last book, and a lot of things have changed. In the last book, the progression of technology replacing divine miracles was being shown in its early stages. But change is slow and sometimes painful, and people want to cling to what they know. That is one of the things I truly liked about this series: its approach to progress, and the way these things gradually took place. City of Miracles also marked the return to Bulikov, the city surrounded by mysterious walls filled with stairs that went nowhere. It wasn’t the same as before, but again, that’s progress.

Sigrud je Harkvaldsson has had a role each time something inexplicable happened, but City of Miracles was where his story was front and center. There was always an air of mystery to him, and like so many other things about this series, City of Miracles answers those lingering questions. And yeah, I cried a little at the end, but in my defense emotions were running high in almost every scene.

I’m a little sad that this series is over. However, I can’t say that I’m sorry because City of Miracles was a good note to end on. Truly, it was an experience.

Rating 5/5

This copy of the book was provided by Blogging for Books (publisher) for this review, thank you!

About the author...

Robert Jackson Bennett is a two-time award winner of the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel, an Edgar Award winner for Best Paperback Original, and is also the 2010 recipient of the Sydney J Bounds Award for Best Newcomer, and a Philip K Dick Award Citation of Excellence. His fifth novel, City of Stairs, is in stores now. He lives in Austin with his wife and son. He can be found on Twitter at @robertjbennett...

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Reading on the Rocks Design Change!

Thanks to my daughter, the header for Reading on the Rocks has a new look! Now it's time to get back to reading.—Andrea 

ARC Review: The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick

Title: The Girl Who Knew Too Much
Author: Amanda Quick
Publisher/Publication Date: Berkley Books; May 9, 2017
Genre: Historical; Romantic Suspence
Source/Format: First to Read; eARC

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Amanda Quick, the bestselling author of ’Til Death Do Us Part, transports readers to 1930s California, where glamour and seduction spawn a multitude of sins…

When Hollywood moguls and stars want privacy, they head to an idyllic small town on the coast, where the exclusive Burning Cove Hotel caters to their every need. It’s where reporter Irene Glasson finds herself staring down at a beautiful actress at the bottom of a pool. Seeking the truth, Irene finds herself drawn to a master of deception. Oliver Ward was once a world-famous magician—until he was mysteriously injured during his last performance. Now the owner of the Burning Cove Hotel, he can’t let scandal threaten his livelihood, even if it means trusting Irene, a woman who seems to have appeared in Los Angeles out of nowhere four months ago. With Oliver’s help, Irene soon learns that the glamorous paradise of Burning Cove hides dark and dangerous secrets. And that the past—always just out of sight—could drag them both under…

My Thoughts:

You know, I felt like I was expecting more from The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick than what I actually got. It was an okay story, but I have some thoughts about this one. At first glance, The Girl Who Knew Too Much has a very interesting premise. I was interested more in how the mystery would work with the time period this book was set in. 1930s California, that’s what the synopsis said, and I did see hints of elements that alluded to the time period.

This is definitely a romantic suspense novel. On top of the both mysteries, there was a heavy emphasis on the romance. It didn’t start out that way. The beginning was really good. I got the sense of urgency that the character felt, and the danger was front and center. But as the story progressed, the focus seemed to shift a little. There was a lot going on—and I mean A LOT—and I almost feel like some aspects of the story weren’t given enough time. That brings me to the conflict. The initial start of the whole thing was incredible. It wasn’t necessarily packed to the brim with action, but the opening chapters set up an atmosphere of suspense. However, the end was just okay—and a little anticlimactic—which makes me kind of sad because the beginning was so strong.


Irene Glasson was an okay character. I liked her more in the beginning, some of her decisions were just kind of meh, but her character development turned out to be alright. The rest of the characters were pretty interesting, but I just don’t have anything to say about them.

Overall, The Girl Who Knew Too Much was a pretty average read for me, and I would definitely consider picking up another book by this author.

Rating 3/5

This copy of the book was provided by First to Read (Publisher) for this review, thank you!

About the author...

Pseudonym of Jayne Ann Krentz

The author of over 40 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense, often with a psychic and paranormal twist, in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print. She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries. Ms. Krentz is married and lives with her husband, Frank, in Seattle, Washington...