Enemy at the Gates (Mitch Rapp Book 20) by Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills

Kindle edition

Another amazing Mitch Rapp adventure, nightmare, thriller. Much like Lee Child (Jack Reacher), Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch), Julia Quinn (Bridgerton), and countless other authors, there is for sure a recipe for Mitch Rapp that is tried and true. It's definitely not broken and definitely doesn't need any fixing.

I started this book on May 26 and finished it on May 28. These Mitch Rapp books are next to impossible for me to put down. I spent a little extra time at the pedicure place "letting my toes dry" while I read more pages. When I got home, I read while I was eating lunch. And I spent some leisure time in the afternoon while The Husband went to Costco laying down reading. I just couldn't stop. Needed to find out what happened.

This is yet another book that could actually be based in reality. Hell, maybe it IS based in some semblance of reality. That is one of the things I like about this series. They don't seem too far fetched. It isn't too much of a stretch of the imagination that these events and interactions could be real. And with this long-running series, I've really gotten to know the characters. They seem real.

So, this book covers what happens between a new US president, the world's first trillionaire, a brilliant scientist, an African war-lord, "The Saudis", the head of the CIA, and Mitch Rapp, among others. The gist, without giving too much away, is that the trillionaire is funding pharmaceutical research being done by the brilliant scientist to create a cure/vaccine for every corona virus, SARS, and the common cold. This scientist is close. Then an African war-lord busts into the scene in Uganda and all hell breaks loose. The trillionaire wants help and asks the US president. By some twist of fate, Mitch Rapp gets involved, and according to the recipe, all hell breaks out. The shit hits the fan. Spy stuff, spy stuff, spy stuff. And poof, the book is over.

It was gripping, thrilling, intriguing. I like that Mitch is getting older - he's not the same 30-something from the earlier books. He's not stuck in a single point of time. These books follow him through his life. As he gets older, he gets more... crotchety (I'm not sure this is the right word). Rather than running toward everything, he's maybe learning to stay out of everything. But let's be real here. This is Mitch Rapp. Has he ever stayed away?

Another thrilling and exciting book! An enthusiastic two thumbs up from me.

The Marriage Portrait: A novel by Maggie O'Farrell

Kindle edition 

Another Real Simple magazine recommendation. Here's what Real Simple had to say:

"...brings to life Lucrezia de' Medici, a free-spirited young duchess in 1550s Florence. She's thrust into a marriage when the groom's intended bride, her older sister, dies suddenly. Her survival depends on whether she produces an heir. This is a riveting tale about one woman's fight for autonomy."

I started this book on my kindle on May 16 and finished it on May 26.

I had mixed feelings about this book. The thing that made me so-so on it was the tense. At times it was as if a narrator was telling the story. At other times it was Lucrezia telling the story. It was a little awkward for me switching between the two.

The overall story was interesting. It seemed to take a little too long to really get to the story. In hindsight, the context and history of Lucrezia was needed, but it could have maybe been hurried up a little. The writing is rich with details and layers. Lots of descriptions of things. I especially liked the scene with the tiger and Lucrezia. It was detailed and vague. It was textured and lovely. I wanted more of it. There were a lot of things that left me longing for more information. Maybe that wanting was the point. So much during this time happened behind closed doors. Information wasn't freely available to Lucrezia, or women in general. Maybe the author was creating that tension in how she wrote this story. It certainly was palpable.

While the ending was dramatic and traumatic (at times), it was mostly (not entirely) satisfying. I wanted more. I was curious about a few things with Lucrezia's sister in law, Elizabetta. What happened with her? What is Lucrezia's husband's past, and what happened with is future? I'd like to have learned more about Lucrezia too. I wonder if after what happened with Lucrezia if her mother had any regrets. Or any of her family.

And very interesting historical fiction book, with lots of positive reviews. While I liked this book, it isn't at the top of my list.

 Post written on May 28. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

The Do-Over by Lynn Painter

Kindle edition

This is a gem from the Real Simple magazine reading recommendation list sort of by mistake and I only just realized it right now! There is another book called the Do-Over by Suzanne Park. This is not that book. Oopsie!

Well - in re-reading the synopsis of the other Do-Over, it sort of sounds similar to this one, but the characters and situation is different. I'll add this other Do-Over to my reading list.

I started this Do-Over (by Lynn Painter) on May 14 and finished it a quick 2 days later on May 16. I really didn't want to put this one down.

This one is about a high-school girl, Emillie, and her bad bad Valentine's Day that, through some crack in reality and time, she gets to live over and over again. Imagine some random smattering of Parent Trap, 13 Going on 30, Groundhog Day, Freaky Friday (you get the idea) and you get this book.

Emilie is dating one of the "popular boys" at school and she is so excited for their first Valentine's Day together. She has it all planned out. You know the saying about the best laid plans... Well, her plans don't go as planned. And something happens so she can relive this day and maybe try and make it right. Except she doesn't know what "right" is. So without fear of the consequences, Emilie tries all sorts of things to make it right. But, perhaps, her thoughts on what is "right" aren't quite... right.

SPOILER ALERT: If you don't wan't to know too many details, STOP READING NOW.

So, on one of the Valentine's Days, Emilie says F#@k it and throws caution (and potential consequences) to the wind and tries something radically different. She puts on some uncharacteristically Emilie leather pants, takes her dad's Porsche (without permission), puts the pedal to the metal (and gets a ticket and the car impounded), says whatever she wants (and confronts the resident mean girls at school), breaks up with her boyfriend over the PA system at school for all to hear, walks out of her science class with her cute lab partner, and goes on to have the time of her life. Consequences be damned.

You know what they say about the best paid plans... Well, this day of consequences ends up... having consequences. Lots of them. And maybe one of them ends up in Emilie's favor.

I LOVED this book. It was heart-breaking, relatable, fun, hilarious, exciting. I highly recommend it.

 Post written on May 25. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

Total Power (Mitch Rapp Book 19) by Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills

Kindle Edition

I'm a total Mitch Rapp fan. I'm always so excited to read the next book to see what Mitch gets into next. And I'm always sad when I finish it so fast and have to wait until who knows when until the next one comes out. I'm (thankfully?) a bit behind on these and there are a few more out currently so I won't have to wait quite so long for the next one.

I started this book on May 7 and finished it on May 11.

I love these books. Some of them seem a little too real and I wonder in the back of my mind if they give bad guys too many ideas of bad things to do. Do bad guys read these books? Maybe.

This one has to do with the power grid in America and a plot to take it down. Not for a day or two. Or even a week or two. But take the whole thing down. Period. For a year or more. This bad person has the knowledge and access to do it. And he's attempting to find the highest bidder (or any bidder) to lend support / take the lead to do this.

In typical government fashion, the red tape, the bureaucracy, the ancient technology, the dispersed systems, the bickering politicians, the too-many-to-number agencies involved all lend to the chaos and inability to really do anything. This seems about right and based in reality.

Enter Mitch Rapp. He can do something. And he does something.

This is a fast read. I usually read before falling asleep, but with any of these books, instead of helping me get to sleep, they amp me up and make me want to read all night to see what happens. I notice I get anxious, my heart-rate increases, I try to read faster and faster to get to the next thing that happens in the book. But I don't care. I love these books.

  Post written on May 25. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

Just Like You: A Novel by Nick Hornby

 

Kindle Edition

Yet another book from my growing list of recommendations from Real Simple magazine. I started this book on May 1 and finished it on May 7.

Real Simple described it as a witty rom-com.

"Lucy is a 40-something white mother of two. Joseph is a 22-year old black aspiring DJ. When they meet at the London butcher shop where Joseph works, they're caught off-guard by their feelings for each other, and nearly as baffled by their awkward courtship as their wide-eyed friends and family are. [This book] is a sweet and funny testament to the wonderful things that happen when you allow yourself to follow your heart."

Yes, that does describe the book in a nutshell. However, I wasn't as enthralled and engrossed in this book as I thought I would be. The writing style seemed disjointed and rather cliché at times. The dialogue felt forced and it was difficult to tell who was saying what.

I thought this would be a fun, witty rom-com, as the Real Simple review said. It fell short and flat for me.