ebookreview | Entries tagged with author: james patterson

Title: Diana, William, and Harry: The Heartbreaking Story of a Princess and Mother

Author: James Patterson, Chris Mooney

Genre: Genre: Nonfiction, Genre: Nonfiction: British Royals, Genre: Nonfiction: Biography, Genre: Nonfiction: History

Status: Finished

Rating: .5/5

Sypnosis: Instant New York Times Bestseller!

“She was the best mother in the world,” said Princes William and Harry at Diana’s 10-year memorial. “Entertaining and persuasive,” (Publishers Weekly) this is the first big book about the private Diana, the mother of two princes.

“Royal fans will devour this well-paced biography that gives new insight into the House of Windsor. You’ll tear through it by sundown and walk away thinking about the Princess of Wales and her two sons with new perspective .” –Men’s Journal

From the moments William and Harry are born into the House of Windsor, they become their young mother’s whole world.

I’ve got two very healthy, strong boys. I realize how incredibly lucky I am, Diana reminds herself every morning. But even the Princess of Wales questions, Am I a good mother?

Diana’s faced with a seemingly impossible challenge: one son destined to be King of England and another determined to find his own way. She teaches them to honor royal tradition, even while daring to break it.

“Sometimes I’d like a time machine…” Diana says as William and Harry grow up, never imagining they’d have less than a lifetime together. Even after she’s gone, her sons follow their mother’s lead—and her heart. As the years pass and William and Harry grow into adulthood and form families of their own, they carry on Diana’s name, her likeness, and her incomparable spirit.

“James Patterson applies his writerly skills to real-life history with novelistic style” (People) in this deeply personal and revealing biography of the world’s most storied family, from the world’s #1 bestselling author.

Review: I was excited to see this book coming out. I could not wait to get my hands on it. I had been a fan of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, ever since she married Prince Charles in July of 1981. I have a large collection of her books that date back to that day and I was thrilled to add this one to my growing collection.

This book was a disappointment. The present tense used just seemed to not work with this one. The story felt choppy and there were a few errors here and there. Normally, I would have looked away from this but this book contained really nothing more than fictional conversation and regurgitated information that you could find in other biography novels on the late Princess.

The author did not seem to do any sort of research. Rather, he decided to just throw all this together in a bowl, mix it, and call it a book.

Honestly, if you want to read a book about the late Princess of Wales, I recommend Diana: Her True Story (both versions) of it. Trust me, you will enjoy it better than this mess. :/

Current Mood: annoyed
Current Location: Aboveground
Current Music: Smell of Desire .:. Enigma

katara

Title: The First Lady
Author: James Patterson, Brendan DuBois
Format: Epub
Rating: 3.74/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: February 17, 2019 to February 19, 2019
Book Summary: "Sir, the First Lady ... has gone rogue."

President Tucker is caught up in a media firestorm. The scandal of his affair has sent shockwaves through his re-election campaign, and threatens to derail everything he has worked for. To win the vote, he needs the First Lady to stand by his side.

But Grace Tucker has a mind of her own.

After years of compromise, unfulfilled promises, deception and betrayal, Grace refuses to give in to her husband's demands. Escaping the city and her Secret Service agents, she is officially off the radar.

But did the First Lady run away? Or is she in far greater danger than anyone could have imagined?
Book Review: I have always loved James Patterson's book and I always keep an eye out for that one book of his that will catch my interest. In the past, I have enjoyed his books on King Tut, a president missing, and his non-fiction book on former NFL player, Aaron Hernandez.

So when I saw this one I thought this really sounded great and picked it up to read.

Harrison Tucker is running for re-election of Florida Man. While on the campaign trailer, he finds himself in a situation that he had hoped would never come - caught by the press leaving a hotel with his mistress beside him. He knows he has to quickly do damage control before his wife finds out. Unfortunately for him, the news has always hit the White House and his wife, Grace, has already heard. Hurt and upset by her husband's infidelity, Grace decides to leave.

For Secret Service Agent Sally Grissom, this news is troubling but nothing she cannot take on. Heading up the Presidential Protective Detail, she will have to keep the POTUS safe while he tries desperately to try to patch up his reputation with the voters. But something happens causing a senior member of the First Lady’s detail calls saying that the First Lady has disappeared, slipping past those whom have sworn to guard her. Grissom rushes to the scene with the high hopes that the First Lady is simply trying to exert some freedom as she wrestles with the knowledge of her husband's cheating but that isn't the case. A note from the First Lady sends the agent in another direction and forces her to wonder whether this disappearance was not willing but orchestrated by someone else.

Let me start by saying this book was really hard to put down. I really had a hard time doing so. I even took my kindle with me to work so I could read this during my break. The ony downside to this book is I had already figured out whom it was behind Grace's disappearances before even the end. Don't know why but said character seemed to be the obvious villain behind it all. Still it was a wonderful read and I am glad I picked this one up.

Current Mood: sore
Current Location: The Underworld

katara

Title: The President Is Missing
Author: Bill Clinton, James Patterson
Format: Epub
Rating: 4.5/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: June 5, 2018 to June 8, 2018
Book Summary: President Bill Clinton and bestselling novelist James Patterson have written a spellbinding thriller, The President is Missing.

As the novel opens, a threat looms. Enemies are planning an attack of unprecedented scale on America. Uncertainty and fear grip Washington. There are whispers of cyberterror and espionage and a traitor in the cabinet. The President himself becomes a suspect, and then goes missing...

Set in real time, over the course of three days, The President Is Missing is one of the most dramatic thrillers in decades. And it could all really happen. The President Is Missing is Bill Clinton and James Patterson's totally authentic and spellbinding thriller.
Book Review: Wow.

Just wow.

I have always loved James Patterson's books. I tend to devour them in a short span of a few days. This one was really no different. I absolutely found myself unable to put it down. Unfortunately there are moments when you have no choice for sleep, eating, and running errands.

In this team-up collaboration, Bill Clinton and James Patterson offer a thrilling and suspenseful ride into the Oval Office. Here we find the Florida Man under a cloud of suspicion where there is belief that he has made a pact with a well-known terrorist. His constitutes are out to impeach him believing him guilty. There is an uncertainty and fear within the American public. Sprinkle in cyberterrorism and a missing president and you have one hell of a thrill ride til the very last pages.

Although I really enjoyed this book immensely, there was a lot of backstory that I had to trudge through. I know backstories are great for establishing a character but too much makes the story a bit laggy and unfortunately, it lagged a bit in the beginning.

But I suppose without a backstory to establish a character, the character would be one dimensional.

Still this story is really worth a read and it will keep you turning the page until the very end of the page.

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Location: Aboveground

katara

Title: All-American Murder: The Rise and Fall of Aaron Hernandez, the Superstar Whose Life Ended on Murderers' Row
Author: James Patterson, Alex Abramovich, Mike Harvkey
Format: Epub
Rating: 4.50/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: February 13, 2018 to February 14, 2018
Book Summary: Everyone thought they knew Aaron Hernandez. He was an NFL star who made the game of football look easy. Until he became the prime suspect in a gruesome murder. But who was Aaron Hernandez, really?

Rich with in-depth, on-the-ground investigative reporting that gives readers a front row seat to Hernandez's tumultuous downward spiral, THE PATRIOT will reveal the unvarnished truth behind the troubled star, with first-person accounts and untold stories--from his hometown of Bristol, CT to his college days in Gainesville, FL to the Patriots' NFL locker room where he ascended to stardom, to the prison where Hernandez spent his final days. Packed with the shocking details of a true crime masterpiece and the pacing of a suspenseful thriller, THE PATRIOT answers the questions that everyone is asking about Aaron Hernandez.
Book Review: Aaron Hernandez could have had it all. He was one of the most paid NFL tight ends. He had a job with the New England Patriots. And a little girl who would have loved growing up having her dad guide her through life and be able to attend every game he played.

Aaron's life was anything but happy. His father died early in his life and his mother married a man with whom she was having an affair with. Aaron had a bright future in football. He had been looking forward to attending UConn with his brother but all that would change when he turned his eyes toward attending Florida to become a gator. There he would learn that Gator players tended to get away with anything and saw that as an advantage.

When Aaron is drafted by the New England Patriots, things seem to escalate with him. He now has money to burn and drugs (and guns to buy).

All that would end one day when Aaron becomes accused of murdering Odin Lloyd, a young man who played football with the Boston Bandits and worked for a living.

Aaron's trial would be the trial of the century that would end with a guilty verdict and lifetime look in prison.

My thoughts

This book was hard to put down that I ended up devouring it within an entire evening. The story of Aaron Hernandez is tragic. Here was a young man who had a promising career in football and ended up throwing it all away. This book paints Aaron as a tragic figure meant to garner sympathy for his choices in life. I felt sorry for him but only for his choices. He had a chance to change himself when he got into the NFL and he chose to continue with his lifestyle even after becoming a father. This told me he did not care one whit of what he was doing nor did he care any for the life's he was snuffing out. The only thing is, I am sure, is that he felt sorry that he was snitched on.

I am not a fan of the New England Patriots nor was I a fan of Aaron Hernandez. I was curious what led this young man down this path and I can see that most of it came from his family. I am just sad that his family did not do enough to reach out to this kid during the early stages of his life. Perhaps if they had, maybe things would be different? There really is no telling how this story would have changed. Maybe he would still be playing football and enjoying the rewards that came with it.

This book is something one should go into with an open mind regardless of what your feelings are for both the team and the player. This book will pull you in until the last page is turned and leave you feeling that either sorry for Aaron or believing him guilty.

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: Underworld