Saturdays at the Café

Saturdays at the Café is the a weekly feature hosted here to talk about and discuss the books I’ve discovered during the past week, added to my shelf and am excited about reading. They may be new/scheduled releases I’ve seen on NetGalley, at the library, or from publishers or they may be older titles my friends have reviewed and shared on Goodreads or blogs.

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Barry Sutton is driving home from another long shift as an NYPD detective when the call comes in. A woman’s threatening to commit suicide, and someone’s got to try to talk her down. Only as he stands on the rooftop, mere inches away from her, does he realize that the woman is infected with False Memory Syndrome, a mysterious disease that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. When Barry is unable to save her, he’s rocked to his core–not only by her death, but the fear that he’s been exposed to this devastating illness.

Helena Smith is a brilliant but frustrated neuroscientist. If she could only get the funding, she’s sure she could build the ambitious device she’s long imagined–one that would allow people to preserve their most intense memories, and relive them whenever they want. So when a billionaire entrepreneur offers to bankroll her project, she jumps at the opportunity–even if there are some strange conditions attached.

As Helena’s efforts yield stunning results, Barry investigates the mystery behind the woman he failed to save. He finds himself on a journey as astonishing as it is terrifying, ultimately revealing the true danger posed by Helena’s invention–and a plot that could bring about the end of reality as we know it.

Weaving together Barry’s story and Helena’s in ways even the savviest reader will never guess, Recurson is a brilliant science-fiction thriller about time, memory, and the illusion of the present, built on our inability to escape the flashbulb moments that define us.

Carol @ Bookaria put this upcoming book on my radar. I loved Dark Matter so I’m all in on this one. Netflix has already landed the rights to the book and signed on Shonda Rimes & Matt Reeves to develop it for film and a TV series. Why wouldn’t I add this?

 

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For as long as he can remember, Rawley Cooper has loved Faith Leigh. But the cruelty of his childhood haunts him and he knows he’s undeserving of Faith. When she comes to him on the night of her nineteenth birthday, they both give into temptation. But the searing kiss reaffirms what he’s always known: he can’t have a lifetime of her in his arms. To protect his heart, he packs his things and heads west.
Faith has always adored the boy her parents took in and raised. But she’s not certain she can ever forgive him for riding out of her life just when she needed him the most. When an urgent telegram forces him to return six years later, Rawley discovers Faith is now a woman to be reckoned with.
As old feelings are stirred back to life and new passions take hold, they both must confront secrets from their past or risk losing a legacy of love.

I read the books in this series years ago, my first historical romance with an American setting, and fell in love with the characters and the author’s writing. I had NO idea this was coming and I cannot wait to read this book. I subscribe to the author’s newsletter and squealed when I read it was released! In the library queue.

 

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These are the chilling words left behind by a man who had everything to live for—but took his own life. In the aftermath, his widow, Jane Hawk, does what all her grief, fear, and fury demand: find the truth, no matter what.

People of talent and accomplishment, people admired and happy and sound of mind, have been committing suicide in surprising numbers. When Jane seeks to learn why, she becomes the most-wanted fugitive in America. Her powerful enemies are protecting a secret so important—so terrifying—that they will exterminate anyone in their way.

But all their power and viciousness may not be enough to stop a woman as clever as they are cold-blooded, as relentless as they are ruthless—and who is driven by a righteous rage they can never comprehend. Because it is born of love.

Marialyce @ yayareads reviewed this and I was surprised the series had gotten by me. I’m a big fan of Koontz’s early stuff and, based on Marialyce’s review, this sounds like those stories of old. Even better? My library has the series.

 

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After a whirlwind romance, a man with a painful past learns to trust the musician who makes him believe in happy endings.

Matt Argento knows what it feels like to be alone. After a childhood of abandonment, he never imagined someone might love him—much less someone like Rhys Nyland, who has the voice of an angel, the looks of a god, and the worship of his fans.

Matt and Rhys come from different worlds, but when they meet, their chemistry is incendiary. Their romance is unexpected, intense, and forever—at least, that’s what their vows promise. Suddenly, Matt finds himself living a life he never thought possible: safe and secure in the arms of a man who feels like home. But when Rhys leaves to go on tour for his new album, Matt finds himself haunted by the ghosts of his past.

When Rhys returns, he finds Matt twisted by doubt. But Rhys loves Matt fiercely, and he’ll go to hell and back to triumph over Matt’s fears. After secrets are revealed and desires are confessed, Rhys and Matt must learn to trust each other if they’re going to make it. That means they have to fall in love all over again—and this time, it really will be forever.

I have the first book for audio review and added this one, too, with the intention of listening to them back to back (I’m such a series woman).

 

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Her son accidentally killed a man.
They cover it up.
Nothing goes according to plan.

Seventeen-year-old Joshua Jackson is the son of divorced parents. His life in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is nothing out of the ordinary. Until the night that he accidentally kills someone with his car–and pretends that nothing ever happened…

But there was a witness who has left a loose end at the scene of the crime, and when Joshua goes back to clean up, his car is stolen–with the dead body in the trunk. With nowhere to turn, he tells his mother everything. When she reluctantly agrees to help him, they’ll both become ensnared in a series of events that will trap him and his family in a web of criminality and deceit.

Nothing is safe from harm, and with every decision they’re forced to make, Joshua and his family are pulled further away from the normal Midwestern life they’ve always known.

The night hides a multitude of sins and sinners–ones that they’ll never see coming…

I got this for audio review after reading this synopsis. This is a new-to-me author so I’m excited.

Short list this week as I was out of town and haven’t had a chance to visit the blogging community since Monday.  Next week should be huge!

 

What books did YOU add to your shelves this week?