CJ LyonsRezensionen

I fell in love with CJ Lyons when I read Snake Skin and fell deeper in love when I read Blind Faith. This, the third book in the Caitlyn Tierney series grabbed my attention even faster than the first two, which were excellent.. I read the book in less than a day & it would have been quicker but life & work keep getting in the way! Grittier than the Lucy Guardino character, Hollow Bones is an action packed thriller that leaves you wanting more. C.J. Lyons goes back to her medical roots in this book, penning a story that is a must read! Can't wait to read the next Caitlyn Tierney book, OH that's right C.J. Lyons has gone on to other things, leaving perhaps her best character with stories yet to be told. I for one plead for another Caitlyn Tierney book.

Books are sold for $2.99 for a reason. Good idea for a plot, but I had no interest vested in any of the characters. The only reason I finished it was I wanted to see what the mystery illness was, and who the culprit was. Borrrrrring.

Kept me guessing as to who King was and was it the uncle? It's scary that this was fiction but this kind of thing happens everyday and so many kids suffer in silence. This is to me is one of the worse crimes in the world.

Happy to be done with this book. There was a lot of potential for an interesting and thrilling read. Unfortunately, that's all it had: potential. 
 
I didn't find a single character or scenario in the book remotely genuine. The writing didn't flow well at all and the author's use of strange or nonsensical metaphors and similes was distracting. 
 
Instead of having a book with a kick-ass female protagonist I wanted to see succeed, I read about an FBI agent who didn't seem to be able to figure out basic things on her own or even have the desire to learn about them. The agents and others working the case from other policing agencies never bothered to consult an actual mental health professional but, instead, seemed to rely on Lucy's husband for random bits of insight was just one of the many B.S. things that kept my eyes rolling. And I won't even discuss the ridiculousness of the bad guy or how they figured out it was him. Ugh.
 
If you do decide to give this one a go, I strongly suggest staying away from the audio book. The narrator made a bad book even worse. 
 
Others will disagree with me but I found very little worthwhile in this book. I'm giving it two stars because the idea was good.

Ella Cleary has synesthesia, a condition where the senses are scrambled. Then she meets Alec. Suddenly, her world is turned upside down when she discovers her whole life has been a lie.

In Edge of Shadows, "The Preacher" is dead and the Shadow Ops team has eliminated the immediate threat, but "The Preacher's" terror organization lives on. The head of the Shadow Ops team, Rose, is under investigation by a Congressional subcommittee regarding her actions and her second in command, Billy, is trying to stave off their efforts to have her arrested for treason.
In the meantime, a traitor still inhabits some part of their organization and must be ferreted out before that person finds ways of killing several members of the Shadow Ops team and possibly releasing a deadly toxin into the atmosphere.
This was a good ending to the Shadow Ops series. The first half of the book was very good, with several suspenseful events and a few surprises thrown in to keep the reader intrigued. Leading up to the ending, there were some slow parts, but overall, this was a very good story and ended the series with a bang.

Chase Westin is in the middle of an undercover operation in his hometown to capture the leader of a local paramilitary group with designs on overthrowing the government, when he meets his brother's girlfriend, KC. She turns out to be an undercover operative for the FBI posing as Jay's girlfriend after he witnesses the local arms trafficker committing a murder. When the two operations cross paths, Chase and KC spend most of their time not trusting the other.
I found this book frustrating. The story was well written, but there was very little action until the end of the book. Most of the middle of the book was spend on internal monologues - each character doubting the motives of the others and then randomly throwing those doubts aside. The resolution of the story was also very quick and seemed improbable.
I looked long and hard to find a paper copy of this book thinking that this was going to be the beginning of an amazing series. Now I don't know if I even want to read the rest. Overall, quite disappointing.

Much better than the first book in the series, Lost in Shadows continues to trace the actions of the Shadow Ops team as they try to uncover the conspiracy involving several terrorist organizations plotting to overthrow the government on the night of the State of the Union address.
After being tortured in Chasing Shadows, Lucky Cavanaugh has recovered and accompanies a fellow agent who believes he is taking part in a first meeting with some gun runners. Before he even realizes what is happening, Lucky is running for his life and his fellow agent is dead. When Vinnie Ryan, local Forest Service Biologist, saves him after his car crashes, their adventure in the wilderness trying to escape killers begins. Once again, Lucky is at the mercy of "The Preacher," who is the mastermind of the plot and his torturer.
This story is much improved over the first book in the series. The action is almost nonstop as the story alternates between a wilderness survival story and a geopolitical thriller involving clandestine paramilitary organizations. Overall, a very good read.

C J Lyons is the best at medical drama. This is Book 2 in the Fatal Insomnia Series. Dr. Rossi, Ryder & Devon Price are still trying to solve the mystery on who and why are people being targeted and killed for no reason. As they continue on this journey that started in book one, it seems that Dr. Rossi's illness is progressing. So many things are happening at once and every time they get a lead there is another twist in the story.

I am loving this series. I just started Book 3 where all this will be resolved one way or another. Dr. Rossi, Ryder & Devon are all going in different directions so I hope they will pull together to solve this and find a cure for Fatal Insomnia.

This book starts off with a declaration from the main character Dr Rossi stating that is dying. That got my attention right away. I am a pretty fast reader but this book took me 4 days and that frustrated me as I just wanted to keep reading. Unfortunately, I had to work so I couldn't read it as much as I wanted.

There are so many twists in this story and so many potential bad guys that when you think you know who did what another twist happens.

I really liked Ryder, Dr Rossi, Flynn and sometimes Devon. I bought this book in 2014 and just read it this year (2021). Now I have to read A Raging Dawn Book 2 and The Sleepess Starts Book 3.

Well, worth your time as CJ Lyons is a master at medical stories.

Kept me guessing as to who King was and was it the uncle? It's scary that this was fiction but this kind of thing happens everyday and so many kids suffer in silence. This is to me is one of the worse crimes in the world.

I came upon this book in an article about authors reaching success through self publishing and I can see why this book and author was a success. I wonder if there was some publishing company turning her down or if she just wanted to go her own way.

The main character is FBI agent Guardino, leading a task force working on child abductions and pedophiles. Already the first encounter with her is full with action, and snakes. Guardino is a restless person and not prone to waiting and observing, which is good because the opposite makes this book a page turner.

Also, Guardino has a family and tries hard to juggle all real and traditional responsibilities. Compared to the alcholic, single, grumpy loner police in many of the books I read this is different, but still quite a few similarities. That chasing the bad guy trumps a lot of other concerns for instance.

Blind Faith is the second C. J. Lyons book I have read and most likely the last one. The book's theme is pain. And unrealistic plots and human behaviour. And snakes. It seems Lyons has a thing for snakes.

This book has child molesters, war veterans, drug addicts, mob, millions on secret bank accounts, dirty cops and much more so it is not lack of content that makes the book weak, but rather too much of it. Like a cake with 15 layers instead of 3. More is not always better.

The blurb reads;....... 'In the distance Leah heard sirens. She ignored them. Right now, her daughter needed her and Emily was just out of reach, curled up under the bed, her eyes closed, desperately shaking. Leah did the only thing any mother would do. She crawled through the blood to get to her daughter.

Dr Leah Wright returned to her childhood home in rural Pennsylvania with her husband to find peace and quiet, start afresh and raise her six-year-old daughter Emily. But when she gets home one dark winter night, clutching roses in her hand, she finds her daughter huddled under her bed and her husband’s blood all over the floor...'

Just from that I knew this was going to be an intense book! Leah and her family have moved back to her childhood home for a new start. things seem to be going well until Leah returns home to a massacre Now her only role is to keep her daughter Emily safe.
The characters are likeable and well developed and the writing style is superb, The book races along to an exciting and startling conclusion with twists galore along the way. Thoroughly enjoyable reading and I can't wait to read book 2 in the series Thank you so much Netgalley, Bookouture and the author C J Lyons for giving me the opportunity to read a copy of The Next Widow.

I thoroughly recommend this book but before you start reading be warned nothing else will get done until you finish!!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

I liked this less and less the further I got into it. Leah's husband Ian is horrifically murdered in their home, but their daughter Emily is discovered unharmed hiding under her bed. There were chapters from Leah's perspective, which were dull and repetitive and made worse for me because I didn't really like Leah and none of her decisions made sense to me. Then there were chapters from the perspective of Jericho, the police detective, which were much more interesting and fast-moving.

All the characters seemed to be involved an a competition to have the most dysfunctional family and the identity of the baddie was pretty obvious to me, although the convoluted motivation and frankly sci-fi realm methods employed were a bit of a strain on my credulity.

Disappointing.

The book was ok, but it took me FOREVER to get through. Not quite sure why, but it didn't hold my interest like others by the same author. I could put the book down and not return for a couple days, which is not common for me.

Typical romantic suspense. Hart is a young female ER doctor with a challenging past. Drake is the detective on the abuse of prescription drugs resulting in deaths case.

Kept me guessing as to who King was and was it the uncle? It's scary that this was fiction but this kind of thing happens everyday and so many kids suffer in silence. This is to me is one of the worse crimes in the world.

Solid 3.5 stars for this book. Likable characters, strongly written protagonist, the villain(s) just a little too "mua-ha-ha" evil and unhinged for my liking but definitely a workable thriller and characters I would enjoy seeing again in other books.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked the main character, Lucy, and her struggle with the pressures of work and home. I thought that she was made out to be a bit superhuman, given the amount of injuries she sustains, and how she heads right back to work. The bad guy was creepy, and I didn't figure him out before the reveal. Looking back, I could see the foreshadowing in his scenes, but during my first read through I didn't pick up on it. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

"The Color of Lies" was an entertaining YA murder mystery. I liked how the author used synesthesia to shape how the main protagonist, Ella, viewed the world. It gave an interesting perspective to the novel. The mystery was good, although I did partially solve it before the end, but it still provided enough suspense to keep me reading.

The story was narrated by both Ella and Alec, although Ella did have the largest proportion, and even though a romance does develop between them, it isn't the highlight of the book which meant it didn't detract from the main plot, which was a nice change. Too often YA books start well but lose their appeal as they begin to focus on the romance.

I liked both Ella and Alec as protagonists, but I also adored Rory and Max, Ella's two best friends. The were wonderful secondary characters and were always there for Ella. Overall, an enjoyable read, but without the wow factor.½

Abby liked the synesthesia twist, and the suspense.

A young woman who can literally see the emotions of people around her, a family who lives with synesthesia, and a young reporter looking for answers combine to uncover truths long buried.

When Alec asks Ella questions she didn’t even know needed answered, everything she’s believed her entire life becomes suspect. What is the real story behind her parents’ deaths? And who, exactly, is Alec?

C J Lyons delivers a cast of interesting and memorable characters—from Ella and her family to her friends. And even though this story is categorized as YA (because Ella is eighteen), it never felt like I was reading in that genre.

The mystery moves the story along until the intense conclusion, and the immediate attraction (romance is pretty much non-existent until the end) and connection between Ella and Alec is palatable because it has a solid base readers will learn as the story progresses

I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

YA mysteries and thrillers are still relatively new territory for me, mainly because I still always seem to gravitate towards my safe fantasy territory. Which is why, when the opportunity to review a book like The Color of Lies presents itself, I'll happily oblige. This story in particular caught my attention because our protagonist had synesthesia. How CJ Lyons planned to incorporate that into Ella's story intrigued me, because it seemed to me that the ability to read auras would really come in handy in the event of a thriller. Ah, how right I was.

It should be noted that I don't have a lot of background knowledge of synesthesia, and I always assumed that it revolved around colors. So it was so fascinating to me to meet Ella's family members, each with their own unique way of experiencing the world. In particular, Ella's uncle Joe had the ability to taste words. How cool is that? I just kept imagining what that would be like, to be able to taste the things that you say. Absolutely fascinating, if I do say so myself.

I also really enjoyed Ella as a main character. She was enough of an adult to keep the teen angst to a minimum, but enough of sheltered child to make this whole mystery really flow. Her love for her family and friends made me fall for her pretty quickly, but her love of art really sealed the deal. Had this book only been from Ella's point of view, I think I would have been completely smitten.

Unfortunately, this is a dual POV book. I normally am not a fan of dual POV anyway, but I really felt Alec's portion took away from some of the growth that we could have seen from Ella. I'll admit, Ella does get a fair bit more time in the limelight than Alec does. However since Alec starts out the story holding all the cards, and Ella has to play catch up, it makes her seem a little weak. I knew she wasn't. CJ Lyons has written a strong character who, despite her whole life being turned upside down multiple times, pushes through. I just wanted more of that, and more of her.

As for the plot line, I'm of the opinion that it was actually pretty easy to unravel. My inkling about how the book was going to end started around the 1/3 mark, and the further the read the more I knew that I was absolutely right. I know that Lyons was trying to lay a trail of breadcrumbs. In fact, I think that some of that actually was done well. However there is a lot in the first half of the book that all but lights a neon sign pointing to what will happen at the end. As I said, I don't read a ton of mystery and I was able to unravel it. I'm not sure how die hard readers of this genre will feel.

All in all, this was a pretty solid read. The Color of Lies drew me in with its premise, and kept me reading because I fell in love with the characters. Although the plot wasn't quite as twisty as I hoped for, that didn't stop this from being a book I all but flew through. I know this will be a satisfying read for a lot of you out there, and so I'll happily recommend you adding it to your reading list.

I am a fan of this author's. My first introduction to Mrs. Lyons was to her medical thriller series, Angels of Mercy. Which I enjoyed that series. This newest book from this author was one that sounded interesting and one that I had to check out.

I did like this book. Although, I will say that I do feel like it is a book that may be enjoyed by the younger adult audience. Not to say that I was not a fan of this book but I just felt like the characters were in that borderline area of teen to almost an adult.

Ella's special ability was cool. Yet, it was not showcased enough. The story seemed to be more focused on her parents murder then Ella's ability. I would have lied to have had more details and seen Ella use it more. Of course, there is romance between Ella and Alec. Their relationship is fine, not a bunch of sparks flying but at least it did not take over the main storyline.

The Color of Lies by CJ Lyons is an intriguing exploration of the world of a family of synesthetes, and one young woman in particular. Ella Cleary, like most of her family on her mother's side, has a form of synesthesia. This is a unique condition where two or more of the senses become cross-wired. It manifests differently for each of them. Ella picks up emotion as colour. When Alec Ravanell approaches Ella for help with a project, she encounters a person not affected by her particular gift. Without seeing his colours, she feels like she's trying to parse a foreign language.

Alec does need Ella's help, but not in the way she thinks. He doesn't need a graphic designer, but an interview with Ella herself regarding her parents’ deaths. But what she's been told was an accident, he's calling murder. It throws her world into turmoil. Which story is correct? And why can't she sense Alec? Adding to her inner conflict is worry over being unable to sense him, and wanting to be around him because it's what she imagines being normal is like.

I really enjoyed this read! The mystery part was exciting, but what fascinated me most was the exploration of synesthesia, and how people would function differently given their unique manifestation of it. Like, I don't think I'd mind Ella's, but Gram Helen's? Nope. I could sympathise with her need to shutter herself away with safe sounds. I'm sound sensitive, and have misophonia. For me certain sounds are instantly maddening. At its worst, all sounds trigger stress, so I often need to hide away with safe sounds myself. Can't say I'd want Joe's version either! I feel the author researched this in-depth, or she knows several synesthetes.

The writing drew me in and kept me reading. Chapters sometimes switched perspectives, but each chapter is prefaced with the name of the person it follows, so no confusion there! I loved the two main characters. I so grokked Ella being torn between family expectations for college, and following her dream. I remember going through that… I loved how awkward Ella and Alec are around one another at first. Too adorable. Not only did I enjoy reading about Ella's interactions with her world, but I wanted to know all about the mystery as well. A highly recommended read!

***Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. This book was reviewed for the the Fantastic Flying Book Club.