Tips for Tuesday - Books: The Favorites & Cross My Heart; Movie: Faultline

We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any books, products, and/or any other visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Books: The Favorites & Cross My Heart

Today we are recommending The Favorites by Layne Fargo. Childhood sweethearts and ice dance partners, Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha overcame tragic childhoods to ascend to the highest echelons of competitive skating determined to make it the top. When a tragic incident at the Olympics tears them apart, Katarina has to chart a new path forward without him by her side. Ten years later a new documentary offers friends and rivals commenting on the pair's story prompting Katarina to share her own story in her own way.

While the star-crossed love story at the center of this book is appealing enough, it has the added bonus of its exciting setting in the elite figure skating world. You don't have to like or even care about the sport to enjoy the book, but if you are a skating fan that will certainly add to your enjoyment. The book provides a fascinating insider-like view of the sometimes cutthroat world of high-level athletic competition without sacrificing either plot or character development

The characters are well-drawn, neither all good nor all bad but rather with interesting shades to their personalities. Their actions may not always be agreeable but make sense in terms of story.  The plot is exciting, unpredictable, fast-paced, and emotion-stirring. It's a delightfully engaging book.

Today we are recommending Cross My Heart by Megan Collins. Transplant recipient, Rosie Lachlan becomes convinced that she is meant to be with the famous author who is the widower of her heart donor. This book is extremely unique and fascinating. It is also very informative about what it is like to be a transplant recipient without being too cut and dried or skimping on the exciting parts of the story. It is engagingly unpredictable with exciting twists that leave the reader not knowing what to believe from one moment to the next. The only major flaw is that for a smart girl, the main character can be horror movie-level stupid sometimes making decisions that make absolutely no sense and cause the reader to wish they could shake some sense into her. However, all in all, it's an agreeable and satisfying read.

Movie: Faultline

Today we are recommending Faultline. When lawyer Paige returns to her hometown to handle a corporate merger and reconnects with her estranged sister, they discover that the death of their mother in an alleged murder/suicide may not be all that it seems. Although the basic plot of this story is not necessarily that unique as there have been many variations of similar tales, the story and characters are compelling enough to hold interest and the story moves along at a decent pace and is not overly long.

Faultline is now available digitally for purchase or rental.

And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.

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