Ashley Boulais

2008 was a good year. The year I felt the most beautiful in all my life.  The year I read Harry Potter for the first time and wore skirts and lived in the Taij and rode my bike to class.  The year I studied film and listened to classical music and monastic chants just because.  The year I worked at camp and spritzed myself with the perfume in the pink bottle that smelled SO GOOD.  The year I flirted with a cute boy via text and went to Hawaii and told my crush I loved him... (so maybe 2008 wasn't totally perfect, but for those occasions I had Taylor Swift and "Almost Lover" to play on repeat.)  I felt like a free spirit, excited for life.   I felt adventurous, joyful, flirty, fun, and confident.  Gosh,  it was a wonderful feeling.  I want to feel that way again. Today I have 3 beautiful sons and a doting husband who tells me every day how much he loves me and how beautiful I am.  No need for Taylor Swift here. But I am 100 lbs o...

Written by internationally acclaimed author Stuart Neville under the pseudonym Haylen Beck, Here and Gone is a mystery, a thriller, and will keep you turning pages long after you say, "just one more chapter." In a nightmare situation, a mother fleeing her abusive husband is pulled over for a routine traffic stop, framed for possession, and her kids are kidnapped by the people meant to protect them. In the remaining chapters we meet many different characters- some good, some bad, as we follow Audra in her attempt to pursue justice and reunite with her children. I found Neville's writing style engaging and detailed without being overly wordy. The story is realistic but heartbreaking because trafficking is a real issue.The ending was mostly satisfying but still left me with questions that I wish had been resolved. I would recommend this book if you're looking for something suspenseful to add to your reading list. I received a complimentary copy of this book from ...