Month: October 2019

Book Review: A Spell of Murder, by Kennedy Kerr

a spell of murder
Image belongsto Bookouture.

Title:  A Spell of Murder
Author:   Kennedy Kerr
Genre:  Mystery, fantasy
Rating:  4.0

Love’s Curiosities Inc. is a small shop full of odds and ends and curiosities that most people overlook. Temerity Love and her sister Tilda grew up there and now own it. Things have changed a bit since their parents owned the shop but magic still happens there. Tilda is a witch and Temerity is renowned for her ability to touch objects and see where they came from.

When a local schoolteacher is murdered by a poisoned cup of tea, an antique hand mirror is found nearby, and the local investigator asks for Temerity’s help finding the murder. Too bad his new protegee, grumpy out-of-towner Angus isn’t so open-minded. As Temerity starts asking questions, she’s determined to find out who killed the schoolteacher—with or without the help of the townspeople.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery mixed with magic! The characters are unique and quirky, and the town was vibrantly alive, filled with a sense of history and stories lurking around every corner. The writing is solid, and I just sort of settled into this novel and enjoyed it.

Kennedy Kerr is an author with a love of all things Scottish. A Spell of Murder, the first book in the Lost Maidens Loch Mysteries, is her new novel.

(Galley courtesy of Bookouture via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #42

This week, I’ve done no writing. Nada. Zero. Zilch. And I’m actually okay with that. With everything going on this week, I would have just been forcing words, and that wouldn’t have been a good thing.

So, here’s hoping this next week will be a better writing week. And…I’m planning to write and schedule five book reviews today, so there’s that…

Book Review: Whispers of Shadow & Flame, by L. Penelope

whispers of shadow & flame
Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  Whispers of Shadow & Flame
Author:   L. Penelope
Genre:  Fantasy
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

The mantle separates the kingdoms of Elsira and Lagrimar, fostering the divide between their peoples and strengthening the inequalities. But now the Mantle is on the verge of falling—meaning sweeping changes for both lands.

Kyara has deadly magic that she can’t control. She was forced to become an assassin but searches desperately for a way to escape her bondage. Her task is capturing the legendary Shadowfox, but when she learns his true identity, she knows she can’t bring him to her master.

Darvyn is the most powerful Earthsinger in generations, but he’s not infallible. He hasn’t saved everyone, and he lives with that guilt every day. When he meets Kyara, he knows he shouldn’t trust her, but he’s drawn to her anyway—and the answers she holds to his past. Soon they learn that there is much more at stake than their own futures—and they must work together if they are to save both kingdoms.

Whispers of Shadows & Flame was compelling from the first page—although it doesn’t continue right where the first book left off, instead turning to different characters. The cultures are so rich and detailed, that I had no trouble picturing everything going on. I love this story and this world!

Penelope is an award-winning author. Whispers of Shadow & Flame is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #41

This was a solid writing week. Still adjusting to the new schedule. I got in four writing days, three pages each.

I planned on writing Friday, but…

…the temperature dropped 50 degrees from Thursday afternoon (95 to 44, y’all. Welcome to Texas.), and it was raining Friday morning, plus I was off Friday (getting ready for a work trip), and I just wasn’t feeling it. So I gave myself permission to take the day off from writing.

And I’m okay with that.

Book Review: Trinity Sight, by Jennifer Givhan

trinity sight
Image belongs to Blackstone Publishing.

Title:  Trinity Sight
Author:    Jennifer Givhan
Genre:  Fantasy, dystopian
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

Pregnant with twins, anthropologist Calliope Santiago is driving when an earthquake happens, driving her car off the road. When she wakes up, she’s surrounded by abandoned cars, but no people. At home, she finds her family gone, but her six-year-old neighbor, Eunjoo, is there. With the city in flames, Calliope and Eunjoo set out for Calliope’s aunt’s home, where she knows she’ll find her family.

Instead of her family, Calliope finds Zuni myth and legend come to life. As she struggles to overcome her disbelief—she’s a scientist, so this can’t be really happening—she knows she must get to safety before she delivers her babies, but is safety anywhere to be found in this strange new/old land?

Trinity Sight is an odd book. Odd, but…compelling. I enjoyed seeing such a different and vibrant dystopian tale. I’m not sure I’ve read much connected with Zuni legend, so I found it fascinating. Calliope wasn’t the most likable character:  she’s stubborn to a fault but gives up on her husband pretty quickly, but I still enjoyed her story and the setting was captivating.

Jennifer Givhan is an author and a poet. Trinity Sight is her new novel.

(Galley courtesy of Blackstone Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: One Night Gone, by Tara Laskowski

one night gone
Image belongs to Harlequin/Graydon House.

Title:  One Night Gone
Author:    Tara Laskowski
Genre:  Thriller
Rating:  4 out of 5

When Maureen Haddaway arrives in Opal Beach, she’s a Summer Girl:  working at the carnival that sets up at the beach town during the tourist season. She makes her first real friends and decides that her destiny—and her future—is in the seaside town. But some of the people Maureen has met are hiding things, and before the summer is over, Maureen disappears.

Years later, Allison Simpson arrives in Opal Beach to housesit in the off-season as she recovers from a very messy—and very public—divorce. Soon she finds herself drawn into the details of Maureen’s disappearance thirty years before. But Opal Beach still hides secrets, and Maureen’s fate isn’t even the most surprising one.

The setting in One Night Gone is such an integral part of this novel! The beach in the winter is something I have no desire to experience and reading this novel did not change that perception at all. I enjoyed reading the dual perspectives as Maureen’s and Allison’s stories unfolded, and the intricate connections in them kept me reading a little too late at night. I definitely recommend this read!

Tara Laskowski is an award-winning author. One Night Gone is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Graydon House via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Seeking Him, by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth; Tim Grissom

seeking him
Image belongs to Moody Publishers.

Title:  Seeking Him
Author:    Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth; Tim Grissom
Genre:  Christian
Rating:  4 out of 5

Revival isn’t just about church. Sure, it can take place in church, but it can also take place in your heart, life, and spirit. It can change marriages, friendships, families. This 12-week, interactive study guide gets to the heart and soul of matters. Using real-life examples and stories, the authors encourage readers to examine their own lives and seek God in all areas.

Seeking Him has been newly updated by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth and Tim Grissom.

(Galley courtesy of Moody Publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #40

I started my new work schedule—sort of—this week, so I was able to get in five writing sessions (last Monday was still the old 6-to-6 schedule, so writing was out). Fifteen pages of fiction this week!

I also did some outlining in the current WIP, the King Arthur story; as well as in my tentative idea for NaNo (creating six characters and outlining five scenes). I’m super happy with the week!

Book Review: The Speed of Falling Objects, by Nancy Richardson Fischer

the speed of falling objects
Image belongs to Inkyard Press/Harlequin Press.

Title:  The Speed of Falling Objects
Author:    Nancy Richardson Fischer
Genre:  YA
Rating:  5 out of 5

Danger “Danny” Warren is nothing like her father, a popular survivalist TV star…but she used to be. And she wants to be again. Danny lost her eye in a childhood accident and had to re-learn how to move and relate to spatial relationships. Danny knows that if she’d just been enough, she’d have a relationship with her father now.

So when her dad calls with an offer to join him on the set of his next adventure in the Amazon, Danny is all for it. She’ll get to prove to her dad that she’s still the adventure-seeking girl she was—and getting to hang out with the hottest teen actor on the globe isn’t a bad thing, either. Until their plane crashes in the rainforest and Danny finds out a horrible secret about her father—while fighting to stay alive and find safety.

I enjoyed this book so much! Danny’s feeling of never being enough is something I think we can all relate to, so that made this book completely relatable. Her larger-than-life father is kind of a jerk, but Danny loves him anyway, although finding out who he really is was a tough experience. A movie star crush, a rainforest adventure, a strong female main character—this book had it all!

Nancy Richardson Fischer used to write sports biographs, but now she plans fun adventures and writes. The Speed of Falling Objects is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Teen/Inkyard Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

The Best Books I Read in September (2019)

I read 21 books in September, for a total of 165 books so far this year.

Sadly, most of them were just “good,” not “great.”

Here are the top 3.

today we go home

Today We Go Home, Kelli Estes. This two-stories-in-one tale is about Larkin, still struggling to cope with what happened in Afghanistan, and Emily, who disguised herself as a man to fight for the Union in the Civil War. An excellent historical!

the wendy

The Wendy, by Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown. This re-telling of Peter Pan was fantastic! Loved all of it, and can’t wait for the next book in the series (out next week).

sword and pen

Sword and Pen, by Rachel Caine. The final book in The Great Library series wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped, but it was still excellent. I’m sad to see these characters go.