Month: February 2020

Blog Tour and Book Review: An Everyday Hero, by Laura Trentham

an everyday hero
Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  An Everyday Hero
Author: Laura Trentham
Genre:  Fiction
Rating:  4 out of 5

Greer Hadley’s dreams of being a songwriter in Nashville crashed and burned, sending her back home to Madison, Tennessee. Like living with her parents isn’t bad enough, a spectacularly bad decision—and a drink or two too many—leave her doing community service at a nonprofit organization that helps veterans and their families. She can’t even bring herself to perform anymore—how is she going to help anyone else?

Then Greer meets fifteen-year-old Ally who’s new to town and recently lost her father, and Greer finds herself drawn to the bitter, sarcastic girl. Greer also ends up assigned to Emmett Lawson, a high school hero who came home from the front lines wounded and needing no one. After he tries to run her off with a shotgun, Greer is even more determined to help Emmett realize he needs to let people in—especially when Ally is in crisis and it will take both of them to see her safely through.

An Everyday Hero takes three characters who have been broken down by life and builds them back up through each other. They’ve all hit rock bottom and can’t see any way up—Emmett doesn’t even want to go up—but manage to find their way back to the light. Trust plays a big part in the novel, particularly learning to trust people with the truths of your scars and wounds, and I found this an enjoyable read.

Laura Trentham was born and Raised in Tennessee but now lives in South Carolina. An Everyday Hero is her newest novel.

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

The Best Books I Read in January (2020)

I read 20 books in January. There were five or six more that I started and DNF because I just couldn’t get into them, but three books I read were excellent.

the little bookshop

The Little Bookshop on the Seine, by Rebecca Raisin. This was an enchanting read—and I now have the author’s other books ready and waiting on my Kindle. I loved both the bookshops in the novel, and thoroughly enjoyed every page.

everywhere holy

Everywhere Holy, by Kara Lawler. This isn’t a book about fancy, sweeping things, but about savoring the simple things, the small things. I don’t have kids or live in the country, but loved reading about the author’s experiences.

i've seen the end of you

I’ve Seen the End of You, by W. Lee Warren, MD. This was probably the most unexpected thing I read in January. It’s written by a neurosurgeon who wrestles with his faith:  how does he give his patients hope when he, a man of science, has seen what’s in store for them with an incurable disease (neuroblastoma)? Nonfiction is hit or miss for me, but the voice and the stories in this one made it un-put-down-able.

Book Review: Off Script, by Kate Watson

Off Script
Image belongs to North Star Editions/Flux.

Title:  Off Script
Author:  Kate Watson
Genre:  Fiction
Rating:  4 out of 5

Emma Crawford is a teen starlet home for the summer. She’s preparing for the role of a lifetime, playing matchmaker to her friends, and trying to keep her brother—also a star—out of trouble. Emma’s new assistant, Brittany, is her current project. She’s determined to groom Brittany for a future as a star—that’s what Brittany wants, right?

Liam is the only one brave enough to call Emma out. He’s a soccer star and brother to Emma’s former best friend, and Emma isn’t used to people who dare to criticize her. But as Emma finds out things in Hollywood that have always been hidden, she’ll need Liam’s honesty to help her make sense of this new world.

Off Script is an easy, fun read. It’s a re-telling of Emma, by Jane Austen, but it’s been so long since I’ve read it that the comparison is lost on me. The book is about Hollywood stars, so there’s a large amount of self-centeredness and self-absorption, but Emma is likable enough to counteract her ego (usually). Liam is sweet and funny, but none of the characters really grabbed me.

Kate Watson was born in Canada and now lives in Arizona. Off Script is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of North Star Editions/Flux in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #57

This week was a much better writing week! I got in all four planned fiction-writing sessions, and I wrote a handful of book reviews, too. Happy for the improvement!

What I Read In January (2020)

Books Read in January: 20

Books Read for the Year: 20/200

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

I changed it up a bit this year. Instead of reading one book in each of my five categories (spiritual, classic, nonfiction, cultural, TBR), I’m still reading five books…but one classical, one spiritual, and three from my TBR, which has gotten completely out of control.

Keep It Shut, by Karen Ehman (spiritual). This was a good read, full of solid suggestions.

The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame (classic). Eh. Toad was annoying enough to kind of ruin the whole thing for me.

Nine Perfect Strangers, by Liane Moriarity (TBR). I really wasn’t impressed with this at all. I had high hopes, but it was very slow.

A Conspiracy in Belgravia, by Sherry Thomas (TBR). I thoroughly enjoyed this! Charlotte and her multiple chins…

All That’s Bright and Strange, by James Market (TBR). This was quite odd.

For Review:

jan anonymous

Jane Anonymous, by Laurie Faria Stolarz. This was a…I don’t know, sad, hard, inspiring, difficult, take your pick of adjectives…read. Jane has a normal teenage life until she is kidnapped by a stranger and held captive for seven months before she manages to escape. She makes friends with a fellow prisoner, and his support is what helps her make it through.  But going back to her old life is not so simple.

the night country

The Night Country, by Melissa Albert. Dark fairy tales are back in this excellent follow-up to The Hazel Wood. I think I liked it better than the first one!

the little bookshop

The Little Bookshop on the Seine, by Rebecca Raisin. I loved this book! I loved both bookshops, and, although Paris isn’t really on my list of places, I really enjoyed Sarah’s adventures there. Even better that this is not really a romance, but a story of a woman coming into her own.

westering women

Westering Women, by Sandra Dallas. I loved the idea of an all-women wagon train headed west, but the actual execution didn’t live up to my expectation. The writing felt rushed and abrupt in places.

a beginning at the end

A Beginning at the End, by Mike Chen. This was not your typical dystopian novel. It pretty much avoided telling about what exactly happened to kill off most of the world’s population, and instead focused on a detailed look at a handful of characters a few years later, as they struggled with their own problems in a world turned on its head.

i've seen the end of you

I’ve Seen the End of You, by W. Lee Warren, MD. This was an incredible read! Nonfiction, written by a brain surgeon who thinks he knows how each of his patients will fare, which causes him to struggle with his own faith—until he experiences an unfathomable personal tragedy.

everywhere holy

Everywhere Holy, by Kara Lawler. I enjoyed this so much!

THE VANISHED BIRDS

The Vanished Birds, by Simon Jiminez. I’m…a little mad I finished this, because I feel like it was a waste of my time. The writing is great, but the story just wasn’t for me.

big lies in a small town

Big Lies in a Small Town, by Diane Chamberlain. This started off a little slow, but eventually the dual timelines both had me intrigued.

don't read the comments

Don’t Read the Comments, by Eric Smith. Although about a serious subject—cyber-bullying and sexual harassment—the tone was light and made the entire book quick to read.

the prized girl

The Prized Girl, by Amy K. Green. I realized when I finished this that I really didn’t like any of the characters.

echoes between us

Echoes Between Us, by Katie McGarry. I thoroughly enjoyed this! Flawed characters, and the MC’s quirks made me want to hang out with her—and her friends.

Off Script, by Kate Watson (review forthcoming). I’m still a little undecided about this. It was a fun read, but the self-absorbed characters almost did me in.

Highfire, by Eoin Colfer (review forthcoming). This was such a unique take on dragons and their mythology! I really enjoyed it and the tone/voice of the entire book

Everyday Hero, by Laura Trentham (review forthcoming). Redemption and renewal are the focus of this book. I loved snarky Greer, and Emmett was an amazing character!

Left Unfinished:

Lean on Me, by Pat Simmons. I loved the cover! But…the characters felt so cliched —like caricatures—I just could not make myself care.

The Companion, by Kim Taylor Blakemore. Dark, depressing, and all the characters were unlikable.

Zed, by Joanna Kaavenna. I couldn’t get all the cutesy tech/app/AI names straight, and the POV was too distant for me.

Dark Mother Earth, by Kristian Novak. This might have been a really good book—I loved the premise—but the MC started out as someone who just sat around and felt sorry for himself, and I just wasn’t in the right mindset for that.

Followers, by Megan Angelo. Definitely a case of the book just not being a good fit for me. I’m not a fan of social media in general, so a book focused on that just succeeded in annoying me. My issue, not the book.