Month: June 2023

Book Review and Blog Tour:  The Little Italian Hotel, by Phaedra Patrick  

Image belongs to Harlequin/Park Row.

Title: The Little Italian Hotel    
Author: Phaedra Patrick   
Genre:  Fiction   
Rating:  4 out of 5

Ginny Splinter, acclaimed radio host and advice expert, prides herself on knowing what’s best for others. So she’s sure her husband, Adrian, will love the special trip to Italy she’s planned for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. But when Ginny presents the gift to Adrian, he surprises her with his own very different plan—a divorce.

Beside herself with heartache, Ginny impulsively invites four heartbroken listeners to join her in Italy instead while live on air. From hiking the hills of Bologna to riding a gondola in Venice to sharing stories around the dining table of the little Italian hotel, Ginny and her newfound company embark on a vacation of healing.

However, when Adrian starts to rethink their relationship, Ginny must decide whether to commit to her marriage or start afresh, alone. And an unexpected stranger may hold the key to a very different future… Sunny, tender and brimming with charm, The Little Italian Hotel explores marriage, identity and reclaiming the present moment—even if it means leaving the past behind.

Not going to lie:  Ginny really got on my nerves at first. She was completely passive, lived in denial, and just let life happen to her. I started to enjoy the novel when Ginny got her wakeup call and started to make choices for herself, instead of letting everyone else decide things for her. Adrian got on my last nerve, so I was happy to see Ginny go to Italy and start enjoying life. This was a solid read, although I felt like the ending was a bit of a let down.

Phaedra Patrick is a bestselling author. The Little Italian Hotel is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Park Row in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays Are for Writing #228

This was a very challenging week. I wrote one book review, Painted Devils, by Margaret Owen, my May reading post, and my best books I read in May post. I also worked 50+ hours at work, and I am tired. I didn’t get much reading done during the week. I’m really hoping this next week is a bit easier.

Happy writing!

The Best Books I Read in May (2023)

In May, I read 14 books, bringing my total for the year to 84. Three of those were re-reads of beloved classics: Pride and Prejudice, The Return of the King, and All Creatures Great and Small. All excellent reads, of course. Some of the new-to-me reads were also excellent:

The Secret Book of Flora Lea, by Patti Callahan Henry. This book was a lovely read! I was enchanted from the very first page—with both timelines.

Emma of 83rd Street, by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding. I was on the fence with the first, frivolous scene of this book, but I ended up enjoying it very much!

Painted Devils, by Margaret Owen. This was the second book of a series, and I enjoyed this from the very beginning. Love the characters, the setting, and everything.

What I Read in May (2023)

Books Read in May: 14
Books Read for the Year:  84/225


Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

The Echo of Old Books, by Barbara Davis (TBR, audio). This was…incredibly sad and infuriating to me.

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen (re-read). Love.

The Return of the King, by J.R.R. Tolkien (re-read). LOVE.

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot (re-read). So good!

Move On, by Vicki Courtney (spiritual).

Deadly Little Scandals, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (TBR). Couldn’t pi this down.

For Review:

Warrior Girl Unearthed, by Angeline Boulley. I loved this author’s previous book, Firekeeper’s Daughter, and this was a great read, too, with some ties to that first novel.

The Secret Book of Flora Lea, by Patti Callahan Henry. I loved this! It engrossed me from the very first page, and the both storylines were wonderful.

Famous for a Living, by Melissa Ferguson. I ended up liking the social-media-obsessed MC way more than I imagined, but I still found that part very frustrating.

The Last One to Fall, by Gabriella Lepore. I enjoyed this YA murder mystery, and I was never quite sure who did it.

Emma of 83rd Street, by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding. The first part of this was touch and go, as Mr. Woodhouse’s preoccupation with the calorie count/health consciousness of every.single.item.of.food got on my last nerve, and Emma’s obsession with clothing and labels was a lot, but I hung in there, and this ended up being a really cute read! I loved the character growth—and these authors even made NYC appealing, which is no mean feat.

The Viscount Who Vexed Me, by Julia London. This was a cute read. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a male lead in a romance be quite so reticent and unsure of himself, but I enjoyed the read.

The Dueling Duchess, by Minerva Spencer. I liked that Cecile was so capable and sure of her self (except for that one inexplicable scene where some random guy grabs her and she screams and forgets she’s carrying a gun and is NOT a helpless female). Guy was so over-the-top that he made me laugh.

Painted Devils, by Margaret Owen. I enjoyed this second novel in a series very much, and I felt like it got interesting immediately, unlike my reaction to the first book.

Left Unfinished:

The Collected Regrets of Clover, by Mikki Brammer. Yeah, the first 5% of this just did not catch my attention. At all.

Adrift, by Lisa Brideau. I didn’t feel the slightest connection with this character, so I had no interest.

Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success, by Jessica Para. This had some unexpected content that I don’t choose to subject myself to.

Hard Dough Homicide, by Olivia Matthews. I read about a third of this, and while I enjoyed reading more about the culture, the bakery, and the family, I could not get past Lyndsay’s irrational anger at the police for investigating a murder that took place AT her family’s restaurant—while four of her family members cooked and served the meal for the murder victim….WHO. WAS. POISONED. Um, hello? Why would the cops NOT investigate her family?

The Blighted Stars, by Megan E. O’Keefe. I think this was really just a case of the wrong book at this time for me. I was not in a scifi mood, and I think that’s why it didn’t hold my attention.

The Paris Deception, by Bryn Turnbull. I read 10% of this, but it was both slow and boring, because I didn’t like the characters.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass, by Claire Legrand. I wanted to like this, but Gemma just comes across as selfish and self-absorbed, and I had no interest in reading more about her.

Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts, Kristyn J. Miller. I didn’t make it very far into this. Margo was acting like a sullen little kid with a chip on her shoulder, and I choose not to waste my time reading about jerks like that.