Author: tamaramorning

Book Review: Rewind To Us, by Molly Morris

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: Rewind To Us
Author: Molly Morris         
Genre: YA   
Rating: 4 out of 5

Dixie Mulligan only has one plan for her annual California vacation this summer – to tell her best friend Sawyer that she’s in love with him.

It doesn’t matter that things between them technically fell apart over spring break, and they haven’t spoken since – until Dixie arrives and realizes Sawyer has moved on (a fact made very apparent when she sees him kissing, um, someone else).

Luckily, Dixie and her family have each been gifted with a Rewind. All Dixie has to do is go back and redo the moment she thinks doomed hers and Sawyer’s relationship before it even began.

But when family secrets start pouring out, Dixie’s not so sure even her Rewind will be enough to save what she and Sawyer had. Is the damage already done, or can she turn back the clock and give them one more chance?

This was a really cute read! I was just as surprised as everyone else at Dixie’s big reveal—and I didn’t even catch that she was hiding something until then. Her aunt, cousin, and grandma were great characters, and I really liked them. Sawyer an all his quirks and her friendship with him were great! I enjoyed this a lot.

Molly Morris lives in the UK. Rewind to Us is her newest novel.

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

Book Review and Blog Tour: Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds, by Allison Brennan

Image belongs to Harlequin/MIRA.

Title: Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds  
Author: Allison Brennan       
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Rating: DNF

Mia Crawford is responsible to a fault. She has to be. Between her high-demand job and taking care of her grandmother and her cats, she has little time for anything else. What time she does have, she pours into reading. Mysteries, romances, thrillers…books filled with women who are far more impulsive than she would ever dream of being. Now, forced into taking a long-overdue vacation, she finds herself on a luxurious private island where she just might have a chance to reinvent herself—for a little while, anyway. She can explore the island. Flirt shamelessly with a cute bartender. Have a vacation fling. Live like a heroine in one of her favorite novels.

Or she can curl up with a good book on the beach. Turns out reinventing yourself is easier planned than done. But when gossipy notes written in the margins of an old book turn out to be clues to the disappearance of another guest, Mia finds herself diving headfirst into a dangerous adventure. With everyone at the resort hiding secrets of their own, she’ll have to solve this real-life mystery before she becomes the next target.

Look, Mia was so obsessed with finding a man when she was going on this great vacation that it got on every nerve I had. Then she hears about the missing woman on the island and is immediately obsessed with that. I just can’t waste my time reading about someone like that.

Allison Brennan is a bestselling author. Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: A Far Better Thing, by H. G. Parry   

Image belongs to Tor.

Title: A Far Better Thing    
Author: H. G. Parry         
Genre: Fantasy  
Rating: 4 out of 5

I feared this was the best of times; I hoped it could not get any worse.

The fairies stole Sydney Carton as a child, and made him a mortal servant of the Faerie Realm. Now, he has a rare opportunity for revenge against the fae and Charles Darnay, the changeling left in his stead.

It will take magic and cunning—cold iron and Realm silver—to hide his intentions from humans and fae and bring his plans to fruition.

Shuttling between London and Paris during the Reign of Terror, generations of violence-begetting-violence lead him to a heartbreaking choice in the shadow of the guillotine.

A fantasy re-telling of A Tale of Two Cities? Yes, please.  This started off a bit slow, and I found Sydney very hard to connect with—he was just so negative and bitter about everything. Gradually, he grew on me a little bit, but I never really liked him. I enjoyed the read, but it wasn’t fast-paced or thrilling (I mean, it’s A Tale of Two Cities. What do you expect?). A solid fantasy read.

H. G. Parry lives in New Zealand. A Far Better Thing is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Tor in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #333

This was another good writing week. I wrote four book reviews: Den of Liars, by Jessica S. Olson, An Irish Summer, by Alexandra Paigeff, Vanished, by Dr. David Jeremiah, and The Lost Book of First Loves, by RaeAnne Thayne.

Happy Writing!

Book Review: The Lost Book of First Loves, by RaeAnne Thayne   

Image belongs to Harlequin/Canary Street Press.

Title: The Lost Book of First Loves
Author: RaeAnne Thayne    
Genre: Romance   
Rating: 4 out of 5 

Raised by her literary icon father Carson Wells, Allison Wells always felt loved, even though her mother died when she was a teen. But when she takes a DNA test on a whim and discovers she has a sister that she’s never heard about before, it’s clear there are things her father never told her before he died. Determined to meet Juniper—her half sister—and unravel the truth of what happened all those years ago, Ali finds herself taking a job as Juniper’s intern. She’ll eventually figure out a way to tell Juniper the truth of their relationship. But she never could have imagined what would happen next…

Juniper Connolly has always been incredibly healthy…until she wakes up in the hospital after experiencing cardiac arrest, with her new—and recently fired—intern to thank for saving her life. It’s clear June needs to de-stress her life a little, so when Ali offers her the use of her family’s cabin in a small Wyoming town, June has no reason not to go. But when she arrives in the small town, her life will never be the same.

Under the wide-open spaces of the Wyoming summer sun, Ali and June will untangle the secrets and lies their lives were built on to discover who they really are and what family really means. But even more than that, they’ll build a real relationship with one another and finally become sisters.

I was on the fence with this for the first 20% or so, but then the characters sort of settled and I connected with them. The small-town life in Wyoming was vividly portrayed—enough to make my skin crawl, frankly. (I’m not much for the small-town thing.) I enjoyed the growing relationship between Ali and June, and watching June realize there was more to life than what she’d been living. This was a solid read.

RaeAnne Thayne lives in Utah. The Lost Book of First Loves is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Canary Street Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Summer That Changed Everything, by Brenda Novak

Image Belongs to Harlequin/MIRA.

Title: The Summer That Changed Everything  
Author: Brenda Novak         
Genre: Romance    
Rating: 3 out of 5

She returned to prove her father’s innocence, but there’s no telling what she’ll find…

It’s been fifteen years since Lucy Sinclair saw her father. Fifteen long years since she sat in a courtroom and watched him sentenced to life in prison. He murdered three victims—all people she knew—which ruined her life at just seventeen. But now she’s back in Virginia to talk to him, wondering if there’s more to the story of what happened that fateful night.

An old flame, Ford Wagner, makes his own return to North Hampton Beach, fleeing a marriage that seems destined for divorce. He’s wary of Lucy and her digging into the past, but the more time they spend together, the closer they get and the more he finds himself reconsidering the truth behind the death of their mutual friend that summer. Problem is, there are plenty of those in this small coastal town who would prefer things stay quiet…

This was kind of a mediocre read to me. The characters felt very superficial with no depth to them at all. And the “mystery” of who the real killers were wasn’t much of a mystery at all, considering the rather heavy-handed handling of some of the people in town. No surprises in this read at all, and I wouldn’t recommend it.

Brenda Novak is a bestselling author. The Summer that Changed Everything is her newest novel.

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

Book Review and Blog Tour: Writing Mr. Right, by Alina Khawaja

Image belongs to Harlequin/MIRA.

Title: Writing Mr. Right   
Author: Alina Khawaja      
Genre: Romance
Rating: DNF

Ziya Khan is a legal secretary by day, but she spends her nights working hard to be a published author. She’s spent the last few years trying to get her novel published about a young brown woman falling in love with a small-town brown man—but with no luck.

After one particularly painful rejection on the night before her thirtieth birthday, Ziya decides to give up her pen for good and instead just wishes to be happy. Then, the next morning, Ziya wakes up to find Aashiq, a physical manifestation of her writing muse, sitting on her couch.

Aashiq has materialized to help Ziya find her love for writing again, despite Ziya’s determination to keep her dreams in the past. But bit by bit, Aashiq starts to remind Ziya of why she loved writing and that her words matter more than she thinks. And impossibly, something more starts to blossom between them.

But as Ziya falls for Aashiq, he begins to disappear, which prompts her to choose: her art or her heart?

I tried. I read about 35% of this before giving up. Aashiq was too…honestly, he felt a little too ridiculous to be real, and Ziya was so closed off to everyone and everything that she got on my nerves. Strong writing, but this just wasn’t a good fit for me.

Alina Khawaja lives in Ontario. Writing Mr. Right is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: A First Time for Everything, by K. L. Walther

Image belongs to Sourcebooks Fire.

Title: A First Time for Everything    
Author: K. L. Walther       
Genre: YA    
Rating: 4 out of 5 

Madeline has always been extremely close to her family, so she is shocked when her older brother gets engaged without including them (or even giving them a heads up!). Mads has never been the biggest fan of his fiancée, Katie, so in order to remain one happy family, she is determined to bond with Katie before the big day, which includes reluctantly agreeing to be a bridesmaid.

During a late-night bridesmaids-only game of “Truth or Dare” Mads is cornered into revealing she has never been kissed or even been on a date, which spurs the other girls to unite on a quest to find Mads the perfect plus-one for the wedding. Next thing she knows she’s navigating a series of disastrous dates that include some major misunderstandings and mishaps.

All of a sudden Mads finds her heart tugged in different directions: to Connor, the boy next door who knows her best. To Marco Álvarez, the former classmate who knows how to push all her buttons. And to some of the new suitors who surprisingly aren’t all bad.

As the wedding draws nearer, Mads has to figure out who she wants most as a forever dance partner, while also making sure her brother isn’t making the biggest mistake of his life.

I liked Madeline and the rest of her family, too. I didn’t find this story to be unexpected, but it was a solid read with characters that I liked—although the bridesmaids were pretty much all interchangeable to me.

K. L. Walther is from Pennsylvania. A First Time for Everything is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #332

This was another great writing week! Journaling, and four book reviews: A Magic Deep and Drowning, by Hester Fox, Pretty Girl County, by Lakita Wilson, Party of Liars, by Kelsey Cox, and Let’s Make a Scene, by Laura Wood. I think my Muse is starting to show some faint stirrings of interest in fiction again, too.

Happy writing!

Book Review: The Listeners, by Maggie Stiefvater  

Image belongs to Penguin Group/Viking.

Title: The Listeners  
Author: Maggie Stiefvater        
Genre: Historical fiction   
Rating: 4 out of 5

January 1942. The Avallon Hotel & Spa has always offered elegant luxury in the wilds of West Virginia, its mountain sweetwater washing away all of high society’s troubles.

Local girl-turned-general manager June Porter Hudson has guided the Avallon skillfully through the first pangs of war. The Gilfoyles, the hotel’s aristocratic owners, have trained her well. But when the family heir makes a secret deal with the State Department to fill the hotel with captured Axis diplomats, June must persuade her staff—many of whom have sons and husbands heading to the front lines—to offer luxury to Nazis. With a smile.

Meanwhile FBI Agent Tucker Minnick, whose coal tattoo hints at an Appalachian past, presses his ears to the hotel’s walls, listening for the diplomats’ secrets. He has one of his own, which is how he knows that June’s balancing act can have dangerous consequences: the sweetwater beneath the hotel can threaten as well as heal.

June has never met a guest she couldn’t delight, but the diplomats are different. Without firing a single shot, they have brought the war directly to her. As clashing loyalties crack the Avallon’s polished veneer, June must calculate the true cost of luxury.

I love Maggie Stiefvater’s YA books, so I was really looking forward to reading this. The world of the Avallon was fascinating to me! This whole ecosystem contained in this building with the lives of everyone who works there completely contained inside the walls. Fascinating.

The characters were interesting people, and I enjoyed getting to know them. I had no idea what was going on with the sweetwater, but I was invested in finding out! This felt almost leisurely, but it was a compelling read.

Maggie Stiefvater is a bestselling author. The Listeners is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Penguin Group/Viking in exchange for an honest review.)