Author: tamaramorning

Book Review: The Wendy, by Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown

the wendy
Image belongs to Trash Dogs Media LLC.

Title: The Wendy
Author:    Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown
Genre:  YA, fantasy, fairy tale
Rating:  5 out of 5

In 1789 London, all Wendy Darling wants to be is a ship’s captain. That’s a big dream for any orphan, but for a girl, it’s even more impossible, since women aren’t allowed in the Royal Navy. Then she learns the Home Office is accepting a few women into its ranks, and she’s eager to take the first step to realizing her ultimate dream, fighting an enemy she never imagined:  magic.

It’s her job to keep watch for the Everlost, but she doesn’t know what they really are—or if they truly exist. Until she encounters Peter Pan and his flying band of misfits, and realizes she knows nothing about what’s really going on. Peter is the only one who sees beyond her gender, but are the secrets he’s keeping worth betrayal, even if does get her where she’s dreamed of being?

I loved this take on the Peter Pan mythos! Wendy is a great character:  spunky, determined, and smart—and she’s not willing to let other people’s perceptions of her stand in her way. Peter Pan is much more the J.M. Barrie version, not the Disney one, so he’s got depth and darkness to go along with his mystery. As for Captain Hook, well, I’m not sure what to think of him just yet, but Disney or Dustin Hoffman he is not. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown write sci-fi and fantasy. The Wendy is the first in their Tales of the Wendy series.

(Galley courtesy of Trash Dogs Media LLC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #39

It’s been  solid writing week:  9 pages of fiction as I increase my  writing days/pages. I also wrote three book reviews this week. I’ll be interested to see what next week brings, as I start my new work schedule and position.

Book Review: Pretty Guilty Women, by Gina LaManna

pretty guilty women
Image belongs to Sourcebooks Landmark.

Title:  Pretty Guilty Women
Author:    Gina LaManna
Genre:  Mystery, thriller
Rating:  4 out of 5

At the exclusive spa where the Banks wedding is about to take place, the luxurious surroundings promise a peaceful, posh vacation where old friends can catch up and relaxation is key. Until a man ends up dead—and four different women claim they murdered him.

Kate is used to excess and luxury—but not to being dumped at the front desk by her wealthy boyfriend. She’s used to being envied, but she is the one feeling jealous on this trip as she meets up with her college roommates and sees the lives they have.

Ginger has just about had it with the chaos of family life. Her kids won’t listen, her husband is oblivious, and everyone depends on mom to hold things together. Ginger just wishes she were a bit more carefree—like her college days before her best friend betrayed her.

Emily just wants the pain to stop. She’ll eventually drown it in a bottle, like always, but seeing her old friends dredges up secrets she’d prefer to keep hidden.

Lulu’s used to love being easy-come, easy-go, but she really loves her fifth husband. Now he’s hiding something, and she’s determined to find out the truth—or else.

This book was well-written and engrossing from the first page. All these women are fascinating, and I was drawn into their stories immediately. I love how the story is told in bits and pieces from each of their viewpoints, while drawing out the mystery of what really happened. Entirely binge-worthy, this is a book that will keep you hooked as you race to find out what really happened.

Gina LaManna lives near the beach. Pretty Guilty Women is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: A Wedding in December, by Sarah Morgan

a wedding in december
Image belongs to harlequin/HQN.

Title:  A Wedding in December
Author:   Sarah Morgan
Genre:  Romance
Rating:  4 out of 5

Maggie White is looking forward to a family Christmas at home. Decorating, cooking—it’s her favorite time of year. Of course, this year she’ll have to tell her daughters she and their dad are getting divorced. Until a middle-of-the-night phone call reveals her younger daughter, Rosie, is getting married. Now the family is headed to Aspen for the ceremony, and Maggie and Nick agree to pretend to still be in love, for the sake of their daughter’s wedding. Will the pretense turn to reality?

Katie, Rosie’s older sister, just knows Rosie is making a mistake. Her sister is impulsive and changes her mind all the time, so how can she know this guy’s “the one” when she’s only known him a few months? Katie’s determined to stop her sister from making a huge mistake—getting married—but the best man, Jordan, keeps getting in her way. And her thoughts.

Rosie is getting married. She knows she loves her fiancé, but is she really sure? With her sister interfering and her parents acting embarrassingly in love, Rosie’s just not sure anymore, but she knows she has to figure out what her heart wants.

I loved the White family, and that this was really three romances in one. I fall somewhere between Rosie and Katie, so I could relate to both of them. The switches in viewpoint were seamless, and every character’s journey was absorbing. An excellent read!

Sarah Morgan is a bestselling author. A Wedding in December is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: The Immortal City, by Amy Kuivalainen

the immortal city
Image belongs to BHC Press.

Title:  The Immortal City
Author:    Amy Kuivalainen
Genre:  Fantasy
Rating:  3 out of 5

Dr. Penelope Bryne has been shunned and ridiculed by the scientific community for her theories about Atlantis. Until a woman is sacrificed in Venice, and an ancient script is found at the murder site and the police need Penelope’s help.

Alexis Donato has spent the last few years trying to destroy Penelope’s career from afar, so she doesn’t discover the truth about Atlantis:  it did exist, and seven of its magicians escaped its destruction.

With Carnivale erupting around them, Penelope and Alexis will have to work together to keep dark magic from pulling Venice into the sea—just like Atlantis.

I love the tales of Atlantis and I love archeology, so this book sounded exactly suited for me. However…this felt more like a rough draft than a polished novel. Some of the relationships (like Penelope’s friendship with the detective) escalated too quickly to be believable, and there were a few too many instances of things conveniently/coincidentally working out for me to be fully invested in and believing the story. At this point, I wasn’t satisfied enough with the writing to want to read more of the series, as fascinating as the premise was.

Amy Kuivalainen likes to combine fantasy, mythology, and magic in her writing. The Immortal City is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Coming Home for Christmas, by RaeAnne Thayne

coming home for christmas
Image belongs to Harlequin/HQN.

Title:  Coming Home for Christmas
Author:    RaeAnne Thayne
Genre:  Romance
Rating:  4 out of 5

Seven years ago, when Luke Hamilton woke up one morning, his wife, Elizabeth, was gone. She’d struggled with postpartum depression after the births of their two children and the loss of her parents, and she’d never found her way out of that darkness. Luke thought she was dead when she disappeared. Until a few months ago, when his sister’s fiancée tracked her down, living in a different state under a different name. Now Luke is about to be charged with her murder, so he goes to get her, knowing she is the only one who can prevent it.

Depression and grief weighed down Elizabeth’s very soul, then a car accident stole her memories and who she was. It took years for her to remember her children and her husband. Now she wants to mend those fences, but she’s been gone so long and done so much damage she’s not sure she can ever repair the damage.

I’ve only read one of the other Haven Point books, but these are linked standalone novels, so that’s no problem. Elizabeth has been through horrible difficulties, and this book explores what postpartum depression can look like and feel like. I enjoyed seeing things through her eyes and through Luke’s eyes, and the strength of both characters was a joy to read.

RaeAnne Thayne is the author of the Haven Point series. Coming Home for Christmas is her newest novel.

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

Blog Tour: Six Goodbyes We Never Said, by Candace Ganger

Six Goodbyes We Never Said_FC
Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  Six Goodbyes We Never Said
Author:    Candace Ganger
Genre:  YA
Rating:  4.2 out of 5

Naima Rodriguez is aware she’s not like other people:  between her OCD, her GAD, and her PTSD, she’s juggling the entire alphabet of things that make it hard for her to interact with other people. Especially without her dad, a fallen Marine, around to be her buffer and understand all her little quirks, like separating the marshmallows from her Lucky Charms into six—and only six—bags. Her dad understood her, but no one else does, and Naima doesn’t really care.

Dew hasn’t really death with the deaths of his parents and his anxiety—both social and not—makes it hard for him to interact with others, so he uses his trusty voice recorder to filter his observations. But when he finally meets Naima, he understands that helping someone else might end up being the very thing he needs to heal himself.

Six Goodbyes We Never Said wasn’t an easy book to read. Both Naima and Dew have things going on that make their lives harder and sharper than other people’s. They’ve both experienced unthinkable loss, and they feel broken. But sometimes only another broken person can truly understand. The characters are vibrant, although Naima’s jagged edges make her a difficult character to sympathize with at times. She knows she’s hurting other people, but she does it anyway, and that’s not easy to read.

Candace Ganger is an author, a contributing writer to HelloGiggles, and a marathoner.  Six Goodbyes We Never Said is her new novel.

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

Sundays are for Writing #38

Another solid writing week in the books. I got in my six pages of fiction, plus three book reviews, a bit of NaNo planning, brainstorming for the current WIP, and a little work on the HTWAN class. Plus working five days (although two of those days were only 4-5 hours each).

Book Review: What Happened that Night, by Deanna Cameron

what happened that night
Image belongs to Wattpad Books.

Title:  What Happened that Night
Author:    Deanna Cameron
Genre:  YA
Rating:  4 out of 5

Clara Porterfield had a crush on Griffin Tomlin as long as she could remember, but he was always just the boy across the street, never anything else. Until that night:  the night that he showed her who he really was and made her realize that people are not always what they seem.

Four months ago, Griffin was found dead and Clara’s sister, Emily, was arrested for his murder. Emily isn’t saying a word, but she wants Clara to. Clara doesn’t know what to think. Did Emily murder Griffin for what he did to Clara—or is there even more to this story than Clara can imagine? Finding out the truth might set her free from her guilt, but what else will it drag into the light?

What Happened that Night was not what I expected. At all. I liked Clara. She’s been through some horrific things, but she’s struggling to be strong and find out the truth—even if the truth will change the way she sees the world forever. I wasn’t a fan of her dad, but her mom and the other supporting characters were great, especially Anniston, who lives in pink and wants to be a journalist.

What Happened that Night is the new book by Deanna Cameron.

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

Book Review: The Stranger Inside, by Lisa Unger

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Image belongs to Harlequin/Park Row.

Title:  The Stranger Inside
Author:  Lisa Unger
Genre:   Thriller
Rating:   4 out of 5

When Rain Winter was 12, she barely escaped the clutches of a murderous madman with her life. Her two best friends, Hank and Tessa, were not so lucky. Hank was forever scarred by his experiences that day, and Tessa never came home. When the killer was released, Rain lived in fear—until someone killed him.

Now Rain is a stay-at-home mom who does her best not to think about those dark days, although she misses her time as an investigative journalist. Then another man who got away with murder ends up dead, and Rain starts to wonder if there’s any connection between this case—and the one from her own past.

The Stranger Inside had quite the twist I never saw coming. Rain is a nuanced character, both longing for her journalist days and yearning to give herself completely to motherhood. I found Hank fascinating—and likable—despite his issues, and I enjoyed the twining of past and present to show the reader the rest of the story.

Lisa Unger is a bestselling author. The Stranger Inside is her newest novel.

(Galley provided by Harlequin/Park Row in exchange for an honest review.)