Author: tamaramorning

Book Review:  Work in Progress, by Kat Mackenzie

Image belongs to Avon and Harper Voyager.

Title:  Work in Progress
Author: Kat Mackenzie     
Genre: Romance        
Rating:  3.8

UK Bus Trip Goals:

1. Crawl out of pajamas.

2. Get over cheating bastard and his stupid ironed jeans.

3. Have my first real adventure!

4. Achieve stability, strength, and growth.

5. Definitely do NOT kiss any British men.

Alice loves a good list. But careful planning didn’t stop her from losing her job and her fiance in one fell swoop. With her dreaded 30th birthday looming on the horizon, Alice makes the first impulsive decision of her life – booking a flight to the UK for a three-week, all-female, literary bus tour. What could possibly go wrong?

Turns out – everything.

Alice arrives to discover that this tour isn’t what she expected. At all. Instead of cool, globe-trotting thirtysomethings with meaningful tattoos, she finds a rickety, antique bus full of fluffy-haired octogenarians. And to make matters infinitely worse, the tour guide makes her blood boil! And that devilish grin of his tells her he’s dead set on making her trip a misery.

But as they travel from castle ruins to cozy pubs, Alice may just find that she’s got it all wrong. The ladies are vivacious. The book club chat is on fire. And damn if that mischievous smile doesn’t threaten to turn her world upside down – and her beloved list right along with it!

I have to be honest:  Alice was very off-putting for me for the first bit. Her absolute hatred for Robby was almost irrational—and she was vicious. I liked her personality when she wasn’t being rabid, so I kept reading, and she did improve. I loved the group of ladies she was with on the literary tour, and I would have signed up for that trip in a hot second!

Kat Mackenzie is an American who loves to travel. Work in Progress is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange  

Image belongs to Celadon Books.

Title: What Happened to the McCrays?   
Author: Tracey Lange         
Genre:  Fiction       
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

When Kyle McCray gets word his father has suffered a debilitating stroke, he returns to his hometown of Potsdam, New York, where he doesn’t expect a warm welcome. Kyle left suddenly two and a half years ago, abandoning people who depended on his father, his employees, his friends—not to mention Casey, his wife of sixteen years and a beloved teacher in town. He plans to lie low and help his dad recuperate until he can leave again, especially after Casey makes it clear she wants him gone.

The longer he’s home, the more Kyle understands the impact his departure has had on the people he left behind. When he’s presented with an opportunity for redemption as the coach of the floundering middle school hockey team, he begins to find compassion in unexpected places. Kyle even considers staying in Potsdam, but that’s only possible if he and Casey can come to some kind of peace with each other.

I really enjoyed this read! Potsdam, and life there, kind of made my skin crawl—not really a fan of the whole small-town life—but it felt very realistic and believable. I loved how things built slowly between Kyle and Casey, allowing us to see things unfolding in the past and the present, without it feeling rushed or unbelievable.

Tracey Lange lives in Oregon. What Happened to the McCrays? is her newest novel.

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

Sundays are for Writing #311

This has been a solid writing week. No fiction, but I wrote two book reviews, See How They Hide, by Allison Brennan and Last Twilight in Paris, by Pam Jenoff, both forthcoming. I also did three journaling sessions–I really hope they’re helping get my mind straightened out. It’s been a tough week.

Happy writing!

Book Review:  A Language of Dragons, by S. F. Williamson

Image belongs to HarperCollins.

Title:  A Language of Dragons  
Author:  S. F. Williamson        
Genre:  Fantasy       
Rating:  5 out of 5

Welcome to Bletchley Park… with dragons.

London, 1923. Dragons soar through the skies and protests erupt on the streets, but Vivian Featherswallow isn’t worried. She’s going to follow the rules, get an internship studying dragon languages, and make sure her little sister never has to risk growing up Third Class. By midnight, Viv has started a civil war.

With her parents arrested and her sister missing, all the safety Viv has worked for is collapsing around her. So when a lifeline is offered in the form of a mysterious ‘job’, she grabs it. Arriving at Bletchley Park, Viv discovers that she has been recruited as a codebreaker helping the war effort – if she succeeds, she and her family can all go home again. If she doesn’t, they’ll all die.

At first Viv believes that her challenge, of discovering the secrets of a hidden dragon language, is doable. But the more she learns, the more she realizes that the bubble she’s grown up in isn’t as safe as she thought, and eventually Viv must What war is she really fighting?

Viv is a great character, and I liked her from the first page! Granted, she was generally clueless about reality and quite gullible when it came to believing everything the government said—but at least she eventually learned better. I found the world fascinating and I really liked all the characters and the complexities of human-dragon relations.

S. F. Williamson lives in France. A Language of Dragons is her debut novel.

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

Book Review:  The Stolen Queen, by Fiona Davis

Image belongs to Penguin Group Dutton.

Title:  The Stolen Queen  
Author:  Fiona Davis        
Genre: Historical fiction, mystery        
Rating:  4 out of 5

Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. But after an unbearable tragedy strikes, Charlotte knows her future will never be the same.

New York City, 1978: Eighteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for iconic former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.” Though Annie soon realizes she’ll have her work cut out for her, scrambling to meet Diana’s capricious demands and exacting standards.

Meanwhile, Charlotte, now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art, wants little to do with the upcoming gala. She’s consumed with her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.

That is, until the night of the gala. When one of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing . . . and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening.

As Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they’re to have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly into danger.

This was a fascinating read! I loved both timelines. The 1930s storyline was so interesting to me, showing the history of the field of archaeology and what a struggle it was to be a woman in the field. The 1970s storyline was also intriguing. Still a struggle to be a woman in the field of archeology, but also showing the behind-the-scenes details of the Met. Charlotte was a great character, and I loved seeing her story come full circle.

Fiona Davis is a best-selling author. The Stolen Queen is her newest novel.

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

Sundays are for Writing #310

Last year, my goal was to get in five fiction sessions a week. Which I did except maybe three times. That sounds positive, but in the end, I ended up rehashing a lot of words and not accomplishing a lot, so I decided to make my goal a bit different this year: write every day (same as last year), but it can be any kind of writing. Fiction, book reviews, prayers, journaling (Yeah, that’s the headspace I’m in right now.)

This week, I’ve gotten a ton of writing done! I did get in one fiction session, but I also wrote my December reading post, my best books I read in December, What I Read in 2024, and four book reviews: Here Beside the Rising Tide, by Emily Jane, A Sea of Unspoken Things, by Adrienne Young, Capitana, by Cassandra James, and All Better Now, by Neal Shusterman (all forthcoming).

I also did three journaling sessions, so there was a ton of writing happening over here. How about you?

What I Read in 2024

My goal for the year was to read 215 books. I read 238.

January: 15 books.
February: 12 books.
March: 20 books.
April: 22 books.
May: 21 books.
June: 20 books.
July: 17 books.
August: 23 books.
September: 19 books.
October: 24 books.
November: 20 books.
December: 25 books.

The Best Books I Read in December (2024)

In December, I finished 25 books, bringing my total for the year to 238 books. Of those, several were just okay, most were good, and a few were excellent.

The Metempsychosis Collection, by Nicholas Conley. I don’t generally read short story collections, but these were all engaging and unique, and I enjoyed reading them.

The Stolen Queen, by Fiona Davis. I thoroughly enjoyed both timelines of this archeological/finding yourself novel, and couldn’t wait to find out what happened next.

A Language of Dragons, by S. F. Williamson. The dragon/human politics and dynamics were fascinating to me, and the culture just kept getting more interesting the further I read. The MC was completely clueless about reality at the beginning, but soon got a clue or two.

What I Read in December (2024)

Books Read in December: 25
Books Read for the Year:  238/215

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
The Blue Parakeet, by Scott McKnight (audio, TBR): Audio wasn’t the best choice for me with this.
The Hexed and the Hunted, by Melissa Marr (TBR): I enjoyed this read.
Silent on the Moor, by Deanna Rayburn (TBR): Still loving this series!
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, by Joya Goffney (TBR): I DNFed this very quickly, because the MC wasn’t a likable person, and there wasn’t any reason for so much animosity between her and the main guy character. Just ugly to each other.
Totally Folked, by Penny Reid (TBR): This was a solid read.
I Heard God Laugh, by Matthew Kelly (TBR): I enjoyed this a lot!
Unleashing Echoes, by Meghan Ciana Doidge (TBR): Quite an ending for this trilogy.
The Eyes of Tamburah, by Maria V. Snyder (TBR): Loved the world/setting of this.
For Review:

The Metempsychosis Collection, by Nicholas Conley. I don’t usually read scifi or short story collections, but these tales were al unique and kept me engaged. This was a good read!

The Last Fashion House in Paris, by Renee Ryan. I do love WWII historical fiction, and I really enjoyed this. Even the fashion parts were fascinating!

The Stolen Queen, by Fiona Davis (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this a lot! Both timelines were fascinating.

What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange  (review forthcoming). This should have felt slow, but it didn’t. Instead, I was drawn into the characters’ lives and histories from the very first page.


A Language of Dragons, by S. F. Williamson (review forthcoming). Really enjoyed this military/alternate history fantasy adventure.

Work in Progress, by Kat Mackenzie (review forthcoming). The MC was really a terrible person for a long time–for no discernible reason–but she eventually improved.

Earl Crush, by Alexandra Vasti (review forthcoming). This was a sweet, fun read, perfect for a weekend or a long afternoon.

Only in Your Dreams, by Ellie K Wilde (review forthcoming). This steamy second-chance romance was a solid read.

Brewing Up a Bad Boy, by Katherine Garbera (review forthcoming). Don’t bother. This was solidly in the meh category, and needed another in-depth editing pass to make it consistent.

Here Beside the Rising Tide, by Emily Jane (review forthcoming). I can’t say that I recommend this. It was like a bad B-rate movie.

A Sea of Unspoken Things, by Adrienne Young (review forthcoming). This was a wonderfully-written story, and I read it straight through in one sitting.

Just Because:

Blessed Endings, Beautiful Beginnings, by Nicki Koziark.
The Tony Evans Study Bible
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
God is with You Every Day, by Max Lucado.
Bedtime Blessings, by Charles Swindoll
Champagne and Commitments, by Melissa Marr. I enjoyed this novella.
Lowcountry Lost, by T.I. Lowe. Sweet Southern fiction.

Left Unfinished:
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, by Joya Goffney (TBR): I DNFed this very quickly, because the MC wasn’t a likable person, and there wasn’t any reason for so much animosity between her and the main guy character. Just ugly to each other.

Ex Marks the Spot, by Gloria Chao. I didn’t make it very far in this, because the characters just didn’t interest me, and the animosity between Gemma and Xander just seemed to be pointless.

All the Water in the World, by Erin Caffall. I made it about 20% of the way into this, but it felt so slow. My attention completely wandered.

The Lost House, by Melissa Larsen. I read over a third of this, but it just dragged, and the MC wasn’t very likable to me.

She Doesn’t Have a Clue, by Jenny Elder Moke. Is it bad that I read 12% of this, and didn’t realize it was a romcom? Kate just seemed like a bumbling idiot, and things kept slipping side3ways into her MC’s POV with no warning. If found this jarring and off-putting.

Sundays are for Writing #309

This was a great writing week! I got in five fiction sessions, and four book reviews, Work in Progress, by Kat Mackenzie, Only in Your Dreams, by Ellie K Wilde, Earl Crush, by Alexandra Vasti, and Brewing Up a Bad Boy, by Katherine Garbera, all forthcoming in January.

Happy writing!