Author: tamaramorning

Book Review: The Tainted Cup, by Robert Jackson Bennett

Image belongs to Random House Publishing.

Title:  The Tainted Cup    
Author: Robert Jackson Bennett     
Genre: Scifi/fantasy     
Rating:  4 out of 5

In Daretana’s most opulent mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even in this canton at the borders of the Empire, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death at once terrifying and impossible.

Called in to investigate this mystery is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, and act as his superior’s eyes and ears–quite literally, in this case, as among Ana’s quirks are her insistence on wearing a blindfold at all times, and her refusal to step outside the walls of her home.

Din is most perplexed by Ana’s ravenous appetite for information and her mind’s frenzied leaps—not to mention her cheerful disregard for propriety and the apparent joy she takes in scandalizing her young counterpart. Yet as the case unfolds and Ana makes one startling deduction after the next, he finds it hard to deny that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

This was an odd read, frankly. I liked Din and Ana and how their relationship worked, but I found the worldbuilding itself to be a bit clunky. I could have used a bit of explanation about how the alterations worked, and how the culture itself worked, because that kept confusing me a lot. I enjoyed the mystery and the sheer sense of adventure in the book, and I’d like to read more, but the feeling of being thrown into a wildly different world/culture without a hint of explanation was a deterrent.

Robert Jackson Bennett is an award-winning author. The Tainted Cup is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House Publishing in exchange for an honest review.)

The Best Books I Read in January (2024)

In January, I read 14 books towards my goal of 225 books for the year. Most of them were decent reads, but several of them really stood out.

I enjoyed my re-read of Matched, by Ally Condie quite a bit, although the idea of such a tightly controlled society isn’t quite so far-fetched these days.

All Rhodes Lead Here, by Mariana Zapata. I enjoyed this so, so much! The voice is phenomenal and it was so much fun to read. Aurora’s mental stream-of-consciousness was hysterical to me, and I laughed out loud several times. Such a great contrast to the taciturn Rhodes.

South of the Buttonwood Tree, by Heather Webber (audio). This was a fantastic Southern fiction read! Both the main characters were engrossing and I was totally enmeshed in their stories—even the secondary characters in this book were fascinating, and so well done.

What I Read in January (2024)

Books Read in January: 14
Books Read for the Year:  14/215

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

The Omnivore’ s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan (re-read): Interesting re-read, but a bit dry.
Down to Earth, by Tom Hughes (TBR): Solid read.
South of the Buttonwood Tree, by Heather Webber (TBR, audio): I loved this so much! Such a great Southern fiction read with vibrant characters.
The Iron Prince, by Julie Kagawa (re-read): Still loving this series.
Stray, by Rachel Vincent (re-read): Thankfully, I enjoyed this re-read.
Matched, by Ally Condie (re-read): How did I manage to forget that this book gave me a love for Dylan Thomas’s poetry, especially Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, which is tattooed on my wrist?
Trinkets, Treasures, and Other Bloody Magic, by Meghan Ciana Doidge (re-read): Still enj oying re-reading this series.

For Review:

Somewhere in the Deep, by Tanvi Berwah. I really enjoyed the first book set in this world, but this one felt very jumbled and chaotic. I loved the two main characters and their chemistry, but the rest of the chaos was a huge distraction.

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherland, by Heather Fawcett. I enjoyed this just as much as the first one! I enjoyed the characters, the setting, and the world in general. Even the background characters are quirky enough to feel like real people, and just the set-up itself is a lot of fun.

A Body at the Séance, by Marty Wingate. I actually enjoyed this more than the first book in this series. I had not idea who the killer was, but the secondary characters were all interesting possibilities.

The Missing Witness, by Allison Brennan. I’ve enjoyed this entire series, but this one was especially good because of Quinn’s character growth.

It Takes a Rake, by Anna Bennett. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the other books in this series, because some of the MC’s decisions seemed a bit arbitrary and nonsensical.

All Rhodes Lead Here, by Mariana Zapata. I loved this so much! I laughed throughout the entire novel at Aurora’s escapades, and I loved how her relationship with Rhodes grew and changed.

The Tainted Cup, by Robert Jackson Bennett (review forthcoming). This was a very odd read. I enjoyed the characters a lot—especially their Holmes and Watson vibe—but the worldbuilding itself felt like a club upside my head.

Left Unfinished:
Holmes, Marple & Poe, by James Patterson and Brian Sitts. I stopped reading Patterson close to two decades ago for multiple reasons, but this one sounded intriguing enough that I thought I’d give it another shot. My mistake. It felt like a jumbled, jagged, chaotic mess.

City of Stardust, by Georgia Summers. I wanted so much to like this, and I did like it. The writing was so lyrical and lovely, and I enjoyed the bits about the city…but the story felt a bit superficial, like I was just getting a few high-level details, but nothing to fully flesh out the story or the characters. I stopped reading because I felt like the details of the story itself were hidden behind a cloud.

Sundays are for Writing #262

This has been another excellent writing week! Five fiction sessions and one book review. Why didn’t I set a specific weekly writing goal months ago? That would have made so much more sense….Oh, well. Live and learn, I guess.

How was your writing week?

Book Review: All Rhodes Lead Here, by Mariana Zapata

Image belongs to Avon and Harper Voyager.

Title: All Rhodes Lead Here   
Author: Mariana Zapata    
Genre: Fiction     
Rating: 5 out of 5

The people we lose take a part of us with them…but they leave a part of themselves with us too.

Aurora De La Torre, or Ora to her friends, knows moving back to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a place that was once home and is now full of bittersweet memories of her late mother, isn’t going to be easy. Starting your whole life over probably isn’t supposed to be.

But after breaking up with her longtime, famous musician boyfriend, hiding out in a small town in the mountains might be the perfect remedy for a broken heart. And checking out her landlord who lives across the driveway just might cure it, too.

Only Tobias Rhodes didn’t rent out the apartment to her, rather it was his teenage son, Amos. Fiercely protective of his family and distrusting of strangers, gruff and grumpy Rhodes initially keeps little miss sunshine Ora at a distance. But over days and weeks, long hikes and fireside chats, Aurora breaks down his walls and soon an unbreakable friendship blossoms into a once-in-a-lifetime love.

This book was so much fun to read! Aurora’s interval voice was hysterical, and she was always getting herself into such funny situations. I laughed through the whole thing! Big Girls Don’t Cry—that scene really had me laughing! I loved Aurora’s determination to learn and grow, no matter the obstacles, and her friendship with Amos was lovely. Rhodes was such an appealing man, and I loved how their relationship went from animosity to tolerance to friendship to love. This is a fantastic weekend read!

Mariana Zapata is a bestselling author. All Rhodes Lead Here is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: It Takes a Rake, by Anna Bennett

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  It Takes a Rake     
 Author: Anna Bennett     
Genre: Romance    
Rating:  4 out of 5

She’s about to face her biggest challenge yet…

Since she was a girl, Miss Kitty Beckett has been adept at finding trouble: sneaking brandy, running away, and getting under the skin of the boy who, like her, was an apprentice to an architect. Now Kitty’s a talented heiress who can take a dry building plan and breathe life into it with her pencils and paints. Also? She can spot a rake at a hundred yards—and she won’t be tricked or charmed into marriage. Certainly not by a man who might interfere with her dreams. When Bellehaven Bay announces its first ever architectural design contest, she vows to win—with a little help from her childhood rival.

Turning her buttoned-up nemesis into a certified rake.

Leo Lockland, a hardworking architect with a gift for numbers, has returned home after a few years in London, and he has secrets. The biggest? He’s been in love with Kitty since they were both apprentices. She refuses to give her heart to any man, but Leo’s determined to beat the odds—even if it means learning how to be a rake. Fortunately, Kitty’s willing to tutor him in the nuances of fashion, flirtation, and seduction in exchange for his help with the contest. But the whole plan would fall apart if she knew how he felt, so he’ll have to be very convincing.

Let the lessons begin…

Leo proves to be a surprisingly quick study in the ballroom, on the beach, and in the bedchamber. Before long, he’s softening Kitty’s hard edges with his wicked words and kissing his way past all her defenses. Perhaps she’s a bit too skilled at teaching, because her lessons are threatening to backfire, putting her closely guarded heart in grave danger…

I liked both Leo and Kitty, but Kitty seemed a bit illogical to me. Her closest friends made love matches, but she thinks those are pointless. She’s mad at Leo for having feelings for her, but she was jealous of his mystery woman before she knew it was her. And she gets irrationally angry with him without even listening to his explanation for things. So, I didn’t like that aspect of her personality at all. I enjoyed their repartee a lot, but Kitty was a bit too much of a diva for me.

Anna Bennett lives in Maryland. It Takes a Rake is her newest novel.

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

Book Review and Blog Tour: The Missing Witness, by Allison Brennan

Image belongs to Harlequin/MIRA.

Title: The Missing Witness
Author: Allison Brennan     
Genre: Mystery/thriller   
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

Detective Kara Quinn is back in Los Angeles to testify against a notorious human trafficker, finally moving past the case that upended her life. But when the accused is shot by a masked man in broad daylight, the chaotic scene of the crime turns up few reliable bystanders. And one witness—a whistleblower who might be the key to everything—has disappeared.

After the prosecuting DDA is stabbed to death, it’s clear that anyone who knows too much about the investigation is in danger, and tracking down the witness becomes a matter of life or death. With government corruption running rampant and someone on the inside trying to pin anything they can on Kara, she trusts nobody except FBI special agent Matt Costa and a handful of allies.

But when explosive secrets begin to surface within the LAPD and FBI, Kara questions everything she thought she knew about the case, her colleagues and the life she left behind months ago.

Now Quinn and Costa must race to find the missing witness and get to the bottom of the avalanche of conspiracies that has rocked LA to its core…before it’s too late.

I’ve really enjoyed the Quinn & Costa series, and I think this was my favorite so far. Kara actually showed a loot of character growth here and it was nice to see how she’s changed since the first back. Her going back to the scene of her past was interesting to watch—and seeing the ghosts from her past life as she interacted with the case that got her to the FBI Mobile Response team added a lot of depth to her character. I really enjoyed this, and stayed up until 2 a.m. binge-reading it.

 Allison Brennan is a bestselling author. The Missing Witness is the newest Quinn & Costa novel.

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

Sundays are for Writing #261

This was a fantastic writing week! I got in five fiction-writing sessions, and I wrote three book reviews, too: A Body at the Seance, The Missing Witness (up on Tuesday), and It Takes a Rake (up on Thursday). I’m very happy with this amount of writing.

How was your writing week?

Book Review: A Body at the Séance, by Marty Wingate

Image belongs to Bookouture and the author.

Title: A Body at the Séance   
Author: Marty Wingate     
Genre:  Mystery    
Rating:  4.2 out of 5

When a body turns up at a glamorous séance, Mabel Canning’s sleuthing skills are put to the test. Because it appears the victim died twice…

London, 1921: As a winter wind blows through the streets of London, Mabel Canning is hired by the Useful Women’s Agency to attend a séance at the home of famous medium Madame Pushkana. But when Mabel hears a choking noise and a loud thud, she quickly turns on the lights to find herself at the scene of a murder.

The victim is none other than Stamford Plomley, whose widow arranged the séance after he died in a fire eight months ago. How did he come back from the dead without a scorch mark on him? And could one of their assembled party of gentlewomen have killed him… again?

When Scotland Yard arrive, the police try to stop Mabel from interfering. But having just formed the London Ladies’ Murder Club, Mabel isn’t going anywhere. And with the help of former detective Park Winstone, she begins to piece together what really happened at the ghostly gathering.

But when Mabel receives a threatening letter warning her to stay away from the case, she realises the murderer may have another victim in mind. With time running out, will she hit a dead end? Or can she keep herself from becoming the next one to be sent to an early grave?

This was a fun read! I think I enjoyed this more than the first book in the series. The characters felt a little more real to me, especially Perkins:  I absolutely loved him and would like to see more of him. I didn’t have any idea who the murderer was, so that was a big surprise, and all of Mabel’s investigations were a lot of fun to read. This is a great series!

Marty Wingate is a bestselling author. A Body at the Séance is her newest novel.

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

Book Review:  Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherland, by Heather Fawcett

Image belongs to Random House-Ballantine, Del Rey.

Title:  Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherland      
Author: Heather Fawcett    
Genre: Fantasy    
Rating:  4 out of 5

When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series.

Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore—she just wrote the world’s first comprehensive of encylopaedia of faeries. She’s learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Folk on her adventures . . . and also from her fellow scholar and former rival, Wendell Bambleby.

Because Bambleby is more than infuriatingly charming. He’s an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother, and in search of a door back to his realm. So despite Emily’s feelings for Bambleby, she’s not ready to accept his proposal: Loving one of the Fair Folk comes with secrets and danger.

And she also has a new project to focus a map of the realms of faerie. While she is preparing her research, Bambleby lands her in trouble yet again, when assassins sent by Bambleby’s mother invade Cambridge. Now Bambleby and Emily are on another adventure, this time to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambley’s realm, and the key to freeing him from his family’s dark plans.

But with new relationships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors, and of her own heart.

This was a fun read! I enjoyed the first book, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, and this book just continued the fun. Emily felt like she’d loosened up a little bit and learned to be around people better, but she was still a bit awkward and fumbling. When she tends to overthink things, she gets herself in trouble, but her instincts are good. This was a fun adventure;

Heather Fawcett is a bestselling author who lives on Vancouver Island. Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherland is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House-Ballantine, Del Rey in exchange for an honest review.)