Author: tamaramorning

Book Review and Blog Tour: The Fiction Writer, by Jillian Cantor   

Image belongs to Harlequin/Park Row.

Title:  The Fiction Writer      
Author:  Jillian Cantor   
Genre: Fiction    
Rating:  3.5 out of 5

Last night I dreamt I went to Malibu again…

The once-rising literary star Olivia Fitzgerald is down on her luck. Her most recent novel—a retelling of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca—was a flop, her boyfriend of nine years just dumped her and she’s battling a bad case of writer’s block. So when her agent calls her with a high-paying ghostwriting opportunity, Olivia is all too willing to sign the NDA.

At first, the write-for-hire job seems too good to be true. All she has to do is interview Henry “Ash” Asherwood, a reclusive mega billionaire, twice named People’s Sexiest Man Alive, who wants her help in writing a book that reveals a shocking secret about his late grandmother and Daphne du Maurier. But when Olivia arrives at his Malibu estate, nothing is as it seems. The more Olivia digs into his grandmother’s past, the more questions she has—and before she knows it, she’s trapped in a gothic mystery of her own.

This book was a little too meta for me. A re-telling of Rebecca about the initial telling of Rebecca—with questions about who told Rebecca first—and an extra helping of Rebecca thrown in for good measure. It just ended up being confusing. It was a quick read, so I kept reading, but Olivia wasn’t the brightest light, continually putting herself in chancy situations and letting people use and abuse her. So, an interesting concept, but in the end, not a good fit for me.

Jillian Cantor is a bestselling author. The Fiction Writer is her newest novel.

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

Sundays Are for Writing #253

This wasn’t a good writing week: I wrote one book review, The Fiction Writer, by Jillian Cantor. Between the holiday and working almost every day, there just wasn’t much time. Hopefully next week will be better!

Happy writing!

Book Review:  Shards of Glass, by Michelle Sagara

Image belongs to Harlequin/MIRA.

Title:    Shards of Glass    
Author:  Michelle Sagara   
Genre: Fantasy    
Rating:  5 out of 5

The Academia, once an elite proving ground for the rulers of the world, has been frozen for centuries. Now its strange slumber has ended, and a new Chancellor, an orange-eyed dragon, has reopened its lecture halls and readied its dorms. In order to thrive once more, however, the Academia needs fresh blood—new students with a passion and talent for learning.

One such student, Robin, has the perfect recruit in his friend Raven, an orphan who lives in the dangerous Warrens. Robin grew up in the Warrens, and he wouldn’t have made it if not for Raven. He knows she’ll be safe at the Academia, where her unusual gifts can be appreciated.

But when students start turning up dead, the campus threatens to collapse completely. Raven and Robin will not let that happen to their new home…if they can survive long enough to figure out who—or what—is trying to kill them.

This is another excellent read in the Chronicles of Elantra series. I do love Kaylin and the other main characters, but I really enjoyed this read as well. This world is so well-done and vibrant, it’s fascinating to read about. I highly recommend this! I binged it in two days.

Michelle Sagara lives in Toronto. Shards of Glass is her newest novel.

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

Sundays Are for Writing #252

I’m happy with this writing week! I was on vacation the first half, and the second half was…pretty horrible (working in health care is not for the faint of heart), so it all evened out. I wrote one book review, Shards of Glass, by Michelle Sagara, and did some behind-the-scenes stuff on the new fiction piece.

Happy writing!

Book Review and Blog Tour:  Plot Twist, by Erin La Rosa

Title:  Plot Twist      
Author: Erin La Rosa    
Genre: Romance    
Rating:  DNF

Romance author Sophie Lyon’s ironic secret just went viral: she’s never been in love. Though her debut novel made readers swoon, Sophie’s having trouble getting her new characters to happily-ever-after, and she blames it on her own uninspired love life. With a manuscript deadline looming, Sophie makes an ambitious plan to overcome her writer’s block: reunite with her exes to learn why she’s never fallen in love—and document it all for her millions of new online followers. Which also means facing her ex-girlfriend Carla, the one person Sophie could have loved.

Luckily, Sophie’s reclusive landlord, Dash Montrose—a former teen heartthrob—has social media all figured out and offers to help. But he doesn’t mention that he’s an anonymous online crafter, a hobby that helps him maintain his sobriety. No one knows about his complicated relationship with alcohol and he intends to keep it that way. His family is Hollywood royalty, so Dash has to steer clear of scandal.

As Sophie and Dash grow closer, they discover a heat between them that rivals Dash’s pottery kiln. But Sophie needs to figure out who she is outside her relationships, and Dash isn’t sure he’s stable enough for the commitment she deserves. So Sophie suggests what any good romance author would: a friends-with-benefits arrangement. Surely a casual relationship won’t cause any trouble…

I’m not into frivolous and  obsessed-with-what-people-think-of-them main characters. This is the second one of LaRosa’s books I’ve DNFed, so I probably should just accept that no matter how appealing her books sound, they’re just not a good fit for me.

Erin La Rosa lives in L.A. Plot Twist is her newest novel.

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

Sundays Are for Writing #251

This wasn’t a great writing week, but I did get two book reviews written: Plot Twist, by Erin La Rosa, which I DNFed, and The Fiction Writer, by Jillian Cantor (up in a couple of weeks). I also started my vacation, so that accounts for (some) of my unproductive week.

Happy writing

Book Review: Never Wager with a Wallflower, by Virginia Heath   

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: Never Wager with a Wallflower    
Author: Virginia Heath    
Genre: Romance    
Rating: 4 out of 5

Miss Venus Merriwell has been waiting for her prince to come since the tender age of fourteen. She wants a man who is a selfless academic like her, and free from all the wretched vices her gambler father enjoyed far too much before he left the Merriwell sisters practically destitute. Unfortunately, after a slew of romantic disappointments, there is still no sign of that prince at twenty-three and the only one true love of her life is the bursting-at-the-seams orphanage in Covent Garden that she works tirelessly for. An orphanage that desperately needs to expand into the empty building next door.

For Galahad Sinclair, gambling isn’t just his life, it’s in his blood. He grew up and learned the trade at his grandfather’s knee in a tavern on the far away banks of the Hudson in New York. But when fate took all that away and dragged him across the sea to London, it made sense to set up shop here. He’s spent five years making a success out of his gaming hall in the sleazy docks of the East End. Enough that he can finally afford to buy the pleasure palace of his dreams—and where better than in the capital’s sinful heart, Covent Garden? The only fly in his ointment is the perfect building he’s just bought to put it in also happens to be right next door to the orphanage run by his cousin’s wife’s youngest sister. A pious, disapproving and unsettling siren he has avoided like the plague since she flattened him five years ago.

While Venus and Galahad lock horns over practically everything, and while her malevolent orphans do their darndest to sabotage his lifelong dream, can either of them take the ultimate gamble—and learn to love thy neighbor?

I really enjoyed the other two books in this series, and this was a solid read, too. Venus is pretty judgmental and narrow-minded when it comes to Gal, even blaming him for things that are not his fault. I didn’t care for that aspect of her personality, or her blindness about men, which seemed almost willful. I liked Gal a lot, and I enjoyed watching the two of them change a bit as they got to know each other. This was a fun read.

Virginia Heath is an award-winning author. Never Wager with a Wallflower is her newest novel.

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

Sundays Are for Writing #250

I got a lot less writing done this week than I did last week, but still, I wrote. One book review, Never Wager with a Wallflower, by Virginia Heath, up Tuesday, and two fiction writing sessions. One of those was the cozy mystery, and one was…something else. I don’t know what, yet. Just something that popped into my head.

I also DNFed three books, Plot Twist (because I’m not into frivolous and obsessed-with-what-people-think-of-them main characters), Artifacts of an Ex (I completely appreciated the MC’s obsession with planning, but wasn’t a fan of her careless and juvenile behavior), and Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord (Look, if I’ve read a third of the book and the MC says she doesn’t care about the ton and societal expectations but that’s all she can think about, and if all the male characters seem to be either foolish, demeaning, or borderline evil, well, I have no interest in finishing reading).

How was your writing week?

Happy writing!

Book Review:  Swarm, by Jennifer Lyle  

Image belongs to Sourcebooks Fire.

Title:  Swarm   
Author: Jennifer Lyle    
Genre:  YA   
Rating: 3.2 out of 5

Sixteen year-old Shur is one of the first to see the creatures. While staring out the window in history class, she spots one floating over the soccer field. It looks like a monarch butterfly—but it’s huge. Within minutes, her classmates’ phones are buzzing with emergency alerts. These things are everywhere, and though nobody’s exactly sure why the alerts are telling them to take cover, Shur knows it can’t be good. It’s only when she’s left school and headed home that she what the creatures do: they attack.

By the time Shur, her two brothers, and their two best friends make it back to her house, it’s clear the five of them must survive whatever comes next on their own.

As the “butterflies”—new hybrid creatures thought to be created by climate change—multiply and swarm outside, anxiety-prone Shur focuses on what she can control: boarding up windows, stocking food, and preparing a shelter in the basement. They lose internet and power while vigilantes create terror outside. Meanwhile the creatures begin to fulfill their ultimate purpose: multiplying via parasitic load, and before long, the butterflies aren’t the only thing trying to get in. To protect her family and survive the invasions, Shur must find the strength to protect their sanctuary at any cost.

This was an okay read, but some of it was far-fetched to me. And I’m not talking about the giant killer butterflies. I am talking about this group of survivors not thinking it important to cover the upstairs windows with more than curtains, or them basically sending out an invitation telling people where they are—after witnessing a group of thugs shooting up the street randomly. I mean, really? Those things were enough to detract from any enjoyment I might have had in the story itself, because blatant stupidity isn’t something I enjoy in other people, so why would I want to read about it?

Jennifer Lyle’s debut novel is Swarm.

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

The Best Books I Read in October (2023)

In October, I read 17 books, bringing my total for the year to 171 books read. Most of those were solid reads, but a few of them were really good.

The Iron Daughter, by Julie Kagawa. This is a re-read of this series for me (Well, a re-read of the original books with Meghan and Ash anyway.). I love these characters and this world, and if you haven’t read them, you should. Actually, anything by Julie Kagawa is a pretty solid bet.

Send Down the Rain, by Charles Martin. Yes, another Charles Martin book is one of my best reads for the month. I can’t help it. He’s phenomenal, and he has an extensive backlist that I haven’t read yet. Also, his newest book, The Last Exchange, by Charles Martin, is very highly recommended—and not on his backlist, as it just came out in October. Go read it. And anything else by him.

The Unmaking of June Farrow, by Adrienne Young. This wasn’t quite what I expected, but I loved it. I’ve read all of her novels and loved them all, and this is another great read. The time travel aspect might mess with your mind a little bit, but you’ll be fine.