This week, I only wrote one book review, Whistleblower, by Kate Marchant. I also wrote three other posts over on A Little Bit Greener, which makes me very happy. It’s not much writing—but it’s way more than I had been doing.
Happy writing!
Author: tamaramorning
Book Review: Whistleblower, by Kate Marchant
Title: Whistleblower
Author: Kate Marchant
Genre: YA
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Laurel Cates has never wanted the spotlight. As a junior studying journalism at Garland University, she’s perfectly content pumping out well-written fluff pieces for the school paper and focusing on the finer things in life: friends, house parties, and carne asada tacos. But when Laurel’s research for an article on the school’s beloved football coach uncovers a pattern of misbehavior and a trail of lies, she knows she has to expose the truth.
Even if it means facing public scrutiny. Even if it means risking her part-time job, her reputation, and her safety. Even if Bodie St. James, the heart-of-gold quarterback, seems hell-bent on convincing her that the man who has been like a father to him couldn’t possibly be the villain she thinks he is.
When Laurel and Bodie team up to prove each other wrong, their tentative alliance becomes complicated by growing feelings and mounting evidence. And Laurel must choose between staying invisible or doing what’s right . . . even if it costs her more than she ever imagined.
This was a solid read, although the last third or so seemed intent on making a show of how inclusive it was—instead of just being inclusive. I really liked Laurel and her two best friends. Their relationship and interactions were great. Bodie seemed a bit too good to be true, frankly, but he was very likable. This was a quick, easy read with a good message.
Kate Marchant is from the San Francisco Bay Area. Whistleblower is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Wattpad Books in exchange for an honest review.)
Book Review: The Lost English Girl, by Julia Kelly
Title: The Lost English Girl
Author: Julia Kelly
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5
Liverpool, 1935: Raised in a strict Catholic family, Viv Byrne knows what’s expected of her: marry a Catholic man from her working-class neighborhood and have his children. However, when she finds herself pregnant after a fling with Joshua Levinson, a Jewish man with dreams of becoming a famous Jazz musician, Viv knows that a swift wedding is the only answer. Her only solace is that marrying Joshua will mean escaping her strict mother’s scrutiny. But when Joshua makes a life-changing choice on their wedding day, Viv is forced once again into the arms of her disapproving family.
Five years later and on the eve of World War II, Viv is faced with the impossible choice to evacuate her young daughter, Maggie, to the countryside estate of the affluent Thompson family. In New York City, Joshua gives up his failing musical career to serve in the Royal Air Force, fight for his country, and try to piece together his feelings about the family, wife, and daughter he left behind at nineteen. However, tragedy strikes when Viv learns that the countryside safe haven she sent her daughter to wasn’t immune from the horrors of war. It is only years later, with Joshua’s help, that Viv learns the secrets of their shared past and what it will take to put a family back together again.
I do love Julia Kelly’s novels, so this was a no-brainer. There was some hard stuff in this novel, though. Viv’s mother was a terrible person, and it was gut-wrenching to read her treatment of Viv. Joshua wasn’t exactly a catch, but his journey was good to read. Poor Viv. What a terrible thing the first part of her life was, until she grew into herself and realized she had the strength to make her own life. Let’s be honest: Viv is a better person than I am, because I’m not sure what I would have done to Mrs. Thompson. This is a solid read, and I ended up plowing through 3/4s of it in one sitting, eager to find out what happened.
Julia Kelly is a bestselling author. The Lost English Girl is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review.)
Sundays Are for Writing #215
This week, I wrote three book reviews: The Weight of Air, by Kimberly Duffy, Off the Map, by Trish Doller, and The Lost English Girl, by Julia Kelly (will be live on Tuesday).
I also started another writing project here, so that’s a step in the right direction.
What have you been writing?
Happy writing!
Book Review: Off the Map, by Trish Doller
Title: Off the Map
Author: Trish Doller
Genre: Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5
Carla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She’s been travelling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t ever go home.
Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he’s the one who’s lost his sense of direction. He’s unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out—literally.
Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend’s wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love – if only they choose it.
From the very first page of this read, I was enchanted. I enjoyed being in Carla’s head so much! Her travel jaunts were fascinating to read about, and I loved the adventures she and Eamon went on—the bull with the sangria was hysterical. And, who doesn’t love a hot Irish man? The way Carla and Eamon connected, and their banter kept me glued to the page. Highly recommend this read!
Trish Doller was born in Berlin but lives in Florida.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)
The Best Books I Read in February (2023)
In February, I read 16 books, bringing my total for the year to 33 books read. I also DNFed two books. Of those 16 books, three of them were really excellent.
The Record Keeper, by Charles Martin. Y’all. If you haven’t discovered Charles Martin’s books yet, please do yourself a favor and pick one up. This one is the last in a trilogy that started with The Water Keeper, and I inhaled these books. I do not even have words to describe how much I loved these books and these characters. I will automatically buy—in hardcover—anything this author writes. Even his nonfiction is phenomenal.
When the Moon Turns Blue, by Pamela Terry. I love Southern fiction, but I enjoyed this and The Sweet Taste of Muscadines, the author’s previous book, so, so much. The characters in this are just wonderful. I highly recommend.
My most surprising read of the month was Bibi: My Story, by Benjamin Netanyahu. I almost never read biographies (I’ve maybe read two in my entire life), don’t care for politics, and the military also isn’t my thing, yet this autobiography from a world leader who was in the military kept me riveted to the page. And I thought there was drama in the United States’ political system!
What I Read in February (2023)
Books Read in February: 16
Books Read for the Year: 33/225
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis (re-read). I do love this series.
The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien (re-read). I just love this book.
The Record Keeper, by Charles Martin (TBR). I have no words to describe how the ending of this made me feel.
Bibi: My Story, by Benjamin Netanyu (TBR). Okay. I don’t care for biographies. I don’t like politics. Or the military. But this was absolutely fascinating!
Dead of Winter, by Kresley Cole (re-read). Love this.
Day Zero, by Kresley Cole (TBR). I had not actually read this, and it adds some fascinating nuances to these characters I love.
Prince Caspian, by C.S. Lewis (re-read). AGain, love this series.
A New Kind of Apologist, by Sean McDowell (spiritual). I think this would have been a better choice for me in a physical book, so I could retain more of the information.
For Review:
Wildblood, by Lauren Blackwood. This started off strong, then fizzled in a meandering mess of confusion.
Code Name Sapphire, by Pam Jenoff. I’ve read–and loved–several of Jenoff’s other books, but I didn’t like this one quite as much. The ending surprised me–I’m not a fan of big revelations at the end when there’s been no hint of anything going on. Feels like thee author cheated a bit when that happens.
Every Missing Girl, by Leanne Kale Sparks. This was a solid read, but I didn’t love it. Some of the suspects were left unresolved, and that left me out-of-sorts.
Where Darkness Blooms, by Andrea Hannah. This was a strange read. The town horrified me. Th sunflowers really creeped me out. A lot. This was dark, atmospheric, and not a feel-good read.
Nocturne, by Alyssa Wees. I loved the ballet part, but the rest seemed a bit…cookie cutter and a jumble of influences of other tales.
Immortality: A Love Story, by Dana Schwartz. I ended up enjoying this more than the first book in this duology. Lord Byron was just how I imagine him!
When the Moon Turns Blue, by Pamela Terry. This was so good! Southern fiction at its best and dealing with some hard issues via characters that practically vibrate on the page.
The Weight of Air, by Kimberly Duffy. I really enjoyed this! Reading about circus life was fun, and I loved these characters.
Left Unfinished: Of Manners and Murder, by Anastasia Hastings. I have to be honest: I found Violet to be a nosy busybody, so she lost my interest at about 15% of the way through.
The Love Scribe, by Amy Meyerson. I found my attention wandering—and that’s never a good sign. And I didn’t care for Alice.
Book Review: The Weight of Air, by Kimberly Duffy
Title: The Weight of Air
Author: Kimberly Duffy
Genre: Christian, historical, romance
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
In 1911, Mabel MacGinnis is Europe’s strongest woman and has performed beside her father in the Manzo Brothers Circus her entire life. But at his unexpected death, she loses everything she’s ever known and sets off in the company of acrobat Jake Cunningham for America in hope of finding the mother she’s just discovered is still alive.
Isabella Moreau, the nation’s most feted aerialist, has given everything to the circus. But age and injury now threaten her security, and Isabella, stalked by old fears, makes a choice that risks everything. When her daughter Mabel appears alongside the man who never wanted to see Isabella again, Isabella is forced to face the truth of where, and in what, she derives her worth.
This was a lovely read! I enjoyed the glimpses of circus life and life in the early 1900s. Mabel was a great character! Her character growth was fantastic to watch, and I enjoyed reading Jake, too. I wasn’t quite as fond of Isabella, but she grew on me. I highly recommend this read!
Kimberly Duffy lives in Ohio. The Weight of Air is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.)
Sundays Are for Writing #214
This week, I only wrote one book review–When the Moon Turns Blue, by Pamela Terry–but I worked three days, then went out of town for two days, so I’m good with that. About to start a new writing regimen, so I’m excited about that.
Happy writing!
Book Review: When the Moon Turns Blue, by Pamela Terry
Title: When the Moon Turns Blue
Author: Pamela Terry
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
On the morning after Harry Cline’s funeral, a rare ice storm hits the town of Wesleyan, Georgia. The community wakes up to find its controversial statue of Confederate general Henry Benning destroyed—and not by the weather. Half the town had wanted to remove the statue; the other half wanted to celebrate it. Now that the matter has been taken out of their hands, the town’s long-simmering tensions are laid bare.
This conflict is especially personal to Harry’s widow, Marietta, who’s never been a fan of the statue. Her brother, Macon, the top defense attorney in the Southeast, is representing Old Man Griffin, the owner of the park where the statue stood. Despite Marietta’s pleas to let the matter rest, Macon is determined to find those responsible for the damage and protect the Griffin legacy—and he’s far from the only person Marietta stands to lose over a statue. Without Harry beside her, Marietta longs to salvage those connections, but the world is changing, and the divide can no longer be ignored.
I loved Terry’s The Sweet Taste of Muscadines, so I was eager to read this. And it did not disappoint! The characters are so….I don’t know, cool? They’re people I would love to hang out with and learn from. Their personalities and histories are so different, but so well-realized I truly feel like they (the main four characters) exist and are out there really living life to the fullest somewhere. It was very hard to put this down for sleep and work, and I loved seeing how things played out. Highly recommend!
Pamela Terry is a lifelong Southerner. When the Moon Turns Blue is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Random House/Ballantine in exchange for an honest review.)
Tomorrow Is Another Day 