Author: tamaramorning

Book Review:  Aria’s Travelling Book Shop, by Rebecca Raisin

Image belongs to Harper 360.

Title: Aria’s Travelling Book Shop  
Author:   Rebecca Raisin
Genre:   Fiction
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

This summer will change everything! 

Aria Summers knows what she wants. 

A life on the road with best friend Rosie and her beloved camper-van-cum-book-shop, and definitely, definitely, no romance.

 But when Aria finds herself falling – after one too many glasses of wine, from a karaoke stage – into the arms of Jonathan, a part of her comes back to life for the first time in years. 

Since her beloved husband died Aria has sworn off love, unless it’s the kind you can find in the pages of a book. One love of her life is quite enough.

 And so Aria tries to forget Jonathan and sets off for a summer to remember in France. But could this trip change Aria’s life forever…?

This was such a fun read! I enjoyed Rosie’s story before this, and Aria’s story was just as enjoyable. Tea and books:  my favorites. I relished all the literary references, and Aria has such a knack for landing herself in scrapes that it made me laugh. A quick read that’s just pure pleasure.

Rebecca Raisin loves books. Aria’s Travelling Book Shop is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harper 360 in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review and Blog Tour:  Luminous, by Mara Rutherford

Image belongs to Inkyard Press.

Title:   Luminous
Author:   Mara Rutherford
Genre:   Fantasy, YA
Rating:  3.5 out of 5

A witch who must learn to harness her power–or risk losing her loved ones forever. 

Liora has spent her life in hiding, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king’s warlock, Darius, who uses mages’ magic to grow his own power. But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn’t take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora’s childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius’s visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to.

 To find Evran and to save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared. But the greatest danger she’ll face is yet to come, for Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos–and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him.

I really loved Rutherford’s previous duology, but this just didn’t quite measure up for me. So many layers of lies and misinformation that I was never quite sure of the truth about core concepts from the world itself. I liked Liora herself, but the other main characters were inconsistent at best. Some bits felt clunky and uneven, and there was a bit of deus ex machina thrown in for good measure.

Mara Rutherford is from California. Luminous is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Forestborn, by Elayne Audrey Becker

Image belongs to Macmillan-Tor/Forge.

Title:  Forestborn
Author:  Elayne Audrey Becker
Genre:  Fantasy, YA
Rating:  4 out of 5

TO BE BORN OF THE FOREST IS A GIFT AND A CURSE. 

Rora is a shifter, as magical as all those born in the wilderness–and as feared. She uses her abilities to spy for the king, traveling under different guises and listening for signs of trouble. 

When a magical illness surfaces across the kingdom, Rora uncovers a devastating truth: Finley, the young prince and her best friend, has caught it, too. His only hope is stardust, the rarest of magical elements, found deep in the wilderness where Rora grew up–and to which she swore never to return. 

But for her only friend, Rora will face her past and brave the dark, magical wood, journeying with her brother and the obstinate, older prince who insists on coming. Together, they must survive sentient forests and creatures unknown, battling an ever-changing landscape while escaping human pursuers who want them dead. With illness gripping the kingdom and war on the horizon, Finley’s is not the only life that hangs in the balance.

It took me a little bit to ground myself in this world, but I enjoyed the read a lot. I enjoyed how Rora grew from being shy and unsure of herself to confident and strong. The setting was fascinating to me, and while I don’t usually enjoy politics, in this case they were and integral—and well-done—part of the story. This is a solid fantasy read.

Elayne Audrey Becker was born and raised in Georgia. Forestborn is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review:  The Rot, by Siri Pettersen

Image belongs to Arctis Books.
  • Genre:   Fantasy
  • Rating:  5 out of 5

To protect her homeland of Ym, Hirka left it behind. She traveled through the raven rings, a stone circle that can be used as a portal, to an unfamiliar world. A world without the Might, a world where none of the people have tails, a world that seems rotten at its very core. That world is modern-day Europe.

Hirka was supposed to fit in with humans here. And her departure was supposed to be save Ym from the invasion of the blind. Yet none of that has happened. Instead, Hirka finds herself just as much of an outsider among the humans as she was among ymlings—even more so when she discovers that she has blood of the blind running through her veins. Meanwhile back in Ym, Rime—now the Ravenbearer—is fighting an ongoing battle against the blind, not to mention against his fellow Councilors, as well as with his own despair over losing Hirka.

Separated by worlds, unsure who to trust, and hunted for reasons they cannot understand, both Hirka and Rime must find a way to stop a thousand-year-old evil from destroying not only Ym, but every world in existence.

I love this series! Phenomenally well-written, engrossing, and just plain fascinating, I wanted to binge-read the entire thing (except for you know, responsibilities). I liked how Hirka and Rime are forced to grow while being separated by worlds, yet their bond remains strong and sure. I cannot recommend this highly enough!

Siri Pettersen is from Norway and is an award-winning author. The Rot is her newest novel, the second book in The Raven Rings series.

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

The Best Books I Read in September (2021)

In September, I only read 15 books. I enjoyed three of those books very much.

The Guide, by Peter Heller. This should have felt slow and leisurely, but it ended up being full of building suspense mixed with some phenomenal nature writing. I don’t know a thing about fly fishing, yet I was fascinated by the scenes describing it.

Forestborn, by Elayne Audrey Becker. I really enjoyed this fantasy read about a shifter who works for the king and a magical illness sweeping across the land.

Aria’s Travelling Book Shop, by Rebecca Raisin. This was such a sweet, fun read! It continues the story of the traveling merchants with their tiny shops. Just so much fun!

What I Read in September (2021)

Books Read in September: 15

Books Read for the Year:  180/250

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Instead of choosing five books from my TBR pile this month, I only picked three. There was a lot going on, and I knew time was at a premium.

Speechless: Controlling Words, Controlling Minds, by Michael J. Knowles. This was pretty horrifying to read.

Saint Odd, by Dean Koontz. I was so sad to see this series come to an end! I think Odd Thomas is an absolutely fascinating character.

Dream Big, by Bob Goff. Bob Goff’s conversational tone is just so relatable. It makes everything he writes seem like a chat with a good friend.

For Review:

The Inheritance, by JoAnn Ross. This was good, although one of the sisters was almost unlikable at first.

A Bright Young Thing, by Brianne Moore. I really enjoyed this read! I love the time period, and Astra’s character growth was great to watch.

The Living and the Lost, by Ellen Feldman. That was an interesting WWII novel. I haven’t ever read anything set in Berlin just after the war ended, so it was fascinating seeing that side of it.

This is Why We Lie, by Gabriella Lepore. This was a quick YA thriller where I never figured out who the killer was.

Requiem of Silence, by L. Penelope. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories of this world, and this was a solid wrap-up to an enjoyable series.

The Children’s Secret, by Nina Monroe. This was…entirely one-sided, and one of the characters was an absolutely awful person. Do not recommend.

Her Perfect Life, by Hank Phillippi Ryan. This was a pretty “meh” read for me, as the MC appears to forget her common sense, believe someone she shouldn’t, and end up in a mess.

The Guide, by Peter Heller. I really enjoyed this book! It could easily have felt slow, but instead I was riveted to the page.

Forestborn, by Audrey Elayne Becker (review forthcoming). Loved this fantasy novel! Unique, with distinct, likable characters.

Aria’s Travelling Book Shop, by Rebecca Raisin (review forthcoming). I just love Rebecca Raisin’s stories! Feel-good stories, quirky characters, and a distinctive setting that just draws me right in.

When Sparks Fly, by Helena Hunting (review forthcoming). I’d have to say this was just “meh.”

Left Unfinished:

Never Saw Me Coming, by Vera Kurian. I read about half of this before stopping. Unique idea, but I just couldn’t make myself care about the psychopath characters.

The Guilt Trip, by Sandie Jones. I read about 40% of this before just accepting that I couldn’t stand any of the characters and didn’t care what happened to them.

The Dating Dare, by Jacyi Lee. I didn’t make it very far in this, because I found both Tara and Seth to be caricatures and not very likable, with “rebellious/unconventional” being their main character traits.

He Gets that from Me, by Jacqueline Friedland. The characters annoyed me, and I couldn’t make myself finish this.

Sundays are for Writing #141

I was on vacation all last week, so no writing for me. Instead, I enjoyed hiking and seeing new things.

Happy writing!

Sundays are for Writing #140

Crazy week this week, working and getting reading for vacation, so I only wrote two book reviews. I’m predicting no writing at all next week, as I’ll be hiking the Grand Canyon.

Happy writing!

Book Review:  The Guide, by Peter Heller

Image belongs to Knopf.

Title:  The Guide
Author:  Peter Heller
Genre:  Mystery/thriller
Rating:  5 out of 5

Kingfisher Lodge, nestled in a canyon on a mile and a half of the most pristine river water on the planet, is known by locals as Billionaire’s Mile and is locked behind a heavy gate. Sandwiched between barbed wire and a meadow with a sign that reads Don’t Get Shot! the resort boasts boutique fishing at its finest. Safe from viruses that have plagued America for years, Kingfisher offers a respite for wealthy clients. Now it also promises a second chance for Jack, a return to normalcy after a young life filled with loss. When he is assigned to guide a well-known singer, his only job is to rig her line, carry her gear, and steer her to the best trout he can find.

But then a human scream pierces the night, and Jack soon realizes that this idyllic fishing lodge may be merely a cover for a far more sinister operation. A novel as gripping as it is lyrical, as frightening as it is moving, The Guide is another masterpiece from Peter Heller.

I don’t think I’ve ever read one of Heller’s novels before and reading The River before this wasn’t a necessity (to me, anyway). The writing here is stellar!  I’m usually not much for in-depth and lyrical description, but it absolutely worked here, bringing the scene to such evocative life I could almost taste it. I don’t know a thing about fly fishing, but I still felt right at home in this novel and with these characters. This was an excellent read!

Peter Heller is an award-winning adventure writer. The Guide is his newest novel.

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

Book Review:  Her Perfect Life, by Hank Phillippi Ryan 

Image belongs to Macmillan-Tor/Forge.

Title:   Her Perfect Life
Author:   Hank Phillippi Ryan
Genre:   Mystery/thriller
Rating:  3.5 out of 5

Everyone knows Lily Atwood—and that may be her biggest problem. The beloved television reporter has it all—fame, fortune, Emmys, an adorable seven-year-old daughter, and the hashtag her loving fans created: #PerfectLily. To keep it, all she has to do is protect one life-changing secret.

Her own.

Lily has an anonymous source who feeds her story tips—but suddenly, the source begins telling Lily inside information about her own life. How does he—or she—know the truth?

Lily understands that no one reveals a secret unless they have a reason. Now she’s terrified someone is determined to destroy her world—and with it, everyone and everything she holds dear.

How much will she risk to keep her perfect life?

The basic plot of this was a bit hard for me to believe. I know Lily isn’t quite an investigative reporter, but she has done a little investigating and she has kept her own secret hidden for decades. (Side note, please tell me why Lily’s secret needs to stay a secret anyway? Seems to me it would make her far for likable, instead of into the social media pariah she believes it will make her.) So, why does she just believe her anonymous source when he shows up in person? She doesn’t bother to make a single phone call to find out if he really is who he says he is. That alone made the rest of the book not-quite-believable.

Hank Phillippi Ryan is an investigative reporter and a bestselling author. Her Perfect Life is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for an honest review.)