Book Review:  Veil, by Dylan Farrow

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:   Veil
Author:   Dylan Farrow
Genre:   Fantasy, YA
Rating:  3.8 out of 5

Shae’s entire world has been turned upside down, and everything she’s ever believed is a lie. More determined than ever, she sets out to the mysterious land of Gondal—a place forbidden to mention and resigned to myth—in search of a dangerous magical book that could alter the fabric of the world.

Following the trail of Ravod, the boy she thought she knew and trusted, Shae discovers there is far more to the young man who stole the Book of Days than she ever realized. Together, with her friends, Mads and Fiona, and a newfound ally in her fierce former trainer, Kennan, Shae crosses the borders of the only home she’s ever had and into a world ruled not by magic, but technology and industry — one fraught with perils of its own.

In a world shrouded in lies, Shae is desperate for answers and to restore peace, but who will lift the veil?

I did not read Hush, but that didn’t really prove to be a problem. I enjoyed the characters, but the last third of the books seemed a bit erratic and far-fetched. Interesting world and setting, it just didn’t totally work for me because it felt jagged, not like a coherent whole.

Dylan Farrow grew up in New York City and Connecticut. Veil is her newest novel.

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

Book Review:   The Kew Gardens Girls at War, by Posy Lovell

Image belongs to Penguin Group Putnam.

Title:    The Kew Gardens Girls at War
Author:    Posy Lovell
Genre:    Historical fiction
Rating:  4.2 out of 5

When Daisy Turner’s new husband joins the RAF to fight the Battle of Britain, she’s terrified she’s going to lose him. So when her mother Ivy suggests she joins the gardeners at Kew to keep busy, Daisy’s intrigued. After all, Ivy worked at Kew during the last war and made lifelong friends along the way.

Ivy’s friend, Louisa Armitage, is feeling old and useless at her Kent home, wishing she could return to Kew and do her bit for the war effort. Tensions are rising between Louisa and her pacifist husband, as they argue over their nephew Christopher, who’s enlisted. But Louisa’s not ready to hang up her gardening gloves yet, and she’s soon on her way to Kew with an idea that could really make a difference.

Meanwhile Beth Sanderson is furious after her father stops her applying to medical school. Angry and frustrated, she applies to a new wartime role at Kew Gardens, alongside her doctor friend Gus Campbell. But the committee is run by men and Beth is asked to take a job a gardener instead, running a demonstration allotment with new friend Daisy. As the bombs fall on a Blitz-stricken London she finds herself torn between Gus, and her boyfriend Paul. Can Gus and Beth overcome the racism of wartime Britain to be together?

When tragedy hits, the women are forced to come together to support each other through their darkest hours. But can the Kew Gardens Girls survive the horrors of war-torn London this time?

This is a wonderful novel! The first I’d read from this author, but hopefully not the last. I think Beth was my favorite character, but I truly liked all of them. Poor Daisy thought Beth was so much better than her because of her looks, but Daisy lent her own strength to the story. This was a lovely read.

Posy Lovell lives in London. The Kew Gardens Girls at War is her newest novel.

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

The Best Books I Read in April (2022)

In April, I only read 10 books. My work schedule was absolutely nuts, and there were family things going on, too, so no time to read or write. I thought two of the ten were really good:

The Might, by Siri Petterson. I thought this trilogy was absolutely fantastic, and I’d happily read more in a hot second! The characters and world-building are both relatable and phenomenal, and I couldn’t put it down. All the stars!

This May End Badly, by Samantha Markum. Okay, the main character was kind of a jerk at times, but she at least learned from it and began to actually care about what other people wanted–not just herself. And the love interest wad absolutely adorable.

What I Read in April (2022)

Books Read in April: 11 (I think this is the smallest number ever.)

Books Read for the Year:  77/250

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George (re-read). I really enjoyed this. It’s been years since I read it, but I saw it at HPB for $2 and thought, “Why not?”

Look to Love, by J.L. Gerhardt (spiritual).

The Might, by Siri Pettersen (TBR). I loved this entire trilogy!

How (Not) to Save the World, by Hosanna Wong (spiritual).

Game On, by Janet Evanovich (TBR). WHY does she always go back to Joe?

For Review:

A Promise of Forgiveness, by Jo Ann Brown. The unforgiveness from the main character made me enjoy this a lot less than I could have.

The Memory of Her, by Bianca M. Schwarz. I’ve enjoyed the three books in this series, but this one threw me off a bit because it was set after the first book that came out, but before the third book.

This May End Badly, by Samantha Markum. I really enjoyed this! No, the MC wasn’t the greatest person, but she did learn, and the love interest was wonderful.

The Wrong Victim, by Allison Brennan. One of the MCs is borderline hard to like, but I ended up enjoying this read.

Funny You Should Ask, by Elissa Sussman. This was a decent read, even if the premise itself was a bit hard to believe.

The Kew Garden Girls at War, by Posy Lovell (review forthcoming). This was a lovely read!

Left Unfinished:

The Wedding Crasher, by Mia Sosa. Likable enough, but I was bored.

Last Dance on the Starlight Pier, by Sarah Bird. I read about 15% but it was just so slow I couldn’t get into it.

Unlikely Animals, by Annie Hartnett. Just started off way too slowly for me.

End of the World House, by Adrienne Celt. I didn’t make it very far into this because I didn’t feel any connection with the main characters.

Sundays are for Writing #171

This week was marginally better than last week: I wrote one book review. Read almost nothing due to schedule craziness and family being in town. It’s all good.

Happy writing!

Book Review:  Funny You Should Ask, by Elissa Sussman

Image belongs to Random House/Ballantine.

Title:    Funny You Should Ask
Author:  Elissa Sussman  
Genre:    Romance
Rating:  4 out of 5

Then. Twentysomething writer Chani Horowitz is stuck. While her former MFA classmates are nabbing book deals, she’s in the trenches writing puff pieces. Then she’s hired to write a profile of movie star Gabe Parker. The Gabe Parker–her forever celebrity crush, the object of her fantasies, the background photo on her phone–who’s also just been cast as the new James Bond. It’s terrifying and thrilling all at once . . . yet if she can keep her cool and nail the piece, it could be a huge win. Gabe will get good press, and her career will skyrocket. But what comes next proves to be life-changing in ways Chani never saw coming, as the interview turns into a whirlwind weekend that has the tabloids buzzing.

Now. Ten years later, after a brutal divorce and a heavy dose of therapy, Chani is back in Los Angeles, laser-focused on one thing: her work. But she’s still spent the better part of the last decade getting asked about her deeply personal Gabe Parker profile at every turn. No matter what new essay collection or viral editorial she’s promoting, it always comes back to Gabe. So when his PR team requests that they reunite for a second interview, she wants to say no. She wants to pretend that she’s forgotten about the time they spent together, years ago. But the truth is that those seventy-two hours are still crystal clear, etched in her memory. And so . . . she says yes.

Chani knows that facing Gabe again also means facing feelings she’s tried so hard to push away. Alternating between their first meeting and their reunion a decade later, this deliciously irresistible novel will have you hanging on until the last word.

This was an entertaining read, despite the…sheer unbelievability of the premise. Chani was an open-mouth-insert-both-feet person, so I was alternately horrified and amused at her shenanigans. This was a light and fluffy read, so nothing requiring too much thinking, but it was a fun way to spend a couple of hours.

Elissa Sussman lives in Los Angeles. Funny You Should Ask is her newest novel.

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

Book Review and Blog Tour:   The Wrong Victim, by Allison Brennan

Image belongs to Harlequin/MIRA.

Title:    The Wrong Victim
Author:  Allison Brennan  
Genre:    Thriller
Rating:  4 out of 5

A bomb explodes on a sunset charter cruise out of Friday Harbor at the height of tourist season and kills everyone on board. Now this fishing and boating community is in shock and asking who would commit such a heinous crime—the largest act of mass murder in the history of the San Juan Islands.

Forensic profilers know there are two types of domestic terrorists: those who use violence to instill fear for political purposes but stop at murder because it detracts from the cause, and those who crave attention and are willing to maim and murder for their own agenda.

Accused of putting profits before people after leaking fuel that caused a massive fish kill, the West End Charter company may itself have been the target. But as special agent Matt Costa, detective Kara Quinn and the rest of the FBI team begin their investigation, they discover that plenty of people might have wanted someone dead on that yacht. Now they must track down who is responsible and stop them before they strike again.

I really enjoyed reading these characters again. I like Kara, although she’s a touch too brash and in-your-face for me. I loved the small town setting and even the supporting characters were well-done and vibrant. There’s a lot going on here, but the author handles it all so skillfully, I never got confused at all.

Allison Brennan is a bestselling author. The Wrong Victim is her newest novel.

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

Sundays are for Writing #170

It’s been another week of nearly nonexistent writing and reading. I wrote too book reviews and read one book (I know, right?). Work hours are still long and hard, and I’m prioritizing sleep.

Happy writing!

Sundays are for Writing #169

This week was a much better writing week than last week, though not as good as I’d hoped: three book reviews written. Another demanding work week with too little time for reading.

Happy writing!

Book Review:  This May End Badly, by Samantha Markum

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books.

Title:   This May End Badly
Author:   Samantha Markum
Genre:   YA
Rating:  5 out of 5

Pranking mastermind Doe and her motley band of Weston girls are determined to win the century-long war against Winfield Academy before the clock ticks down on their senior year. But when their headmistress announces that The Weston School will merge with its rival the following year, their longtime feud spirals into chaos.

To protect the school that has been her safe haven since her parents’ divorce, Doe puts together a plan to prove once and for all that Winfield boys and Weston girls just don’t mix, starting with a direct hit at Three, Winfield’s boy king and her nemesis. In a desperate move to win, Doe strikes a bargain with Three’s cousin, Wells: If he fake dates her to get under Three’s skin, she’ll help him get back his rightful family heirloom from Three.

As the pranks escalate, so do her feelings for her fake boyfriend, and Doe spins lie after lie to keep up her end of the deal. But when a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior messes with a younger Weston girl, Doe has to decide what’s more important: winning a rivalry, or joining forces to protect something far more critical than a prank war legacy.

This book was just good, plain fun!  Sure, Doe did some pretty crappy things—and I never really understood her animosity towards Three—but I enjoyed this book from the very first page. Doe’s group of friends was great, and I liked that the guys were actually good guys, too, even if the girls couldn’t see that at first. Doe grows a lot in this story, and while sometimes that change was painful, I enjoyed the story very much. Especially the interactions between Doe and Wells. Her “stranger danger” made me laugh a lot.

Samantha Markum lives in St. Louis. This May End Badly is her debut novel.

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