Category: awesomeness

Book Review: Introducing Mrs. Collins, by Rachel Parris

Image belongs to Little, Brown and Company.

Title: Introducing Mrs. Collins
Author: Rachel Parris            
Genre: historical fiction    
Rating: 5 out of 5

When Charlotte Lucas chooses security over romance, her eyes are wide open to the decision she is making. Marriage to Mr. Collins offers stability, if not passion, and she is determined to make the best of it. While Elizabeth Bennet turns away in judgment of her choice, Charlotte builds a life in Kent—one of duty, routine, and quiet contentment.

But everything changes when an unexpected visitor arrives at Rosings Park. A spark is lit, an impossible longing awakened.

Torn between what she must do and what she truly desires, Charlotte finds herself at the center of a story she never expected to be hers. A tale of love, loss, and second chances, Introducing Mrs. Collins is for anyone who wondered if there was more to the sensible character we met in Pride and Prejudice. It is the story of a woman who had written herself out of her own life, only to learn it is never too late to find your own happy ending.

I’m just going to say that I loved this! Pride and Prejudice is a favorite read of mine—of course—but I never really thought about Charlotte Lucas much, so this was a fascinating read! I loved seeing things from her point of view and getting to know her, and even Mr. Collins, better. This was just such a good read!

Rachel Parris lives in London. Introducing Mrs. Collins is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Little, Brown and Company in exchange for an honest review.)

    

The Best Books I Read in October (2025)

In October, I read 14 books, bringing my total for the year to 197 books read. Honestly, I don’t feel like I read very much–and most of what I did read was either meh or okay. But there were three books I read that were really good!

Falling Into a Sea of Stars, by Kristen Britain. I’ve loved this series all along, and I loved this, too. Karigan is such a great character, and I love the tension between her and the king. I binge-read this in a single weekend.

The Memory Gardener, by Meg Donohue. This was so good! The characters were great–vibrant and quirky–and the setting was fantastic. Oceanview Home became such a great setting! And the gardens. I loved the gardens. All of them.

Magic for a Price, by Devon Monk. How did I read this series over a decade ago, when they first came out, and somehow not read the final book in the series? I enjoyed this wrap-up! I listened to it on audio, and truly enjoyed that aspect of it. Shamus is my fave!

Sundays are for Writing #339

This was a fantastic writing week! I wrote three book reviews, Fallen City, by Adrienne Young, The Forget-Me-Not Library, by Heather Webber, and An Academic Affair, by Jodi McAlister as well as my September reading post and my post on the best books I read in September.

Happy writing!

The Best Books I Read in September (2025)

In September, I read 17 books, bringing my total for the year to 183 books read. I also DNFed six books. Of the 17 books I finished, most were solid reads, a handful were meh, and three were really excellent.

The White Octopus Hotel, by Alexandra Bell. This was historical fiction mixed with a bit of magic, and it was truly a lovely read. Great characters, an enchanting setting, and enough magic to keep it interesting.

Introducing Mrs. Collins, by Rachel Parris. A Pride and Prejudice spinoff about Charlotte Lucas? I was immediately intrigued. And reading about this character, who I never really gave much thought to before, was just so enjoyable. Yes, we get to see a few P&P scenes from a different set of eyes, which was wonderful, but Charlotte was fascinating in her own right.

The Forget-Me-Not Library, by Heather Webber. Sweet Southern fiction with a touch of magic? Yes, please. Y’all, I don’t even like small towns, and I loved Forget-Me-Not. Every character in this was fantastic and believable, and I loved both Juliet’s and Tallulah’s (How’s that for a Southern name?) journeys.

Sundays are for Writing #338

This was a much better writing week! I wrote four book reviews: The White Octopus Hotel, by Alexandra Bell, Final Cut, by Olivia Worley, The Dagger in Vichy, by Alastair Reynolds, and Introducing Mrs. Collins, by Rachel Parris. I highly recommend the first and last ones, but I’d skip the middle two if I were you.

Happy writing!

Book Review: The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake, by Rachel Linden

Image belongs to Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley.

Title: The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake
Author: Rachel Linden          
Genre: Fantasy  
Rating: 5 out of 5

Rising star Jules Costa loves re-creating vintage recipes for her popular online cooking show. But when personal and professional disaster strikes, her only chance of saving her career is to complete her new cookbook before the end of the summer. Panicked, Jules returns to her family’s beloved olive farm on the shores of Italy’s stunning Lake Garda. Seeking culinary inspiration, she’s hoping to convince her spunky eighty-year-old Nonna Bruna to share her precious collection of family recipes.

Jules’ plans quickly go awry as she discovers Nonna’s cookbook has magical and unpredictable powers. It only reveals one recipe at a time, offering a cooking experience guaranteed to satisfy the chef’s palate and bring clarity to their life. Yet it remains stubbornly blank for Jules. To make matters worse, the olive farm is in deep financial trouble, and Jules soon uncovers a web of family secrets involving the cookbook and a lost recipe for orange blossom cake that holds the key to everything. And Nicolo, the boy next door who broke her young heart, is now all grown up, even more attractive, and the only person poised to help her find answers. 

In a whirlwind summer beyond her imagination, Jules begins to unravel the mysteries baked into her family’s history and discovers the essential ingredients to create the future of her dreams.

I loved this! This had the feel of Southern fiction but made me ready to move to Italy—and eat all the pasta! This was charming and magical and full of memories and whimsy, and it just made me smile. Jules is so fixated on certain things, and the shock of finding herself scrabbling for any port in a storm in Italy is a shock to her system—and who she wants to become. I loved her Italian family—and her little sister—and live on an olive farm sounded so rewarding, especially with Nonna’s cooking and life lessons as a backdrop. This would be a perfect vacation or weekend read.

Rachel Linden lives near Seattle, WA. The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley in exchange for an honest review.)

 

Book Review: A Dark and Deadly Journey, by Julia Kelly  

Image belongs toSt. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books.

Title: A Dark and Deadly Journey
Author: Julia Kelly   
Genre: historical fiction  
Rating: 5 out of 5

After being sidelined for a pesky gunshot wound, typist-turned-field agent Evelyne Redfern is ready for her next assignment with Britain’s secretive Special Investigations Unit. When a British Intelligence informant in Portugal mysteriously disappears just after hinting that he has vital information about German plans that could tip the balance of World War Two, Evelyne and her dashingly irksome partner, David Poole, are sent headed to Lisbon to find him.

Once they land, Evelyne and David aren’t even able to leave the airport, before she discovers one of their fellow aeroplane passengers murdered and uncovers a diary with a clear link between the victim and their missing informant. With their mission in jeopardy before it can truly begin, Evelyne and David fight to keep their cover intact as they descend deeper into the shadows that surround Lisbon’s glittering collection of wealthy expats and dangerous spies. This case will test Evelyne and David’s training, charm, and wit―and their growing attraction for one another.

I’m still loving this series! Historical fiction is my jam, particularly World War II-era stories, and I do love a good murder mystery, so this makes it a winner in my book. Evelyne and David are great characters and I’ve loved getting to know them more with every book. I’ll admit, I did figure out who the killer was a bit before the reveal, but I was not expecting that ending!

Julia Kelly is a bestselling author. A Dark and Deadly Journey is her newest novel.

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

The Best Books I Read in August (2025)

In August, I read 21 books, bringing my total for the year to 166 books. Of those 21, most were solid reads, a couple were “meh,” and a handful were great reads.

A Dark and Deadly Journey, by Julia Kelly. This is the third book in this WWII-era spy series, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all three. The main characters are strong and intriguing, and it’s a lot of fun watching them solve the crimes in the stories. And of course, that’s my favorite era for historical fiction.

The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake, by Rachel Linden. I enjoyed this so much! The touch of magic, the second-chance romance, the family drama, the setting, the food…all of it worked so well together to make this such a great read.

Glorious Rivals, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I cleared my reading schedule for the weekend when this came out, so I could just enjoy what a fun read this was! I’m not smart enough to have survived more than three minutes of the game, but I really love all the characters and their messes.

Book Review: For the Record, by Emma Lord  

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press | St. Martin’s Griffin.

Title: For the Record  
Author: Emma Lord     
Genre: Romance   
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Once the most notorious rivals in the music scene, pop princess Mackenzie Waters and punk rockstar Sam Blaze electrified audiences as their bands clashed on stage. But behind the scenes, their simmering tension grew into something more — until suddenly both bands fell apart, and the idea of Mackenzie and Sam did, too.

Two years later, Sam has traded the rockstar lifestyle for a quiet life raising the son he didn’t know about. Meanwhile, Mackenzie is dealing with a postoperative change in her voice by only singing under a pseudonym. The only way to revive their public careers? A joint comeback album.

With fans over the moon and their futures on the line, Sam and Mackenzie face their biggest challenge yet: giving up the old rivalry and learning to work together. But as old sparks fly and new secrets emerge, they set off a chain reaction neither of them could have anticipated — one that proves that sometimes, the greatest hits are the ones yet to be written.

This was such a cute read! I enjoyed every page. Both Sam and Mackenzie are both determined to dislike each other again, even though it wasn’t really dislike last time. I enjoyed seeing scenes from the past through the eyes of the present, and how much both characters had truly grown and changed. Loved all the secondary characters, too, especially Ben and his “dessert” creations.

Emma Lord is a bestselling author. For the Record is her newest novel.

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

The Best Books I Read in July (2025)

In July, I read 17 books, bringing my total for the year to 145books read. I also DNFed four more books.

Most of those reads were just okay/solid reads, but three of them were really good.

Through an Open Window, by Pamela Terry. Pamela Terry’s books are really good, and I loved this one! Southern fiction is my favorite genre to read, and this hit all the right notes: a bit of family drama, quirky townspeople, a mystery, a ghost…it was just such a good read!

The Vanished Days, by Susanna Kearsley. The three books in this series were wonderful! Okay, the first one is my favorite, but I loved each of them. This one is straight historical fiction, without a present-day timeline, like the other two.

The Secret Book Society, by Madeline Martin. Martin writes wonderful historical fictions, and I really enjoyed this tale centered around female friendships and books. Such a lovely read!