In April, I read 21 books, bringing my total for the year to 86 books read. I also DNFed six books. OF those 21 books, three were really excellent.
The Beekeeper’s Promise, by Fiona Valpy. This had been on my TBR pile for a while, and I’m so glad I got around to it! Love me some World War II historical fiction. And this made me crave honey!
The Love Haters, by Katherine Center. I usually look forward to Katherine Center’s novels, because I know there’s going to be some laughs, some solid characters, and usually some swoon-worthy moments. This did not disappoint.
My Friends, by Fredrik Backman. The first Backman book I read was Beartown. I could not care less about sports and I don’t like small towns, but I was enthralled in that book. And My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry is probably in my top ten favorite books ever. So when I tell you that My Friends was just as good? You should read it!
Books Read in April:21 Books Read for the Year: 86/225 Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books: It is Finished, by Charles Martin (spiritual, TBR): This was wonderful. Ruin and Rising, by Leigh Bardugo (audio): I really enjoyed this whole trilogy on audio. Demons and DNA, by Meghan Ciana Doidge (TBR): Wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy these new characters in this world, but so far, I’m really liking them! The Beekeeper’s Promise, by Fiona Valphy (TBR): Wonderful read! Magic in the Blood, by Devon Monk (re-read): Still loving this re-read. The Naturalist Society, by Carrie Vaughn (TBR): This did not turn out like I expected. Your Perfect Year, by Charlott Lucas (TBR): This was a great read! Felt kind of Fredrik Backman-esque. Adulting, by Liz Talbot (TBR): I was on the fence at first with this, but I ended up liking it.
For Review:
Time Loops & Meet Cutes, by Jackie Lau. I enjoyed this read, although it felt less like a romance and more like Noelle figuring out who she wants to be and moving towards that.
It’s You Every Time, by Charlene Thomas. Not sure how I ended up reading two time loop novels back-to-back, but I liked this YA read.
The Thrashers, by Julie Soto. This ended up being different than I expected—or the Thrashers themselves were different–but I found it engrossing with a hint of creepy.
The Language of the Birds, by K.A. Merson. This was an okay read, but most of it was explaining the intricacies of the puzzles, and that just bogged everything down.
Out of Air, by Rachel Reiss. This was a quick read, but I feel like everything was left unexplained.
The Love Haters, by Katherine Center. I do love Katherine Cenbter’s books, and this one had me laughing out loud many times.
Death at a Highland Wedding, by Kelley Armstrong. I thought I’d read the first book in this series, but maybe not. It was still easy to jump in at book four, and I thoroughly enjoyed this.
My Friends, by Fredrik Backman. On the surface, this should not have been as good as it was. But, it’s a Backman book, so it had characters that grabbed a hold of your throat and drew you into the story—and never let go.
Heart of the Sun, by Mia Sheridan. This was a solid romance/dystopian read.
Their Double Lives, by Jaime Lynn Hendricks. I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the characters—they weren’t the nicest group of people and were pretty shameless about using others.
Our Last Wild Days, by Anna Bailey. I didn’t like any of these characters at all, but the setting was vivid enough to make me sweat along with them.
Just Because:
Bonds and Broken Dreams, by Meghan Ciana Doidge. I ended up binge-reading this over a weekend. Really like these characters.
Between, Georgia, by Joshilyn Jackson (audio). I enjoyed this so much! Bernice was not my favorite, but I loved the other characters.
Left Unfinished: The Golden Gryphon and the Bear Prince, by Jeffe Kennedy. Um, no. The Lost Queen, by Aimee Phan. The first third was pretty good. I made it halfway, but it started to seem just to-good-to-be-true, you know? And I didn’t like–or trust–Huong. Murder Land, by Carlyn Greenwald. Unexpected content. Wildbound, by Elayne Audrey Becker. This just didn’t hold my attention. At all. Slipstream, by Madge Maril. I didn’t make it very far in this because Lilah got on my last nerve with her passiveness and poor-me attitude, and Arthur came across as a self-absorbed jerk. Just Another Meet Cute, by Jenn. P. Nguyen. I had device issues while trying to read this, and I didn’t like it well enough to persevere.
In March, I read 23 books, bringing my total for the year to 65 books read. I also DNFed five books. Of the 23 books I finished, most were solid, several were meh, and three were really good.
Magic to the Bone, by Devon Monk. I read these books years ago when they first came out, and decided to re-read. I actually enjoyed this just as much as I did the first time around (unusual for a re-read like this). I like the world and the characters and am looking forward to re-reading more.
The Notorious Virtues, by Alwyn Hamilton. I loved the steampunk feel of this, loved the characters, and enjoyed the setting and worldbuilding quite a bit. I’m looking forward to reading more.
The Amalfi Curse, by Sarah Penner. I was intrigued by this from the beginning. The setting and premise was unique to me, and I enjoyed the characters in both timelines a lot.
It’s been nearly two years since Vanja brought down the cult she started, and she’s still paying the price. As the Pfennigeist, she bucks the law in order to help the desperate and haunt the corrupt all across the empire—and no matter what, she works alone.
But an impossible killer is tearing through royalty, and leaving Vanja’s signature red penny on every victim. Suddenly the Pfennigeist is no longer a folk hero but a nightmare. When even the Blessed Empress falls, the empire’s seven royal families must gather to elect her successor within a matter of weeks, or risk the collapse of reality itself… even though it puts every house in the killer’s sights.
Vanja tells herself she’s wading into the royalty’s vicious games only to save the name she made, and the loved ones also in jeopardy. But the Order of Prefects has also put their sharpest official on the case, the one who swore he’d always find Vanja—until she broke his heart. Journeyman Prefect Emeric Conrad may no longer be the boy Vanja knew, but they’ll have to work together one last time to have any chance of surviving the deadly catastrophe coming for them all.
With bloody conspiracy, sinister magic, and old adversaries closing in, it will take everything Vanja has to save not just the people she loves, but the future she’s fought for.
I really loved this! Vanja’s voice, her wry sarcasm, is just so on point it had me laughing all through the book. She’s a great character: she can see her flaws, but she just goes ahead anyway—and somehow it works out for the best (mostly). Emeric is so uptight it makes me laugh—and Vanja’s descriptions of him are even funnier. Junior and the sausages probably made me laugh the most.
As far as the murder mystery…I never had a clue what was going on, who was going to die next, or who the murderer was—much less how Vanja was going to figure out the whole mess. I enjoyed all of this book immensely!
Margaret Owen has a degree in Japanese. Holy Terrors is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.)
Bones–Murphy Shepherd’s teacher, mentor, priest, and friend–is gone. Devastated by the loss and unsure how to continue the rescue work they started, Murph has no choice but to jump back in when the worst happens. His longtime friend and current United States vice president, Aaron Ashley, has been a silent partner in the fight against trafficking. But in spite of having the best security available, his three daughters have been taken bound and blindfolded from their home by an extraction team that left no clues and no trace–just an empty house, a bereft mother, and nine dead Secret Service agents. Only Murph and his team have a hope of finding them.
Bones may have made the ultimate sacrifice taking down his own brother and the dark network he led, but there are still others in this network where evil is the currency and power is the prize. Soon Ashley drops out of the presidential race and a new candidate emerges–someone who is ready, too ready, to step into the race and the Oval Office.
Bones taught Murph that the needs of the one, the lost one, outweigh those of the ninety-nine. In his first rescue without Bones beside him, Murph’s fight against human trafficking takes him across the globe and through the halls of government to destroy the network and save the lives and souls of those taken.
This book. Charles Martin is my favorite author, and I love the Murphy Shepherd books, so I was desperate to read this. And it did not disappoint me. The ending of The Record Keeper destroyed me in all the best possible ways—how was this going to live up to that? It did.
There was a lot of action, of course, as befits this series, but we got to spend a lot of time in Murphy’s head, too, watching as he struggled with what he’d been taught—the value of the one—and what he felt. His anguish and confusion and doubt spilled onto the page and the reader wrestled with them just as he did. Layer that with the action of the race to find the three girls and to figure out just who was behind the darkness that took them and this book was absolutely riveting, Charles Martin at his best.
Charles Martin is a bestselling author. The Keeper is his newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review.)
In February, I read 23 books, bringing my total for the year to 42 books read. Several of those were really excellent reads.
The Lost Passenger, by Frances Quinn. I really enjoyed this historical fiction read about a woman in a loveless marriage who loses everyone but her small son when The Titanic sinks, and she uses the opportunity to create a new life for herself and her son. Such a good read!
Holy Terrors, by Margaret Owen. I loved Vanya’s voice and snark in this. Her wry observations on life and the people around her made this such a great read.
The Wandering Season by Amie K. Runyan. I love a good travel novel and I love Ireland. Combine that with the foodie aspect of this story, and this was definitely a winner for me.
Books Read in February: 23 Books Read for the Year: 42/225
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books: Onyx Storm, by Rebecca Yarros (TBR, audio): This series on audio is absolutely enthralling. Shadow and Bone, by Leigh Bardugo (TBR, audio): I really enjoyed this! Already got the second one on audio, too. The Answer is No, by Fredrik Backman (TBR): This short story really made me laugh. I love Backman’s quirky characters. The King of Koraha, by Maria V. Snyder (TBR): I generally love Snyder’s books, but this trilogy wasn’t as good to me. Misfits, Gemstone, and Other Shattered Magic, by Meghan Ciana Doidge (TBR): That ending, though. Hearing God, by Dallas Willard (TBR), spiritual: Excellent read. Dance of a Burning Sea, by E.J. Mellow (TBR): Still loving this trilogy. Deeper than the Dead, by Debra Webb (TBR): I liked this first book in a series, and pre-ordered the second. The Dark Enquiry, by Deanna Raybourn (TBR): I think I’m done reading this. The MC is really getting on my nerves. Under the Magnolias, by T.I. Lowe (TBR): LOVED this.
For Review:
A Circle of Uncommon Witches, by Paige Crutcher. This was just a meh read for me. It felt pretty done to be, like I’d heard it all before, and it was pretty predictable.
The Lost Passenger, by Frances Quinn. I really loved this read! The MC was great, strong and determined, and I loved her tenacity as she learned to be a whole new person.
Southern by Design, by Grace Helena Walz. Loved this Southern fiction read! Charleston itself was a big character in the novel, and I’d love to visit. The characters were great, although the mother was TERRIBLE.
Spring Fling, by Annie England Noblin (forthcoming). This was a cute small-town, second-chance romance. All the characters were great–so many quirky people! And the raccoon…
The Filling Station, by Vanessa Miller (review forthcoming). It was terrible to read about this horrific event, but the book itself was a good read, although I kept getting the two sisters mixed up.
My Big Fat Fake Marriage, by Charlotte Stein (review forthcoming). This was a meh read. It came across as wanna-be porn and just did not work for me.
Mother of Rome, by Lauren J. A. Bear (review forthcoming). I am ashamed to say I went into this expecting to DNF if because most mythology re-tellings I’ve read have been horribly slow. Instead, I binge-read the entire thing in one sitting, and I highly recommend it.
The Bane Witch, by Ava Morgyn (review forthcoming). This was a little slow for me at the beginning, but it soon drew me in. If found it kind of fascinating, and king of horrifying, but the premise was unique and I enjoyed Piers.
His Mortal Demise, by Vanessa Le (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this second book in this duology. There dual POVs/dual-timeline actually worked really well.
The Deathly Grimm, by Kathryn Purdie (review forthcoming). A solid fantasy read, although who the murderer was really wasn’t much of a surprise.
Holy Terrors, by Margaret Owen (review forthcoming). The sheer level of snark in this alone made this read a winner! I didn’t have a clue who the murderer was, but I enjoyed every page of this read.
The Wandering Season, by Aimie K. Runyan (review forthcoming). I do love a good travel/finding yourself novel, and that’s what this was, combined with a lot of great foodie things.
Love, The Duke, by Amelia Grey (review forthcoming). This was just a meh read for me, as both MCs were obstinate and unwilling to see the other’s POV.
Left Unfinished:
All the Hidden Monsters, by Amie Jordan. I was intrigued by the premise of this, but the execution just didn’t work for me. The characters bored me, and I just couldn’t stay interested enough to keep reading.
True Life in Uncanny Valley, by Deb Caletti. This just did not capture my attention. The whole spying-on-her-famous-father thing didn’t work for me, because, really? Someone this well-known and wealthy would not have a house you could just sit there and look into for hours. Not believable.
Elphie: A Wicked Childhood, by Gregory Maguire. This was altogether to disjointed and hard-to-follow for me. I didn’t like the writing style at all.
Title: The Lost Passenger Author: Frances Quinn Genre: Historical fiction Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Sometimes it takes a disaster to change your life.
Marrying above your social class can come with unexpected consequences, as Elinor Coombes discovers when she is swept into a fairy-tale marriage with the son of an aristocratic English family. She soon realizes that it was the appeal of her father’s hard-earned wealth rather than her pretty face that attracted her new husband and his family. Curtailed by rigid social rules that include being allowed to see her nanny-raised infant son for only moments each day, Elinor resigns herself to a lonely future. So a present from her father—tickets for the maiden voyage of a luxurious new ship called the Titanic—offers a welcome escape from the cold, controlling atmosphere of her husband’s ancestral home, and some precious time with her little son, Teddy.
When the ship goes down, Elinor grasps the opportunity to take Teddy and start a new life—but only if they can disappear completely, listed among the dead. Penniless and using another woman’s name, she must learn to survive in New York City, a brash new world that couldn’t be more different from her own, and to keep their secret safe. But alas, it’s not safe—she’s been spotted by another survivor who’s eager to profit from his discovery.
I loved this story! I liked Elinor from the beginning, and I felt her heartbreak when she found out her husband married her for her money (Although I was suspicious of him anyway). I had a feeling who he was cheating on her with, and his mother was truly terrible. The description of the actual sinking of the Titanic was well-done and very sad.
I loved Elinor’s life in New York, as she learned to stand on her own two feet and make her way in the world as a successful businesswoman and a mother. The secondary characters were believable and I read this straight through in one sitting.
Frances Quinn is a journalist. The Lost Passenger is her new novel.
(Galley courtesy of Random House/Ballantine in exchange for an honest review.)
In 1940s Great Britain, plain and awkward Izzie finds comfort in retreating into the safety of the backroom of her mother’s dressmaking shop. The predictable world of stitches, patterns, and fabric has been a sanctuary from the cruel, chaotic world that took her father in a tragic accident years ago.
Her beautiful sister Sylvia was old enough to watch her father’s tragic death force her mother to give up their respectable middle-class home and open a shop to support their family. That’s why, when she meets the sophisticated, wealthy Martin Pearsall, Sylvia isn’t surprised at her mother’s encouragement to seize her chance for a better life, even if it means distancing herself from her family at Martin’s insistence.
When their mother unexpectedly dies, the two sisters are surprised to discover that her will stipulates that they both inherit the dress shop, stirring up old resentments and hurt feelings. However, when conscription forces Izzie to join the Auxiliary Territorial Service in another part of the country, she realizes that Sylvia is the only person who can save the shop from closure. As the sisters begin an ongoing correspondence, they must confront old emotions to forge new beginnings.
I really enjoyed this read! I didn’t have a favorite POV character like I usually do. I loved both Izzie and Sylvia’s storylines and voices. It was so much fun to watch how they both changed and grew into themselves in the course of the story, and as always, Julia Kelly’s writing is lovely and evocative, and her storytelling is engrossing.
Julia Kelly is a bestselling author. The Dressmakers of London is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review.)
Song of the Forever Rains, by E.J. Mellow. I loved the cultures here, and the sisters and their relationship were just so much fun! Looking forward to reading the next one.
The Dressmakers of London, by Julia Kelly (my review forthcoming closer to pub day). It’s Julie Kelly, so you know it’s going to be a good read, but I loved this! I enjoyed both sisters’ POVs, and was engrossed in both of their lives and how they mended things between them.
Tomorrow Is Another Day 