Category: awesomeness

Book Review: All Rhodes Lead Here, by Mariana Zapata

Image belongs to Avon and Harper Voyager.

Title: All Rhodes Lead Here   
Author: Mariana Zapata    
Genre: Fiction     
Rating: 5 out of 5

The people we lose take a part of us with them…but they leave a part of themselves with us too.

Aurora De La Torre, or Ora to her friends, knows moving back to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a place that was once home and is now full of bittersweet memories of her late mother, isn’t going to be easy. Starting your whole life over probably isn’t supposed to be.

But after breaking up with her longtime, famous musician boyfriend, hiding out in a small town in the mountains might be the perfect remedy for a broken heart. And checking out her landlord who lives across the driveway just might cure it, too.

Only Tobias Rhodes didn’t rent out the apartment to her, rather it was his teenage son, Amos. Fiercely protective of his family and distrusting of strangers, gruff and grumpy Rhodes initially keeps little miss sunshine Ora at a distance. But over days and weeks, long hikes and fireside chats, Aurora breaks down his walls and soon an unbreakable friendship blossoms into a once-in-a-lifetime love.

This book was so much fun to read! Aurora’s interval voice was hysterical, and she was always getting herself into such funny situations. I laughed through the whole thing! Big Girls Don’t Cry—that scene really had me laughing! I loved Aurora’s determination to learn and grow, no matter the obstacles, and her friendship with Amos was lovely. Rhodes was such an appealing man, and I loved how their relationship went from animosity to tolerance to friendship to love. This is a fantastic weekend read!

Mariana Zapata is a bestselling author. All Rhodes Lead Here is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review and Blog Tour: The Missing Witness, by Allison Brennan

Image belongs to Harlequin/MIRA.

Title: The Missing Witness
Author: Allison Brennan     
Genre: Mystery/thriller   
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

Detective Kara Quinn is back in Los Angeles to testify against a notorious human trafficker, finally moving past the case that upended her life. But when the accused is shot by a masked man in broad daylight, the chaotic scene of the crime turns up few reliable bystanders. And one witness—a whistleblower who might be the key to everything—has disappeared.

After the prosecuting DDA is stabbed to death, it’s clear that anyone who knows too much about the investigation is in danger, and tracking down the witness becomes a matter of life or death. With government corruption running rampant and someone on the inside trying to pin anything they can on Kara, she trusts nobody except FBI special agent Matt Costa and a handful of allies.

But when explosive secrets begin to surface within the LAPD and FBI, Kara questions everything she thought she knew about the case, her colleagues and the life she left behind months ago.

Now Quinn and Costa must race to find the missing witness and get to the bottom of the avalanche of conspiracies that has rocked LA to its core…before it’s too late.

I’ve really enjoyed the Quinn & Costa series, and I think this was my favorite so far. Kara actually showed a loot of character growth here and it was nice to see how she’s changed since the first back. Her going back to the scene of her past was interesting to watch—and seeing the ghosts from her past life as she interacted with the case that got her to the FBI Mobile Response team added a lot of depth to her character. I really enjoyed this, and stayed up until 2 a.m. binge-reading it.

 Allison Brennan is a bestselling author. The Missing Witness is the newest Quinn & Costa novel.

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

Book Review: Sun Seekers, by Rachel McRady

Image belongs to Alcove Press.

Title: Sun Seekers  
Author: Rachel McRady     
Genre: Fiction     
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

Six-year-old Gracie Lynn is perpetually curious and big-hearted. Convinced she knows how to save her beloved grandfather John from the “worm” that is eating his brain—a metaphor her mother once used to explain John’s dementia and sundown syndrome—she helps him break out of his nursing home, and the two disappear together on a quest to chase the sun. But what’s an adventure for Gracie is a nightmare scenario for her estranged parents, LeeAnn and Dan. There’s no way to predict where John might have taken their young daughter, or if he’s capable of keeping her safe.

Jaded beyond her years, and struggling with her own mental health, LeeAnn has no delusions about what might happen if they don’t locate Gracie soon. Dan is no less frantic, but communicating with LeeAnn isn’t easy, even under the circumstances—too much stands between the hopeful young couple they once were and the people they’ve become.

I enjoyed this a lot! It reminded me vaguely of Fredrik Backman’s My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry because a lot of the story is from Gracie’s point-of-view. LeeAnn…I did not like her at all, except towards the very end. She is completely self-absorbed and wants to blame everyone but herself for all her problems. I found her to be almost hateful for most of the book and had a hard time being sympathetic. Dan…I didn’t have a lot of sympathy for him, either. He cheated on his wife, after all, but I liked that he was actively trying to figure out how to fit in Gracie’s life. This ended up being a deeply engrossing read, and I recommend it.

Rachel McRady is an award-winning entertainment journalist. Sun Seekers is her debut novel.

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

The Best Books I Read in December (2023)

In December, I read 19 books, bringing my total for the year to 207 books. Of those, three were really good reads.

Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell. It’s my favorite book and I’ve read it 20+ times, but it still makes me angry every time I read it, and the ending makes me cry. Scarlett is a terrible person, but she’s such a vibrant character. her self-destructiveness fascinates me…and makes me want to smack her.

The Iron Knight, by Julie Kagawa. Goodreads told me I’d read this before, but I have zero memory of it. I’m still loving this world and these characters.

The Prince & the Apocalypse, by Kara McCowell. This was just a cute, fun read that I could not put down. I enjoyed it so much, and I was so unhappy when I found out the next book doesn’t come out for months!

What I Read in December (2023)

Books Read in December: 19
Books Read for the Year:  207/200

Yearly Books: 

NIV Grace and Trruth Study Bible.
Unshakeable, by Christine Caine.

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
The Iron Knight, by Julie Kagawa (Maybe a TBR, maybe a re-read.). I have no memory of actually having read this before, but I really enjoyed it!

Flora’s Traveling Christmas Shop, by Rebecca Raisin (TBR). This has been on my TBR list for a while. It made me laugh, but the the characters were a bit too liberal for me. And Flora…apparently learned nothing from all of her lies and manipulations. Only Colin seemed to change.

The Josiah Manifesto, by Jonathan Cahn (TBR, audio). I generally enjoy Cahn’s books a lot, but this one felt very repetitive to me, making my mind wander quite a bit. I understand the author was trying to illustrate his points, but it felt a little bit like being hit over the head repeatedly.

My Jane Austen Summer, by Cindy Jones. A selfish, ineffectual MC who believes she sees her own personal Jane Austen everywhere made this a chore to read. Do not recommend.

Maggie, by Charles Martin (TBR, audio). Like all of Martin’s other books, I loved this.

For Review:

The Paris Housekeeper, by Renee Ryan. I do love WWII fiction, and I enjoyed this one, although Vivian’s situation horrified me.

An Inconvenient Earl, by Julia London. I’ve enjoyed the books in this series, but I didn’t really care for this one. The MC is a liar, and that just doesn’t work for me.

Public Anchovy #1, by Mindy Quigley. This was a cute read. I hadn’t read any of the others in this series, but I enjoyed this one—especially the cats.

Northwoods, by Amy Pease (review forthcoming). At first, I wasn’t too sure about the MC, a self-destructive alcoholic. But he grew on me, although I still found the setting kind of depressing.

Principles of Emotion, by Sara Read (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this quite a bit! Definitely an opposites-attract romance, and I enjoyed how accepting they were of their differences.

A Body on the Doorstep, by Marty Wingate (review forthcoming). This was a cute, fun cozy mystery that was actually set in London (not very cozy-mystery-ish), but it woorked quite well.

The Heiress, by Rachel Hawkins (review forthcoming). This was a twisty thriller about a family of terrible people.

Sun Seekers, by Rachel McRady (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this a lot! It’s hard to do a child’s point-of-view well, but this was very well-done!

Just Because:

Iron’s Prophecy, by Julie Kagawa. I enjoyed this novella in one of my favorite series.

The Prince & The Apocalypse, by Kara McDowell. This was a cute read! I enjoyed the characters, and I’m looking forward to reading more.

Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell. A re-read of my favorite book. Yeah, Scarlett still sucks.

Seven Girls Gone, by Allison Brennan. I somehow missed reading this book in the Quinn & Costa series, and I couldn’t have that before reading and reviewing the fifth book.

Left Unfinished:

The Lace Widow, by Mollie Ann Cox. The POV was just too stiff/formal/distant for me in this. I felt like I couldn’t connect with Eliza, so it didn’t hold my interest.

The Book of Fire, by Christy Lefteri. This is the second book from this author I’ve DNFed, so I should accept that her writing style just isn’t for me.

A Fragile Enchantment, by Allison Saft. If I feel like the author is trying too hard to be diverse (or going out of her way to be diverse, when it doesn’t make sense for the character), this makes me ask, “Do I really want to spend the time to read this book?” In this case, I feel like the author was trying to shove square characters into round holes—just so she could say she’d written a diverse book. Not because she was being true to the characters. And dishonesty like that makes a book a DNF for me—and probably everything else this author writes, too.

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years, by Shubnum Khan. This just started off way too slowly for me.

Book Review: This Cursed Light, by Emily Thiede  

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  This Cursed Light  
Author:  Emily Thiede   
Genre: YA    
Rating:  5 out of 5

When the gods make the rules, the players must choose: Sacrifice their love to save the world, or choose love and let it burn?

Six months after saving their island from destruction and almost losing Dante, Alessa is ready to live happily ever after with her former bodyguard. But Dante can’t rest, haunted by a conviction that the gods aren’t finished with them yet. And without his powers, the next kiss from Alessa could kill him.

Desperate for answers, Dante enlists Alessa and their friends to find the exiled ghiotte in hopes of restoring his powers and combining forces with them to create the only army powerful enough to save them all. But Alessa is hiding a deadly consequence of their last fight–a growing darkness that’s consuming her mind–and their destination holds more dangers than anyone bargained for. In the mysterious city of the banished, Dante will uncover secrets, lies, and ghosts from his past that force him to ask himself: Which side is he on?

When the gods reveal their final test, Dante and Alessa will be the world’s last defense. But if they are the keys to saving the world, will their love be the price of victory?

I loved this so much! I loved the first book, This Vicious Grace, and this one was just as good. Alessa and Dante are great characters: both are flawed and struggling but learning and growing towards becoming better people. Their relationship is so much fun, with their teasing and bantering, and their friendships with those around them are just as vibrant and fascinating. I loved all of this!

Emily Thiede was born in New Jersey but grew up in Virginia. This Cursed Light is her newest novel.

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

The Best Books I Read in November (2023)

In November, I read 17 books, bringing my total for the year to 188 books read. Of those, some were just meh read, some were solid, and some were fantastic.

This Cursed Light, by Emily Thiede, was a fantastic end to this duology. I love the society and culture, the main characters, the dialogue…everything. And the ending totally made me cry, which isn’t a common thing.

Shards of Glass, by Michelle Sagara. I love this world and the main series, but I’m really enjoying these spin-offs and the new characters, too. A really well done fantasy setting.

And a re-read of one of my favorites, gods in Alabama, by Joshilyn Jackson. I discovered Southern fiction the first time I read this novel—and fell in love with the genre. The author completely captures the flavor of life in a small Southern town, and you should absolutely read this. Plus, she captivated me from the very first line…”There are gods in Alabama…”

What I Read in November (2023)

Books Read in November: 17
Books Read for the Year:  188/200

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Echo Island, by Jared C. Wilson (TBR). I wasn’t too impressed with this, honestly. An okay read, but that’s it.
The Dead Don’t Dance, by Charles Martin (audio, TBR). Awesome, just like everything else by this author.
The Iron Queen, by Julie Kagawa (re-read). Loved it, again.
Need, by Carrie Jones (re-read). This was an underwhelming re-read, but I think I’ll give the second one a try and see if it gets better.
Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater (re-read). This re-read was as good as I remembered it.
Dancing on the Head of a Pin, by Robert Benson (TBR). This was an interesting glimpse into a writer’s life.
English Lessons, by Andrea Lucado (TBR). I really enjoyed this narrative nonfiction read!
Till We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis (TBR). I really enjoyed this re-telling of a myth!

For Review:

The Fiction Writer, by Jillian Cantor. This was a little too meta for me, and the MC kept doing phenomenally stupid things.

Shards of Glass, by Michelle Sagara. I love this series of books, and I was excited to read this one, even if it wasn’t about Kaylin. Another excellent adventure that kept me glued to the page!

The Curse of Penryth Hall, by Jess Armstrong (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this quite a bit. Ruby was a lot of fun to read, and I liked the setting and everything going on in the novel at all times. I never figured out who the killer was, either.

This Cursed Light, by Emily Thiede (review forthcoming). I loved this! Alessa and Dante! They have the best relationship, and I loved how they both grow and change during this story.

Our Cursed Love, by Julie Abe (review forthcoming). I really enjoyed this romance/fantasy/hidden-world-of-magic read.

Just Because:
Spirit of the Wood, by Kristen Britain (TBR). I really enjoy everything in this series.
On Writing, by Stephen King (re-read). I’m not sure how many times I’ve read this, but I still love it.
Dirty Thirty, by Janet Evanovich. Man. Talk about a cliffhanger ending!
gods in Alabama, by Joshilyn Jackson. this is probably one of my top ten favorite books of all time… and it was just as good on this read. This is the book in which I discovered Southern fiction was a thing.

Left Unfinished:

Plot Twist, by Erin LaRosa. I’m not into frivolous and obsessed-with-what-people-think-of-them main characters. This is the second one of LaRosa’s books I’ve DNFed, so I probably should just accept that no matter how appealing her books sound, they’re just not a good fit for me.

Artifacts of an Ex, by Jennifer Chen. I completely appreciated the MC’s obsession with planning, but wasn’t a fan of her careless and juvenile behavior.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, by Celeste Connally. Look, if I’ve read a third of the book and the MC says she doesn’t care about the ton and societal expectations but that’s all she can think about, and if all the male characters seem to be either foolish, demeaning, or borderline evil, well, I have no interest in finishing reading

This Spells Love, by Kat Robb. I liked the idea of this, but Gemma moping around and feeling sorry for herself—and repeatedly getting drunk—just didn’t do it for me. People like that annoy me, so I didn’t want to spend any more time with her.

Book Review:  Shards of Glass, by Michelle Sagara

Image belongs to Harlequin/MIRA.

Title:    Shards of Glass    
Author:  Michelle Sagara   
Genre: Fantasy    
Rating:  5 out of 5

The Academia, once an elite proving ground for the rulers of the world, has been frozen for centuries. Now its strange slumber has ended, and a new Chancellor, an orange-eyed dragon, has reopened its lecture halls and readied its dorms. In order to thrive once more, however, the Academia needs fresh blood—new students with a passion and talent for learning.

One such student, Robin, has the perfect recruit in his friend Raven, an orphan who lives in the dangerous Warrens. Robin grew up in the Warrens, and he wouldn’t have made it if not for Raven. He knows she’ll be safe at the Academia, where her unusual gifts can be appreciated.

But when students start turning up dead, the campus threatens to collapse completely. Raven and Robin will not let that happen to their new home…if they can survive long enough to figure out who—or what—is trying to kill them.

This is another excellent read in the Chronicles of Elantra series. I do love Kaylin and the other main characters, but I really enjoyed this read as well. This world is so well-done and vibrant, it’s fascinating to read about. I highly recommend this! I binged it in two days.

Michelle Sagara lives in Toronto. Shards of Glass is her newest novel.

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

The Best Books I Read in October (2023)

In October, I read 17 books, bringing my total for the year to 171 books read. Most of those were solid reads, but a few of them were really good.

The Iron Daughter, by Julie Kagawa. This is a re-read of this series for me (Well, a re-read of the original books with Meghan and Ash anyway.). I love these characters and this world, and if you haven’t read them, you should. Actually, anything by Julie Kagawa is a pretty solid bet.

Send Down the Rain, by Charles Martin. Yes, another Charles Martin book is one of my best reads for the month. I can’t help it. He’s phenomenal, and he has an extensive backlist that I haven’t read yet. Also, his newest book, The Last Exchange, by Charles Martin, is very highly recommended—and not on his backlist, as it just came out in October. Go read it. And anything else by him.

The Unmaking of June Farrow, by Adrienne Young. This wasn’t quite what I expected, but I loved it. I’ve read all of her novels and loved them all, and this is another great read. The time travel aspect might mess with your mind a little bit, but you’ll be fine.