Category: book review

Book Review:  The Ballerinas, by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:   The Ballerinas
Author:   Rachel Kapelke-Dale
Genre:   Fiction, mystery/thriller
Rating:  3.0 out of 5

Fourteen years ago, Delphine abandoned her prestigious soloist spot at the Paris Opera Ballet for a new life in St. Petersburg––taking with her a secret that could upend the lives of her best friends, fellow dancers Lindsay and Margaux. Now 36 years old, Delphine has returned to her former home and to the legendary Palais Garnier Opera House, to choreograph the ballet that will kickstart the next phase of her career––and, she hopes, finally make things right with her former friends. But Delphine quickly discovers that things have changed while she’s been away…and some secrets can’t stay buried forever.

This was a hard no for me. I finished reading it—I love reading about ballet life—but I found all the characters unlikable, selfish, and vain. These women are just hateful, and they make only selfish choices. And every single man is portrayed as abusive or a user or a cheater (or all three). I’m sorry. That may well be true for some men—and some women—but you cannot paint every member of a group with the same brush and expect it to be believable.

Rachel Kapelke-Dale lives in Paris. The Ballerinas is her newest novel.

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

Book Review:  The Women of Pearl Island, by Polly Crosby

Image belongs to Harlequin/Park Row.

Title:   The Women of Pearl Island
Author:   Polly Crosby
Genre:   Fiction
Rating:  DNF

When Tartelin answers an ad for a personal assistant, she doesn’t know what to expect from her new employer, Marianne, an eccentric elderly woman. Marianne lives on a remote island that her family has owned for generations, and for decades her only companions have been butterflies and tightly held memories of her family. 

But there are some memories Marianne would rather forget, such as when the island was commandeered by the British government during WWII. Now, if Marianne can trust Tartelin with her family’s story, she might finally be able to face the long-buried secrets of her past that have kept her isolated for far too long.

I read about 25% of this but just couldn’t connect with any of the characters, so I had to stop reading. The writing is good, it just wasn’t a good fit for me right now.

Polly Crosby lives in Norfolk. The Women of Pearl Island is her newest novel.

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

Sundays are for Writing #150

I wrote two book reviews this week, and I also have my November reading post and my Best Books I Read in November post. Off to do some research for a writing project.

Happy writing!

Book Review and Blog Tour:  Snowbound with Her Mountain Cowboy, by Patricia Johns

Image belongs to Harlequin.

Title:   Snowbound with Her Mountain Cowboy
Author: Patricia Johns   
Genre:   Romance
Rating:  4 out of 5

Mountain resort owner Angelina Cunningham has her hands full with a massive winter storm. Which is exactly when her ex-husband arrives, injured and suffering temporary amnesia. Ben King has always been her weakness. Though he doesn’t remember her, he’s still as charming and sweet as ever, and Angelina is falling for him all over again. But can their rekindled love outlast the storm and the return of their past mistakes?

This was a sweet, clean read and I enjoyed it. I liked both Angie and Ben and seeing how they handled life now differed from how they handled it then. It was fun watching them fall for each other again, and wondering how they would get things worked out.

Patricia Johns lives in Canada. Snowbound with her Mountain Cowboy is her newest novel.

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

 

Book Review:  Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan

Image belongs to Grove Atlantic.

Title:   Small Things Like These
Author:   Claire Keegan
Genre:   Fiction
Rating:  4 out of 5

It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.

This was a very short read–I think I finished it in about an hour. Stellar, evocative writing, but I found it very bleak and quite slow. Probably just not a good fit for me, despite how vivid and detailed it was.

Claire Keegan is an award-winning author. Small Things Like These is her newest novel.

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

The Best Books I Read in November (2021)

In November, I read 22 books, bringing my total for the year to 217 books.

Of those 22 books, I really enjoyed three of them:

The Brightest Star in Paris, by Diana Biller. I didn’t realize until at least halfway through that I’d read—and enjoyed—the previous book in this series. Ballet, ghosts, and wonderful characters made this a read I enjoyed every single sentence of.

City of Time and Magic, by Paula Brackston. I’ve loved all the books in this series, and this was no different. Time travel, magic, romance, and a kick-butt (but not in an in-your-face way) heroine made this pure pleasure.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, by Nabeel Qureshi. I read this because I’d heard good things about it, and it did not disappoint. I learned so much about Islam in this, and the contrasts between it and Christianity were so clearly laid out that it destroys all arguments about similarities.

What I Read in November (2021)

Books Read in November: 22
Books Read for the Year:  217/250

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

The Inheritance Games, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I ended up binge-reading this because I couldn’t put it down! And immediately bought the second one.

Loving My Actual Life, by Alexandra Kuykendall (spiritual). I really enjoyed this read.

Fierce Jesus, by Lisa Harper (spiritual). Lisa Harper’s voice is so conversational, it makes everything she writes a good read.

For Review:

A Reckless Match, by Kate Bateman. I enjoyed this read. Lovers-to-enemies is one of my favorite tropes in romance reads.

Oh William!, by Elizabeth Strout. I have no idea why I finished reading this. I liked the writing, but the two main characters were selfish and unpleasant people.

Digging Up Trouble, by Kitt Crowe. This was also a “meh” read.The dog was cute, but a little to good to be true, and the MC was pretty self-absorbed.

Eight Perfect Hours, by Lia Louis. This was such a fun read! I loved all the little coincidences and run-ins between the characters and their chemistry was so believable.

The Brightest Star in Paris, by Diana Biller. This read was such a warm, pleasant read, like pulling a fuzzy blanket around you and snuggling on the choice. Great characters that were so believable and likable. I enjoyed it immensely!

Heard It In a Love Song, by Tracey Garvis Graves. I listened to this on audio, and I really enjoyed it. I loved getting into the characters’ heads.

The First Christmas, by Stephen Mitchell. This was creative, but not biblical. And the author is into Zen, so I don’t trust him to write truthfully about anything in the Bible.

Within These Wicked Walls, by Lauren Blackwood. This was quite unique, and I enjoyed the voice. There were a few rouch transitions that I felt jumped past some needed-details. (Also, does this cover like like Natalie Portman, or am I losing my mind?)

All of Us Villains, by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman. This was very loosely like The Hunger Games…if all the characters were more or less evil and selfish.

Never Fall for Your Fiancée, by Virginia Heath. I enjoyed this so much! The characters were a lot of fun, especially Hugh.

The Dangers of an Ordinary Night, by Lynne Reeves. This was…not quite to my liking. I found all the characters just “meh” at best, if not truly unlikable (to me).

A Light in the Sky, by Shina Reynolds. I enjoyed this fantasy about winged horses (not pegasus) and the warriors who ride them—and the evil rulers who have been lying to everyone all along (of course).

Unearthly and Starcrossed, by Katie Jane Gallagher. I have to confess: pretty sure I’ve never read any human-alien romance, so this was a first for me. They were quick, fun reads, even if the aliens were basically humans with a little different appearance.

City of Time and Magic, by Paula Brackston. I love this series so much! Time travel, history, romance, and adventure all rolled into one.

Forever Home, by Elysia Whisler. This ended up being a meh read, as the author completely destroyed my trust at the 73% mark. That negated the solid writing and interesting characters.

Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan (review forthcoming). This was a very short and introspective read. A bit depressing for my tastes, but excellent writing.

Just Because:

The Harbinger II, by Jonathan Cahn. This was a fascianting read.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, by Nabeel Qureshi. I learned so much about Islam in this book, far more than I knew originally.

Left Unfinished:

Among the Hunted, by Caytlyn Brooke. I made it 10% or so before giving upon this. It seemed too superficial for me.

Another Beast’s Skin, by Jessika Grewe Glover. I think I made it 10-15%, but this felt like it just glossed over things and rushed them, without making me believe anything was truly happening.

Doizemaster, by Tony M. Quintana. This just wasn’t a good fit for me, and it seemed a bit…underdeveloped. Just my opinion.

The Left-Handed Twin, by Thomas Perry. Apparently this is a popular series, but the MC felt far too distant to hold my attention.

Hello, Transcriber, by Hannah Morrissey. I tried, but I just could not get into this. It seemed so bleak.

Book Review and Blog Tour:  Forever Home, by Elysia Whisler

Image belongs to Harlequin.

Title:   Forever Home
Author:   Elysia Whisler
Genre:   Romance
Rating:  3.5 out of 5

Newly retired from the Marine Corps, Delaney is looking for somewhere to start over. It’s not going to be easy, but when she finds the perfect place to open her dream motorcycle shop, she goes for it. What she doesn’t expect is an abandoned pit bull to come with the building. The shy pup is slow to trust, but Delaney is determined to win it over.

Detective Sean Callahan is smitten from the moment he sees Delaney, but her cool demeanor throws him off his game. When her late father’s vintage motorcycle is stolen from Delaney’s shop, Sean gets to turn up in his element: chasing the bad guy and showing his best self to a woman who’s gotten under his skin in a bad way.

Delaney isn’t used to lasting relationships, but letting love in—both human and canine—helps her see that she may have found a place she belongs, forever.

Solid writing here and well-developed characters, but I’ll probably never read anything else from this author again. I enjoyed reading Delaney’s point-of-view and her background was interesting until, 73% of the way through the book (Yes, I checked.), she revealed that her previous relationship was with a woman.

The way it was said, oh-so-casually, without any previous mention of it (or any further mention of it, either) and without the slightest reaction at all from the male lead (or Delaney herself), made it feel like virtue signaling from the author, not a believable part of this character. This was after a previous episode of virtue signaling in the form of a minor background character had already taken place. This is a major part of this character’s life, and she never once thought of it until 3/4ths of the way through the book? Not believable. When an author break’s my trust as a reader like that, it negates anything else I found appealing in the book.

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

Book Review:  City of Time and Magic, by Paula Brackston

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  City of Time and Magic
Author:   Paula Brackston
Genre:   Historical fiction
Rating:  5 out of 5

City of Time and Magic sees Xanthe face her greatest challenges yet. She must choose from three treasures that sing to her; a beautiful writing slope, a mourning brooch of heartbreaking detail, and a gorgeous gem-set hat pin. All call her, but the wrong one could take her on a mission other than that which she must address first, and the stakes could not be higher. While her earlier mission to Regency England had been a success, the journey home resulted in Liam being taken from her, spirited away to another time and place. Xanthe must follow the treasure that will take her to him if he is not to be lost forever.

 Xanthe is certain that Mistress Flyte has Liam and determined to find them both. But when she discovers Lydia Flyte has been tracking the actions of the Visionary Society, a group of ruthless and unscrupulous Spinners who have been selling their talents to a club of wealthy clients, Xanthe realizes her work as a Spinner must come before her personal wishes. The Visionary Society is highly dangerous and directly opposed to the creed of the Spinners. Their actions could have disastrous consequences as they alter the authentic order of things and change the future. Xanthe knows she must take on the Society. It will require the skills of all her friends, old and new, to attempt such a thing, and not all of them will survive the confrontation that follows.

I love this series! This is a time travel novel that doesn’t gloss over the likely challenges of everyday life in the past (At least, they’d definitely be challenges for someone from the present.). I wouldn’t even be able to dress myself!

I thoroughly enjoy the writing and worldbuilding, but the characters are my favorite part of this series. Xanthe herself is flawed yet determined, and the supporting characters are just as likable. The conflicts, challenges, and choices she faces had me completely enthralled.

Paula Brackston lives in Wales. City of Time and Magic is her newest novel.

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

Book Review:  Starcrossed, by Katie Jane Gallagher

Image belongs to the author.

Title:   Starcrossed
Author:   Katie Jane Gallagher
Genre:   Fantasy
Rating:  4.0 out of 5

It’s all very well to make out with an alien prince. A few kisses should be harmless—right?

 Yet that alien prince is the only male present on the spaceship that serves as Corinne Kaminski’s gilded prison. Faced with a thorny status quo, Corinne begrudgingly keeps plotting her escape, despite her growing feelings for Del.

 Complicating matters even more is the sudden, grand entrance of Del’s sisters onto the ship. The two cunning princesses would be most unhappy to learn that their brother, heir to the throne of Ailopt, has his eye on a human girl from Montana—and that said human girl returns his affection.

 Then a chance at freedom becomes tantalizingly close, just when things are heating up behind closed doors. Corinne will have to decide what’s more important: returning home for good or taking a chance on cosmic love?

This was another entertaining read. The two sisters, or at least one of them, were definitely mean girls. I’m always interested in how an author portrays aliens:  will they be humans in a different form, or will their mindset and personalities truly be alien? I found these aliens to be humans in a different form, but that didn’t make this read any less interesting. I’m looking forward to where the author takes this series next.

Katie Jane Gallagher was born in Illinois. Starcrossed is her newest novel, the second book in the Beauty and Her Alien series.

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