Category: book review

Book Review:  Oh William!, by Elizabeth Strout

Image belongs to Random House.

Title:   Oh William!
Author:   Elizabeth Strout
Genre:   Fiction
Rating:  3.0

Lucy Barton is a writer, but her ex-husband, William, remains a hard man to read. William, she confesses, has always been a mystery to me. Another mystery is why the two have remained connected after all these years. They just are.

 So Lucy is both surprised and not surprised when William asks her to join him on a trip to investigate a recently uncovered family secret—one of those secrets that rearrange everything we think we know about the people closest to us. What happens next is nothing less than another example of what Hilary Mantel has called Elizabeth Strout’s “perfect attunement to the human condition.” There are fears and insecurities, simple joys and acts of tenderness, and revelations about affairs and other spouses, parents and their children. On every page of this exquisite novel we learn more about the quiet forces that hold us together—even after we’ve grown apart.

It’s possible I should just avoid reading literary fiction. I liked the voice in this—but I really didn’t like the character it belonged to. Lucy is whiny and selfish. William is even worse. And the plot, what there was of one, was lackluster and boring to me. Good writing, but the style just isn’t for me.

Elizabeth Strout is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Oh William! is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Eight Perfect Hours, by Lia Louis

Image belongs to Atria Books.

Title:   Eight Perfect Hours
Author:   Lia Louis
Genre:   Fiction
Rating:  4.5

On a snowy evening in March, 30-something Noelle Butterby is on her way back from an event at her old college when disaster strikes. With a blizzard closing off roads, she finds herself stranded, alone in her car, without food, drink, or a working charger for her phone. All seems lost until Sam Attwood, a handsome American stranger also trapped in a nearby car, knocks on her window and offers assistance. What follows is eight perfect hours together, until morning arrives and the roads finally clear.

 The two strangers part, positive they’ll never see each other again, but fate, it seems, has a different plan. As the two keep serendipitously bumping into one another, they begin to realize that perhaps there truly is no such thing as coincidence.

This was such an enjoyable read!  From when Sam and Noelle met in the snow on the highway to all of their heartwarming “coincidental” run-ins, this made me laugh, smile, and just sigh sometimes with the perfection of it. I loved how all of the things from their pasts melded together and lit up their present. This is perfect for a binge-read.

Lia Louis lives in the UK. Eight Perfect Hours is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: A Reckless Match, by Kate Bateman

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:   A Reckless Match
Author:   Kate Bateman
Genre:   Romance
Rating:  4 out of 5

Maddie Montgomery’s family is in debt, and her hope rests on the rival Davies clan missing their yearly “pledge of goodwill,” ceding the land that separates their estates. With Maddie’s teenage nemesis, Gryffud “Gryff” Davies, Earl of Powys, away, hope is in reach.

 But then, Gryff shows up and is stunned that the tomboy he once teased is now a woman. When Gryff and Maddie discover contraband on their land, they realize it can benefit both families. But they’ve also uncovered a dangerous plot, and they need to work together to get out alive. Soon, their hatred for each other starts to feel more like attraction.

 This was an enjoyable read. I like the enemies-to-lovers trope, and with the addition of a centuries-long family feud, this was even more enjoyable. Maddie was a fun character, and she and Gryff made a good clash of personalities. I like the set-up for later books in the series as well.

Kate Bateman splits her time between the UK and Illinois. A Reckless Match is her newest novel.

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

Book Review and Blog Tour:  You Can Go Your Own Way, by Eric Smith

Image belongs to Inkyard Press.

Title:   You Can Go Your Own Way
Author:   Eric Smith
Genre:   YA
Rating:  4 out of 5

No one ever said love would be easy…but did they mention it would be freezing? 

Adam Stillwater is in over his head. At least, that’s what his best friend would say. And his mom. And the guy who runs the hardware store down the street. But this pinball arcade is the only piece of his dad that Adam has left, and he’s determined to protect it from Philadelphia’s newest tech mogul, who wants to turn it into another one of his cold, lifeless gaming cafés.

 Whitney Mitchell doesn’t know how she got here. Her parents split up. She lost all her friends. Her boyfriend dumped her. And now she’s spending her senior year running social media for her dad’s chain of super successful gaming cafés—which mostly consists of trading insults with that decrepit old pinball arcade across town.

 But when a huge snowstorm hits, Adam and Whitney suddenly find themselves trapped inside the arcade. Cut off from their families, their worlds, and their responsibilities, the tension between them seems to melt away, leaving something else in its place. But what happens when the storm stops?

I know basically nothing about pinball games, but this was a fun read. I loved the banter between him and Whitney. Whitney….the people in her life kind of suck (except her mom). Seeing her realize that and change what she could was a positive journey. This was a really solid read, perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon.

Eric Smith lives in Philadelphia. You Can Go Your Own Way is his newest novel.

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

Book Review: I Am Margaret Moore, by Hannah Capin

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:   I Am Margaret Moore
Author:  Hannah Capin
Genre:   YA
Rating:  3.0 out of 5

I am a girl. I am a monster, too. 

Each summer the girls of Deck Five come back to Marshall Naval School. They sail on jewel-blue waters; they march on green drill-fields; they earn sunburns and honors. They push until they break apart and heal again, stronger.

 Each summer Margaret and Rose and Flor and Nisreen come back to the place where they are girls, safe away from the world: sisters bound by something more than blood.

 But this summer everything has changed. Girls are missing and a boy is dead. It’s because of Margaret Moore, the boys say. It’s because of what happened that night in the storm.

 Margaret’s friends vanish one by one, swallowed up into the lies she has told about what happened between her and a boy with the world at his feet. Can she unravel the secrets of this summer and last, or will she be pulled under by the place she once called home?

This book just didn’t work for me. I found it very disjointed and confusing. I figured out the twist—if you can call it that—pretty early on, but that didn’t make the confusion any less chaotic. I also wish I’d known when the girls were at the school, as that might have made it slightly less confusing.

Hannah Capin lives in Virginia. I Am Margaret Moore, is her newest novel.

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

The Best Books I Read in October (2021)

In October I read 15 books, bringing my total to the year to 195 books. I’m not sure I’m going to hit my goal of 250 books for the year….But four of those reads were really excellent:

Winterlight, by Kristen Britain. I love this series! The characters are vibrant, the world is so vivid and brimming with life, and the storyline always has me on the edge of my seat.

The Rot, by Siri Pettersen. This is the second book in a trilogy, and from the very first page of the first book, I was riveted. This feels very much like Norse mythology and I’m completely invested in the story and can’t wait until the third one comes out.

Little Thieves, by Margaret Owen. This started off a bit slow, but I’m so glad I stuck it out. Unique and captivating.

Three Sisters, by Heather Morris. This is the third book in The Tattoist of Auschwitz books (I haven’t read the others. This was so moving, sad, and yet full of hope. This family is incredible.

What I Read in October (2021)

Books Read in October: 15
Books Read for the Year:  195/250
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Just Because:
Winterlight, by Kristen Britain (TBR). I really love this series! This was as excellent as the other books, and with the twist at the end, I can’t wait to read the next one.

Parable of the Sower, by Octavia E. Butler. I listened to this as an audio book, and enjoyed it far more than I expected to.

For Review:


The Rot, by Siri Pettersen. Can we talk about how amazing this book is? I adored the first book in the series, Odin’s Child, and this follow-up did not disappoint! Cannot wait for the third.

Luminous, by Mara Rutherford. I enjoyed Rutherford’s previous duology, but this one felt much less…polished. It was a decent read, but I wasn’t riveted.

The Keeper of Night, by Kylie Lee Baker. The MC here was…difficult. Unlikable. Selfish. The writing was excellent, the premise was unique, the characters…meh.

Little Thieves, by Margaret Owen. This started off very slowly, and I wanted desperately to put it down, but I’m a fan of Owen’s other works, so I persevered—and this ended up being a fantastic read!

Lies My Memory Told Me, by Sacha Wunsch. This was just a meh read for me. I strongly disliked the ending, and the MC was a little bit…passive, maybe? The other characters felt like cardboard cutouts.

I Am Not Who You Think I Am, by Eric Rickstad. I really didn’t care for the MC in this one. He was way too prone to jumping to conclusions, and he was oblivious to what anyone else wanted.

Sankofa, by Chibundu Onuzo. This was way better than I expected, although the MC still has some growing to do. Her father was awful, though.

Three Sisters, by Heather Morris. I haven’t’ read The Tattoist of Auschwitz, but this was a phenomenal read!

Finding a Christmas Home, by Lee Tobin McClain. This was a decent romance read. Quick, easy, standard romance fair.

A Cowgirl’s Secret, by Melinda Curtis. This wasn’t a standout romantic read, but it delivered on its promises.

The Alchemy Thief, by R.A Denny. This was an interesting time travel/historical read. I enjoyed reading the bits about alchemy especially.

I Am Margaret Moore, by Hannah Capin (review forthcoming). I’m not sure what to say about this. I figured out the twist pretty early on, but I didn’t care for the confusion that made the book very hard to connect with.

You Can Go Your Own Way, by Eric Smith (review forthcoming). I don’t know a thing about pinball machines or Philly, but I really enjoyed this read. Whitney and Adam were great—and relatable—characters, and I loved their journey. And the plants.

Left Unfinished:

The Mother Next Door, by Tara Laskowski. This was just a case of the book not being a good fit for me right now. I read about 20% of it before I stopped reading, and the writing was strong, the characters realistic. I just didn’t like the characters. I thought they were petty, vapid, and superficial, and I didn’t care about them in the slightest—or their secrets.

The House of Dust, by Noah Broyles. I read about 25% of this, but the point-of-view and the characters were too distant and disjointed to feel any connection to.

Five Strangers, by E.V. Adamson. I tried. I read about 20% of this, but the MC was pretty unlikable to me, so the story didn’t hold my interest.

The Last House on Needless Street, by Catriona Ward. Despite the glowing reviews for this one, I couldn’t get into it. I only made it about 10% before giving up on its disjointedness.

Book Review:  The Alchemy Thief, by R.A Denny

Image belongs to the author.

Title:   The Alchemy Thief
Author:  R.A Denny
Genre:   fantasy, history
Rating:  4 out of 5

When the secrets of the past threaten to destroy the future… 

A tale of hope, resilience, and the indomitable spirit of a woman, this sweeping epic spans the Atlantic from New England to Morocco during the Age of Exploration. 

2019: A young woman finds a relic engraved with a mysterious symbol off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. Terrorists in Morocco steal a 17th-century book engraved with the same symbol. As the woman struggles to unravel the secrets behind the symbol, her life changes in ways she could never have imagined. 

1657: Transported back in time, she meets the alchemist, John Winthrop, Jr. who is plotting to lure the greatest scientific minds to the New World. But the more she learns, the more she fears for the lives of the loved ones she left behind. 

In a stunning twist of fate, a modern terrorist has traveled into the past, where he has become a Barbary Corsair. He has plans of his own. And he will stop at nothing to succeed.

This was quite an interesting read. I haven’t read any time travel novels set in Puritan New England (Well, before it was actually New England.), so that kept me interested. Peri was just an innocent in 2019, so she fit right in in the past—in a manner of speaking.

The writing here is solid, and the characters, even the Corsair from the future, were intriguing enough to keep me engrossed in the novel. There’s a lot going on, but it blends together to make for an entertaining read.

R.A Denny has a law degree from Duke University but chooses to do just what she loves:  write. The Alchemy Thief is her newest novel, the first in the Pirates and Puritans series.

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

Book Review and Blog Tour:  A Cowgirl’s Secret, by Melinda Curtis

Image belongs to Harlequin.

Title:   A Cowgirl’s Secret
Author:   Melinda Curtis
Genre:   Romance
Rating:  4 out of 5

Could saving the ranch… 

Mean a future together? 

Cowgirl Cassie Diaz has a secret—a bull riding accident may have stolen her dream of motherhood. She needs to recover, but how can she rest with her family’s ranch in peril? Recent Second Chance, Idaho, arrival Bentley Monroe offers help, and his quiet strength makes her feel safe. Loving him could heal her wounds, but would she have a future with this family man?

I enjoyed reading Bentley’s point-of-view. I liked Cassie’s, too, but I could totally relate to Bentley. I felt like Cassie’s potential health issue was inflated quite a bit—any confusion could have been cleared up with a simple phone call—but maybe that’s just me. I also had a little trouble with the idea of the Monroe family owning this entire town and its inhabitants, basically, but this was still an entertaining read.

Melinda Curtis is a bestselling author. A Cowgirl’s Secret is her newest novel.

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

Book Review and Blog Tour:  Finding a Christmas Home, by Lee Tobin McClain

Image belongs to Harlequin.

Title:   Finding a Christmas Home
Author:   Lee Tobin McClain
Genre:   Romance
Rating:  4 out of 5

Two little girls need a family…in this novel by New York Times bestselling author Lee Tobin McClain

 They are his nieces…

 But she can never tell him. 

As the new guardian to her twin nieces, Hannah Antonicelli is determined to keep her promise to her late sister—that she’ll never reveal the identity of their father. But when the girls’ uncle, Luke Hutchenson, moves in next door and takes a job where Hannah works, the truth threatens their growing connection. How can she keep the secret when she can’t even guard her own heart?

I’ve read the previous book in the Rescue Haven series, but it isn’t necessary, as these are standalone novels. Hannah was so determined to be awkward and unpretty that it was a bit annoying, but I liked her. It was also nice to see Luke get that chip off his shoulder. This was a pleasant read.

Lee Tobin McClain is the bestselling author of small-town romances. Finding a Christmas Home is her newest novel.

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