Category: characters

What I Read in March (2023)

Books Read in March: 21
Books Read for the Year:  54/225
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

West with Giraffes, by Lynda Rutledge (audio book/TBR). This was such a good read! I enjoyed the narrator, but the story was absolutely wonderful.

Look Up!, by Jimmy Evans (TBR, spiritual).

The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien (re-read).

Little White Lies, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (re-read). This sucked me right in! Again.

Arcana Rising, by Kresley Cole (re-read). I had forgotten so much about this series!

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S. Lewis (re-read). Loved this.

The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis (re-read).

The Dark Calling, by Kresley Cole (re-read)…only a few more weeks until the final book in the series….

For Review:

Off the Map, by Trish Doller. I loved this read, just like I’ve loved the others in this linked standalone series. Highly recommend! I was ready to leave for Ireland immediately.

The Lost English Girl, by Julia Kelly. I didn’t enjoy this quite as much s I have other books by this author, but it was a good read. Hard, in places, but good.

Whistleblower, by Kate Marchant. This was a solid read, but I reel like it tried to hard to be inclusive—instead of just being inclusive.

A Novel Proposal, by Denise Hunter. This was a sweet read. Sadie was a little—a lot—to extroverted for me, but I loved the beach town setting and all the secondary characters.

You Wouldn’t Dare, by Samantha Markum. The friendships in this book were fantastic! Juniper was very self-centered and self-absorbed, not to mention overly dramatic, but she was a (mostly) fun character to read.

Hotel of Secrets, by Diana Biller. I really enjoyed this! The setting was something I hadn’t read before, and, while the family drama was a bit much for me, I loved the characters. Plus, the cover is gorgeous!

Yours Truly, the Duke, by Amelia Grey. I very much enjoyed this! I liked how the characters grew and changed, and the children added a lot of fun to the story.

When You Wish Upon a Star, by Elizabeth Lim (forthcoming). I enjoyed the narrator of this audio book very much! Loved the relationship between the sisters a lot—even if I didn’t care for Ilaria at all.

Please, Sorry, Thanks, by Mark Batterson. This was a thought-provoking read. Such a simple concept, yet so impactful.

Five Fortunes, by Barbara Venkataraman. A quick, fun read about a group of five friends.

Once We Were Home, by Jennifer Rosner. This was a deep and emotional book. Difficult to read because of the subject matter, and I feel like it really left one of the characters unresolved.

Zora Books Her Happy Ever After, by Taj McCoy (forthcoming). The first third of this read was solid: I liked the characters, the family dynamic was awesome, and I was invested in what was going on. Then it became obvious that the characters were very hypocritical, neither of the two male leads was really a good guy, and the big “secret” was about as hidden as Mount Rushmore. So, no, I do not recommend this. I enjoyed the author’s previous book, but this one wasn’t for me.

Oxford Star, by Laura Bradbury (forthcoming). This was a cute, fun read. I loved all the members of the skulk!

Left Unfinished:
When in Rome, by Liam Callanan. The premise of this absolutely intrigued me, but Claire got on my very last nerve with her indecisiveness and let-life-happen-to-me attitude instead of taking some initiative herself, so I stopped reading at 15%. I wasn’t willing to be annoyed for the other 85% of the book.

Beyond That, the Sea, by Laura Spence-Ash. Solid writing in this and interesting premise, but in the end, the multiple POV characters and leisurely pacing just didn’t hold my attention. Not a good fit for me at this time.

The London Seance Society, by Sarah Penner. I made it to 20% because I loved The Last Apothecary, but this felt disjointed and erratic, and the content wasn’t what I expected.

Book Review:  Five Fortunes, by Barbara Venkataraman

Image belongs to the author.

Title: Five Fortunes  
Author:  Barbara Venkataraman
Genre: Fiction     
Rating:  4 out of 5

When five fourteen-year-old girls get their fortunes from an arcade machine just for kicks, it turns their world upside-down and their close-knit group of friends starts to fall apart.

Misunderstandings abound as allegiances shift and outsiders start to come between them. The fortunes seem to be self-fulfilling prophecies – whether the girls believe in them or not.

Do our beliefs color our perception of the world? Do we ever see ourselves the way others see us, and why is change so hard?

This was a quick read. I liked the friendship dynamics of the group—and how those changed throughout the story. The fortunes were specific to each girl, but weren’t quite what the girls expected, which added some nice depth to the story. This was a nice young YA novel with some good lessons scattered throughout.

Barbara Venkataraman is an attorney and author. Five Fortunes is her newest novel.

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

Book Review:  Yours Truly, the Duke, by Amelia Grey  

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  Yours Truly, The Duke
Author: Amelia Grey
Genre:  Romance
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Fredericka Hale needs a husband, and fast. She’s been caring for her deceased sister’s three young children, and now a childless cousin has petitioned the court for custody. Fredericka is powerless to stop her, but having a husband might sway the ruling. The last thing Fredericka wants is a hurried-up marriage to a man she doesn’t know—much less love, but she’ll do it for the children. So when the handsome Duke of Wyatthaven shows up with a proposal, she accepts. He’ll help her, and in return, they’ll lead separate lives. But distance cannot keep them from their powerful attraction.

At the top of his game in London, the Duke of Wyatthaven has no interest in marriage. However, if Wyatt doesn’t marry by week’s end, he’ll lose a sizable inheritance from his grandmother. When Wyatt’s solicitor finds Miss Fredericka Hale, Wyatt considers this little hiccup solved. Miss Hale is lovely, and intelligent. Most importantly, she prefers country life to London, so he’s free to continue his life as usual. But when circumstances force Fredericka and the children to show up at the duke’s door, Wyatt can’t deny he’s always been under her spell. Will the duke give up his bachelor lifestyle and give into the fiery passion growing between them?

This was such a fun read! Fredericka was a lot of fun to get to know, and so was Wyatt. I loved how their relationship grew—and how they both learned from each other. I wanted to punch Fredericka’s cousin in the nose several times, but fortunately Fredericka had more self-control that I do. I definitely want to read more in this series!

Amelia Grey is an award-winning author. Yours Truly, the Duke is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Hotel of Secrets, by Diana Biller

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: Hotel of Secrets     
Author:  Diana Biller   
Genre:   Romance  
Rating:  4 out of 5

During ball season, anything can happen, even love.

It’s ball season in Vienna, and Maria Wallner only wants one thing: to restore her family’s hotel, the Hotel Wallner, to its former glory. She’s not going to let anything get in her way – not her parents’ three-decade-long affair; not seemingly-random attacks by masked assassins; and especially not the broad-shouldered American foreign agent who’s saved her life two times already. No matter how luscious his mouth is.

Eli Whittaker also only wants one thing: to find out who is selling American secret codes across Europe, arrest them, and go home to his sensible life in Washington, DC. He has one lead – a letter the culprit sent from a Viennese hotel. But when he arrives in Vienna, he is immediately swept up into a chaotic whirlwind of balls, spies, waltzes, and beautiful hotelkeepers who seem to constantly find themselves in danger. He disapproves of all of it! But his disapproval is tested as he slowly falls deeper into the chaos – and as his attraction to said hotelkeeper grows.

The family drama—dramatics—in this were a lot! Maria’s family is front and center in all sorts of sordid scenes, which has to be exhausting. I loved Maria! Despite the drama surrounding her, she just wants to focus on the hotel. She was a lot of fun to read—even if I related more to Eli and his no-nonsense ways. A charming story—and an absolutely gorgeous cover!

Diana Biller lives in L.A. Hotel of Secrets is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: You Wouldn’t Dare, by Samantha Markum

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  You Wouldn’t Dare  
Author:  Samantha Markum  
Genre: YA  
Rating:  4.5 out of

When Juniper Nash Abreheart kissed Graham Isham for the first time, she had no idea it would nearly be the end of their friendship.

More specifically, she had no idea that the terrible, unforgivable thing she did to keep their summer fling a secret wouldn’t just ruin their friendship, but also Graham’s entire life. Now, months since the fallout, Junie and Graham spend most of their time sidestepping conversational landmines on the journey back to normalcy.

Junie is sure the strangeness between her and Graham is her biggest problem – until her mom hires Tallulah, her boyfriend’s surly teenage daughter, to work at their family café, and then announces they’ll all be moving in together at the end of the summer. The only bright spot ahead is Junie’s dad’s upcoming visit, just in time for her community theater production. And then poor turnout soon threatens that.

But when Junie starts to realize the feelings she swore to take care of last summer have lingered, saving her production and managing her hostile relationship with Tallulah might be the least of her problems. Graham isn’t just off limits – their friendship has been mended to barely withstand a breeze, and the gale force of Junie’s feelings could be just what breaks them.

The friendships in this story are what made the book so great! Juniper is…a very self-absorbed, selfish, and dramatic person. In short:  not someone I could stand to be around very long. She is verbally manipulative and says terrible things without thinking (Okay, pretty sure we’ve all done that at some point, but she rarely seems to regret what she’s said—until someone gets mad at her. And usually she just gets defensive, not remorseful.). Did she learn and grow in this book? Maybe, but I’m not sure. This is still very much worth reading, just don’t expect Junie to be entirely likable.

Samantha Markum was born in St. Louis. You Wouldn’t Dare is her newest novel.

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

Book Review:   The Lost English Girl, by Julia Kelly

Image belongs to Gallery Books.

Title: The Lost English Girl     
 Author:  Julia Kelly   
Genre:  Historical fiction   
Rating:  4 out of 5

Liverpool, 1935: Raised in a strict Catholic family, Viv Byrne knows what’s expected of her: marry a Catholic man from her working-class neighborhood and have his children. However, when she finds herself pregnant after a fling with Joshua Levinson, a Jewish man with dreams of becoming a famous Jazz musician, Viv knows that a swift wedding is the only answer. Her only solace is that marrying Joshua will mean escaping her strict mother’s scrutiny. But when Joshua makes a life-changing choice on their wedding day, Viv is forced once again into the arms of her disapproving family.

Five years later and on the eve of World War II, Viv is faced with the impossible choice to evacuate her young daughter, Maggie, to the countryside estate of the affluent Thompson family. In New York City, Joshua gives up his failing musical career to serve in the Royal Air Force, fight for his country, and try to piece together his feelings about the family, wife, and daughter he left behind at nineteen. However, tragedy strikes when Viv learns that the countryside safe haven she sent her daughter to wasn’t immune from the horrors of war. It is only years later, with Joshua’s help, that Viv learns the secrets of their shared past and what it will take to put a family back together again.

I do love Julia Kelly’s novels, so this was a no-brainer. There was some hard stuff in this novel, though. Viv’s mother was a terrible person, and it was gut-wrenching to read her treatment of Viv. Joshua wasn’t exactly a catch, but his journey was good to read. Poor Viv. What a terrible thing the first part of her life was, until she grew into herself and realized she had the strength to make her own life. Let’s be honest: Viv is a better person than I am, because I’m not sure what I would have done to Mrs. Thompson. This is a solid read, and I ended up plowing through 3/4s of it in one sitting, eager to find out what happened.

Julia Kelly is a bestselling author. The Lost English Girl is her newest novel.

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

Sundays Are for Writing #215

This week, I wrote three book reviews: The Weight of Air, by Kimberly Duffy, Off the Map, by Trish Doller, and The Lost English Girl, by Julia Kelly (will be live on Tuesday).

I also started another writing project here, so that’s a step in the right direction.

What have you been writing?

Happy writing!

Book Review: Off the Map, by Trish Doller  

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:   Off the Map     
Author: Trish Doller    
Genre: Romance    
Rating:  5 out of 5

Carla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She’s been travelling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t ever go home.

Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he’s the one who’s lost his sense of direction. He’s unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out—literally.

Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend’s wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love – if only they choose it.

From the very first page of this read, I was enchanted. I enjoyed being in Carla’s head so much! Her travel jaunts were fascinating to read about, and I loved the adventures she and Eamon went on—the bull with the sangria was hysterical. And, who doesn’t love a hot Irish man? The way Carla and Eamon connected, and their banter kept me glued to the page. Highly recommend this read!

Trish Doller was born in Berlin but lives in Florida.

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

The Best Books I Read in February (2023)

In February, I read 16 books, bringing my total for the year to 33 books read. I also DNFed two books. Of those 16 books, three of them were really excellent.

The Record Keeper, by Charles Martin. Y’all. If you haven’t discovered Charles Martin’s books yet, please do yourself a favor and pick one up. This one is the last in a trilogy that started with The Water Keeper, and I inhaled these books. I do not even have words to describe how much I loved these books and these characters. I will automatically buy—in hardcover—anything this author writes. Even his nonfiction is phenomenal.

When the Moon Turns Blue, by Pamela Terry. I love Southern fiction, but I enjoyed this and The Sweet Taste of Muscadines, the author’s previous book, so, so much. The characters in this are just wonderful. I highly recommend.

My most surprising read of the month was Bibi: My Story, by Benjamin Netanyahu. I almost never read biographies (I’ve maybe read two in my entire life), don’t care for politics, and the military also isn’t my thing, yet this autobiography from a world leader who was in the military kept me riveted to the page. And I thought there was drama in the United States’ political system!

Book Review:    When the Moon Turns Blue, by Pamela Terry

Image belongs to Random House/Ballantine.

Title: When the Moon Turns Blue      
Author:  Pamela Terry   
Genre: Fiction    
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

On the morning after Harry Cline’s funeral, a rare ice storm hits the town of Wesleyan, Georgia. The community wakes up to find its controversial statue of Confederate general Henry Benning destroyed—and not by the weather. Half the town had wanted to remove the statue; the other half wanted to celebrate it. Now that the matter has been taken out of their hands, the town’s long-simmering tensions are laid bare.

This conflict is especially personal to Harry’s widow, Marietta, who’s never been a fan of the statue. Her brother, Macon, the top defense attorney in the Southeast, is representing Old Man Griffin, the owner of the park where the statue stood. Despite Marietta’s pleas to let the matter rest, Macon is determined to find those responsible for the damage and protect the Griffin legacy—and he’s far from the only person Marietta stands to lose over a statue. Without Harry beside her, Marietta longs to salvage those connections, but the world is changing, and the divide can no longer be ignored.

I loved Terry’s The Sweet Taste of Muscadines, so I was eager to read this. And it did not disappoint! The characters are so….I don’t know, cool? They’re people I would love to hang out with and learn from. Their personalities and histories are so different, but so well-realized I truly feel like they (the main four characters) exist and are out there really living life to the fullest somewhere. It was very hard to put this down for sleep and work, and I loved seeing how things played out. Highly recommend!

Pamela Terry is a lifelong Southerner. When the Moon Turns Blue is her newest novel.

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