Tag: book review

Book Review:  The Heiress, by Rachel Hawkins  

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  The Heiress       
Author: Rachel Hawkins    
Genre: Thriller    
Rating:  4.3 out of 5

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge mountains. In the aftermath of her death, that estate—along with a nine-figure fortune and the complicated legacy of being a McTavish—pass to her adopted son, Camden.

But to everyone’s surprise, Cam wants little to do with the house or the money—and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place.

Jules, however, has other ideas, and the more she learns about Cam’s estranged family—and the twisted secrets they keep—the more determined she is for her husband to claim everything Ruby once intended for him to have.

But Ruby’s plans were always more complicated than they appeared. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will––and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave.

Okay, the McTavish family is horrible. All of the McTavish family, blood relatives or not. This was an engrossing read, but these people were horrible. Lots of twists and turns here, and Ruby’s POV was fascinating—and horrifying. I liked Cam and Jules, but there’s more to them than meets the eye, too. If you’re looking for a twisty thriller read, give this a try.

Rachel Hawkins is a bestselling author who lives in Alabama. The Heiress is her newest novel.

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

Book Review and Blog Tour: Principles of Emotion, by Sara Read

Image belongs to Harlequin/Graydon House.

Title: Principles of Emotion    
Author: Sara Read   
Genre: Romance    
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Mathematical genius Dr. Meg Brightwood has just completed her life’s work—a proof of a problem so impenetrable it’s nicknamed the Impossible Theorem.

Reclusive and burdened by anxiety, Meg has long since been dismissed by academia. Now everyone wants to get their hands on what she alone possesses—especially her own mathematician father.

Having grown up a prodigy in a field plagued by sexism and plagiarism, Meg opts for a public presentation so there will be no doubt of her authorship. But a panic attack obliterates her plans. In defeat, she goes home and locks away the one and only manuscript of her proof.

Then chance sends her the unlikeliest of allies: Isaac Wells—carpenter, high school dropout, in trouble with the law. And the one love of Meg’s life. Fifteen years ago, they did little more than hold hands. Now, they find a tenuous space where they can love and be loved for who they are—not who the world expects them to be.

But when Meg goes to retrieve the Impossible Theorem, she finds it missing. Her fight for the achievement of the century will test the limits of her brilliance and the endurance of two vulnerable hearts.

I enjoyed this read quite a bit! I couldn’t relate to Meg’s brilliant math mind—I don’t like math much, although I’m decent at it—but the way her anxiety worked felt faintly familiar. I really enjoyed the juxtaposition between her and Isaac—and how they accepted their differences so easily. Meg’s dad was a total jerk, and I really wanted to see how the fallout played out with him. This was an engrossing read that made me smile and root for the characters along the way.

Sara Read lives in Virginia. Principles of Emotion is her newest novel.

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

Book Review:  Northwoods, by Amy Pease  

Image belongs to Atria Books.

Title: Northwoods   
Author: Amy Pease    
Genre: Thriller    
Rating:  4 out of 5

Eli North is not okay.

His drinking is getting worse by the day, his emotional wounds after a deployment to Afghanistan are as raw as ever, his marriage and career are over, and the only job he can hold down is with the local sheriff’s department. And that’s only because the sheriff is his mother—and she’s overwhelmed with small town Shaky Lake’s dwindling budget and the fallout from the opioid epidemic. The Northwoods of Wisconsin may be a vacationer’s paradise, but amidst the fishing trips and campfires and Paul Bunyan festivals, something sinister is taking shape.

When the body of a teenage boy is found in the lake, it sets in motion an investigation that leads Eli to a wealthy enclave with a violent past, a pharmaceutical salesman, and a missing teenage girl. Soon, Eli and his mother, along with a young FBI agent, are on the hunt for more than just a killer.

If Eli solves the case, could he finally get the shot at redemption he so desperately needs? Or will answers to this dark case elude him and continue to bring destruction to the Northwoods?

I wasn’t sure about this at first, mainly because reading in the POV of a self-destructive alcoholic is not pleasant, but Eli grew on me. The setting is dark, gritty, and a bit depressing, and the author portrays it well. I figured out a (sort-of) twist at the end before the reveal, but I still think it was pretty well-done. All in all, a strong debut novel with memorable characters. I’d definitely read more from this author.

Amy Pease lives in Wisconsin. Northwoods is her debut novel.

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

Book Review: A Body on the Doorstep, by Marty Wingate

Image belongs to Bookouture and author.

Title: A Body on the Doorstep  
Author:  Marty Wingate    
Genre: Mystery     
Rating:  4 out of 5

Fiercely independent Mabel Canning can’t wait to begin working for the Useful Women’s Agency. But when she discovers a body on her client’s doorstep, it’s time to add solving murders to her job description…

London, 1921: Mabel Canning is proud to be a modern woman working for the Useful Women’s Agency, carrying out tasks for gentlewomen from flower arranging to washing muddy dogs. But when she answers the door for wealthy widow Rosalind Despard, she almost chokes on her cucumber sandwich when she finds a soldier’s body on the doorstep.

As she offers tea to the policemen of Scotland Yard, Mabel can’t resist getting drawn into the investigation. Who was the mysterious dead man? And why was he holding a letter for Rosalind, written by her husband on the day he disappeared?

As Mabel hunts for clues, she joins forces with Rosalind’s handsome brother, former detective Park Winstone, and his adorable terrier, Gladys. But when Mabel suspects she is being followed, the detective duo know that time is running out before the killer strikes again.

As she investigates, Mabel discovers dusty old photographs that help her reveal the soldier’s true identity. But as she gets closer to uncovering the young man’s murderer, she knows she’s also one step closer to danger… Can she outsmart the killer and save Park and Rosalind before they also turn up dead as doornails?

Let’s be honest:  I could never work for the Useful Women’s Agency. Mabel is a better person than I am, because I would probably have had a breakdown after toting that heavy painting all over the house while that rich lady hemmed and hawed about where to hang it. That being said…I enjoyed this book. I like the set-up, and Mabel was a fun character. I like the cozy mystery feel to the story and world, set in the midst of London. That was a nice twist. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series very soon.

Marty Wingate is a bestselling author. A Body on the Doorstep is her newest novel.

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

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.

Sundays Are for Writing #258

This was an absolutely crazy week at work! Despite that, I still, somehow, wrote three book reviews: A Body on the Doorstep, by Marty Wingate, Principles of Emotion, by Sara Read, and The Heiress, by Rachel Hawkins, all forthcoming. I didn’t get any fiction written this week, but I actually set a monthly fiction word count goal for January, so I’ll start chipping away at that this week. I’ll also have my December reading post up tomorrow, a 2023 reading post up Tuesday, and the best books I read in December up Wednesday.

Happy New Year, and happy writing!

Book Review:  Public Anchovy #1, by Mindy Quigley    

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: Public Anchovy #1
Author: Mindy Quigley   
Genre:  Mystery   
Rating:  4 out of 5

While Geneva Bay’s upper crust gets ready to party down at a Prohibition-themed fundraiser, pizza chef Delilah O’Leary is focused on seeing her struggling restaurant through the winter slow season. The temperature outside is plummeting, but Delilah’s love life might finally be heating up, as hunky police detective Calvin Capone seems poised to (finally) make a move.

But Delilah’s hopes of perfecting a new “free-from” pizza recipe for a charity bash are dashed when a dead body crashes the party. Soon, Capone, Delilah, and her entire staff are trapped in an isolated mansion and embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

To catch an increasingly-desperate killer, Delilah will have to top all of her previous crime-solving accomplishments, and a few pizzas, too.

This is the first one of the Deep Dish Mysteries I’ve read, but I’d read the others. The descriptions of the food made me hungry! I loved the idea of a Prohibition-themed party—such vivid characters in that time period, and I love the fashion. I never truly figured out who the killer was, but to be honest, the secondary conflicts, like the Capone and Delilah interactions, interested me more. Great secondary characters here, making this a fun read, and the cats added another level of entertainment.

Mindy Quigley lives in Virginia. Public Anchovy #1 is her newest novel.

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

Book Review and Blog Tour: An Inconvenient Earl, by Julia London

Image belongs to Harlequin/Canary Street Press.

Title:  An Inconvenient Earl     
Author: Julia London    
Genre: Romance  
Rating:  3 out of 5

It’s been over a year since Emma Clark’s no-good husband left on an expedition. The Countess of Dearborn has played the abandoned wife, but people are beginning to presume the earl is dead, which doesn’t suit Emma at all. Emma likes being head of household in Albert’s absence and does her best to keep his family believing he is alive and well. She’s thirty years old and finally having some fun. If the earl is in fact dead, his family is waiting in the wings to swoop in and throw Emma out, leaving her destitute.

Then along comes Luka Olivien, the Weslorian Earl of Marlaine. He’s traveled all the way from Egypt, duty bound to return to the countess her deceased husband’s precious pocket watch—only to discover she doesn’t know he’s dead… Or does she? It’s hard to tell. Luka catches glimpses of the desperate vulnerability beneath the party girl exterior and can’t help being drawn into the beguiling countess’s ruse.

I’ve really enjoyed the other books in the A Royal Match series, but this one, not so much. I liked Luka a lot, but Emma just came across as selfish, crazy, and delusional. Plus, she’s a liar—and thinks that’s okay—so she’s not my kind of people. The question asked in the blurb—does Emma know Albert is dead—has an obvious answer for the entire novel, so using that as a hook really lets the reader down, too. I liked seeing glimpses of the characters from the other books in this series, but that was really the highlight of the book, not these characters and their story.

Julia London is an award-winning and bestselling author. An Inconvenient Earl is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Canary Street Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays Are for Writing #257

This was an okay writing week and a crazy work week, so any writing is better than none. I wrote one book review, Northwoods, by Amy Pease. This was a solid mystery with an alcoholic, self-destructive main character. I wasn’t too sure about him at first, but he grew on me. And I DNFed one book, The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years, by Shubnum Khan. This just started off way too slow for me, and I was bored almost immediately.

Happy writing!

Book Review:   The Paris Housekeeper, by Renee Ryan

Image belongs to Harlequin.

Title:  The Paris Housekeeper
Author: Renee Ryan    
Genre: Historical fiction     
Rating:  4.2 out of 5

Paris, 1940

German tanks rumble through the streets of Paris, forcing frightened citizens to flee. But not everyone has the luxury to leave. Camille Lacroix, a chambermaid at the world-famous Hôtel Ritz, must stay to support her family back home in Brittany. Desperate to earn money, Camille also acts as a lady’s maid for longtime guest Vivian Miller, a glamorous American widow—and a Nazi sympathizer.

Despite her distrust of the woman, Camille turns to Vivian when her friend and fellow hotel maid Rachel Berman needs help getting out of Paris. It’s then that Camille discovers that Vivian is not what she seems… The American has been using her wealth and connections to secretly obtain travel papers for Jewish refugees.

While hiding Rachel in an underground bunker under a Nazi’s nose, a daring escape plan is hatched. But as the net grows tighter, and the Germans more ruthless, Camille’s courage will be tested to the extreme…

I love WWII historical fiction, and this was a great read. Vivian’s situation absolutely horrified me, and I felt so sorry for her. I enjoyed Camille’s story, and Rachel’s as well. This was a really good story, and I loved how the three women’s stories intertwined. This was a really solid historical fiction read!

Renee Ryan is an award-winning author. The Paris Housekeeper is her newest novel.

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