I didn’t write any book reviews this week…because I didn’t have very much time to read. Oh well. Maybe next week!
Happy writing!
Tag: books
Book Review: The Italian Secret, by Tara Moss
Title: The Italian Secret
Author: Tara Moss
Genre: Fiction, mystery/thriller
Rating: 3 out of 5
Naples, 1943. Deep within a secret network of underground tunnels, a woman takes shelter from a wartime air raid and prays her husband will return home safe.
Pacific Ocean, 1907. A girl embarks on a lonely journey to begin a new life far from home.
Sydney, 1948. Billie Walker, recently returned from a stint as a wartime investigative journalist, has reopened her father’s private inquiry office. One day, Billie is cleaning out old filing cabinets when she uncovers a dusty box whose contents just might upend everything Billie thought she knew about her late, beloved father.
Soon Billie is on the scent, uncovering the secrets of her family’s past, travelling aboard the first post-war luxury passenger ship from Sydney to Naples in search of answers. And as the trail leads her toward two women whose history may be entwined with her own, she realizes she might be putting all three of them in harm’s way. Billie’s father had an enemy—one who may now be stalking Billie around the world—and the closer Billie gets to the truth, the more danger she finds herself in.
I hadn’t read the first two Billie Walker Mystery books, but that wasn’t a problem—this wasn’t a complex book. It was an okay read, but it felt quite cliched to me. Billie’s mother got on my nerves, and so did Billie herself. Just not a good fit for me.
Tara Moss is a bestselling author. The Italian Secret is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Dutton in exchange for an honest review.)
Book Review and Blog Tour: The Time Hop Coffee Shop, by Phaedra Patrick
Title: The Time Hop Coffee Shop
Author: Phaedra Patrick
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5
Welcome to the Time Hop Coffee Shop, where wishes can come true…
Greta Perks was once the shining star of the iconic Maple Gold coffee commercials, the quintessential TV wife and mom. Now fame has faded, her marriage is on the rocks, her teenage daughter has become distant and Greta’s once-glittering career feels like a distant memory.
When Greta stumbles upon a mysterious coffee shop serving a magical brew, she wishes for the perfect life in those past Maple Gold commercials. Next thing she knows, Greta wakes in the idyllic make-believe town of Mapleville, where the sun always shines and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and second chances fill the air. Given the opportunity to live the life she dreamed, Greta is determined to rewrite her own script. But can life ever be like a coffee commercial? And what will happen when Greta has to choose between perfection and real life, with no turning back?
This was such a cute read! I really enjoyed Greta’s journey to accepting—and loving—her life. I know Mapleville was supposed to feel too-good-to-be-true, but it really creeped me out on a lot of levels. It was good to see change and growth in all the main characters, not just Greta herself. This was a sweet read with a message that wasn’t too heavy-handed to enjoy.
Phaedra Patrick lives in the UK. The Time Hop Coffee Shop is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row in exchange for an honest review.)
Book Review and Blog Tour: How to Grieve Like a Victorian, by Amy Carol Reeves
Title: How to Grieve Like a Victorian
Author: Amy Carol Reeves
Genre: Romance
Rating: DNF
Even in the wake of loss, there’s still love, life, snark, and burlesque to be had…
Dr. Lizzie Wells, a professor of British literature and bestselling author, is grieving her husband the Victorian way. She keeps a lock of his hair in a choker around her neck and dons widow’s weeds—and notifies her colleagues and students that she will accept only paper letters instead of email.
But then she’s offered a trip to London for escape and healing, where she befriends fellow bestselling novelist AD Hemmings. Rakish and handsome, Hemmings pushes her out of her comfort zone. She attends a Victorian-style séance, gets pulled onstage at a burlesque bar, and sightsees with her young son.
All the while, back in South Carolina, her late husband’s best friend and lawyer, Henry, peels back the layers of a family secret her mother-in-law is desperate to keep hidden. Cross-Atlantic “family business” updates turn into regular FaceTime hangouts and their friendship evolves into something more. Lizzie fears she’s falling in love with him…
Struggling with conflicting feelings, Lizzie travels to Brontë country, where in the windswept moors, she comes to peace with grief, joy, and all the in-betweens.
I didn’t make it too far in this. Lizzie’s decision to make everyone around her conform to what she believes is right felt absurd and pretentious—and is a picture of what’s wrong in society. Her pretentions got on my very last nerve—as did her kissing her husband’s best friend a month after her husband died unexpectedly and then fluttering around like a trapped moth, making a show of her reaction…but not actually caring. I had no desire to read any more about a person like that.
Amy Carol Reeves lives in Indiana. How to Grieve Like a Victorian is her new novel.
(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press in exchange for an honest review.)
Book Review: The Rebel and the Rose, by Catherine Doyle
Title: The Rebel and the Rose
Author: Catherine Doyle
Genre: YA
Rating: 5 out of 5
From a remote hilltop haven, far from the city of Fantome, Seraphine Marchant and her Order of Flames plot to eradicate shade magic with lightfire. But as Sera struggles to control her blooming powers, destiny calls her back to Fantome—and to the assassin who haunts her dreams.
Ransom Hale can’t get Sera out of his head. As their rivalry grows and he grapples with the responsibility of leading the Order of Daggers, he feels himself slipping further from who he wants to be. Is he doomed to a life in the shadows? Or can he forge another path?
Meanwhile, rebellion is stirring in the kingdom, and a dangerous prince grows in power. Forced to work together by order of the king, Sera and Ransom’s conflicted hearts are tested to their limits. And all the while, an ancient prophecy is unfolding that will change the fate of Valterre forever…
I had not read the first The City of Fantome book, but that didn’t end up mattering. The writing was so skillful and details from the past were worked in so seamlessly that I had no problems staying up-to-speed.
I loved these characters and this world! The mythology was interesting, and the culture was fascinating. So much sarcasm and snark made me snort frequently. I can’t wait to read more!
Catherine Doyle is from Ireland. The Rebel and the Rose is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing | Margaret K. McElderry Books in exchange for an honest review.)
Sundays are for Writing #348
This was an okay writing week: I wrote two book reviews, Skylark, by Paula McLain and Oxford Blood, by Rachael Davis-Featherstone. I also did quite a bit of journaling and some fiction brainstorming.
Happy writing!
Book Review: Persephone’s Curse, by Katrina Leno
Title: Persephone’s Curse
Author: Katrina Leno
Genre: YA
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Are the four Farthing sisters really descended from Persephone? This is what their aunt has always told that the women in their family can trace their lineage right back to the Goddess of the Dead. And maybe she’s right, because the Farthing girls do have a ghost in the attic of their Manhattan brownstone —a kind and gentle ghost named Henry, who only they can see.
When one of the sisters falls in love with the ghost, and another banishes him to the Underworld, the sisters are faced with even bigger questions about who they are. If they really are related to Persephone, and they really are a bit magic, then perhaps it’s up to them to save Henry, to save the world, and to save each other.
I really enjoyed this! The setting is, in general, quite small and contained, but the characters are so vivid and distinct, it never felt constricted. I love the relationship between the sisters, and their family mythology is fascinating. I enjoyed every single page of this read.
Katrina Leno lives in L.A. Persephone’s Curse is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.)
The Best Books I Read in November (2025)
In November, I read 15 books, bringing my total for the year to 213 books read. Of those, three of them were excellent reads.
Hell Bent, by Devon Monk. This is the first book in a spinoff series to the Allie Beckstrom series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love Shamus from the original series, so I loved getting to spend so much time in his head.
The Rebel and the Rose, by Catherine Doyle. This is the second book in a series–and I haven’t read the first book-but I loved it from the first page! So much action and banter and sarcasm, and the world was well-drawn and intriguing. Can’t wait to read more!
Persephone’s Curse, by Katrina Leno. This had a very small setting–most of the book took place inside a single house–but it felt like a truly expansive read. The sisters were each such vivid characters, and I loved getting to know the entire family.
Book Review and Blog Tour: The Library of Fates, by Margot Harrison
Title: The Library of Fates
Author: Margot Harrison
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3.5 out of 4
When its librarian keeper mysteriously dies, two former classmates must race to locate a rare book from their college years that can foretell your future if you confess a secret from your past—but someone is intent on protecting what’s hidden inside…
The Library of Fates was designed to show you who you are—and who you could become. Its rarest book, The Book of Dark Nights, holds a when you write an intimate confession on its pages, you’ll receive a prediction for your future, penned in your own handwriting.
For Eleanor, whose childhood was defined by a senseless tragedy, the library offers a world where everything makes sense. She’s spent most of her life there as an apprentice to the brilliant librarian, showing other people how to find the meaning of their lives in stories.
But when her mentor dies in a freak accident and The Book of Dark Nights goes missing—along with the secrets written inside—Eleanor is pulled out of the library and into a quest to locate it with the last person she the librarian’s estranged son, Daniel, who Eleanor once loved before he suddenly ran off to Europe decades ago.
Together, as they hunt down clues from Harvard to Paris, Eleanor and Daniel grow closer again, regaining each other’s trust. But little do they know that they’re entangled in a much larger web. Someone else wants the book, and they may be willing to kill to get it…
Parts of this were fascinating, and parts of it felt very pretentious. I can’t decide if I like Eleanor—or Daniel—or not. The past characters, not really, as they’re typical selfish, oblivious teenagers. Them in the present kind of got on my nerves, too. The Book of Dark Nights is an interesting concept, if you can get past the witchcraft behind it, and the ability to choose the perfect book for someone at a particular moment is beyond cool, but on the whole, this felt more lit fic than anything, and I never connect well with literary fiction.
Margot Harrison lives in Vermont. The Library of Fates is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House in exchange for an honest review.)
Book Review and Blog Tour: Dawn of the Firebird, by Sarah Mughal Rana
Title: Dawn of the Firebird
Author: Sarah Mughal Rana
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: DNF
Khamilla Zahr-zad’s life has been built on a foundation of violence and vengeance. Every home she’s known has been destroyed by war. As the daughter of an emperor’s clan, she spent her childhood training to maintain his throne. But when her clansmen are assassinated by another rival empire, plans change. With her heavenly magic of nur, Khamilla is a weapon even enemies would wield—especially those in the magical, scholarly city of Za’skar. Hiding her identity, Khamilla joins the enemy’s army school full of jinn, magic and martial arts, risking it all to topple her adversaries, avenge her clan and reclaim their throne.
To survive, she studies under cutthroat mystic monks and battles in a series of contests to outmaneuver her fellow soldiers. She must win at all costs, even if it means embracing the darkness lurking inside her. But the more she excels, the more she is faced with history that contradicts her father’s teachings. With a war brewing among the kingdoms and a new twisted magic overtaking the land, Khamilla is torn between two impossible vengeance or salvation.
I didn’t get very far in this. The writing itself was fine, but the story felt like a chaotic, jumbled mess—and one with a distant POV. This just wasn’t a good fit for me.
Sarah Mughal Rana is a student at Oxford. Dawn of the Firebird is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press in exchange for an honest review.)
Tomorrow Is Another Day 