Tag: fiction

Book Review: Betrayal at Blackthorn Park, by Julia Kelly

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  Betrayal at Blackthorn Park  
Author: Julia Kelly  
Genre:  Historical fiction, mystery
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

Freshly graduated from a rigorous training program in all things spy craft, former typist Evelyne Redfern is eager for her first assignment as a field agent helping Britain win the war. However, when she learns her first task is performing a simple security test at Blackthorn Park, a requisitioned manor house in the sleepy Sussex countryside, she can’t help her initial disappointment. Making matters worse, her handler is to be David Poole, a fellow agent who manages to be both strait-laced and dashing in annoyingly equal measure. However, Evelyne soon realizes that Blackthorn Park is more than meets the eye, and an upcoming visit from Winston Churchill means that security at the secret weapons research and development facility is of the utmost importance.

When Evelyne discovers Blackthorn Park’s chief engineer dead in his office, her simple assignment becomes more complicated. Evelyne must use all of her—and David’s—detection skills to root out who is responsible and uncover layers of deception that could change the course of the war.

I’ve enjoyed all of Julia Kelly’s books that I’ve read so far, but this series is a perfect binge-read. I enjoy watching Evelyn and seeing how her mind works as she’s making connections and putting things together. It’s kind of like watching someone work a Rubik’s cube. The way she and David play off each other makes them a great pair, and I was invested in their case from the beginning.

Julia Kelly is a bestselling author who lives in London. Betrayal at Blackthorn Park is her newest novel.

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

Book Review:   How to Help a Hungry Werewolf, by Charlotte Stein

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:   How to Help a Hungry Werewolf
Author: Charlotte Stein         
Genre:  Romance       
Rating:  2.5 out of 5

When Cassandra Camberwell returns to her hometown of Hollow Brook to clear out her late grandmother’s ramshackle old house, the last thing she expects is Seth Brubaker on her doorstep. Her former best friend was responsible for the worst moment of her high school life, and she can’t imagine he wants to do anything but torment her all over again.

Until she unearths the real reason this annoyingly gorgeous beast of a man keeps hanging around: he’s an actual werewolf, who’s certain she’s the witch that will ease his suffering. But Cassie just isn’t sure if she can trust him again. So Seth offers a pact: he’ll teach her all about her undiscovered magic, and she will brew the potions he needs. No feelings, no funny business, just a witch and a werewolf striking a deal.

Totally doable. Until they get hit with a do-or-die mating bond. And now the heat is rising, in between fights with formers bullies and encounters with talking raccoons. They just have to not give in. Unless giving in just might be the very thing they never knew they always wanted.

I thought the first half of this was decent, if a little predictable and juvenile. The second half turned into some sort of wannabe-erotica without any believable worldbuilding or plot. I’m not sure what else to say about it.

Charlotte Stein lives in Leeds. How to Help a Hungry Werewolf is her newest novel.

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

The Best Books I Read in September (2024)

In September, I read 19 books, bringing my total books read for the year to 167. Of those, several of them were excellent reads.

A Song to Drown Rivers, by Ann Liang. I found this really engrossing. The culture was fascinating, and I loved the main character. I did not love the ending, but it made sense.

The Bookshop of Hidden Dreams, by Karen Hawkins. Like the rest of the Dove Pond books, this was a magical read. I love the setting, and I liked these characters, too.

The Break-Up Pact, by Emma Lord. This was such a fun read! I loved the setting, and the relationship of the characters. This is an excellent weekend or beach read.

What I Read in September (2024)

Books Read in  September: 19
Books Read for the Year:  166/215

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Rock Paper Scissors, by Devon Monk (audio, TBR): Loving this series!
Dime a Demon by Devon Monk (audio, TBR): These dramatized audio books are excellent!
I See Us by Meghan Ciana Doidge (TBR): I really liked the nding of this.
Silent in the Grave, by Deanna Raybourn (TBR): Why have I not read this series before?
Cursed Luck, by Kelley Armstrong (TBR): This was a lot of fun.
The Wicked and the Dead, by Melissa Marr (TBR): I enjoyed this and want to read more.
A Secret Scottish Escape, by Julie Shackman (TBR): A good weekend read.
The Mystery of Albert E. Finch, by Callie Hutton (TBR): I wasn’t really a fan of this. It felt a bit draggy.

For Review:

The New Camelot, by Robyn Schneider. This was a quick, fun read, and although I hadn’t read the first two books in the series, I didn’t have trouble with it. Quite a liberal interpretation of Arthurian legend, so not believable, but fun nevertheless.

The Break-Up Pact, by Emma Lord. I don’t recommend reading this if you’re trying to give up sugar, a many of the scones sounded delectable, but this was absolutely a cute, fun read. I loved the banter between the characters and the small town feel. The would be a perfect beach read.

The Bookshop of Hidden Dreams, by Karen Hawkins. I’ve really enjoyed the Dove Pond books, and this was another charming read. Both timelines were engrossing, and I rooted for all the characters to work everything out for the best.

The Booklover’s Library, by Madeline Martin. This was a lovely read! World War II historical fiction is my jam, and Martin does it so well! I loved the characters, the struggles, the setting…all of it!

Casket Case, by Lauren Evans. This was very much a “meh” read for me. The MC was so passive, the insta-love wasn’t believable, and in general it just felt so slow.

The Slowest Burn, by Sarah Chamberlain. This was decent read, but the male MC kind of got on my nerves.

All I Want Is You, by Falon Ballard. I enjoyed this a lot! The tropes made it very fun.

The Lightning Bottles, by Marissa Stapley. I’d have enjoyed this more if a book set in the decade I graduated high school wasn’t marketed as historical fiction…

A Fire in the Sky, by Sophie Jordan. I enjoyed this a lot, although the last quarter of the book felt a little rushed.

A Song to Drown Rivers, by Ann Liang. I thought this was a heck of a read!\

How to Help a Hungry Werewolf, by Charlotte Stein (review forthcoming). Yeah, probably better to just pass on this. It felt a bit like juvenile, wannabe erotica, with an added layer of nonsense and the MC not having to struggle for anything.

Unfinished:

Given Our History, by Kristyn J. Miller. I only made it about 10% of the way through this before realizing I just didn’t care about the MC.

The Book Swap, by Tessa Bickers. Neither of the MC kept my interest at all.

Mysterious Ways, by Wendy Wunder. Yeah, I DNFed this at about 10%. The multiple, seemingly-unconnected POVs made this feel like absolute chaos, not to mention the author’s political views being shoehorned in all over the place. No, thanks. Not for me.

The Christmas Tree Farm, by Melody Carlson. I read about 10% of this and it wasn’t bad, but I didn’t find myself eager to get back to reading it when I had to put it down to do something else.

Before We Were Us, by Denise Hunter. I normally love Hunter’s books, but when Lauren woke up in the hospital, I just didn’t like her. I kept reading for a bit, hoping she’d show a tiny bit of likability, but that didn’t happen.

Tiny Threads, by Lilliam Rivera. I just could not get into this. The pacing felt very monotonous.

When the World Tips over, by Jandy Nelson. The POV felt very chaotic and I didn’t connect with the characters.

Book Review:  A Song to Drown Rivers, by Ann Liang

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  A Song to Drown Rivers  
Author:   Ann Liang    
Genre:  Fantasy       
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Her beauty hides a deadly purpose.

Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to the villagers of Yue—convinced that the best fate for a girl is to marry well and support her family. When Xishi draws the attention of the famous young military advisor, Fanli, he presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon. One that could topple the rival neighboring kingdom of Wu, improve the lives of her people, and avenge her sister’s murder. All she has to do is infiltrate the enemy palace as a spy, seduce their immoral king, and weaken them from within.

Trained by Fanli in everything from classical instruments to concealing emotion, Xishi hones her beauty into the perfect blade. But she knows Fanli can see through every deception she masters, the attraction between them burning away any falsehoods.

Once inside the enemy palace, Xishi finds herself under the hungry gaze of the king’s advisors while the king himself shows her great affection. Despite his gentleness, a brutality lurks and Xishi knows she can never let her guard down. But the higher Xishi climbs in the Wu court, the farther she and Fanli have to fall—and if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down.

This was an engrossing read from the beginning. Xishi was a wonderful character:  so caring and kind and determined. Seeing her grow and change and become sure of herself and confident was lovely to read. Fanli was only present in part of the book, and he felt very reserved and distant, but I liked him. This was not a fuzzy-bunnies-ray-of-sunshine read—not in any way—but it was a gripping read that completely absorbed my attention.

Ann Liang is a bestselling author. A Song to Drown Rivers is her newest novel.

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

Book Review:   A Fire in the Sky, by Sophie Jordan

Image belongs to Avon and Harper Voyager.

Title:  A Fire in the Sky  
Author:  Sophie Jordan        
Genre: Fantasy       
Rating:  4 out of 5

Dragons are extinct. Witches are outcast. Magic is dying.

But human lust for power is immortal.

Dragon fire no longer blisters the skies over Penterra, but inside the lavish palace, life is still perilous…especially for Tamsyn. Raised in the glittering court alongside the princesses, it’s her duty to be punished for their misdeeds. Treated as part of the royal family but also as the lowliest servant, Tamsyn fits nowhere. Her only friend is Stig, Captain of the Guard…though sometimes she thinks he wants more than friendship.

When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, descends on her home, Tamsyn’s world becomes even more dangerous. To save the pampered princesses from a fate worse than death, she is commanded to don a veil and marry the brutal warrior. She agrees to the deception even though it means leaving Stig, and the only life she’s ever known, behind.

The wedding night begins with unexpected passion—and ends in near violence when her trickery is exposed. Rather than start a war, Fell accepts Tamsyn as his bride…but can he accept the dark secrets she harbors—secrets buried so deep even she doesn’t know they exist? For Tamsyn is more than a royal whipping girl, more than the false wife of a man who now sees her as his enemy. And when those secrets emerge, they will ignite a flame bright enough to burn the entire kingdom to the bone.

Magic is not dead…it is only sleeping. And it will take one ordinary girl with an extraordinary destiny to awaken it.

I enjoyed the writing in this, and the culture was well-done, if a bit infuriating. I liked both Fell and Tamsyn and enjoyed their chemistry. I felt like the last quarter of the book was a bit rushed, so that detracted a little from my enjoyment, but I’d be interested in reading more, as the storyline was strong enough to carry me through and I’m interested to see what happens next.

Sophie Jordan is a bestselling author. A Fire in the Sky is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review:  The Lightning Bottles, by Marissa Stapley

Image belongs to Simon & Schuster.

Title:  The Lightning Bottles  
Author: Marissa Stapley         
Genre: Historical fiction      
Rating: 4 out of 5

Jane Pyre was once one half of one of the most famous rock ‘n’ roll duos in the world, The Lightning Bottles. Years later, she’s perhaps the most hated (and least understood) woman in music. She was never as popular with fans as her bandmate (and soulmate) Elijah—even if Jane was the one who wrote the songs that catapulted The Lightning Bottles to instant, dizzying fame, first in the Seattle grunge scene, and then around the world. But then Elijah disappeared, and everything came crashing down. Even now, years after Elijah vanished, Jane is universally blamed and reviled by the public. In an attempt to get some peace and quiet, Jane rents a house in a remote part of Germany where she knows she won’t be disturbed. But on the day she arrives, she’s confronted by her new next-door neighbor, a sullen teenaged girl named Hen who just so happens to be a Lightning Bottles superfan—and who claims to have a piece of information that might solve the mystery of what happened to Elijah, and whether he is, in fact, still alive and leaving messages for Jane after all these years.

This started off a little bit slowly, but I kept reading because it was fascinating, and I’m glad I did! Okay, I do have a problem with this being called historical fiction, because it’s set in the ‘90s, and I graduated high school in 1995, so that makes me feel really old, but that’s my problem!

The setting was well-done and felt authentic to the ‘90s, and I really enjoyed all the musical references. Jane was slow to warm up to, but she grew on me. I never really felt a connection with Elijah, but I didn’t dislike him or anything. This was a solid read!

Marissa Stapley is a bestselling author. The Lightning Bottles is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review:  All I Want Is You, by Falon Ballard

Image belongs to Penguin Group Putnam.

Title:   All I Want Is You
Author:     Falon Ballard     
Genre: Romance   
Rating: 4 out of 5

Bitter exes. Professional rivals. Just one bed.

What could go wrong?

Jessica Carrington always wanted her own happily ever after. But, until that happens, she spends her days as a small-time romance writer, penning satisfying Happily Ever Afters to soothe the heartache left by her ex-boyfriend Nick Matthews, a fellow romance writer and now her biggest rival, who has found success writing love stories without happy endings. It’s clearly what he’s good at, after all . . .

So, when their professional obligations find them snowed in – and forced to share a room! – at the same remote inn a few days before Christmas, Jess and Nick are both fuming. But what’s more fitting for two romantic writers in a slump? And when they realize the friction between them might be the only cure for their writer’s block, they decide to turn their frustration into fiction . . . and the pages start flying.

Jess can’t shake the feeling that Nick is the last guy on earth she should be falling for (again), but, as they both finally get back in their flow, is he actually all she wants for Christmas?

There are a lot of tropes happening in this one, but it was still a fun read. I liked Jessica—and her two best friends—and found her a lot of fun. Nick was also a good character and the chemistry between them was great. This was a quick, fun read with a solid dose of heat between the characters.

Falon Ballard is from L.A. All I Want is You is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Penguin Group Putnam in exchange for an honest review.)



















































Website:      http://www.falonballard.com/Amazon:    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CQWVVTF5/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20 Title:   All I
Want Is You Author:     Falon Ballard 
   Genre: Romance         Rating: 4 out of 5  Bitter exes.
Professional rivals. Just one bed.What could go wrong? Jessica Carrington
always wanted her own happily ever after. But, until that happens, she spends
her days as a small-time romance writer, penning satisfying Happily Ever Afters
to soothe the heartache left by her ex-boyfriend Nick Matthews, a fellow romance
writer and now her biggest rival, who has found success writing love stories
without happy endings. It’s clearly what he’s good at, after all . . . So, when their
professional obligations find them snowed in – and forced to share a room! – at
the same remote inn a few days before Christmas, Jess and Nick are both fuming.
But what’s more fitting for two romantic writers in a slump? And when they realize
the friction between them might be the only cure for their writer’s block, they
decide to turn their frustration into fiction . . . and the pages start flying. Jess can’t shake the
feeling that Nick is the last guy on earth she should be falling for (again),
but, as they both finally get back in their flow, is he actually all she wants
for Christmas? There are a lot of
tropes happening in this one, but it was still a fun read. I liked Jessica—and her
two best friends—and found her a lot of fun. Nick was also a good character and
the chemistry between them was great. This was a quick, fun read with a solid
dose of heat between the characters. Falon Ballard is from
L.A. All I Want is You is her newest novel. (Galley courtesy of Penguin
Group Putnam in exchange for an honest review.) Book Review:  All I Want Is You, by Falon Ballard

Book Review: The Slowest Burn, by Sarah Chamberlain

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press

Title:  The Slowest Burn  
Author: Sarah Chamberlain
Genre: Romance   
Rating: 3.8 out of 4

Kieran O’Neill should be on top of the world. He’s just won a cooking reality TV show, he’s on track to open his own restaurant before he turns thirty, and he’s even got a high-paying cookbook deal. Still he can’t impress his stuck-up family, his ADHD makes planning ahead impossible and, worst of all, his ghostwriter is the most uptight, humourless woman he’s ever met. But to be seen as a serious chef like he’s always wanted, he needs to finish this book…

Ellie Wasserman is barely holding it together. She’s a thirty-year-old widow living with her needy in-laws, her little brother won’t adult without her help, and instead of working on her own cookbook, she’s ghostwriting one for the chaotic, impulsive Kieran O’Neill. Or would be, if he’d ever answer her emails. But to own her own home like she’s always dreamed of, she needs to finish this book…

As their deadline gets closer and the heat between them builds, can these two driven, lonely people let go of their past hurts and make something truly sweet together? Or will their fragile new love go up in smoke?

I found Kieran to be low-key annoying about half the time, frankly. I liked Ellie, but she spent most of the book being pretty passive about everything…why are you putting your own life on hold and letting everyone around you tell you what to do? The food scenes were fantastic—and everything sounded so good—but the rest of the novel wasn’t as engrossing. Maybe the voice just wasn’t a good fit for me.

Sarah Chamberlain lives in London. The Slowest Burn is her debut novel.

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

Book Review:   Casket Case, by Lauren Evans

Image belongs to Random House.

Title:  Casket Case  
Author:   Lauren Evans
Genre: Romance, fantasy        
Rating: 3 out of 5

In this warm-hearted debut rom-com, a young woman returns home to run her family’s casket business and falls in love with a seemingly perfect stranger. But there’s just one problem . . . he works for Death.

Nora thought she was finished with Rabbittown, Alabama, for good. But an unexpected tragedy turned her life upside down, and she’s found herself back in her tiny hometown running the family casket business.

There aren’t exactly a lot of prospects for a single woman in her thirties in a place like Rabbittown. Until Nora Clanton’s ordinary, casket-selling day is interrupted by a handsome stranger wandering into her shop and asking for directions–as well as a date.

Garrett Bishop seems like the ideal guy. He’s thoughtful, he’s kind, and he has a lucrative job as a logistics coordinator, for which he seems to have a passion. She’s not totally sure what “logistics” entails, but she knows it means long hours, lots of travel, and urgent calls in the middle of the night.

When a few of Rabbittown’s residents suddenly pass away–a heart attack here, a car crash there–and Garrett is spotted at the scenes of, well, all of the deaths, his frustratingly vague job description starts to become increasingly . . . suspicious. What is it that Garrett actually does for a living?

He’s a logistics coordinator for Death.

When Nora discovers the truth, she is unable to reconcile the wonderful man she knows with the unthinkably cruel job he loves. Will she ever be able to understand how he can do what he does, or will she have to lay her best chance at love to rest?

This was an interesting premise, but it felt so slow! And yet, it also included insta-love with no explanation, so that part felt fast. Nora was so passive she got on my nerves. She’s dissatisfied with her life, yet unwilling to take any sort of action at all. And Garrett seems way too good to be true. I never figured out what they saw in each other—or why they got together. The execution of this idea underwhelmed me a bit.

Lauren Evans lives in Atlanta. Casket Case is her debut novel.

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