Tag: fiction

Book Review:  Bless Your Heart, by Lindy Ryan     

Image belongs to MacMillan Audio.

Title: Bless Your Heart (audio)   
Author: Lindy Ryan       
Genre: Fiction, mystery    
Rating: 4 out of 5

Rise and shine. The Evans women have some undead to kill.

It’s 1999 in Southeast Texas and the Evans women, owners of the only funeral parlor in town, are keeping steady with…normal business. The dead die, you bury them. End of story. That’s how Ducey Evans has done it for the last eighty years, and her progeny―Lenore the experimenter and Grace, Lenore’s soft-hearted daughter, have run Evans Funeral Parlor for the last fifteen years without drama. Ever since That Godawful Mess that left two bodies in the ground and Grace raising her infant daughter Luna, alone.

But when town gossip Mina Jean Murphy’s body is brought in for a regular burial and she rises from the dead instead, it’s clear that the Strigoi―the original vampire―are back. And the Evans women are the ones who need to fight back to protect their town.

As more folks in town turn up dead and Deputy Roger Taylor begins asking way too many questions, Ducey, Lenore, Grace, and now Luna, must take up their blades and figure out who is behind the Strigoi’s return. As the saying goes, what rises up, must go back down. But as unspoken secrets and revelations spill from the past into the present, the Evans family must face that sometimes, the dead aren’t the only things you want to keep buried.

As hard as it is for me to call this historical fiction, it did feel like that, and historical fiction in small-town Texas, which is my own history. This felt like a cozy mystery, but it was really bloody, too. Like, really bloody. I enjoyed the audiobook and thought the narrator did a great job on style with this read.

Lindy Ryan is a professor at Rutgers University. Bless Your Heart is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: A Burden of Ice and Bone, by Kyra Whitton    

Image belongs to Sword and Silk Books.

Title: A Burden of Ice and Bone  
Author: Kyra Whitton       
Genre:  Fantasy    
Rating:  4 out of 5

In the village of ice and darkness, Dira Cloon’s entire existence relies on her ability to pull the trigger. But when she faces a majestic white bear, her resolve falters. The bear’s presence stirs something deep within her – a force stronger than her love for her family, who believe that the only safe polar bear is a dead one.

It goes beyond the village legends of a lost world and a vanished civilization, the whispered tales of magic, and the ursine king’s enchantment. This force resonates with Dira’s heart, shattered and lonely. If she shoots the bear, her life will continue as it always has, with a piece of her soul and dreams forever lost. But if she lays down her weapon and follows the bear into the vast, frozen realm of snow, she may transform her people and their bloodlust.

This was an interesting dystopian/fantasy read. More than a bit depressing, frankly. I don’t like cold weather, so that was a me thing, but the society itself was pretty bleak—and I wasn’t a fan of the people. The author did a great job with the setting, though, and I enjoyed the story itself. What happened when Dira broke the curse wasn’t surprising at all, but I did enjoy this read.

Kyra Whitton is from Georgia. A Burden of Ice and Bone is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Sword and Silk Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Sicilian Inheritance, by Jo Piazza     

Image belongs to Penguin Group Dutton.

Title: The Sicilian Inheritance
Author:  Jo Piazza      
Genre: Historical fiction     
Rating: 4.0 out of 5

Sara Marsala barely knows who she is anymore after the failure of her business and marriage. On top of that, her beloved great-aunt Rosie passes away, leaving Sara bereft with grief. But Aunt Rosie’s death also opens an escape from her life and a window into the past by way of a plane ticket to Sicily, a deed to a possibly valuable plot of land, and a bombshell family secret. Rosie believes Sara’s great-grandmother Serafina, the family matriarch who was left behind while her husband worked in America, didn’t die of illness as family lore has it . . . she was murdered.

Thus begins a twist-filled adventure that takes Sara all over the picturesque Italian countryside as she races to solve a mystery and prove her birthright. Flashing back to the past, we meet Serafina, a feisty and headstrong young woman in the early 1900s thrust into motherhood in her teens, who fought for a better life not just for herself but for all the women of her small village. Unsurprisingly it isn’t long before a woman challenging the status quo finds herself in danger.

As Sara discovers more about Serafina she also realizes she is coming head-to-head with the same menacing forces that took down her great-grandmother.

This was a pretty solid read, although Sara was the only character I really liked. I was suspicious of everyone else, including Serafina. I honestly didn’t feel much of a connection to any of the characters, but the writing was solid, and the setting was appealing.

Jo Piazza lives in Philadelphia. The Sicilian Inheritance is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: The One That Got Away with Murder, by Trish Lundy    

Image belongs to Macmillan/Henry Holt and Co.

Title:  The One That Got Away with Murder     
Author:  Trish Lundy      
Genre:  YA, thriller  
Rating:  4 out of 5

Be careful who you fall for…

Robbie and Trevor Cresmont have a body count—the killer kind. Handsome and privileged, the Crestmont brothers’ have enough wealth to ensure they’ll never be found guilty of any wrongdoing, even if all of Happy Valley believes they’re behind the deaths of their ex-girlfriends. First there was soccer star Victoria Moreno, Robbie’s ex, who mysteriously drowned at the family lake house. Then, a year later, Trevor’s girlfriend died of a suspicious overdose.

But the Crestmonts aren’t the only ones with secrets. Lauren O’Brian might be the new girl at school, but she’s never been a good girl. With a dark past of her own, she’s desperate for a fresh start. Except when she starts a no-strings-attached relationship with Robbie, her chance is put in jeopardy. During what’s meant to be their last weekend together, Lauren stumbles across shocking evidence that just might implicate Robbie.

With danger closing in, Lauren doesn’t know who to trust. And after a third death rocks the town, she must decide whether to end things with Robbie or risk becoming another cautionary tale.

I enjoyed this thriller! (It kept me entertained throughout a day of boring meetings.) The people of Happy Valley—especially the soccer girls—were pretty mean, and they were horrible to Lauren. I liked how the author interspersed chapters from Lauren’s past with the present-day storyline, without giving away what really happened. I thought the mystery was well-done, and I didn’t figure out who the killer was until just a little bit before Lauren found out.

Trish Lundy lives in California. The One that Got Away with Murder is her debut YA novel.

(Galley courtesy of Macmillan/Henry Holt and Co. in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review:  What’s Eating Jackie Oh?, by Patricia Park   

Image belongs to Random House Children’s.

Title: What’s Eating Jackie Oh?   
Author: Patricia Park    
Genre:   YA   
Rating:  3 out of 5

Jackie Oh is done being your model minority.

She just hasn’t told her second-gen Korean American parents yet. They would never understand her unconventional dream to become a professional chef. Just ask her brother Justin, who hasn’t heard from them since he was sent to Rikers Island.

For now, when she isn’t avoiding studying for AP World History, Jackie is improving her French cooking techniques and working at her grandparents’ Midtown deli Melty’s.

Then the most unexpected thing: Jackie gets recruited for a casting audition for the teen edition of Burn Off!, her favorite competitive cooking show. Even more unexpected, Jackie becomes a contestant.

Jackie is thrown headfirst into the cutthroat competitive TV show world filled with psych outs, picky mom critiques, and dreaded microaggressions to lean into her heritage.

All Jackie wants to do is cook her way. But is her way to cook traditional French cuisine? Lean into her heritage? Or is it something more? To advance through the competition, Jackie must prove who she is on and off the plate.

Jackie Oh herself just didn’t work for me. I didn’t like her much at all. She had the whole I’m-a-special-snowflake mentality—but God forbid anyone treat her like a special snowflake—just let her do whatever she wants, already. It was perfectly fine for Jackie to judge everyone around her based strictly on appearances, but when someone dared judge her? Then they were narrow-minded, ignorant, and racist. While the things Jackie was so against are real issues, she was unlikable enough to make me skim over them.

The only reason I kept reading this was because of the food. Not all the food, but Jackie’s menus sounded fascinating and tasty, and I liked how she eventually got her act together and showcased the different cultures she was surrounded by. The ending was a total dud, as there was no resolution, merely a transcript of a social media posting. As a reader, I feel like the author broke my trust by leaving this story without a resolution.

Patricia Park is from Queens. What’s Eating Jackie Oh? is her newest novel.

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

Book Review:  The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple, by Joanna Davidson Politano   

Image belongs to Revell.

Title:  The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple      
Author: Joanna Davidson Politano       
Genre:  Historical fiction    
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Peter Driscoll, an underground investigator to the wealthy, has never met anyone like Lily Temple. The beautiful silent-film actress spins fairy tales and plays frivolous roles in front of the cine-camera, but beneath the costumes and stage makeup is a woman with a quick wit–and a murky past.

Peter has been tasked with locating the legendary Briarwood Teardrop, an exquisite sapphire, which Lily wears beneath her gown. In order to stay close to her and hopefully unravel the mystery of her story–and the sapphire–Peter employs Lily’s help on a case, which leads to a useful partnership. But as they are investigating together, Peter is also investigating Lily. The closer he gets to the truth, the more danger they face. And the closer he gets to Lily, the clearer it is that he needs her even more than she needs him.

This started out a bit slow—maybe leisurely is a better word for it. Lily was a fascinating character to me, and I completely forgot, for most of the book, that she was telling a story for the group of officials. Parts of this felt like a fairy tale, or like one of Lily’s short films, all hazy and out-of-focus.

Peter was, basically, my dream guy:  honorable, funny, strong, smart, and a believer. I really loved ho Lily’s opinion of him changed as she got to know him, and he was so reliable and trustworthy for her. Really enjoyed this historical fiction read!

Joanna Davidson Politano lives near Lake Michigan. The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple is her newest novel.

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

The Best Books I Read in April (2024)

In April, I read 20 books, bringing my total for the year to 66. I’m behind, but I’m catching up! Of those, several were really excellent reads, but I narrowed it down to three favorites.

The Last Bloodcarver, by Vanessa Le. I really liked the unique magic system here that was combined with an early scientific culture. The characters were great, and I enjoyed even the secondary characters a lot. Can’t wait to read more in this world.

Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt. A POV character is a curmudgeonly octopus named Marcellus? Are you kidding me? That’s all I needed to know to buy this. In hardcover. And it was worth it! I had to ration this and only read a few pages a day, because I loved it so much1

The Bourbon Thief, by Tiffany Reisz. First of all, this cover is gorgeous. Secondly, a friend suggested this after we were talking about the voice of a story I’m writing and how I felt like it should be more of a Southern fiction feel. And she was 100% correct! Beautiful Southern fiction feel, although parts of this were truly horrifying. I was fully invested from the very beginning.

What I Read in April (2024)

Books Read in April: 22
Books Read for the Year:  68/215
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
The Iron Warrior, by Julie Kagawa. I honestly don’t remember reading this before, but I enjoyed it, as I have the other books in this series.
Pride, by Rachel Vincent (re-read). I forgot how much I enjoyed this series—and how I annoyed I get with the characters, too.
Reached, by Ally Condie (re-read). I actually like the first two books in the trilogy better, although this still reignited my love of poetry.
I See Me, by Meghan Ciana Doidge (TBR). I enjoyed reading this first book in another series set in the Adepts universe.
Bitter Falls, by Rachel Caine (TBR). People are terrible.
Austenland, by Shannon Hale (TBR). At first, Jane annoyed me, but she grew on me, and I enjoyed this read.
Where the River Ends, by Charles Martin (audio). This, of course, made me cry.
Dust Tracks on a Road, by Zora Neal Hurston (TBR). I didn’t care for this as much as Hurston’s other works.
Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt (TBR). A curmudgeonly octopus named Marcellus? Yes, please.
The Bourbon Thief, by Tiffany Reisz (TBR). Loved this. It was dark, it was sometimes horrifying, and it was such a well-done bit of Southern fiction! Phenomenal voice.

For Review:

Expiration Dates, by Rebecca Serle. This was…I’m not sure how I feel about this book. I liked the premise, but the way the MC used the notes as an excuse to just check out/be mediocre about things was not cool.

The Last Bloodcarver, by Vanessa Le. I really enjoyed this! I liked the magic system, and the culture was fascinating. Wonderful characters, even the secondary ones, and I can’t wait to read more.

Sincerely, The Duke, by Amelia Grey. This was a decent romance read, although I had trouble getting behind the big conflict: the MC is a red-haired, green-eyed triplet—which must be kept a secret.

The Trail of Lost Hearts, by Tracey Garvis Graves. I stayed up until 1:30 a.m. reading this, so I could find out what happened! Loved the characters and really enjoyed seeing them change and grow.

Love, Unscripted, by Denise Hunter. I thoroughly enjoyed this enemies-to-lovers read. So sweet!

The British Booksellers, by Kristy Cambron. I enjoyed this so much! A unique to me WWII setting (not the the usual London setting, nor the English countryside) and also a WWI plot, too. I enjoyed both of the timelines so much!

The Reappearance of Rachel Price, by Holly Jackson. This was a twisty YA thriller. The MC was very prickly, but I grew to like her a lot!

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, by Molly X. Chang. I wasn’t a very big fan of the writing. It felt very surface-level, more of a summary than actual narrative, and the whole Rome/Ancient China-esque with inter-dimensional travel setting didn’t really work for me.

Weekends with You, by Alexandra Paige (review forthcoming). I loved the idea of this, the whole group of flatmates dynamic, but Henry was a bit of a prat.

The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple, by Joanna Davidson Politano (review forthcoming). This had a leisurely pace, but I loved the characters a lot, and found myself wanting to stay up and read, even though I was so tired I kept falling asleep.

What’s Eating Jackie Oh? by Patricia Park (review forthcoming). Jackie was kind of a jerk, and I didn’t care for her.

The One that Got Away with Murder, by Trisha Lundy (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this read! Robby was a bit weird to me, but the author kept me guessing who the murderer actually was.

Left Unfinished:

The Bride of Death, by F.M. Aden. I only made it about 5% of this before quitting with no regrets. Not only was it a knockoff of The Bear and the Nightingale, by Kathleen Arden, but the writing needed much more editing and polishing to make it bearable.

Fog & Fireflies, by T. H. Lehnen. This just wasn’t a good fit for me. I loved the cover—it’s absolutely gorgeous—but the feel of the story just didn’t draw me in.

Book Review: Weekends with You, by Alexandra Paige    

Image belongs to Avon and Harper Voyager.

Title: Weekends with You  
Author:  Alexandra Paige     
Genre:  Fiction    
Rating:  4 out of 5

Flowers have always been the best communicators. They’ve mastered falling over one another in the perfect way to announce exactly what they need: sunlight, water, space. They do not rush. They do not bloom before their time. They do not take without giving in return…

They are nothing like the rest of London.

Between trying to keep her north London flower shop, The Lotus, afloat and falling for a flatmate, Lucy Bernstein is going to have to rethink everything she knows about “creative arrangements.”

Unwillingly becoming one of eight flatmates in a quirky warehouse conversion would have been difficult enough without any romantic entanglements, but when Lucy lays eyes on Henry Baker, the traveling photographer who only comes home twelve weekends a year, she knows her hands will be full with more than just posies. As each weekend progresses, Lucy also finds herself unexpectedly falling for all her new flatmates, along with this bustling but ultimately sweeter home.

Can Lucy learn from the flowers she tends to and bravely reach for all that she needs to bloom?

I really loved the whole flatmate aspect with the weekend adventures—this sounds like so much fun! I like Lucy a lot, but Henry really had some issues that I did not care for. If I’d been Lucy, I’d have let that whole situation go after his first or second stupid move. I really enjoyed the friendships between all of the flatmates, though, and the adventures they had. Those were a lot of fun to read.

Alexandra Paige lives in New Jersey. Weekends with You is her debut novel.

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

Book Review:   To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, by Molly X. Chang 

Image belongs to Random House/Del Rey.

Title:  To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods    
Author: Molly X. Chang        
Genre: Fantasy      
Rating: 3 out of 5

She has power over death. He has power over her. When two enemies strike a dangerous bargain, will they end a war . . . or ignite one?

Heroes die, cowards live. Daughter of a conquered world, Ruying hates the invaders who descended from the heavens long before she was born and defeated the magic of her people with technologies unlike anything her world had ever seen.

Blessed by Death, born with the ability to pull the life right out of mortal bodies, Ruying shouldn’t have to fear these foreign invaders, but she does. Especially because she wants to keep herself and her family safe.

When Ruying’s Gift is discovered by an enemy prince, he offers her an impossible deal: If she becomes his private assassin and eliminates his political rivals—whose deaths he swears would be for the good of both their worlds and would protect her people from further brutalization—her family will never starve or suffer harm again. But to accept this bargain, she must use the powers she has always feared, powers that will shave years off her own existence.

Can Ruying trust this prince, whose promises of a better world make her heart ache and whose smiles make her pulse beat faster? Are the evils of this agreement really in the service of a much greater good? Or will she betray her entire nation by protecting those she loves the most?

Leaving aside the whole colonizer/slave romance questions—which I see a lot of talk about in reviews—I thought the storytelling itself was a bit superficial. I mean, I felt like a lot of things were skimmed over and only touched on on a superficial level. Ruying was supposed to be an assassin, but none of that was shown at all, and it was barely even mentioned. There was the immediate connection between Ruyang and the prince—which wasn’t the slightest bit believable to me, considering the circumstances and who they were—but how their feelings grew weren’t shown, leaving me feeling like I’d missed on a whole lot of development.

Molly X. Chang is from China and now lives in London. To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods is her debut novel.

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