Tag: reading

Book Review: The Borgia Confessions, by Alyssa Palombo

the borgia confessions
Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  The Borgia Confessions
Author:  Alyssa Palombo
Genre:  Historical fiction
Rating:  3.5 out of 5

Rome, 1492.

Rodrigo Borgia has risen to pope and is intent on bringing his family with him on his rise in power. His goal is a papal dynasty. His oldest son, Cesare, doesn’t want to enter the church—he wants to be in the military—but he abides by his father’s plans—as his foolish brother is chosen for military greatness. So Cesare learns to keep his thoughts and his emotions a secret.

Maddalena Moretti comes from the countryside. She’s thrilled to have found a place working in the pope’s household and ecstatic to be working for such a holy man. Until Maddalena realizes the Borgia family have feet of clay, and her faith starts to crumble. Soon she finds herself involved in a secret relationship with Cesare and knowing all the Borgia secrets—enough to put her life in danger.

Fantastic writing in this novel. The setting, characters, and cultures all came to vibrant life. But…I didn’t like any of them. The Borgia family is selfish and self-absorbed—at best—caring only for their own ambitions and desires and ignoring those they hurt on the way. I had some sympathy for Maddalena, but she embraced her weakness for Cesare and made excuses for it, and that’s something I cannot fathom. These people were horrible to each other—but the writing was spectacular enough that I was engrossed in a book about people I avidly disliked.

Alyssa Palombo lives and works in Buffalo, New York. The Borgia Confessions is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: A Good Neighborhood, by Therese Anne Fowler

a good neighborhood
Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  A Good Neighborhood
Author:  Therese Anne Fowler
Genre:  Fiction
Rating:  4.0 out of 5

Oak Knoll is a quality neighborhood—a good neighborhood—in North Carolina. The neighbors know each other and support each other, so when a new house is built and a new family moves in, everyone knows it. The Whitmans have money, fame, and a daughter who’s hiding things.

Brad Whitman likes everyone knowing his name—and controlling everyone he can. Julia Whitman escaped her trailer-house-and-poverty-filled life for the safety of marriage, and she knows Brad was her way out and her key to continued wealth. And Juniper is tired of being labeled a good girl and doing what everyone else thinks is best for her—and she’s intrigued by the cute boy who lives in the house behind them.

Valerie Aston-Holt is an ecology professor and a single parent to her talented biracial son, Xavier. She nurtures Xavier’s talents and her trees with the same devotion, and when the Whitman’s new home threatens the ancient oak on her property, she knows she must act. When she discovers Xavier’s love for Juniper, she knows there will be complications. But even Valerie can’t foresee just how bad those complications will be.

This book made me angry. Angry because I believe this could so easily happen in our culture—and does happen frequently in a society that thinks because racism isn’t blatant and overt, it isn’t real. So, yeah, anger was my main response to this book.

I had a little bit of trouble with the point-of-view here, which was a Greek-chorus style narrator, and made the book feel distant to me. I also didn’t find the portrayal of conservative “Christians” (in the book, a Christian is someone who goes to church, and that is not accurate in the least bit) to be anything short of narrow-minded and biased. I have no doubt that some conservatives attend churches like those portrayed in the novel, but not all Christian churches are like that. In the slightest. And the ones that are, are doing people a grave injustice.

The issues the novel is concerned with are real and troubling and horrible, and this portrayal of them brings them to life and makes them personal. Solid writing, intriguing characters (except Brad), and a read I highly recommend, despite its one-sidedness in certain areas.

Therese Anne Fowler is a bestselling author. A Good Neighborhood is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Fair is Foul, by Hannah Capin

foul is fair
Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  Fair is Foul
Author:  Hannah Capin
Genre:  YA
Rating:  3 out of 5

Ella and her three friends are the queens of their circle and their school. They do what they want, when they want. They do and say whatever they please, no matter who it hurts, and they’re untouchable—until the night they crash a St. Andrews Prep party and Elle is roofied and raped by the golden boys of St. Andrews.

Intent only on revenge, Ella becomes Jade, dying her hair, erasing her identity, and transferring to St. Andrews. With her crew’s help, she’ll have her revenge, but revenge isn’t enough. Instead, she wants to destroy the golden boys—and take their lives. And one of them will help her, for his ambition is as ruthless as Jade’s own.

I’m not a fan of the idea of revenge being necessary—though the boys definitely needed punishment—and the right of the wronged. What happened to Jade was horrible, and the golden boys were evil, but…Jade was at least as evil as they were. The actions of Jade and her crew were unfathomable to me, and I couldn’t relate to her on any level, making her—and her friends and enemies—completely unlikable and unreal to me. However, I can see how this is just my thoughts on a trope. The revenge storyline is probably great for some people, but it’s just not for me, and I shouldn’t have even bothered to finish reading this.

Hannah Capin lives in Virginia. Foul is Fair is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: What Kind of Girl, by Alyssa Heinmel

what kind of girl
Image belongs to Sourcebooks Fire.

Title:  What Kind of Girl
Author:  Alyssa Heinmel
Genre:  YA
Rating:  4 out of 5

North Bay Academy is rocked when Mike Parker’s girlfriend walks into the principal’s office and accuses him of hitting her. She has the black eye to prove it—but is she telling the truth? Mike’s the most popular guy around; would he really hit his girlfriend? And if he did, why didn’t she tell anyone the first time it happened?  Why did she go to the principal and not the police? Is it true…or is there more to the story?

This is an excellent book about a tough topic. It showcases what some girls experience:  like it’s not bad enough they go through dating violence. They also have to deal with people calling them liars, thinking they deserved it, and/or taking their abuser’s side. This is told in alternating viewpoints, but the story strands weave together seamlessly, creating a picture that has even more depth than what the reader first thinks.

Alyssa Heinmel was born in California and raised in New York. What Kind of Girl is her newest novel.

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

Blog Tour and Review: Been There, Married That, by Gigi Levangie

been there
Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  Been There, Married That
Author: Gigi Levangie
Genre:  Fiction
Rating:  2.5 out of 5

Agnes Nash is the perfect Hollywood wife—all the right clothes, all the right friends, all the right hobbies—and even has a job of her own, author, outside of her daughter and her producer husband. Life is good—until the day her credit cards are cancelled, and she comes home to find the locks changed and a guard with a taser. Agnus’s husband is determined she’ll get nothing, but Agnus isn’t giving up without a fight.

Okay, here’s the thing:  I didn’t finish this book. The writing was great:  good characterizations, on point description, cohesive plot…but I only made it about 20% of the way through, because this just wasn’t the right choice for me. The characters were narcissistic and mean, and, frankly, their concerns were so frivolous as to be ridiculous. It would probably have been a hilarious read, but I just can’t connect with such selfish people, making it a no-go for me.

Again:  this is just me and my reaction to the story. It might make a great read for other people, but I just couldn’t turn off my annoyance with the characters and their self-absorbed antics.

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

Book Review: The Janes, by Louisa Luna

the janes
Image belongs to Doubleday.

Title:  The Janes
Author:  Louisa Luna
Genre:  Thriller
Rating:  4 out of 5

There are two bodies, two young girls dead. They have no names, no IDs—and no one is looking for them. The only possibility is a human trafficking ring, so San Diego police and the FBI call in Alice Vega, a private investigator who has a way of getting things done. She’s their only hope of finding out who the Janes are and finding out if more girls are missing.

Even more than her determination, Vega relies on her intellect, which is formidable. She and her partner, Cap, start asking questions—and the answers they find lead them into a situation filled with danger, murder, and enemies they never suspected.

I haven’t read the first book in the Alice Vega series, but that didn’t hamper me at all. There are a lot of layers in the book and figuring out just what was going on was an exciting and intriguing process. Vega is an interesting character—her mind works differently than anyone else—and Cap is both funny and intelligent, a perfect foil for Vega. This was a solid thriller read!

Louisa Luna was born and raised in San Francisco and now lives in Brooklyn. The Janes is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Light Changes Everything, by Nancy E. Turner

light changes everything
Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  Light Changes Everything
Author:  Nancy  E. Turner
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Rating:  4 out of 5

In the summer of 1907, Mary Pearl enjoys her life in the Arizona Territory, but she longs for something more. Her parents agreed to her studying art at Wheaton College—but when handsome and rich Aubrey Hanna starts courting her, Mary Pearl wonders if college is what she really wants.  Soon enough, she’s learning about life in an eastern town, studying, and writing letters to Aubrey—who soon shows his true colors.

Mary Pearl is learning about more than art. She’s also learning how to act and look like a lady. She’s happy with her new skills, but a trip back to Arizona Territory will change her life—and her family—forever.

I haven’t read any of the author’s other books, but I enjoyed the setting and Mary Pearl’s story immensely. The setting is vibrantly alive, and Mary Pearl and her family are all colorful characters. What happened to Mary Pearl was no surprise, but how she dealt with it was handled with deft hands that showed her strength, and I found this to be an enjoyable historical fiction read.

Nancy E. Turner was born in Texas but now lives in Arizona. Light Changes  Everything is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Whiteout, by Adriana Anders

Whiteout
Image belongs to Sourcebooks Casablanca.

Title:  Whiteout
Author:  Adriana Anders
Genre:  Romantic suspense
Rating:  4 out of 5

Angel Smith has been in Antarctica long enough. She came there to get over a tragedy  in her past and found a group of people that helped her get ready to live again. Now, on the day she’s going to return to civilization, the remote research station is attacked, and people are murdered—leaving her with only irritating glaciologist Ford Cooper.

Ford Cooper just tried to avoid Angel—and everyone else at the research station—but after the attack, he knows it’s up to him and Angel to get themselves to safety—and  keep their attackers from getting their hands on the virus. But the odds—and the elements—are against them, and  he’s not sure even he and Angel’s newfound bond is strong enough to survive.

Whiteout is a solid suspense read—and, frankly, made me cold (not a fan of cold weather)! The setting comes to eerie, frigid life, and I was never quite sure what would happen next. Just enough suspense to keep me turning the pages to find out what happens—and I’m interested in reading the next book in the series, too!

Adriana Anders is an award-winning author. Whiteout is her newest novel.

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

Blog Tour and Book Review: An Everyday Hero, by Laura Trentham

an everyday hero
Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  An Everyday Hero
Author: Laura Trentham
Genre:  Fiction
Rating:  4 out of 5

Greer Hadley’s dreams of being a songwriter in Nashville crashed and burned, sending her back home to Madison, Tennessee. Like living with her parents isn’t bad enough, a spectacularly bad decision—and a drink or two too many—leave her doing community service at a nonprofit organization that helps veterans and their families. She can’t even bring herself to perform anymore—how is she going to help anyone else?

Then Greer meets fifteen-year-old Ally who’s new to town and recently lost her father, and Greer finds herself drawn to the bitter, sarcastic girl. Greer also ends up assigned to Emmett Lawson, a high school hero who came home from the front lines wounded and needing no one. After he tries to run her off with a shotgun, Greer is even more determined to help Emmett realize he needs to let people in—especially when Ally is in crisis and it will take both of them to see her safely through.

An Everyday Hero takes three characters who have been broken down by life and builds them back up through each other. They’ve all hit rock bottom and can’t see any way up—Emmett doesn’t even want to go up—but manage to find their way back to the light. Trust plays a big part in the novel, particularly learning to trust people with the truths of your scars and wounds, and I found this an enjoyable read.

Laura Trentham was born and Raised in Tennessee but now lives in South Carolina. An Everyday Hero is her newest novel.

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

The Best Books I Read in January (2020)

I read 20 books in January. There were five or six more that I started and DNF because I just couldn’t get into them, but three books I read were excellent.

the little bookshop

The Little Bookshop on the Seine, by Rebecca Raisin. This was an enchanting read—and I now have the author’s other books ready and waiting on my Kindle. I loved both the bookshops in the novel, and thoroughly enjoyed every page.

everywhere holy

Everywhere Holy, by Kara Lawler. This isn’t a book about fancy, sweeping things, but about savoring the simple things, the small things. I don’t have kids or live in the country, but loved reading about the author’s experiences.

i've seen the end of you

I’ve Seen the End of You, by W. Lee Warren, MD. This was probably the most unexpected thing I read in January. It’s written by a neurosurgeon who wrestles with his faith:  how does he give his patients hope when he, a man of science, has seen what’s in store for them with an incurable disease (neuroblastoma)? Nonfiction is hit or miss for me, but the voice and the stories in this one made it un-put-down-able.