Tag: reading

Book Review: A Better Nightmare, by Megan Freeman

Image belongs to Scholastic/Chicken House.

Title:   A Better Nightmare
Author: Megan Freeman
Genre: YA
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Emily Emerson is nearly sixteen, finally a senior at the Wildsmoor Facility. But so is Meera, isn’t she? Meera, who is nineteen and has been a senior for as long as Emily can remember? Here, the students live each day as shadows, one day blurring into the next, hardly aware of life passing them by while the symptoms of the Grimm Cross Syndrome that afflicts them all is trained out of them. Rules. Order. Repetition. Medication.

Emily was eight when she started showing signs of the disease. Odd dreams, hallucinations – impossible things that happened around her. Unconscious thoughts that could be set free into the world—flowers that covered the house, thick like a forest and sowed with nothing more than her unconscious thoughts. It was beautiful until it turned evil, when Emily did her first bad thing and found herself here. Now, she’ll do anything to get better and get back to her life. She’ll be more quiet and obedient than everyone else.

Until she meets Emir.

Emir isn’t like the other kids at Wildsmoor. He’s quicker and livelier. He says things that he shouldn’t – dangerous things. Emir is electric, magnetic in more ways than Emily can know.

When Emir introduces her to The Cure, a secret society for kids who believe that The Grimm isn’t a disease at all, but a gift, Emily starts to wake up, and so do her strange abilities. The outcome is a dream come true. But sometimes the best dreams and the worst nightmares have the same people in them.

This wasn’t a bad book, but Emily didn’t really do anything: she just let everything happen to her. Emir was a jerk, and so were several of the other main members of the Cure. His sudden change of heart wasn’t very believable, and I feel like so much that could have added depth to this story was just glossed over, leaving me feeling like I was reading a summary and not an actual story. This is a miss for me, unfortunately, as the premise is great and I was interested to read it. The execution just didn’t live up to it, though.

Megan Freeman is from Cornwall. A Better Nightmare is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Scholastic/Chicken House in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: All Better Now, by Neal Shusterman

Title: All Better Now
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

An unprecedented condition is on the rise. It behaves like a virus, with the first symptom being a fever, but those who contract it experience long-term effects no one has ever seen utter contentment. Soon after infection, people find the stress, depression, greed, and other negative feelings that used to weigh them down are gone.

Almost everyone revels in this mass unburdening. But people in power—who depend on malcontents tuning into their broadcasts, prey on the insecure to sell their products, and convince people they need more, new, faster, better everything—know this new state of being is bad for business. Soon, campaigns start up convincing people that being happy all the time is dangerous. There’s even a vaccine developed to rid people of their inner peace and get them back to normal because, surely, without anger or jealousy as motivators, productivity will grind to a halt and the world will be thrown into chaos.

It’s nearly impossible to determine the truth when everyone with a platform is pushing their own agendas, and two teens from very different backgrounds who’ve had their lives upended in different ways by the virus find themselves enmeshed in the center of a dangerous power play. Can they reveal the truth?

I found this to be an unsettling read. Not just the whole pandemic thing, but the people fighting so hard against people trying to help other people, people being positive, and against people just being content. That doesn’t say anything good about us as human beings, does it? This was an entertaining enough read, and the little vignettes of different people in the short chapters reminded me a bit of The Stand, which I always enjoyed.

Neal Shusterman is a bestselling author. All Better Now is his newest novel.

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

Book Review: Capitana, by Cassandra James

Image belongs to HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books.

Title: Capitana
Author: Cassandra James
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

Ximena Reale has spent most of her life training at La Academia to join the Cazadores, seafaring hunters who track down pirates. But her future is uncertain, thanks to her parents’ questionable reputation. They were traitorous pirates, and though they were executed when Ximena and her sister were young, they permanently damaged the Reale name in the eyes of the Luzan Empire.

Ability alone won’t make Ximena a Cazadoro—or earn her the coveted Cazadoro cloak. So, when the legendary pirate Gasparilla returns and captures the Empire’s queen, Ximena offers to bring back the queen and the notorious pirate in exchange for a cloak. But there’s a catch: Only one cloak is available, and Ximena’s competition is Dante, an infuriating yet handsome classmate with mysterious motives.

With their futures on the line, Ximena and Dante set out on a dangerous quest across the high seas. But no matter how far Ximena sails, her family’s legacy haunts her, and her exposure to a world outside of la academia leads her to question the very laws she’s always fought to uphold. Is it possible she’s been on the wrong side all along?

I have mixed feelings about Ximena. She is so single/narrow-minded about pirates, the Law, and the Empire that she refuses to see anything that doesn’t agree with her worldview—to an extent that’s a little ridiculous. I like her determination, but her willing blindness, not so much. Despite this being billed as historical fiction, women seem to have full rights and opportunities, and they hold positions of power, so that’s a positive. I’d like to know more about the Empire and its oppression of people, as the generalities given in the story were a bit vague, but on the whole, I enjoyed this read. I couldn’t buy the Dante/love angle, though, because that came out of absolutely nowhere.

Cassandra James lives in Florida. Capitana is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review and Blog Tour: Last Twilight in Paris, by Pam Jenoff

Title: Last Twilight in Paris
Author: Pam Jenoff
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

London, 1953. Louise is still adjusting to her postwar role as a housewife when she discovers a necklace in a box at a secondhand shop. The box is marked with the name of a department store in Paris, and she is certain she has seen the necklace before when she worked with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe —and that it holds the key to the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war.

Following the trail of clues to Paris, Louise seeks help from her former boss Ian, with whom she shares a romantic history. The necklace leads them to discover the dark history of Lévitan—a once-glamorous department store that served as a Nazi prison, and Helaine, a woman who was imprisoned there, torn apart from her husband when the Germans invaded France.

Louise races to find the connection between the necklace, the department store and Franny’s death. But nothing is as it seems, and there are forces determined to keep the truth buried forever. Inspired by the true story of Lévitan, Last Twilight in Paris is both a gripping mystery and an unforgettable story about sacrifice, resistance and the power of love to transcend in even the darkest hours.

I love World War II historical fiction, and I’ve read several of Jenoff’s books and enjoyed them. Add this one to that list. I’d never heard of Lévitan and prisoners being kept there, but the idea was terrible—especially how the neighbors just willingly turned a blind eye like so many did during Hitler’s atrocities. I loved reading Helaine’s story: her sheltered life and the magical way she met and fell for her husband. Louise’s story was just as fascinating, both the past timeline and the current one, and all three stories turned into one fascinating read.

Pam Jenoff is a bestselling author. Last Twilight in Paris is her newest novel.

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

Best Books I Read in January (2025)

In January, I read 19 books towards my goal of 225 books this year. Most of those were okay or good, but a few were excellent.

Praying Upside Down: A Creative Prayer Experience to Transform Your Time with God, by Kelly O-Dell Stanley. I really liked how she used art and art techniques to make me think about prayer in a fresh way.

Song of the Forever Rains, by E.J. Mellow. I loved the cultures here, and the sisters and their relationship were just so much fun! Looking forward to reading the next one.

The Dressmakers of London, by Julia Kelly (my review forthcoming closer to pub day). It’s Julie Kelly, so you know it’s going to be a good read, but I loved this! I enjoyed both sisters’ POVs, and was engrossed in both of their lives and how they mended things between them.

What I Read in January (2025)

Books Read in January: 19
Books Read for the Year: 19/225

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Song of the Forever Rains, by E.J. Mellow (TBR): I ended up binge-reading this, and really enjoyed the characters. Looking forward to the next one.
Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn (TBR): I’m still enjoying this series, but Julia got on my nerves a little bit in this one.
Champagne, Misfits, and Other Shady Magic, by Meghan Ciana Doidge (TBR):
The City of Zirdai, by Maria V. Snyder (TBR):
Praying Upside Down, by Kelly O’Dell Stanley (spiritual, TBR): I really enjoyed this!
Leaders Eat Last, by Simon Sinek (TBR): This had some interesting stuff in it.
The Dryad Storm, by Laurie Forest (TBR): I’ve been waiting for this to come out for like a year and a half. Maybe that break gave me time to see it with fresh eyes, because WHY IS EVERYTHING HYPHENATED?! I feel like the author just flung random words together, sticking them together with a little dash, and it felt like lazy writing, honestly. This ended up being a disappointing read, especially considering the delayed release.

For Review:

Capitana, by Cassandra James (review forthcoming). Ximenia wasn’t my favorite character ever, but I enjoyed this read a lot.

All Better Now, by Neal Shusterman (review forthcoming).. This was not a light and fluffy read. It really showed how truly terrible some human beings can be.

Last Twilight in Paris, by Pam Jenoff (review forthcoming). I enjoyed both characters/timelines in this story–and was so relieved at the ending.

See How They Hide, by Allison Brennan. Reading about cults creeps me out, and this book did, too. I’ve enjoyed all the Quinn & Costa books, and this one was good, too.

A Better Nightmare, by Megan Freeman (review forthcoming). This was an okay read, but there weren’t really any surprises in it.The MC felt very passive throughout, and I wouldn’t read more.l

Get Lost with You, by Sophie Sullivan (review forthcoming). This was another okay read. I liked the setting and the secondary characters, but it felt like there was no conflict for the MCs to overcome to end up together.

The Queens of Crime, by Marie Benedict (review forthcoming). Feeling a bit like a broken record, but this was an okay read. The POV felt a little distant, but it was neat to see the famous women writers as characters in this murder mystery.

The Perfect Rom-Com, by Melissa Ferguson (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this read a lot, but it’s not a rom-com. I wouldn’t even classify it as a romance. Great storyline, though.

The Dressmakers of London, by Julia Kelly (review forthcoming). I love Kelly’s historical fiction, and I really enjoyed this one! Loved both sisters and their journeys and found it difficult to put this down.

Never Planned on You, by Lindsay Hameroff (review forthcoming). I liked this, except for the part where the MC thought it was okay to date a guy with a fiance (even if it turned out to be a marriage of convenience). Not okay with that.

I Am the Cage, by Allison Sweet Grant (review forthcoming). Excellent writing here, especially the poetry, but I enjoyed it far more once the MC stopped being passive about her past and life.

Just Because:

This is the Way (Gateway Publishing). My church’s January devotional.

Left Unfinished:

This Will Be Fun, by E.B. Asher. This felt like a terrible farce and it gave me a headache.

Book Review: Here Beside the Rising Tide, by Emily Jane

Title: Here Beside the Rising Tide
Author: Emily Jane
Genre: Fantasy, fiction
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

As a lonely ten-year-old resident of Pearl Island, Jenni Farrow befriends Timmy Caruso and together they enjoy a glorious summer of swimming, fireworks, and carnival rides. (Not to mention rescuing a strange sea creature from a tidepool). Then, one late summer day, Timmy disappears.

Thirty years later, Jenni—now Jenn Lanaro, bestselling author of the Philipia Bay action-romance series—is desperate to escape the fatigue of her career and her soon-to-be-ex-husband. With her Pokémon-obsessed children in tow, Jenn rents a summer house on Pearl Island. But shortly after she arrives, a boy emerges from the nighttime sea. His name, he says, is Timmy Caruso. He’s ten years old. And he’s on a mission to save the world.

In the days that follow, Jenn grapples with work deadlines, her own spirited children, the mysterious boy-from-the-sea, and her burgeoning interest in a very sexy contractor. But when alarming events unfold along the coast—shark attacks, tidal waves, a proliferation of sugar-addicted sea creatures, and a terror out in the deeper water—she wonders if just maybe the young boy knows what he’s doing after all?

I’m not quite sure what to say about this. Jenni seems completely incapable of making any rational decisions, not even to save her life. She lets her kids run the show—even lets them blatantly manipulate her. She’s reactive to her almost-ex-husband. I don’t think I realized until just now how much she got on my nerves! The rest of the novel was somewhere between farce and bad B-rate movie. I didn’t get a sense of wonder or awe or anything but disbelief.

Emily Jane lives in Ohio. Here Beside the Rising Tide is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: See How They Hide, by Allison Brennan

Title: See How They Hide
Author: Allison Brennan
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5

No matter how far you run, some pasts never let you go…

Two people were murdered—at the exact same time, in the same gruesome manner, bodies covered in the same red poppies…but on opposite sides of the country.

With Detective Kara Quinn investigating in Oregon and Special Agent Matt Costa in Virginia, the Mobile Response Team digs deep to uncover more about each victim. What is the link between the two, and why were they targeted?

Yet their search unearths more questions than answers—until they meet Riley Pierce, the only person still alive who might be able to help them find the killers.

Soon, it becomes clear this case is nothing like they’ve seen before as their investigation leads them to the hallowed grounds of Havenwood—an eerily beautiful place rooted in a terrifying past.

As more bodies turn up, all tied to the same community, Kara and Matt are desperate to piece the puzzle together before Havenwood’s leader sacrifices everything to keep her secrets buried.

I’ve enjoyed all the Quinn & Costa books, and I liked this one, too. Books about cults always creep me out a bit, and this one was no exception. I liked seeing how the team made connections and linked thinks I would never have thought of, but the glimpses of live within Havenwood was creepy and unsettling at best. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt—the part after the resolution with Havenwood—but the rest was a solid read.

Allison Brennan is a bestselling author. See How They Hide is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Brewing Up a Bad Boy, by Katherine Garbera

Title: Brewing Up a Bad Boy
Author: Katherine Garbera
Genre: Romance
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Sometimes the second sip is sweetest.

In the cozy town of Birch Lake, tea shop owner Poppy Kitchener thought she’d left her mistakes, and her failed marriage, in the past. But when her ex-husband, Alistair Miller, turns up—as charming and irritatingly handsome as ever—those old feelings float to the surface. To top it off, he has a puzzling pretend they’re still married for his cousin’s wedding in exchange for a lucrative business deal with his family.

Easy enough, right? After all, this could be Poppy’s last chance to get closure, grow her business and use Alistair’s knowledge of microbrewing to help her finish that winning recipe for the tea competition.

But even after all this time, he still knows how to make her laugh. And he’s changed in ways that make Poppy wonder about the man he’s become… Can she trust this new Alistair with her heart, or will a second chance brew up disaster?

This was an okay read, but that’s as far as I’m willing to go. At first, Poppy and Alistair’s divorce was in the distant past, then it was 18 months ago. The first half of the book, Poppy wasn’t into anything spiritual, then suddenly she was a diehard practitioner. This needs another round of editing to make it palatable. I enjoyed the tea stuff, but the “As you know, Bob,” discussions of kombucha and brewing felt like I was being waterboarded.

Katherine Garbera is a bestselling author. Brewing Up a Bad Boy is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Only in Your Dreams, by Ellie K Wilde

Title: Only in Your Dreams
Author: Ellie K Wilde
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5

If he can prove he loved her then, and he loves her still, this time might be different.

Ten years after one of the most heartbreaking nights of her life, Melody Woods is back in her small hometown of Oakwood Bay, broke, jaded, and unceremoniously dumped by her big-city boyfriend. To top it all off, her twin brother, Parker, is pushing her to take his spot on a camping trip with the one guy she’s spent a decade avoiding.

For college football coach Zac Porter, his best friend’s twin sister, Melody, has always been off-limits. And after fumbling his chance ten years ago, a devastated Zac was sure he’d lost Melody for good. So, when Melody shows up at the campsite instead of Parker, Zac realizes that now is the time to prove to her that they were always meant to be, no matter how long it takes to make up for his teenage self’s mistake.

Reeling from the truth of her last relationship, Melody plans to stay in town just long enough to get back on her feet. Then, she’s gone again. Meanwhile, Zac is facing an uphill battle to coach his team to its first winning game in years, to show Melody how she deserves to be loved, and to keep Parker from ever finding out. Maybe then, being with her will be more than just a dream.

I like second chance romances, and this was a fun read. Melody and her antics kept me entertained, and Zac seemed too good to be true—while Melody’s ex was no good at all. This was pretty steamy—very steamy, actually. This would make a perfect weekend binge-read.

Ellie K Wilde is from Canada. Only in Your Dreams is her newest novel.

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

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