Tag: reading

What I Read in December (2024)

Books Read in December: 25
Books Read for the Year:  238/215

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
The Blue Parakeet, by Scott McKnight (audio, TBR): Audio wasn’t the best choice for me with this.
The Hexed and the Hunted, by Melissa Marr (TBR): I enjoyed this read.
Silent on the Moor, by Deanna Rayburn (TBR): Still loving this series!
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, by Joya Goffney (TBR): I DNFed this very quickly, because the MC wasn’t a likable person, and there wasn’t any reason for so much animosity between her and the main guy character. Just ugly to each other.
Totally Folked, by Penny Reid (TBR): This was a solid read.
I Heard God Laugh, by Matthew Kelly (TBR): I enjoyed this a lot!
Unleashing Echoes, by Meghan Ciana Doidge (TBR): Quite an ending for this trilogy.
The Eyes of Tamburah, by Maria V. Snyder (TBR): Loved the world/setting of this.
For Review:

The Metempsychosis Collection, by Nicholas Conley. I don’t usually read scifi or short story collections, but these tales were al unique and kept me engaged. This was a good read!

The Last Fashion House in Paris, by Renee Ryan. I do love WWII historical fiction, and I really enjoyed this. Even the fashion parts were fascinating!

The Stolen Queen, by Fiona Davis (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this a lot! Both timelines were fascinating.

What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange  (review forthcoming). This should have felt slow, but it didn’t. Instead, I was drawn into the characters’ lives and histories from the very first page.


A Language of Dragons, by S. F. Williamson (review forthcoming). Really enjoyed this military/alternate history fantasy adventure.

Work in Progress, by Kat Mackenzie (review forthcoming). The MC was really a terrible person for a long time–for no discernible reason–but she eventually improved.

Earl Crush, by Alexandra Vasti (review forthcoming). This was a sweet, fun read, perfect for a weekend or a long afternoon.

Only in Your Dreams, by Ellie K Wilde (review forthcoming). This steamy second-chance romance was a solid read.

Brewing Up a Bad Boy, by Katherine Garbera (review forthcoming). Don’t bother. This was solidly in the meh category, and needed another in-depth editing pass to make it consistent.

Here Beside the Rising Tide, by Emily Jane (review forthcoming). I can’t say that I recommend this. It was like a bad B-rate movie.

A Sea of Unspoken Things, by Adrienne Young (review forthcoming). This was a wonderfully-written story, and I read it straight through in one sitting.

Just Because:

Blessed Endings, Beautiful Beginnings, by Nicki Koziark.
The Tony Evans Study Bible
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
God is with You Every Day, by Max Lucado.
Bedtime Blessings, by Charles Swindoll
Champagne and Commitments, by Melissa Marr. I enjoyed this novella.
Lowcountry Lost, by T.I. Lowe. Sweet Southern fiction.

Left Unfinished:
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, by Joya Goffney (TBR): I DNFed this very quickly, because the MC wasn’t a likable person, and there wasn’t any reason for so much animosity between her and the main guy character. Just ugly to each other.

Ex Marks the Spot, by Gloria Chao. I didn’t make it very far in this, because the characters just didn’t interest me, and the animosity between Gemma and Xander just seemed to be pointless.

All the Water in the World, by Erin Caffall. I made it about 20% of the way into this, but it felt so slow. My attention completely wandered.

The Lost House, by Melissa Larsen. I read over a third of this, but it just dragged, and the MC wasn’t very likable to me.

She Doesn’t Have a Clue, by Jenny Elder Moke. Is it bad that I read 12% of this, and didn’t realize it was a romcom? Kate just seemed like a bumbling idiot, and things kept slipping side3ways into her MC’s POV with no warning. If found this jarring and off-putting.

Book Review:  The Last Fashion House in Paris, by Renee Ryan

Image belongs to Harlequin.

Title:  The Last Fashion House in Paris  
Author:  Renee Ryan        
Genre:  Historical fiction       
Rating:  4 out of 5

France, 1942

Once, Paulette Leblanc spent her days flirting, shopping and drawing elegant dresses in her sketch pad. Then German tanks rolled into France, and a reckless romance turned into deep betrayal. Blaming herself for her mother’s arrest by the Gestapo, Paulette is sent away to begin a new life in Paris, working as apprentice to fashion designer Sabine Ballard.

But Maison de Ballard is no ordinary fashion house. While seamstresses create the perfect couture gowns, clandestine deals and secrets take place out of sight. Mademoiselle Ballard is head of a vast network of resistance fighters—including Paulette’s coworker and friend Nicolle Cadieux—who help escort downed military men and Jewish families to safety.

Soon Paulette is recruited as a spy. Working as a seamstress by day, gathering information at glamorous parties by night, Paulette at last has a chance to earn the redemption she craves. But as the SS closes in, and Nicolle goes missing, Paulette must make life-and-death decisions about who to trust, who to love and who to leave behind…

I really enjoyed this read! I felt so sorry for Paulette from the very first page. Yes, what she did was horrible, but I can’t imagine living with such guilt. The goings-on at the fashion house were fascinating, and the clandestine errands were riveting. I loved all the main characters, and really enjoyed how it tied in Ryan’s other book.

Renee Ryan is from Florida. The Last Fashion House in Paris is her newest novel.

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

Sundays are for Writing #308

This was a decent writing week. I got in five fiction sessions, and two book reviews, What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange and A Language of Dragons, by S. F. Williamson (both reviews forthcoming).

Happy writing!

Book Review: A Monsoon Rising, by Thea Guanzon

Image belongs to Avon and Harper Voyager.

Title: A Monsoon Rising    
Author:  Thea Guanzon
Genre: Fantasy, romance      
Rating: 5 out of 5

After a lifetime of war, Alaric and Talasyn were thrust into an alliance between their homelands that was supposed to end the fighting; however, being married to their sworn foe feels far from peaceful. Now Talasyn must play the part of Alaric’s willing empress while her allies secretly plot to overthrow his reign. But the longer the couple are forced together, the harder it becomes to deny the feelings crackling like lightning between them. When the time comes to act, can she trust him, or must she ignore her heart for the sake of so many others?

As the master of the Shadowforged Legion, Alaric has trained for battle all his life, but marrying a Lightweaver might be his most dangerous challenge yet. With tensions between nations churning, he needs to focus on the greater threat—the Moonless Dark, a cataclysmic magical event that could devour everything. Only he and Talasyn can stop it, with a powerful merging of light and shadow that they alone can create together. But saving their world from this disaster is a mere preface to his father’s more sinister schemes, and his wife is a burning flame in the darkness, tempting both his loyalties and his desires.

The Hurricane Wars aren’t over. It’s time to choose what—and who—to fight for. The world holds its breath amidst a whirlwind of new magic and old secrets that could change everything.

I’m still loving these books! The world and mythology are fascinating to me, and I really like the two main characters. They actually start trusting each other a little bit here, but there are so many obstacles! And they can’t really trust anyone around them, adding another level of conflict. I found it very hard to put this book down!

Thea Guanzon is a bestselling author. A Monsoon Rising is her newest novel.

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

 

Book Review: Booked for Murder, by P. J. Nelson

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  Booked for Murder  
Author: P. J. Nelson      
Genre:  Mystery
Rating:  3.5 out of 5

Madeline Brimley left small town Georgia many years ago to go to college and pursue her dreams on the stage. Her dramatic escapades are many but success has eluded her, leaving her at loose ends. But then she gets word that not only has her beloved, eccentric Aunt Rose passed, but she’s left Madeline her equally eccentric bookstore housed in an old Victorian mansion in the small college town of Enigma. But when she arrives in her beat-up Fiat to claim The Old Juniper Bookstore, and restart her life, Madeline is faced with unexpected challenges. The gazebo in the back yard is set ablaze and a late night caller threatens to burn the whole store down if she doesn’t leave immediately.

But Madeline Brimley, not one to be intimidated, ignores the threats and soldiers on. Until there’s another fire and a murder in the store itself. Now with a cloud of suspicion falling over her, it’s up to Madeline to untangle the skein of secrets and find the killer before she herself is the next victim.

I need the main character of cozy mysteries to be believable and not go running off after every crazy, fleeting thought they have. This one did not deliver. Madeline changed her mind about every 35 seconds. About everything. The insta-friendship between her, her “aunt”, and the reverend did not feel realistic, and the rest of the characters felt like barely-sketched caricatures.

P. J. Nelson lives in Decatur, Georgia. Booked for Murder is his newest novel.

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

 

Book Review:   The Metempsychosis Collection, by Nicholas Conley

Image belongs to Nicholas Conley.

Title:  The Metempsychosis Collection  
Author: Nicholas Conley         
Genre:  Science fiction       
Rating:  5 out of 5

The Metempsychosis Collection is a puzzle of seven pieces. As metempsychosis is the transmigration of the soul after death, these snapshots of startling, wondrous, and terrifying moments show a human race perpetually weighed down by pain and loss, yet forever grasping at the stars with hope and aspiration. In each tale, lives are touched, changed, and reshaped. A woman surrounded by her loved ones is faced with a sudden crisis beyond her mortal comprehension. The dawn of real-life super-powered individuals—and the devastation they are capable of—remolds not just the shape of society, but even the most intimate of relationships. The collision of perfect cutting-edge technology against imperfect human memory brings the dead closer to us even as it pushes them further away. A trucker drives into the night with no clear destination, tormented by the mysterious, unearthly cargo that drives her. A sick man ponders his legacy as he struggles not to succumb to an ancient, incurable extraterrestrial disease. Two childhood friends, bonded by hardship, are ripped apart by the most fantastic — yet horrific — discovery of their lives. And finally, an ambitious scientist, following her passions, must escape a prehistoric miracle that threatens the life of her pregnant wife.

Every new beginning closes a book from the past, and every ending opens another. The wheel turns. The world spins. And for every death, there is an awakening.

I don’t usually read science fiction or short story collections, but Nicholas Conley’s writing always manages to pull me in, no matter what. Each of these stories captured my interest and had me eager to find out what happened next. For me, short stories make it hard for me to connect with the characters, but that wasn’t a problem here. These characters were all sympathetic and interesting enough to keep me engaged—and I read this entire collection in one sitting. I think the last story was my favorite. Who doesn’t like a good dinosaur tale?

Nicholas Conley lives in New Hampshire. The Metempsychosis Collection is his newest book.

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

Book Review:  What the Woods Took, by Courtney Gould

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: What the Woods Took
Author:  Courtney Gould    
Genre: YA   
Rating:  4 out of 5

Devin Green wakes in the middle of the night to find two men in her bedroom. No stranger to a fight, she calls to her foster parents for help, but it soon becomes clear this is a planned abduction—one everyone but Devin signed up for. She’s shoved in a van and driven deep into the Idaho woods, where she’s dropped off with a cohort of equally confused teens. Finally, two camp counselors inform them that they’ve all been enrolled in an experimental therapy program. If the campers can learn to change their self-destructive ways—and survive a fifty-days hike through the wilderness—they’ll come out the other side as better versions of themselves. Or so the counselors say.

Devin is immediately determined to escape. She’s also determined to ignore Sheridan, the cruel-mouthed, lavender-haired bully who mocks every group exercise. But there’s something strange about these woods—inhuman faces appearing between the trees, visions of people who shouldn’t be there flashing in the leaves—and when the campers wake up to find both counselors missing, therapy becomes the least of their problems. Stranded and left to fend for themselves, the teens quickly realize they’ll have to trust each other if they want to survive. But what lies in the woods may not be as dangerous as what the campers are hiding from each other—and if the monsters have their way, no one will leave the woods alive.

There’s a solid level of creepiness going on here. Like, I won’t be walking in the woods with my overactive imagination anytime soon. Solid writing and descriptions, and I enjoyed the relationships between the characters, who had all just met, so the growing camaraderie and trust was done well. Devin was a bit too…pushy and brash for me, but I did enjoy this read and thought the secondary characters were great.

Courtney Gould lives in Salem, Oregon. What the Woods Took is her newest novel.

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

The Best Books I Read in November (2024)

In November, I read 20 books, bringing my total for the year to 214 (according to Goodreads. My count in my reading list is 217, but I can’t figure out where the discrepancy is, and I already gave myself a headache with this). I also DNFed three books (not bad). Of those 20 books, several were excellent reads.

The Keeper, by Charles Martin (Review coming closer to publishing date in April 2025). Yes, Charles Martin is my favorite author. And yes, the Murphy Shepherd books are my favorite of all of his. That doesn’t stop this from being a fantastic read! I absolutely loved it and couldn’t put it down.

The Sunflower House, by Adriana Allegri. Such a good historical fiction read! I love a good World War II read, and this one did not disappoint.

A Monsoon Rising, by Thea Guanzon (review forthcoming). Once I started reading this, that was it. I couldn’t put it down. Tons of action and intrigue, secrets, tension, and such a slow burn.

What I Read in November (2024)

Books Read in  November: 20
Books Read for the Year:  214/215

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Tangled Echoes, by Meghan Ciana Doidge (TBR): Another solid read in this series.

Now or Never, by Janet Evanovich (TBR): I’ve been dying to read this, since the cliffhanger ending of last year’s book. Did Stephanie’s choice surprise me? No. Sadly. Was I disappointed? ABSOLUTELY.

Silent in the Sanctuary, by Deanna Raybourne (TBR): I’m really enjoying these mysteries!

The Kiss and the Killers, by Melissa Marr (TBR): I like the mythos of these books, so I’ll probably continue to read.

Brute of all Evil, by Devon Monk (TBR, audio): This was a lovely ending to this series! (I assume).

High Jinx, by Kelley Armstrong (TBR): This was a fun duology to read!

For Review:

The Keeper, by Charles Martin (review forthcoming). I don’t have the words to tell you how excited I was to read this novel, my favorite series by my favorite author. And it DID NOT disappoint.

Rules for Camouflage, by Kirstin Cronn-Mills. Not going to lie, the octopus tentacles on the cover were what caught my eye, because I love octopi! And Aretha was my favorite character in this novel, but this was a solid YA read.

Midnights with You, by Clare Osongco. This was an okay read, but Deedee’s mom was pretty horrible, and Deedee herself was no picnic.

All’s Fair in Love and Treachery, by Celeste Connally. This was a solid read, although the MC really flipped and instantly beloved the worst of the man she loved, without a shred of evidence to back it up, which wasn’t super believable to me.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, by P. Djèlí Clark. I liked the characters and the world here quite a bit, except the patois the gods used near the end. That was almost unintelligible to me and made that pivotal scene almost incomprehensible.

The Sunflower House, by Adriana Allegri. Parts of this were so hard to read, but I loved the story. SO full of hope!

Heist Royale by Kayvion Lewis. Thoroughly enjoyed this heist adventure story even more than the first book.

On Heaven’s Hill, by Kim Heacox. I enjoyed this slower-paced read, but I could have done without the politics and the author’s negative view of anyone religious.

A Legend in the Baking, by Jamie Wesley. This was an okay read, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The Serpent and the Wolf, by Rebecca Robinson. I loved this romantasy! I was captured from the very first page, and can’t wait to read more.

What the Woods Took, by Courtney Gould (review forthcoming). This was pretty creepy. The MC was not the most likeable for me, but the secondary characters were great.

Booked for Murder, by P. J. Nelson. This didn’t really work for me. The MC kept changing her mind every three seconds, and her actions did not make sense to me.

A Monsoon Rising, by Thea Guanzon (review forthcoming). I’m still loving this world and these characters! The enemies-to-lovers aspect is so well done, and I was never sur what was going to happen next!

Just Because:

Demon’s Bluff, by Kim Harrison. This is one of…two series that I buy in hardback on release day, so I’m not sure how I missed this, but I loved it, as I have all the other books in this series. Loved the surprise return of one of the characters from early on in the series.

Left Unfinished:

A Forty Something Fury, by Paige Andrews and Bryon Cahill. I just wasn’t impressed with the writing style.

Arthur the Soldier, by Chris Gidlow. The pacing felt very slow in this, and my attention kept wandering.

Not in My Book, by Katie Holt. Rosie was so bitchy–to a ridiculous extreme–that it destroyed any interest I had in reading more.

Sundays are for Writing #305

This was a great writing week! I got in five fiction sessions and four book reviews, The Serpent and the Wolf, by Rebecca Robinson, What the Woods Took, by Courtney Gould (review forthcoming), Booked for Murder, by P. J. Nelson (review forthcoming), and A Monsoon Rising, by Thea Guanzon (review forthcoming).

Happy writing!