Tag: reading

Book Review:  The Dangers of an Ordinary Night, by Lynne Reeves

Image belongs to Crooked Lane Books.

Title:   The Dangers of an Ordinary Night
Author:   Lynne Reeves
Genre:   Mystery/thriller
Rating:  3.2 out of 5

On a chilly fall evening at the prestigious Performing Arts High School of Boston, best friends Tali Carrington and June Danforth go missing after auditioning for a play. They’re last seen in grainy, out-of-focus surveillance footage that shows them walking side-by-side. Two days later in a town south of Boston, Tali is found disoriented and traumatized by the ocean’s edge, while June is pronounced dead at the scene.

 Tali’s mother, Nell, is so bent on protecting her daughter from further emotional harm that she enlists the help of Cynthia Rawlins, a renowned therapist for families. Meanwhile, Detective Fitz Jameson is assigned to the investigation and dives into the lives of high-performing students who may be harboring dark secrets.

 As Nell, Cynthia, and Fitz confront their own contributions to the tragedies and scandals that beleaguer them, their lives turn out to be more deeply intertwined than they’d ever imagined. And they must decide what lengths they’re willing to go to protect the people they love while also saving themselves.

This wasn’t a bad book. However, it felt so distanced from the characters—all the characters—that I really didn’t care about them one way or the other. I felt like everyone was lying and hiding things, and some of the sub-plots—like Cyn and Fitz—seemed completely unnecessary and didn’t add anything to the story for me. On the whole, this just didn’t work for me. It was mainly about the characters, as the writing was solid, but the characters made this almost a chore to read.

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

Book Review:  Never Fall for Your Fiancée, by Virginia Heath

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:   Never Fall for Your Fiancée
Author:   Virginia Heath
Genre:   Romance
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

The last thing Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, ever wants is a wife. Unfortunately for him, his mother is determined to find him one, even from across the other side of the ocean. So, Hugh invents a fake fiancée to keep his mother’s matchmaking ways at bay. But when Hugh learns his interfering mother is on a ship bound for England, he realizes his complicated, convoluted but convenient ruse is about to implode. Until he collides with a beautiful woman, who might just be the miracle he needs.

 Minerva Merriwell has had to struggle to support herself and her two younger sisters ever since their feckless father abandoned them. Work as a woodcut engraver is few and far between, and the Merriwell sisters are nearly penniless. So, when Hugh asks Minerva to pose as his fiancée while his mother is visiting, she knows that while the scheme sounds ludicrous, the offer is too good to pass up. 

Once Minerva and her sisters arrive at Hugh’s estate, of course, nothing goes according to his meticulous plan. As hilarity and miscommunication ensue, while everyone tries to keep their tangled stories straight, Hugh and Minerva’s fake engagement starts to turn into a real romance. But can they trust each other, when their relationship started with a lie?

This was such a fun read! I enjoyed all the characters—except Vee—and found it quite funny as well. Hugh’s voice really had me laughing. He’s so dramatic and dry at the same time—and he thinks he’s destined to following his father’s footsteps, which is ridiculous. Minerva is a wonderful character, too, and I enjoyed her point-of-view very much. I’d definitely be interested in reading more about these characters.

Virginia Heath Lives in London. Never Fall for Your Fiancée is her newest novel.

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

Book Review:  All of Us Villains, by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman

Image belongs to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Teen.

Title:   All of Us Villains
Author:   Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman
Genre:   Fantasy, YA
Rating:  4.0 out of 5

The Blood Moon rises. The Blood Veil falls. The Tournament begins. 

Every generation, at the coming of the Blood Moon, seven families in the remote city of Ilvernath each name a champion to compete in a tournament to the death. 

The prize? Exclusive control over a secret wellspring of high magick, the most powerful resource in the world–one thought long depleted. 

This year, thanks to a salacious tell-all book, the seven champions are thrust into worldwide spotlight, granting each of them new information, new means to win, and most importantly: a choice – accept their fate or rewrite their story.

 But this is a story that must be penned in blood. 

This was a pretty dark read. Every time I though I liked a character, they did something awful, stabbed someone in the back, killed someone…Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about this read. It’s well-written, with strong characters and lots of action, but it’s just so dark.

Amanda Foody lives in Boston. Christine Lynn Herman lives in Brooklyn. All of Us Villians is their new novel.

(Galley courtesy of Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Teen in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review:  Within These Wicked Walls, by Lauren Blackwood

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:   Within These Wicked Walls
Author:   Lauren Blackwood
Genre:   Fantasy, YA
Rating:  4.0

What the heart desires, the house destroys…

 Andromeda is a debtera—an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. When a handsome young heir named Magnus Rochester reaches out to hire her, Andromeda quickly realizes this is a job like no other, with horrifying manifestations at every turn, and that Magnus is hiding far more than she has been trained for. Death is the most likely outcome if she stays, but leaving Magnus to live out his curse alone isn’t an option. Evil may roam the castle’s halls, but so does a burning desire.

I actually enjoyed this quite a bit! I found it creative and unique, and I loved both Andromeda and Magnus. There were a few places that seemed fairly abrupt, like some of the progression between scenes was chopped, and that felt a bit awkward, but this wasn’t enough to turn me off the book. Bits of this were quite creepy, but this was definitely an entertaining read.

Lauren Blackwood lives in Virginia. Within These Wicked Walls is her debut novel.

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

 

Book Review:  The First Christmas, by Stephen Mitchell

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:   The First Christmas
Author:   Stephen Mitchell
Genre:   Christian
Rating:  2.0 out of 5

In The First Christmas, Stephen Mitchell brings the Nativity story to vivid life as never before. A narrative that is only sketched out in two Gospels becomes fully realized here with nuanced characters and a setting that reflects the culture of the time. Mitchell has suffused the birth of Jesus with a sense of beauty that will delight and astonish readers.

 In this version, we see the world through the eyes of a Whitmanesque ox and a visionary donkey, starry-eyed shepherds and Zen-like wise men, each of them providing a unique perspective on a scene that is, in Western culture, the central symbol for good tidings of great joy. Rather than superimposing later Christian concepts onto the Annunciation and Nativity scenes, he imagines Mary and Joseph experiencing the angelic message as a young Jewish woman and man living in the year 4 bce might have experienced it, with terror, dismay, and ultimate acceptance. In this context, their yes becomes an act of great moral courage.

 Don’t read this thinking it’s true to biblical accounts or even historical extrapolations. It isn’t. This is pure fiction. And, while it is imaginative, it takes profound liberties with the Bible and skews it to suit the author’s purpose. If you want to read fiction based on the Bible, don’t read something written by an author whose website says he’s been “de-educated through intensive Zen practice.”

Stephen Mitchell was born in Brooklyn. The First Christmas is his newest book.

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

Book Review:  Heard It in a Love Song, by Tracey Garvis Graves

Image belongs to Macmillan.

Title:   Heard It in a Love Song
Author:   Tracey Garvis Graves
Genre:   Fiction
Rating:  4.2 out of 5

Layla Hilding is thirty-five and recently divorced. Struggling to break free from the past—her glory days as the lead singer in a band and a ten-year marriage to a man who never put her first—Layla’s newly found independence feels a lot like loneliness.

 Then there’s Josh, the single dad whose daughter attends the elementary school where Layla teaches music. Recently separated, he’s still processing the end of his twenty-year marriage to his high school sweetheart. He chats with Layla every morning at school and finds himself thinking about her more and more.

 Equally cautious and confused about dating in a world that favors apps over meeting organically, Layla and Josh decide to be friends with the potential for something more. Sounds sensible and way too simple—but when two people are on the rebound, is it heartbreak or happiness that’s a love song away?

Both Layla and Josh’s stories were compelling and kept me fully invested in this story. I enjoyed seeing the glimpses of their pasts in the flashbacks, as it let me get to know them as individuals, and not just as two people who are potentially interested in each other.

Their attraction grew so slowly and so naturally, that it just felt right. Norman was an enjoyable addition to the story, too, as were the bits with Josh’s daughter. This was just a sweet read, full of hope for the future, as two people learn from the mistakes of their pasts.

Tracey Garvis Graves is a bestselling author. Heard It in a Love Song is her newest novel.

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

Book Review:  The Brightest Star in Paris, by Diana Biller

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:   The Brightest Star in Paris
Author:   Diana Biller
Genre:   Romance
Rating:  5 out of 5

Amelie St. James, prima ballerina of the Paris Opera Ballet and the people’s saint, has spent seven years pretending. In the devastating aftermath of the Siege of Paris, she made a decision to protect her sister: she became the bland, sweet, pious “St. Amie” the ballet needed to restore its scandalous reputation. But when her first love reappears, and the ghosts of her past come back to haunt her, all her hard-fought safety is threatened.

 Dr. Benedict Moore has never forgotten the girl who helped him embrace life again after he almost lost his. Now, he’s back in Paris after twelve years for a conference. His goals are to recruit promising new scientists, and, maybe, to see Amelie again. When he discovers she’s in trouble, he’s desperate to help her—after all, he owes her. 

When she finally agrees to let him help, they disguise their time together with a fake courtship. But reigniting old feelings is dangerous, especially when their lives are an ocean apart. Will they be able to make it out with their hearts intact?

I ended up loving this read! I didn’t realize this was linked to The Widow of Rose House until about halfway through the novel, but that made me enjoy it even more. I loved the characters the most, although the ballet descriptions were wonderful, too.

Amelia is such a nuanced character, and I loved her voice and personality. I can’t imagine having to live with the façade she put up for the world in her efforts to keep herself and her sister safe. And Ben is lovable, and kind and I liked him a lot. His family is wonderful, and they made the whole book so much fun.

Diana Biller lives in Los Angeles. The Brightest Star in Paris is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Digging Up Trouble, by Kitt Crowe

Image belongs to Crooked Lane Books.

Title:   Digging Up Trouble
Author:   Kitt Crowe
Genre:   Mystery/thriller
Rating:  3.0 out of 5

Life is sweet when you live in Confection, Oregon. Or, at least, that’s how it’s supposed to be. But on a summer day, when tourists and locals alike gawk at the majestic mountains, quaint Craftsman houses, and lovely flowers–particularly the renowned Confection Rose–the last thing anyone has come to see is a dead body, unearthed from a shallow grave by a curious dog.

 A bathrobe-clad Lexi rushes next door to her neighbor’s backyard to find her pooch, Cookie, stalwartly sitting watch over a body in the vegetable garden. Cookie, encrusted in dirt, grips a copper pipe between her teeth. Was this the murder weapon? And was Lexi the murderer? It sure looks that way, seeing as she was spotted squabbling with the victim just the day before. The case becomes all the more perplexing when the real murder weapon turns out to be a garden stake. Then where does the copper pipe fit in? And might a more likely suspect let Lexi off the hook? 

All the volumes in the Sweet Fiction Bookshop, and all the specials at Eats n’ Treats, prove of little help in jogging Lexi’s brain to find a solution. Fortunately, Cookie is not finished digging up clues. As the fur flies, can this trusty border collie mix save sweet Lexi from a bitter end?

Sometimes cozy mysteries featuring pets are so charming and well-done and sometimes I think they’re cliched and overblown. Cookie felt like a caricature, not a believable animal. That’s too bad, as that made the whole thing feel like a cartoon. And Lexi…felt pretty self-absorbed and oblivious. This could all just be a “me” problem, as the writing was solid, but the story was on the verge of boring because of the character issues.

Kitt Crowe is fueled by caffeine. Digging up Trouble is her debut novel.

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

Book Review:  Oh William!, by Elizabeth Strout

Image belongs to Random House.

Title:   Oh William!
Author:   Elizabeth Strout
Genre:   Fiction
Rating:  3.0

Lucy Barton is a writer, but her ex-husband, William, remains a hard man to read. William, she confesses, has always been a mystery to me. Another mystery is why the two have remained connected after all these years. They just are.

 So Lucy is both surprised and not surprised when William asks her to join him on a trip to investigate a recently uncovered family secret—one of those secrets that rearrange everything we think we know about the people closest to us. What happens next is nothing less than another example of what Hilary Mantel has called Elizabeth Strout’s “perfect attunement to the human condition.” There are fears and insecurities, simple joys and acts of tenderness, and revelations about affairs and other spouses, parents and their children. On every page of this exquisite novel we learn more about the quiet forces that hold us together—even after we’ve grown apart.

It’s possible I should just avoid reading literary fiction. I liked the voice in this—but I really didn’t like the character it belonged to. Lucy is whiny and selfish. William is even worse. And the plot, what there was of one, was lackluster and boring to me. Good writing, but the style just isn’t for me.

Elizabeth Strout is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Oh William! is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Eight Perfect Hours, by Lia Louis

Image belongs to Atria Books.

Title:   Eight Perfect Hours
Author:   Lia Louis
Genre:   Fiction
Rating:  4.5

On a snowy evening in March, 30-something Noelle Butterby is on her way back from an event at her old college when disaster strikes. With a blizzard closing off roads, she finds herself stranded, alone in her car, without food, drink, or a working charger for her phone. All seems lost until Sam Attwood, a handsome American stranger also trapped in a nearby car, knocks on her window and offers assistance. What follows is eight perfect hours together, until morning arrives and the roads finally clear.

 The two strangers part, positive they’ll never see each other again, but fate, it seems, has a different plan. As the two keep serendipitously bumping into one another, they begin to realize that perhaps there truly is no such thing as coincidence.

This was such an enjoyable read!  From when Sam and Noelle met in the snow on the highway to all of their heartwarming “coincidental” run-ins, this made me laugh, smile, and just sigh sometimes with the perfection of it. I loved how all of the things from their pasts melded together and lit up their present. This is perfect for a binge-read.

Lia Louis lives in the UK. Eight Perfect Hours is her newest novel.

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