Showing posts with label three and a half stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label three and a half stars. Show all posts

Monday, March 18, 2024




Three stars
This book comes out March 19, 2024
Follows Dread and Buried
ARC kindly provided by Moose Island Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Trust No One by Jayne Ann Krentz

When she was a teenager, Grace Elland stumbled onto a murder scene and rescued a child. An incident that left the killer dead. But now she's found another murder victim, that of her employer, Sprague Witherspoon, a motivational speaker.
The current murder investigation get entangled when the chief of police introduces her to Julian Arkwright at a blind date. The chief is married to graces best friend and they both think she need some companionship. As long as it turns out that she isn't a murderer.
Julian and Grace are drawn to each in ways that are more than just physical. Grace hires Julian is her consultant and Julian allows Grace to help him punch up his "Speech from Hell." But somebody sending Grace some nasty emails and now they're upping their game. So it's time for Julianne to step in and help Grace figure out exactly what's going on.
The story was very reminiscent of many of Krentz's older stories - in the very best ways. This book reminded me of why I love this author so much and why I continue to read all of her books under whatever name she's writing.

Three and a half stars
This book came out January 6, 2015
Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Prime
Opinions are my own


Monday, February 12, 2024

Not Your Crush's Cauldron by April Asher

Olive loves her triplets. She does. And she's ecstatic that they've found the loves of their lives. But. Could she maybe catch a break? Chubby, with dirty blond hair that doesn't hold a curl or a color, Olive is generally happy about her life but she really could use a break. Or two. Moving into her crush's apartment isn't exactly the break she was hoping for. However, she's decided to take on the assignment she's given her students and try to stretch her wings. And now that her roommate seems happy to help...
Baxter Donovan is a Guardian Angel but he doesn't much like the position. He likes it even less now that he's been assigned to guard Olive. There are three rules to being a guardian angel: don't tell your Assignment you're their designated guardian, don't get your Assignment Killed, and don't fall in love with your Assignment. Bax has come a little too close for the Guardian Angel Affairs lately and his father isn't pleased. It's just too bad that this latest assignment might find him breaking more than one of the rules. 

Three and a half stars
Supernatural Singles #2
This book comes out February 13, 2024
ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own


Saturday, January 27, 2024

Death and the Victorians by Adrian Mackinder

If you've studied the Victorians at all, you will probably know a lot of these stories. It is, not surprisingly, very Euro-centric. Very focused on England with all of the, what we would call nowadays, weirdness: seances, memento moris, and the scare of Jack the Ripper.
I was disappointed that there were topics that weren't more deeply delved into (not Jack the Ripper, as Mackinder says, that has been well-covered.) This book is shorter than many nonfiction books and could have stood with more pages. I did appreciate that one chapter was mainly dedicated to books of the time that focused on death. 

Three and a half stars
This book comes out January 30, 2024
ARC kindly provided b Pen & Sword and NetGalley
Opinions are my own


Saturday, January 20, 2024

Accidentally His by Sabrina Jeffries

Lady Verity is the last of the three sisters who run Elegant Occasions to find a long-term partner. She assumes that she would never marry but fate may have other plans even as she is sure it will remain true. 
We've met Rafe Wolfford in previous books as a man who is interested in Verity and her family, but not primarily for reasons of marriage. Instead, he is trying to figure out if someone from her family is feeding information to the enemy (France.) This same someone shot the uncle who raised him. Though the man was strict, Rafe still loves him and would like to find the culprit.
The two are brought together in deceit but the attraction that they have is visible to all and, when the chance is offered, the two may decide to stick it out for the long run. 

Three and a half stars
This book comes out January 23, 2024
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own


Monday, January 15, 2024

Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce

This book centers, as the title would suggest, around Miss Margery Benson. Her life is a drudgery. Teaching is not fulfilling and a drawing one of her pupils does of her wakes her up to her reality. She basically implodes her life that day. Her last effort? A trip to New Caledonia to find the golden beetle that reminds her of the happiest times in her life. But first she must find the perfect traveling companion. She ends  up with Enid Pretty, a young flibbertigibbet whose past is not at all spotless and who meets none of the requirements Miss Benson had advertised for. But, as often happens (especially in fiction),  Miss Pretty is exactly what Miss Benson needs.
I didn't love the ending though, with this being a more literature-minded book, I guess I should have expected it. 

Three and a half stars
This book came out July 23, 2020
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own


Thursday, January 11, 2024

Always Remember by Mary Balogh

Ben Ellis and Lady Jennifer Arden both know what it is to be on the outside. He was born a bastard and she has a twisted leg which means she will never walk. Both are stalwarts of their families in different ways and the families have gathered at Ravenswood for the summer. 
The two don't actually come together because they are outsiders but because Ben tries to help Jennifer and Jennifer falls in love with his daughter. At first, Jennifer is resistant to Ben's help but she really would like to walk, at least some form of it. Or find any way she can to get some freedom (he also shows her how to drive a gig.)
It's a quiet story with a LOT of characters from previous stories and it got rather confusing there for awhile even though I have read the previous books in the series. I'm not entirely convince that the two are in love but I do see how their personalities would mesh well together. 

Three and a half stars
This book comes out January 16, 2024
Follows Remember Me
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group
Opinions are my own

Thursday, January 4, 2024

The Witch Is Back by Sophie H. Morgan

Emmaline Bluewater was engaged to Bastian Truenote until the day he ran away. He didn't even leave a note for her, just for his parents. Emma was already known as lesser in their witchy society. Her family isn't prominent and, as a later born child, she doesn't have a lot of power. When he left, it was the lowest point of her life. But it opened the door to letting her escape her overbearing mother.
It's seven years later though and Bastian has just walked back into her life as though he never left. She's not very happy but he's got a hell of a reason- if they don't marry, his mother will die. So she agrees to a marriage in name only, just so that the contract will be fulfilled.
I wish we had seen more about she formed a friendship with Leah and more about how she, Leah, and Tia opened a bar. I also thought it would have been nice to know more about what she and Bastian did for the Exhibition.

Three and a half stars
This book came out 
Borrowed as hard copy from the library
Opinions are my own

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

I saw this book on the 2023 NPR Best Books and it was worth the read. It took me some time to appreciate the story as the first week is somehow most of the first half of the story but I ended up being glad I stuck with it. 
Set behind the scenes of an SNL-esque show, we meet Sally Milz, one of the writers. She enjoys her job but is stymied by how her fellow writers (male) keep hooking up with these superstars (female.) In fact, she makes a rule out of it. Everyone laughs. Except Noah Brewster who is a guest on the show. However, the two of them seem to have a connection. But maybe only Sally feels it. Then COVID hits and the two start communicating through email and getting closer without being physically close. Love ensues. 

Three and a half stars
This book came out April 4, 2023
Borrowed as hard copy from library
Opinions are my own


Monday, January 1, 2024

The Night Island by Jayne Ann Krentz

Though this is the second book in a series, there is not much overlap with the book before and stands alone nicely. In this book, we are following Talia (one of three presenters on the Lost Night podcast.) She has been given a tip from a woman named Phoebe who purports to have a list of other people who have been experimented on. But when Talia shows up at the cabin, no Phoebe. But there is a Luke Rand and he also wants the list. In fact, he tries to hold Talia psychically to see if she knows where the list is. Talia manages to break free and also manages to find a pendant that she knows will lead her to Phoebe.
The search will take she and Luke to a San Juan island where they will have to pretend to be a couple. They go under the guise of attending a meditation retreat but they aren't interested. Luckily, the retreat is just a cover for some more nefarious happenings. 
Like usual, there are a LOT of things happening in this story. And you think you get to the end but then there's another end. And another. This book didn't sound as much like Krentz as she has added some current-ish phrases. 

Three and a half stars
This book comes out January 9, 2024
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby March 2024

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

This Spells Love by Kate Robb

I would love more romance stories where a guy and a girl could just be friends. No love or romance or simmering feelings, just friends. This is not that book. And I knew that going in but was still somehow disappointed because Gemma was so happy to have Dax as her friend. Their story was a good one, with a spell from a book and some magical hand waving having Gemma going back in time to not having dated the man who just broke her heart (or at least bruised her pride.) But that means that she and Dax never met. And, while it seems perfect at first, Gemma finds out toward the end that pulling on one thread might change the tapestry. And she has to make some decisions about what is going to be best not only for her, but for Dax as well.

Three and a half stars
This book came out December 5, 2023
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby
Opinions are my own


Monday, December 11, 2023

The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson

I requested this book from the library based on the title and the cover. It is a short story and fast read about a young woman from America who is studying in England. She has been invited to the home of a friend... a friend-ish type and she is writing about it in her diary. Through her eyes, we get to know Emma's family, especially her twin brother Adam. But, even though Emma's family is wealthy, it is not all sunshine and roses. And our diary writer may or may not make it out of the book alive.

Three and a half stars
This book came out September 28, 2023
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Scarlet Nights by Jude Deveraux

Jude Deveraux... light fluff, incredibly enjoyable. Sarah Shaw was introduced in the first Edilean story as the neighbor/cousin who was involved with a man nobody liked. In this story, we find out that the man is actually a maniacal con artist and Mike Newland (the brother of another character from the first novel) has been dispatched to the town to entice Sarah away from her fiancee. 
Not to deep, not a lot of character development and the characters fall into bed WAY too fast, but some great dialogue and I just love the wackinesss.

Three and a half stars
This book came out August 1, 2010
Follows Days of Gold
Followed by The Scent of Jasmine
Borrowed as hard copy from the library
Opinions are my own


Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Murder Most Witchy by Amanda M. Lee

Landon is going undercover and it is causing Bay fits. She sees him with two people at a corn maze (they are willing to go to another corn maze?). Later, the woman ends up dead on Bay's lawn and Bay is attacked. Suddenly, it seems like Bay is the only suspect by a local state trooper and an enemy of old, Agent Noah. 
There is So Much drama in this addition to the series. The mystery is even looser than usual while the drama takes its place in the word count. There are some developments between Bay and Landon moving their relationship forward but I didn't like this book as much as others in the series.

Wicked Witches of the Midwest #11
Three stars
This book came out 
Borrowed as ebook from NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Friday, November 3, 2023

One Sweet Holiday by Lucy Day

When I requested this book, I didn't realize it was the third book in a series. It is very much a standalone book though and I didn't feel like I was missing anything by having not read the first two books. I will say that, though this book may have been set at a holiday, I didn't really get that feel so the title is a bit misleading.
Gwen Griffin needs a date to a wedding. Her sister is getting married and Gwen wants everything to be perfect. That includes no one questioning why she's still single.
When Gwen's sister rents out the house next door to one of the groom's friends, Gwen isn't bothered. It's often used as a rental. But she's not expecting the tenant, Logan, to be so gosh-darn handsome. Nor is she expecting to meet him while she's half dressed.
The two spend some time together and are delighted to find that they have much in common and that they may be falling in love.
Closed door romance with a bit of a rushed ending but I overall enjoyed it. 

Three and a half stars
This book comes out November 6, 2023
ARC kindly provided by Blue Crow Publishing and NetGalley
Opinions are my own


Sunday, October 22, 2023

Murder on Mistletoe Lane by Clara McKenna

Stella is eager to be Lady Lyndhurst but not everyone is willing to turn over the reins to a brash American. There is some dissension in the ranks and not all of the servants are happy about the changes that Stella is trying to make. Meanwhile, she is just trying to incorporate a bit of her own memories of Christmas. 
The holiday starts off with some food being stolen from the kitchen, escalates to the firing of a maid, and then really goes off the rails when a dead body is discovered. 
This mystery didn't feel as tight as others in this series. It was an okay story but not as well constructed as some of the previous books. 

Three and a half stars
This book comes out October 24, 2023
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Thursday, October 19, 2023

A Christmas to Remember by Beverly Jenkins

We're getting a new character in Henry Adams, Kansas. Chef Thornton Webb is moving out of San Francisco to launch the Three Sister restaurant. We also get updates from our favorite characters. Gary Clark and Eleanor "Nori" Price are celebrating their marriage and Mal and Bernadine are the next ones up. Mal's friends aren't convinced this is the right move for him but he is.
This is a nice little book that moves the stories of many of our favorite characters along just a little bit. If you have been reading the series, you will enjoy it. If you haven't been reading the series, I recommend you start from the beginning. 

Four stars
This book comes out October 24, 2023
ARC kindly provided by Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett

I listened to the first book in this series and wondered whether it was easier to follow all of the communications in print. With this book, I discovered, no, no it is not. Still entertaining, this novella follows the same format of emails being written back and forth among the various members of the Fairway Players with conversations on WhatsApp between people who are later putting together a solution to some mystery that we will find out about later in the story.
We have moved a couple of years after the first book and the players are now under new leadership as well as having new people in the group some of whom live in the Granger which seems to have been converted into apartments. Of course, not all of the drama is on stage with passions simmering behind the scenes as well and people writing one thing to a member but about-facing with another member. At the end of all of this will be blackmail, drugs, and a body.

Three and a half stars
This novella comes out October 24, 2023
Follows The Appeal
ARC kindly provided by Atria Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own



Tuesday, October 17, 2023

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

I read this book in October which is usually the time of year I try to branch out into thrillers (not usually a genre I pick up naturally) and this book certainly fit the bill. 
This is something of a locked room mystery as five aspiring writers are invited to a famously reclusive author's home. There is no cell reception, no WiFi, and the closest building is a nunnery miles away. Of course, as they approach, there is a snowstorm.
But who cares? Though our first person narrator, Alex, is somewhat thrown off, some of that might be due to the fact that her former best friend, Wren, who has also been invited. Something happened between the two of them; actually, two somethings that caused their friendship to fracture. That is unpacked as they spend time at Roza Valo's house. 
This is not the spa-type of retreat though. Roza's methods for helping these writers to write are... unorthodox. If you've read "Nine Perfect Strangers," you may be able to draw some comparisons between her and Masha in terms of pushing boundaries. Like that book, some of the characters are not who they seem and that may cause some further issues.    

Three and a half stars
This book came out February 21, 2023
Borrowed as hard copy from library
Opinions are my own


Monday, October 16, 2023

The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker

I would swear I've read this book before but I didn't record it so... but it's a nice reflection on noticing. Walker starts with the eyes, moves to the nose and ears, then explores going out, meeting others, and then being alone. Each chapter has short recommendations with examples of how to do that specific thing and a rating of how hard it might be. Some of the things recommended include looking up, looking at everything in a museum that ISN'T art (as labeled), listening for one particular sound, eating someplace you normally wouldn't, talking to a stranger, describing the night sky.
In a world that is increasingly taken up with microseconds of entertainment, this book teaches us how to relax and refocus our minds on just seeing the world around us. It does get a little tedious and is probably better picked up and put down often (you'd better able to practice), but an overall enjoyable read. 

Three and a half stars
This book came out January 1, 2019
Borrowed as hard copy from library
Opinions are my own