A Sorceress Comes To Call by T. Kingfisher

 

My thoughts

I am fast becoming a huge fan of T. Kingfisher. This book was great. I've been reading a lot of books about witches and fantasy and such. This one is about a sorceress so pretty much along the same lines of genres. 

When Evangeline wants something she usually gets it. No matter who or what she has to hurt. Including her daughter Cordelia. Evangeline is a sorceress. Only her daughter knows this. When she hurts people Cordelia can't stand it. She wants her to stop.

Evangeline and Cordelia are staying with a good man and his sister. Evangeline has decided she wants to marry him and wants Cordelia to marry a much older and very wealthy man. Things start to happen and Cordelia decides it's time to confide in someone and put a stop to her mother's evil ways. But can she? Can Evangeline be stopped. Who will suffer if all fails. What exactly will it take to bring down this evil sorceress?

This book is part fantasy, part horror, part thriller and a big part of good vs evil. I could not put it down. It had me from the first page and didn't let go until the perfect ending. The characters were all likeable with the exception of Evangeline. Cordelia was very timid but she could be forceful at times. The rest were great. And they believed Cordelia...

This was a BOTM add on for me. Excellent read.

About

A dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm's Goose Girl, rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic

Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms, and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend—unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t sorcerers.

After a suspicious death in their small town, Cordelia’s mother insists they leave in the middle of the night, riding away on Falada’s sturdy back, leaving behind all Cordelia has ever known. They arrive at the remote country manor of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia’s mother intends to lure the Squire into marriage, and Cordelia knows this can only be bad news for the bumbling gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister.

Hester sees the way Cordelia shrinks away from her mother, how the young girl sits eerily still at dinner every night. Hester knows that to save her brother from bewitchment and to rescue the terrified Cordelia, she will have to face down a wicked witch of the worst kind.

The Vanishing Bookstore by Helen Phifer

 

My thoughts

I loved this book. It was such a good story about witches, powers, and a witch hunter. It had all the feels and all the things I love in a good book. I laughed in places and cried in others. I rooted for the three witches to prevail. This author did a fantastic job of capturing my attention and keeping it until the very last word. 

Dora lives with her aunt in London and owns a flower shop. She loves flowers and does good with this shop. When a stranger comes in and says he is looking for something for his deceased girlfriend little does Dora know that her life is about to change. And quickly.

Dora and Lenny leave London to go back to Salem, MA. Dora has no idea what she's in for when they get there. Or the secrets that will be revealed to her. Lenny, Sephy, and Lucine are sisters. All are witches who have lived many lifetimes. Over and over. Dora has lived many lifetimes also but does not remember it. These women have been cursed with living their lives over and over. Seeing each other die and grieving. It's time to put a stop to it.

Told from different timelines and filled with magic. A curse was cast on the women and on a couple of men. They live forever, over and over again. You can feel the tension and the laughter both. The love of this family of witches. The hate from the witch hunter. The love of one man for one woman. The power of setting things right. I loved reading this book. It was such a good one. Each character was lovable, except Corwin that is. When Dora realizes that one of her "aunts" is really her mother she has mixed emotions. Anger of course for being lied to. But also excitement for getting to see her mother again. 

What was done to women back in the 1600s was horrible. Being accused of witchcraft and killed. If you crossed a man he could call you a witch and have you taken. Have you hanged. You get a feel for what happened to the English sisters. What the people in this town did to them. 

I loved it. The dual timelines were perfect. The different points of view were great. This book was just the best. So enjoyable.

Thank you #NetGalley, #Bookouture, #bookoutureaudio, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Five stars.

About

‘Every story needs a happy ending. And you can’t have yours until you find the bookstore.’

1692. On the outskirts of Salem, a bookstore stands covered in overgrown vines. Inside, a young woman hides a linen-wrapped journal under a loose floorboard and runs away, panicked by the sound of hounds barking in the distance. The bookstore vanishes into thin air…

Present day. Stepping inside a pale-pink house on one of the oldest streets in Salem, Dora can’t believe she’s about to finally meet the mother she thought died tragically when she was just a child. But the excitement is short-lived. Dora’s mother has fear in her eyes, and with a trembling voice she ‘my life is in danger, and now so is yours…’

Desperate not to lose her mother all over again, Dora digs into her family’s mysterious past, and stumbles upon a seemingly impossible the key to their survival is hidden in a bookstore that no one has seen for generations.

Losing herself amongst thorny brackens and twisted ferns, Dora eventually finds the path that leads to the bookstore. But someone is watching her. They’ve been waiting for her.

As she pushes open the beautiful blue door hidden amongst the sharp brambles, and stands in front of rows of crumbling leatherbound books with faded pages, she has no idea of the secrets she is about to uncover. Or that her life is in more danger than ever before…

The Last Fashion House in Paris by Renee Ryan

 

My thoughts

An excellent book about what happened in Paris, France during WW2. A story of hope and survival. Of betrayal and loss. The things that happen when you fall in love with the wrong person. Or even the right one. This is a story of one young woman's journey to forgiveness. And a story of three strong women who helped so many during a horrible time in history...

This book is told from three women's povs. A young lady, Paulette, who did a terrible thing and caused her mother to be sent away. Possibly to a Jewish concentration camp. How Paulette was sent to Paris to work in a fashion house owned by a dear friend of her mother's and make amends for what she did. To find self forgiveness. Paulette worked hard. She learned so much. She helped many.

Nicolle also worked in the same fashion house. She also worked for the resistance helping wounded soldiers get to safety. And she helped get Jewish people out of the country and to safe places. Nicolle had lost her husband in the war and was doing all she could to help as many others as she could. 

Sabine owned the fashion house. She was the one who designed the beautiful dresses and suits. Made sure they fit to perfection. She also helped get people to safety. Though she did it through Nicolle and others. She worked tirelessly to make sure things ran smoothly. Sabine had lost her daughter and was determined to never lose any one else. 

This book gives you a look at how things happened in Paris, in the fashion world. When the Nazi's invaded and when some of the people in Paris turned against the Jews. How they were gathered up and sent away. Not knowing what was going to happen. It's a very emotional story of how three women worked to help others. Each for their own reasons but together for the good of humanity. Throw in a bit of a love story and you have a book that you can't put down.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #HarleqinTrade, #LoveinspiredTrade, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book. 

Five big stars.

About

In the heart of occupied WWII Paris, an elegant fashion house is the unlikely headquarters of a daring resistance network. Behind closed doors, courageous women vie to save loved ones and strangers alike from the Nazis in this powerful story of survival, friendship and second chances.

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…

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

 

My thoughts

This was a fantastic read. From enemies to lovers back to enemies kind of book. With a lot before, between and after. To be concluded in the next book, Rebel Witch coming early next year. 

This is a different kind of witch story. Different from others I have read anyway. In this one you have a young lady who inherited a small fortune from her grandmother. A grandmother she turned in for being a witch. A hunted young lady who has only come into her powers in the last few years. 

A young man who is this witch's best friend. His brother who hunts said witch. And a town of people who are either haters of witches or helping them escape certain death. 

This book was very good. It held me captive and interested to the very end. It had all the things you would expect in a good book. All the emotions. A love story where you hope the villain and the heiress make it. Possibly together. 

This book has a lot of action. It keeps you wondering who is who and what will come next. I suspected part of this story and was right but only after I thought it was another girl. You'd have to read it to get what I mean. 

The ending left me wanting more. I can't wait to start the next book. To find out if true love will prevail. If the witches will destroy the people. If the witch hunter wins. If the Crimson Moth will rise in full power and save the day.

This was my BOTM choice and I'm hoping the next book in the series is one also. 

Five stars from me. 

About

On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.

Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe – a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution – who she can't help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch… is falling in love.

Favorites of 2024

 

My favorite books each month 2024 and favorite overall....

12-The Women by @kristinhannahauthor
11-The Storm We Made by @vanjchan
10-The Cicada Tree by @robertgwaltneyjr
09-Summers At The Saint by @marykayandrews
08-If Something Happens To Me by @alexfinlayauthor
07- Husbands & Lovers by @authorbeatriz
06-A Happier Life by @kristywharvey
05-The Lost Story by @meg_shaffer
04-By Any Other Name by @jodipicoult
03-The Book of Witching by @cjcooke_author
02-The Sunflower House by @adrianaallegri
01-The Sirens by @emiliahartbooks

And my ALL TIME FAVORITE for 2024 is:
00-The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by @veschwab

Blood Of Hercules (Audio) by Jasmine Mas

 My thoughts

How to review this book/audio. This was a like/hate book for me. Parts were really good and parts were just aggravating. I think maybe it could have been shortened and possibly better. I enjoyed the male narrator in both roles. He was able to change his voice and make himself sound like two distinctly different people. The female on the other hand just didn't sound right. She sounded a bit to young and when she did different voices they usually dragged and sounded annoying. At least to me. As Alexis she did ok but as Nyx and a couple of other not main characters it was awful. Dragging so bad. I had to increase the audio speed to tolerate it. 

Alexis was a very abused foster child living in Montana. Her "father and mother" were cruel beyond words. Then a boy was brought to them and things went from bad to worse. This book is set way into the future, 2090 and later. You would think that things would have improved by then. They didn't. They only got worse. Alexis and her brother, Charlie, live in a cardboard box after the death of their foster mom and imprisonment of the foster dad. Then Alexis is taken away to a whole other life to endure all kinds of horrors just to survive. She literally has to fight. She has to spend hours, months, enduring whatever to become immortal. She didn't choose this but it is what it is. 

Alexis is a whinny young lady. She's nineteen and yes she has had to endure a lot but good grief. Every other page she talks about killing herself. She is so sleepy even after hours of sleep. She's starving even though she's suppose to be able to go a very long time without food or water. She just got under my skin in many places. I do admit she was strong in places too. She fought and struggled. She ran and swam when necessary. She had an aversion to being touched, except sometimes. She was threatened constantly. 

When Alexis finds out who her real parents are she was shocked. I was shocked. With parents like that you should be able to endure anything. Ok it's a book but still.... 

The only character I really liked was Charlie and I think maybe somethings will be revealed about him in the next book. He seems to be the only innocent in this story. Although it's a story about mythological gods and warriors, it's also about other things. 

I did not find any part of this book funny. It says it's funny but to me it just wasn't. Alexis was pathetic. She went through a lot but being who she was I had to ask myself if it was really necessary. Why didn't she stop it earlier. Do something. I think she was strong enough. At least part of the time. When she wasn't crying, wishing she was dead, killing others. I just didn't much care for her. 

I will read the next book because i want to know what comes next. This one was good enough to make me continue and the last few chapters were the best parts. It just seemed to take forever to get there. 

Thank you #NetGalley, #HarlequinAudio, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this audio book.

3 stars...

About

A sarcastically funny, dark fantasy romance reimagining of Hercules from Amazon bestselling author Jasmine Mas.

I'm just a girl. And it turns out, I'm Hercules.

I'm struggling to survive in a Titan infested world where Spartans, immortals from twelve royal families who have god-like powers and obscene wealth, rule over all. A shy-stammering foster child with nothing, I keep my head down, cover my scars, and focus on excelling in school. At least, I try to. Then it happens.

My blood test reveals I'm part of the powerful elite. I'm one of them. A Spartan.

Forced to attend the Spartan War Academy, I undergo the most harrowing test of all time to see if I have what it takes to be an immortal. There's just a few problems. Achilles and Patro are my scary mentors. Kharon, the ferryman of death, and Augustus, the son of war, are my terrifying professors. Also, I'm pretty sure either someone's stalking me everywhere I go, or my sanity's slipping––I have a bad feeling both are true.

I'm surrounded by Villains and they're smothering me with their hate, obsession, and dark possessiveness. Too bad for them, they have no clue just who they're messing with.

James by Percival Everett

 

My thoughts

First, the narrator was wonderful. I was sucked into this story. It was a bit slow at first but it was worth it. What this world did to humans was horrendous. What white people did to slaves was deplorable. Owning another human will never set right with me. Harming another human for the benefit of having a slave is awful. It’s sad what happened in this book. Good to hear the side of the slave. James was a good man. Huck was a child and was a friend to James. This was a story so worth telling and hearing. 

About

A brilliant reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—both harrowing and ferociously funny—told from the enslaved Jim's point of view

When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim's agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first-century American literature.

Kingdom of Claw (The Ashen Series, #2) by Demi Winters

 

My thoughts

I devoured the first book, The Road of Bones and this one was even better. Such a good series this is. 

This book continues with Silla and Rey and their story. You also meet Saga who is Silla's sister. 

Saga has been basically held captive since the murder of her parents and supposedly sister. She's afraid of going outside. She does what she is told and does not cause trouble. Until she does. When she does she does it right. Along with her friend Rurik some secrets are uncovered. But there is really not a lot Saga can do. She's so alone.

Silla is learning a lot about her power. Her Galdra it is called. Silla is a fairly powerful woman. She doesn't have many memories of her parents as she was so young when they were murdered. But her sister... She remembers Saga. She must find Saga.

This book is filled with a lot of action. It has a lot of things to keep you cringing and gasping. But together Silla and Rey can withstand almost anything. Almost... 

What is to become of Saga. Silla. With so much evil and so many unanswered questions will they ever find their way to each other. And if they do will they yield the strong bond that I expect. 

If you like a good action, love story, fantasy, filled with monsters and gore, grab this series. It's great. Both as an audio and reading along. I loved it.

Thank you #NetGalley, #RandomHousepublishing #Ballantine/DelacortePress, for this ARC. This is my true thoughts about this book.

Five big stars.

About

Return to the Kingdom of Íseldur, where enemies become lovers and dark secrets hide around each corner, the second novel in the Ashen series.

In the aftermath of a harrowing journey, Silla Nordvig’s dreams of a simple life have been shattered. Beaten, betrayed, and reeling from the revelation of her true name, she flees Kopa with Reynir Galtung, ruthless leader of the Bloodaxe Crew. But when they're forced into hiding together, Silla soon discovers that Rey has been keeping secrets of his own.

Stuck in a shield-home with the murderous man she thought she knew, Silla forms a new master the magic flowing through her veins to save her sister. But before she can do that, Silla must face her most formidable opponent yet—her own inner demons.

Saga Volsik has nothing to lose. They’ve murdered her family. Stolen her throne. And now they expect her to marry their son, but not if she can dismantle Queen Signe’s plans first. The only problem? The handsome Zagadkian dignitary who knows far too many of her secrets.

Silla and Saga will need to find the strength to step into their destiny and stop chaos from sweeping across the land. Meanwhile, dark threads continue to weave themselves through Íseldur as magic long thought dead begins to wake.

What The Wife Knew by Darby Kane

 

My thoughts

When a scorned woman sets out to destroy a man you'd better look out. Everyone in her path better look out. She won't be stopped. And if there are possibly two scorned women it's murder...

Dr Richmond Dougherty has a few secrets. He has a lifetime of secrets. Seems he has left a few disgruntled people in the wake of his death or possible murder. Maybe an ex-wife. An old lover. Or the parent of a child. Someone was out to kill Dr Dougherty. There were a few people who held a grudge against the popular and much loved Dr Richmond Dougherty. One killed him. 

Addison has a lot on the good doctor. So much that he marries her after she threatens to go public with his secrets. And he has many secrets. So many. Addison has had a tough life. Her mother is about as sorry as they come when it comes to being there for her daughter. But is this marriage an act for herself or for her manipulative mother. 

Kathryn, who is wife number one and Richmond's highschool sweetheart has a lot to lose with this marriage. She has many secrets of her own though and will do anything to keep them. She has two children with Richmond. Though Kathryn and Richmond seem to be horrible people their children come across as good kids. 

Then we have the family lawyer. What is his role in all of this. Does he have secrets? Can you actually trust anyone in this family? What happens once you open this book is a very good thriller. A good who done it. It's got a few things going on and a few secrets will be revealed. 

I really enjoyed this book even though I did figure it out. That did not take away from it in any way though. It's excellent.

Thank you #NetGalley, #WilliamMorrowPublishing, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

4.5-5 stars.

About

Darby Kane, author of the #1 international bestseller Pretty Little Wife, returns with another twisty domestic thriller about a wife wondering who tried to kill her husband twice before finally succeeding… because that was supposed to be her job. 

Dr. Richmond Dougherty is a renowned pediatric surgeon, an infamous tragedy survivor, and a national hero. He’s also very dead—thanks to a fall down the stairs. His neighbors angrily point a finger at the newest Ms. Dougherty, Addison. The sudden marriage to the mysterious young woman only lasted ninety-seven days, and he’d had two suspicious “accidents” during that time. Now Addison is a very rich widow.

As law enforcement starts to circle in on Addison and people in town become increasingly hostile, sides are chosen with Kathryn, Richmond’s high school sweetheart, wife number one, and the mother of his children, leading the fray. Despite rising tensions, Addison is even more driven to forge ahead on the path she charted years ago…

Determined at all costs to unravel Richmond’s legacy, she soon becomes a target—with a shocking note left on her bedroom  You will pay. But it will take a lot more than faceless threats to stop Addison. Her plan to marry Richmond then ruin him may have been derailed by his unexpected death, but she’s not done with him yet.

The Road of Bones by Demi Winters

 

My thoughts

I loved this book. It was fantastic. It was truly magnificent. It was just what I needed. Now I need to read the second book in this series. 

This was a new to me author and it was my BOTM choice. I am so happy with it and know if you like this genre you will love this one. It has all the feels. All the excitement you want from a great fantasy book. Love, hate, fighting, running for your life, being captured and getting rescued. There is family in this story. There is so much and it's so easy to follow. You take a trip on The Road of Bones and you'll not forget it. 

Silla's father is killed and she has to flee before they come for her. She stows away on a wagon and from there her life is going to be filled with so much drama and intense feelings. Silla only wants to get to Kopa where she feels she will be safe. Her father told her that was where they were headed and who to go to. It's a long way but with the Bloodaxe Crew's help she thinks she will be ok. Until their leader says he will not allow her to remain that long. He will not take her all the way. He can't wait to get rid of her.

Silla has a lot to learn and with the help of others she learns quickly how to fight and she also finds out a few secrets that may help her along the way. Silla comes to think of the Bloodaxe Crew as family. They mean the world to her. But all good things in her life must come to an end.

This book is one you don't want to miss. It's so good. I won't give anything away but promise you will love it. I anxiously look forward to reading the second book, Kingdom of Claw. Silla's story will continue there along with other characters. 

About

A woman on the run. A crew of Viking mercenaries. A forbidden romance. And the secret which threatens them all.

Silla Nordvig is running for her life.

The Queen of Íseldur has sent warriors to bring Silla to Sunnavík, where death awaits her. When her father is killed, his last words set Silla on a perilous travel the treacherous Road of Bones–a thousand-mile stretch haunted by warbands, creatures of darkness, and a mysterious murderer–and go to Kopa, where a shield-house awaits her.

After barely surviving the first stretch of road, a desperate Silla sneaks into a supply wagon belonging to the notorious Bloodaxe Crew. To make it to Kopa, she must win over Axe Eyes, the brooding leader of the Crew, while avoiding the Wolf, his distractingly handsome right-hand man. But the queen’s ruthless assassin has other plans and hunts Silla obsessively.

Will Silla make it safely to Kopa? Or will she fall prey to the perils of the Road of Bones?

Featuring an immersive world blending fairy tale with Vikings, The Road of Bones leads you on an adrenaline-fueled chase with fun banter and a slow-building enemies to lovers romance. The first book in the Ashen Series, you are one click away from reading it!

The Sirens by Emilia Hart

 

My thoughts

I read and loved this author's book Weyward. I didn't know exactly what to expect from this one but I did enjoy it also. It kept me turning the pages until the very ending which I did not see coming. Not that this is a thriller but still... I did not see that part coming.

Four women from two different timelines. Two sets of sisters. Connected in a way that is almost unbelievable. Until you open your heart and "believe." Also between the chapters are some diary entries from one young woman in 1999. 

In October of the year 1800 two sisters from Cove of Cork, Ireland are found guilty of a crime. While it was self-defense they were still convicted and sent to New South Wales, Australia. They were put on a boat along with many other women who were convicted and exiled to Australia. Mary and Eliza are these two young ladies. Their path already paved. Their destination mapped out for them. 

In February of 2019 Lucy wakes to a scream. She has no idea how she is there doing what she is doing. She has a young man by the throat.  She's strangling him. She has no memory of how she got there or how it happened. She runs. She leaves and goes to her sister Jess. Jess is not home and has no idea that Lucy is on the way. Jess is on a mission of her own. What lies ahead for these two young women is life altering. 

What happens in these two sets of sister's lives is a story that you will not believe. It's a tragedy and an awakening. Lives changed forever. I knew that convicts were sent to Australia many years ago. I did not know that boats filled with women were sent and the men there allowed to take them and claim them. To do horrible things. In this story there is a little bit of justice. Just a bit though and not graphic. 

This book was a fun read yet also intense in places. A story that made me believe in Mermaids again. While losing a tiny bit of faith in humans who destroyed the Aborigines like the white man did the Indians in the US to make a country a place for convicted criminals that society no longer wanted to deal with. At least in Australia that was the case back then. While this book touches on sexual abuse from a teacher it's not graphic and did not cause any problems while reading. 

Thank you #NetGalley, #StMartinsPress, and #Macmillanaudio for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Five stars

About

A story of sisters separated by hundreds of years but bound together in more ways than they can imagine

2019: Lucy awakens in her ex-lover’s room in the middle of the night with her hands around his throat. Horrified, she flees to her sister’s house on the coast of New South Wales hoping Jess can help explain the vivid dreams that preceded the attack—but her sister is missing. As Lucy waits for her return, she starts to unearth strange rumours about Jess’s town—tales of numerous missing men, spread over decades. A baby abandoned in a sea-swept cave. Whispers of women’s voices on the waves. All the while, her dreams start to feel closer than ever.

1800: Mary and Eliza are torn from their loving home in Ireland and forced onto a convict ship heading for Australia. As the boat takes them farther and farther away from all they know, they begin to notice unexplainable changes in their bodies.

A breathtaking tale of female resilience, The Sirens is an extraordinary novel that captures the sheer power of sisterhood and the indefinable magic of the sea.

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni

 

My thoughts

This is my first Dugoni book but will not be my last. I absolutely loved this book. It was worth every tear. Every chuckle. It was beautiful and so sad in places but what an ending. I'm not a person who has much faith and am not Catholic but this book touched my heart. It almost made me believe in the afterlife. I still don't believe it's right to say some things because if it's God's will then why does he not make all children perfect. Stop all the horrible things that happen to good and faithful people. Especially little helpless children. That being said, this is a hard review to write. Only because I just don't have the words. I would not want to give anything away. Not one thing.

This is a book everyone should read. A story that is so touching and so sad and so uplifting, all at once. There are a few characters that I highly disliked but most I adored. Sam being the main one and his two friends, Mickie and Ernie, being the two best. Mickie was the love of Sam's life and Ernie was the one who made Sam complete. Made him not give up when things got bad. Sister Beatrice and David Bateman where horrors. Both treated Sam horribly. David was a kid also, but a horrible bully. Sister Beatrice was a bully too in so many ways. She was not kind to Sam.

The kids called Sam a devil boy because he had red eyes. He was born with a rare eye condition called ocular albinism, leaving him with red eyes. Kids can be cruel and most of this I believe they learn from parents. Then each other. 

Sam goes through a lot in his life, but the one constant is his mother. She never loses faith. She never gives up on things. She always said that it's God's will when things happened that can't be totally explained. Or if it was something bad. Throughout Sam's life he is faced with lots of things but his ability to help others is foremost in his life. He does face a tragedy that leaves him reeling and takes him to so many other places. He is helping children and even adults around the world with eye problems. 

This book will take your heart and give it a good squeeze. It will leave you holding your breath. Wondering if things will ever work out for Sam. For Sam and Mickie. And you always root for Sam. He's a very likable young man. Both as a child and an adult. 

This is told from when Sam is a child and when he is an adult. You learn everything you need to know about him and his family. About his friends and enemies. Sam definitely has an extraordinary life.

A great story. From start to finish.

About

Sam Hill always saw the world through different eyes. Born with red pupils, he was called “Devil Boy” or Sam “Hell” by his classmates; “God’s will” is what his mother called his ocular albinism. Her words were of little comfort, but Sam persevered, buoyed by his mother’s devout faith, his father’s practical wisdom, and his two other misfit friends.

Sam believed it was God who sent Ernie Cantwell, the only African American kid in his class, to be the friend he so desperately needed. And that it was God’s idea for Mickie Kennedy to storm into Our Lady of Mercy like a tornado, uprooting every rule Sam had been taught about boys and girls.

Forty years later, Sam, a small-town eye doctor, is no longer certain anything was by design—especially not the tragedy that caused him to turn his back on his friends, his hometown, and the life he’d always known. Running from the pain, eyes closed, served little purpose. Now, as he looks back on his life, Sam embarks on a journey that will take him halfway around the world. This time, his eyes are wide open—bringing into clear view what changed him, defined him, and made him so afraid, until he can finally see what truly matters.

The Ghost Woods by C. J. Cooke

 

My thoughts

I enjoyed this book. It was a bit longer than necessary but still good. It kept me wanting to read to see where it was going. Though it was obviously going to a home where unwed mothers stay. Little did they know what awaited them. And you won't find out until the last third of the book. It's quite good but I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed. Like it went from the friends being made to the horror of what the father did. The father of the home. It's not what you think.... 

Two young women are pregnant in different timelines. One in 1959 the other in 1965. This is each woman's story. Though one is in my opinion just a child. A teen. Not a full on woman at all. You get to know each and how they came to be at Lichen Hall, the home for unwed mothers. 

How Mabel, in 1959, and Pearl, in 1965, come to know each other or how their lives cross is interesting also. Each of these young women have hardships. Mabel is from a very poor family and she honestly can't remember ever having sex. What could have happened to this young lady? Pearl was a respected nurse who fell pregnant after her boyfriend/fiance broke up with her and she slept with another to somewhat make herself feel better. Back in this time an unwed girl/woman was cast out. Considered fallen and undesirable as marriage material. 

After each gives birth you see how they deal with placing their babies with strangers. It's for the best don't you know. One child ends up staying and you will love him. Or I did. The couple running the house are very strange. Certain things have caused them to be strange and one being the many mushrooms that they seem to love growing. 

There are other girls that ended up living at Lichen Hall. Their home lives were that horrible. They live and work for the Whitlocks. For Mrs Whitlock more so that her husband. He's in his own world until he develops dementia. It is said that the Whitlock's son Wulfric was killed then his parents took his body away from the morgue. Also that he was seen sometime later in town very much alive... 

When one of the girls disappears the others start a frantic search. What they find is not good but Mrs Whitlock is hesitant to bring in the police. She also will not allow doctors or trips to the hospital. That was a bit puzzling at first. There are lots of rules living here. And you have to do what you are told. You have to be careful of going into the woods also. There is something out there. Something terrifying.

The ending was good but I wish it would have been explained in more detail without adding a lot. That doesn't make sense unless you know how rushed the ending kind of was. I think some of the first half of the story could have been skipped and more of what happened to the survivors added. What exactly happened to them and how were they saved. Maybe....

Thank you #NetGalley, #Berkly, for this ARC. This is my own thoughts about this book.

4 stars. 

About

A young woman sent to stay in a crumbling gothic manor will find haunting secrets creeping out of the surrounding dark woods in this new, chilling novel from the acclaimed author of The Lighthouse Witches.

In the midst of the woods stands a house called Lichen Hall. This place is shrouded in folklore—old stories of ghosts, of witches, of a child who is not quite a child.

Now the woods are creeping closer, and something has been unleashed.

Pearl Gorham arrives in 1965, one of a string of young women sent to Lichen Hall to give birth. And she soon suspects the proprietors are hiding something. Then she meets the mysterious mother and young boy who live on the grounds—and together they begin to unpack the secrets of this place. As the truth comes to the surface and the darkness moves in, Pearl must rethink everything she knew—and risk what she holds most dear.