The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer

 

My thoughts

Meg Shaffer is one to watch. Her books are in my top favorites. This is the third book by her and I enjoyed it so much. What was not to love. A book about books about characters, authors, real life characters, book characters, a book witch, and a cat. You have a story set to make you laugh and in places cry. It's a kind of love story but so so much more. You'll second guess yourself a few times too. 

Rainy March is living with her grandfather. Her mother is dead and she has no idea who her father is. Her grandmother died several years prior. So it's just Rainy and her grandfather. And her cat. Rainy is a book witch. Her cat Koshka, is her muse. Koshka saves her a couple of times too. Or helps I should say. Smart cat. 

There is a lot going on but it's so easy to follow. Rainy is looking for her grandfather. Also looking for other things that she really does not realize she is looking for. 

This is truly a brilliantly written story. It grabs you and gives you quite a bit. Not to overwhelming but just enough mystery or secrets to keep you guessing what is happening. The author wrote a masterpiece here. At least from this readers POV. The way she wove these characters together was nothing short of striking. When it finally all comes together you can breath a sigh of relief. For all the characters...

It just falls together so perfectly. Total perfection. It's like reading more than one story that weaves together. 

Thank you Ballantine Books for this ARC. 

Five stars. 

About

She can hop into any novel, she just can’t stay there. Come along with the book witch in this magical and inspiring love letter to reading from the USA Today bestselling author of The Wishing Game.

Rainy March is a proud third-generation book witch, sworn to defend works of fiction from all foes real and imaginary. With her magical umbrella and feline familiar, she jumps into and out of novels to fix malicious alterations and rogue heroes. 

Book witches live by a strict Real people belong in the real word; fictional characters belong in works of fiction…. Do not eat, drink, or sleep inside a fictional world, lest you become part of the story. Falling in love with a fictional character? Don’t even think about it.

Which is why Rainy has been forbidden from seeing the Duke of Chicago, the dashing British detective who stars in her favorite mystery series. If she’s ever caught with him again, she’ll be expelled from her book coven—and forced to give up the magical gifts that are as much a part of her as her own name.

But when her beloved grandfather disappears and a priceless book is stolen, there’s only one person she trusts to help her solve the case: the Duke. Their quest takes them through the worlds of Alice in Wonderland, The Great Gatsby, and other classics that will reveal hidden enemies and long-buried family secrets.

An Infinite Love Story by Chanel Cleeton

 

My thoughts

A promise of space and love, what's not to love. This is a very compelling space race love story. One that kept me glued to my reader. One for the ages. This book is so good. Chanel Cleeton's best yet...

Vivian and Joe have a kind of whirlwind love/romance. Though they take and write a lot they've not been on a lot of dates. But when it's true love you just know it. You just feel it. I felt the love between these two. I also felt the tension Vivian felt at Joe becoming an astronaut. The fear she felt when he was going into space. To the moon....

Then the time comes and he's gone. He's flying. Fulfilling his lifelong dream. To fly to the moon. To be an astronaut. Something he's always wanted. But then the most horrible thing happens. Joe and two other astronauts are lost. No one can communicate with them. There is no sign of them. No at all!!!

Vivian's worst fears surface. She stood by Joe even when she didn't want him to do this. She didn't want him to fly to space. But she supported him. Now he is missing. 

The things Viv goes through are so heartfelt. So heartbreaking. So sad. What wives of astronauts go through at times are horrible. A lot of the astronauts cheat. Have affairs. They can't seem to be faithful. There are a few divorces but some wives stay. 

Joe never cheated on Viv. He was a faithful husband and you'll love him. I loved all of the characters in this story. They all seemed so realistic. Friends who stand by each other. 

This is a well written story of hope and love. Of trying to find answers. Trying to come to terms with a horrible loss. Or two.

Thank you Berkley Publishing for this ARC.

Five stars..

About

When an astronaut is lost in space, his wife relives their epic love as she attempts to unravel what truly happened to him, in this sweeping love story set against the backdrop of the 1960s Space Race, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes.

When Joe Mitchell launches into space, the world is watching. It’s 1968, and the country waits with anticipation and excitement for another successful mission, another celebration as America sets its sights on the Moon. And then comes the knock at the door.

Joe Mitchell’s spacecraft has lost contact. He and his fellow astronauts onboard are feared to be dead. It’s his wife Vivian’s worst nightmare come to life, her grief suddenly taking center stage as the nation waits and mourns. In her quiet moments, Vivian relives their memorable story, unable to accept that this is the end to a love that felt as though it was written in the stars.

As the investigation surrounding Joe’s lost spacecraft intensifies and the mishap is written off as an operator error, Vivian is determined to clear her husband’s name and uncover the mystery of what happened in space. When someone starts sending Vivian messages—messages she believes only Joe could send—she begins to wonder if their love is stronger than space and time, and she’ll do whatever it takes to bring her husband back to her.

A Wave of Breath by Tess Collins

 

My thoughts

WOW.. 

What a book. 

I've read every one of this author's books and none are quite like this one. It's just as fantastic as the others, just different. In a good way.

Favorite lines:

I. Am. Not. A. Girl.

You left me, Woman.

And then I inhaled... a wave of breath. (this one made me cry)

If you've read this book you will know what each of those lines are.

This book was a hard one. I saw a lot of things I recognized in it. I'm pretty sure the author wrote it that way. Things that happened and we certainly hope do not happen in our lifetime.

This is a beautiful love story and a story of survival. Trekking across the United States in search of the love of her life, Brooklyn encounters so much. Things that you would never expect. A group who have taken over the country. Poisoned the water. Taken out a lot and have a following you would not believe. Or maybe you would. Horrible things happened along the way. Much death and destruction. Women, men and children. 

It's up to Brooklyn to do something. To find a way to save the country. If she can. If she will. And find Martin. While I personally did not care much for Martin he was a very strong player in this book. My reasons for disliking him are that he ran. He hid. He wasn't there for Brooklyn like he should have been. But he ended up being one of my favorite people. Also there is Ford. I adored Ford. He was something to behold. Smart and unnerving at the same time. 

This book was just so good. Written in a way to keep you trapped between the pages, or in my case in my kindle. I just had to know what came next. It took me a while to read but that was because I could only handle so much at a time. ha ha Life gets in the way at times. 

If you get a chance to read this and you love books that are fairly far-fetched, grab this one. It's very good. It had lots going on and many many feelings. From sad to happy to laughter to sad again. Parts definitely made me cry hard. I laughed at Ford a few times and he made me cry too. Martin made me mad and made me cry. All the friends made me cry. What happened at the end..... It made me cry.

I loved it.

Thank you NetGalley and BearCat Press for this ARC. 

About

Even as the world collapses, she will cross the ruins of a nation for the love that death itself cannot silence.

In the wake of a national calamity known only as The Water Event, Brooklyn Tremain launches herself across a shattered America in pursuit of Martin Siriso—the man she loves and the man she refuses to lose. Was he swallowed by the chaos, or is he running from forces that thrive on catastrophe?

Her hunt through a ravaged landscape exposes the ruthless reach of Hast Industries, who will stop at nothing to seize the quantum device in her possession. Inspired by Isis and Osiris, A WAVE OF BREATH is both a love story and a journey through danger, devotion, and the power of a bond that refuses to die.

The Underground Sisters by Soraya M. Lane

 

My thoughts

This author never disappoints. Her historical fiction/based on true events, always deliver. I always learn something from them. I enjoyed this book through a lot of tears and heartbreak. Getting to know what happened to thousands of women and children at Ravensbruck concentration camp was heartbreaking. The horrors of what happens in camps is beyond overwhelming. No matter where they are. 

This story is fiction based on true events. The author did a great research job. She always does. At the end be sure to read Author's Notes. Info worthy of reading for sure. 

When the Nazi's took over and started arresting people for not being pure, for being a different race, for just being someone that Hitler didn't approve of, hated actually, also arrested were resistance fighters. People who did not approve of the things the Germans were doing. Who just wanted to help innocent people survive. There were people who were against the things that Hitler and his people did. When caught they were either killed or imprisoned. 

This is the story of a young lady, Aletta,  and her mother, Emma, who were imprisoned for helping. Also the story of just one of the internment camps where not only Jews, but French, Polish, Dutch and Norwegian women. 

These two females were befriended by Chloe who had already been at Ravensbruck and seen many killed. She had refused to be friends with the other prisoners because of the pain of losing anyone, but she did become great friends with Emma, then Aletta. Emma was like the mother she didn't have. Aletta like a sister. 

You get to know these women and how they tried to make like a little better. Teaching the children. In secret of course or they would have been severely punished. How Chloe wrote things down. From recipes to conditions. She didn't want it forgotten what happened there. 

These things do need to be told. Always. Never let it be forgotten what the Nazis did. Never let it happen again. Though I do believe it is happening in so many ways and in so many places....

Thank you Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union, Brilliance Audio, for the arcs.

5 stars 

About

From the bestselling author of The Secret Midwife comes a story of selfless sacrifice, women’s bravery and the importance of keeping memories alive.

We’ll make sure they never forget. We’ll make sure that every recipe, every poem, every note is remembered, and never, ever forgotten. Even if it takes me a lifetime, I promise you that no one will forget…

Amsterdam, 1940: Schoolteacher Aletta knows the war will soon reach her and the Jewish children in her class. When her family hide an injured Allied airman in their home, they must how much will they risk when resistance could prove deadly?

Paris, 1940: Since her mother’s death, Chloe has dedicated herself to protecting her brothers. So when the SS accuses Claude of being in the Resistance, she sacrifices herself to save him.

Forced together in Ravensbrück concentration camp, Chloe, Aletta and her mother, Emma, forge an unbreakable bond. Surrounded by unimaginable cruelty, they mount their own kind of resistance—secretly teaching children and preserving fellow prisoners’ precious memories. In a place designed to strip away humanity, their friendship becomes an act of defiance, their determination to bear witness a lifeline of hope.

As the war rages on and whispers of a longed-for liberation grow, can their courage and sisterhood see them through to freedom? And if they survive, how can they ever be the same?

Based on true events, this is an inspiring testament to the power of friendship and the resilience of the human spirit.

Night Witch by Jaymin Eve

 

My thoughts

I enjoyed the first book and this one was also good. I did have a problem with a couple of things though. I thought if I heard Logan Kingston say "Precious" one more time I would scream. Needless to say he said it throughout the book. It was grating. Enough already. Also how did he suddenly turn into the perfect mate. I understand that he loved Paisley but good grief. He told her when to eat. When to sleep. He kept taking over in so many places. And to top off all of his perfections, Logan was also in a band. A very famous band. Yet Paisley and her friends never heard of them. Never saw them. Had no idea. 

The scenes between Paisley and Logan were at times hot but it was usually him just pleasing her. At least until much later in the book. That was ok but not realistic at all. Considering what we find out later. 

Paisley has the best friends anyone could ever hope for. She has the perfect family and "mate." She has it all. Except maybe she doesn't. At the end I gasped at what happened to her. I was not at all ready for that.

I listened to the audio while reading the book. Savannah Peachwood did great. She had a great voice and could change for each character perfectly. I had a problem with Jason Clarke though. He sounded much older than he should have. I know his character acted like someone in their forties, or possibly older, but he was suppose to be in his twenties. 

Everything Logan did was more like an older man. There were time when I loved him but also times when he got on my nerves so bad.  

I enjoyed the book but wish there were a few things done differently. Just me maybe...

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and Harlequin Audio for the ARCs. 

4 stars 

About

Night Witch is the sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller Spellcaster with an intense enemies-to-lovers arc, a steamy heat level, magical creatures, super high stakes, and an epic family saga.

Be careful what you witch for.

Welcome to year two at Weatherstone College…

Last year, after coming face to face with darkness and lethal monsters, Logan Kingston, my sworn enemy and sometimes ally, brought my first year to an explosive ending. There’s a bond between us that I can’t explain, but I just know he’s hiding something. Maybe I don’t fully trust any spellcaster, but there’s no denying my draw to him.

I’m not going to lie, I haven’t felt myself since then, and I’m dreading returning to Weatherstone.

Perfect if you love:
• Sexy Stalking + Dirty Talking
• He Gives Her His Clothes
• Forbidden Romance
• Touch Her & D!e
• Elemental Magic
• Dark Academia
• "Mine"

Heather by Caitlin Mullen

 

My thoughts

This is one book that I highly recommend. It is very sad so be warned. It's also beautifully written. This author's last book, "Please See Us', was also excellent. 

This one is about two young girls. Two young girls who are left to their own devices. To fend for themselves. In a big house. Whose mother left. Whose dad is never around. He is a pair of books left at the door. A little money left for them to buy food. Two young girls who have been abandoned by the towns adults. Their teachers. This is the story of Annabelle and Sabrina. Twins. Just barely teens.

There is also Callie. Callie moved back to her hometown of Pine Lakes to help her best friend Jane. Jane is married to the former police chief's son. Callie becomes the police chief. She is in law enforcement and well qualified for the job. Her best friend was struck by a car and hurt pretty bad. She can barely walk and has a three year old daughter. 

There is a lot of back story and it's very good. This story goes back and forth between Callie and Annabelle. Annabelle's story is thirty years old. Callie is looking into the disappearance of Annabelle and her twin Sabrina. 

This is a story of how Callie and her own mother get along. What happened to Callie's mother Jenna was a single mother. She was not the best mother but she stayed. And she drank...

I loved how this story came to be called Heather. Sad but also beautiful. A strong story of learning to deal with your life choices. Learning how starting over can come back to bite you. How finding justice is not always what you think it is. How young girls deal with what older men do. And how older men deal with threats.... 

I didn't want to put this one down. It was heartbreaking and a beautiful story at the same time. Beautiful in the sense of innocence. Heartbreaking in the exact same sense....

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for this ARC. Thank you to Celadon Books for ths physical copy.

This one will stick for a good long while. 

The narrators did a wonderful job of bringing this story to life. Of differentiating the characters. Of holding my attention all the way through. Great job!!

5 big stars and it's in the top of my books for the years. 

About

For readers of Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods, a small-town detective reopens an unsolved case, sending shock waves across generations of women in this gripping new mystery from the Edgar Award–winning author of Please See Us.

1994. In the myth-riddled woods of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, sixteen-year-old Annabelle Riley’s twin sister, Sabrina, has been having an affair with a mysterious older man, and Annabelle is determined to uncover what’s going on. Then, inexplicably, both sisters disappear.

In this same town years later, newly instated Police Chief Callie Hauser makes an arrest that unexpectedly resurrects details from a heartbreaking cold case. As she digs deeper, the past and the present collide, challenging everything Callie believes about right and wrong, about who she is, and about the town she’s always called home.

A propulsive mystery as incisive as it is forgiving, Heather bears a visceral reminder that the truth of a woman’s life is often complicated and unknowable—to those on the outside, and sometimes even to herself.

When No One Else Will by Amanda Skenandore

 

My thoughts

I was truly shocked by how good this book was. Not because the author writes bad books. Quite the contrary. Her books are excellent. This was a touchy subject but one that needs to be talked about. After how women are being treated now because of abortion laws being overturned it's even more important. This story was told with a lot of grace and honesty. A lot of heartache and tears. It was well researched and based on facts. Though it's a work of fiction it's also true. A very true story. 

The women in this story are all strong and seem to have high morals. The main character, Mimi, has a family. Two children, a husband, and a mother in law from another planet. I laugh typing that but it's true she's awful. I really liked Mimi. She had backbone. Her husband made me so mad through most of the book. He and his mother finally came around to my good graces but good grief it took forever. 

This is a story about an illegal abortion clinic. A family. A lot of women who had good reason for not wanting a pregnancy. Times were hard. A war was on the brink of starting. So many things were expensive. Food was not that easy at that time. Another hungry child..... No.

This book is not for everyone but also everyone should be aware. It's a good one told from Mimi's POV. Mimi is a nurse. Her husband was injured playing baseball and can no longer play. Yet he can't seem to get off his lazy butt and get a job. Mimi has no choice but to work. She doesn't want to lose her home. She doesn't want her two children to go hungry. 

Be sure and read Author's Note at the end. It explains a lot and is very good. 

Thank you to Kensington Publishing and Highbridge Audio for the ARC.

4.75 stars...

About

Based on the true story of an illegal women’s clinic at the center of a high-profile trial in 1940s Chicago and the nurse who risked her safety and freedom to work there, a thought-provoking, powerfully timely novel of courage, sisterhood, and women’s healthcare for readers of Kristin Hannah, Kerri Maher, and Audrey Blake.

In the fall of 1939, while Europe grapples with the outbreak of war, Mimi Lukas wages a private battle in her Chicago neighborhood. Her husband, Stan, once a promising White Sox player, has been sidelined by a broken leg. His hopes of returning to baseball are dwindling along with their savings. As Stan sinks into inertia, Mimi resolves to go back to nursing.

When a friend tells her of a women’s clinic in need of a nurse, Mimi hesitates. Such places are illegal and at odds with her religious upbringing. But Dr. Gabler’s office isn’t the dingy establishment Mimi envisioned. The space is clean, bright, and welcoming, the staff skillful. Patients are treated with dignity and compassion, even as they are sworn to secrecy about what happens within its walls.

The patients, too, are not who Mimi expected. Some are heartbreakingly young. Most are married, and many already have children. Police and state prosecutors are paid handsomely to turn a blind eye. As Mimi finds kinship with her colleagues and with an officer on retainer, she begins her own private reckoning between what is legal and what is necessary, no matter how painful or inconvenient.

But Mimi senses the tide turning against them. She knows, too, that soon she must decide how much she will risk to defend the ideals she’s come to embrace through hard-won experience . . .

Poignant and insightful, here is a story of courage and empathy, as timeless as it is timely.

The Museum of Lost Dreams by Christine Nolfi

 

My thoughts

Each book this author writes becomes my favorite. This one is the best yet. It's such a good story. A family drama with lots of misunderstandings. So much hurt but so much love too. A story to make you stop and think. 

Told from two timelines. By two women. One a grandmother to the other. A child left basically to her own devices. Bess didn't have the love of her parents. They were too busy. Busy destroying their own lives. Bess's grandmother Valerie thought she was the best part of life. Bess also thought her grandmother was the best. 

After losing her parents Bess has the responsibility of taking care of her teen twins. Casey is angry. Caleb has a traumatic brain injury from a boating accident that involved Bess three years earlier. She blames herself.

I adored these characters. Luke is the love of Bess's life. Caleb and Casey are her twin teen siblings. Valerie her late grandmother. 

Valerie left her estate to Bess. Her mother, Shayla could not be trusted with that much money. Bess did a great thing with it. 

This story will keep you turning the pages. You get to know each character. Also a few more characters come to light. It's just one that will hold your heart hostage until the very end. 

Thank you Lake Union and Brilliance Audio for the arcs. Both the book and the audio are perfect. The narrators did a great job of making you feel emotion. Of keeping each character separate. They are to be commended for their wonderful job. 

About

Returning to her fractured past, a woman is determined to end a cycle of heartbreaks in a moving novel about family, sacrifice, and redemption by the bestselling author of The Secret Library of Hanna Reeves.

When Bess Rollins’s parents die in a tragic accident, she is forced to abandon her dream job overseas. After three years away, she returns to her family’s estate in the Finger Lakes, a veritable monument to her brilliant late grandmother, and a reminder of the wreckage Bess left behind.

There’s the guilt over leaving her younger twin siblings, Casey and Caleb, and she struggles to rebuild a bond that may be irrevocably broken. Amid the grief, resentment still looms toward her reckless and self-indulgent mother and father. And then there’s Luke Monticelli, the devoted man Bess walked out on but never stopped loving.

Haunted by her regrets at every turn, Bess soon realizes that the past is far more complicated than she ever knew. With each secret that she uncovers about her family, Bess comes closer to healing their wounds, seizing a second chance at love, and fulfilling dreams that can lift them all—right here at home, where she belongs.

The Shrouded Queen by Ashley Tropea

 

My thoughts

I had such high hopes for this book. I was sorely disappointed. It was just ok. Good in some parts but dragged on in others. It has taken me over a week to read and I do not like when a book does that. If it held my attention and kept me wanting to get back to it that would be different. This one was just not what I had hoped for. 

Two girls. One a princess and the other her slave. A mean cruel princess at that. 

Amunet Khada is a princess. When the kingdom is overrun and her father is killed she becomes queen. I tried to like Amunet a few times but she was just not likable. 

Samira is Amunet's slave. Amunet has been very cruel to her. Samira seems to think it's ok for her princess to treat her this way. Food and water are both very scarce and a slave can be killed if caught stealing either. Seems they go a long time without either. 

When the kingdom is overrun Amunet leaves Samira to stand in her place. To be taken. 

Now you get to see what happens to each of these girls. What all they go through and how they survive. Or don't survive....

This was a well written story. It could have been a very good one for me. It was just to slow. A very slow burn. At least for me. It is part love story. A shifter story. A princess/queen/imposter story. There is a lot going on. Fairly easy to follow but when things happened at the end I was caught off guard. I still don't get it. Who was the man. Why was Samira taken. 

I really didn't enjoy this one. It was a BOTM choice too.

Thank you Gallery Books for this ARC.

About

In the first book in this romantasy duology inspired by ancient Egyptian mythology, a slave and a princess switch places during an enemy attack, igniting parallel journeys of love and survival.

As a slave to the Ashoran royals, Samira has always known she was expendable. So when the vicious Kaldfolk attack the palace, she is ready to die as a decoy for her princess. But when she’s captured instead, she’s forced to impersonate the princess and survive through brutal trials designed to awaken her divine powers—all under the watch of her dangerously intriguing, shape-shifting captor.

Amunet Khada—now queen of Ashorah—is on the run following the king’s death. With only her guard-with-benefits, Jasim, by her side, she must evade treacherous allies while racing to contact her father—the god of the underworld—before her long-promised powers slip beyond reach.

While Amunet embarks on a quest through the wastelands, Samira learns the true reason for the attack and unlocks secrets in her past that could change everything. And with threats growing on all sides, Samira and Amunet must decide...who can they trust?

A Spell for Saints and Sinners by Emily Carpenter

 

My thoughts 

I enjoyed this gothic, witchy, family drama, mystery thriller, fiction, book so much. It had so much to enjoy. 

Emily Carpenter wove a story for the age in this one. Great writing. Great drama, and what a setting. Savannah, GA.  

When Ingrid's grandmother Edie died she promised to never do anything bad. No black magic. No bad spells. Little did Ingrid know what was going to happen in her life. Bills coming out of everywhere and no money to speak of. But when Ingrid meets Sailor all her problems seem to go away. Sailor and Ingrid became fast friends. Though Sailor was from the most prominent family in the area she didn't try to make Ingrid feel less than.

As she is drawn into the Loeffler’s family much changes for Ingrid. Most good. Her shabby home is redone. Her taxes all paid off. Property taxes that is. But is this going to last? Will Sailor remain Ingrid's friend even when Ingrid does almost what Sailor asked her to do? Or will things change. Not for the good either. 

There is a lot going on but this story is so well written. It's one that pulls you in and doesn't want to let you go. Everything you expect in this genre is there. From old friendships to new ones. You get a bit of Ingrid's backstory also. Of a time when she was a bullied child. 

This is a very dramatic story. A family who don't seem to even like each other all that much even though they are filthy rich. A friendship based on lies and secrets. A couple of murders. A false arrest. This one was good from the very beginning. I loved it....

You'll feel like you are walking the streets of Savannah, GA right along with Ingrid. And the graveyard felt so real and spooky. 

Thank you Kensington Publishing, RBMedia, and NetGalley for this ARC...

Five big stars 

About

Like a gender-flipped You but dripping with Southern Gothic atmosphere, a young psychic on the verge of losing everything becomes obsessed with a wealthy, beautiful heiress in this clever, darkly atmospheric novel of psychological suspense set amid the lush, moss-draped beauty of Savannah.

In front of an elegantly shabby townhouse on a Savannah side street sits a hand-painted Miss Edie, Psychic. Ingrid White inherited the house and business from her beloved grandmother, a local celebrity in town. But unless Ingrid can find a way to pay for crushing property taxes and mounting repairs, she’s going to lose them both.

Ingrid has faith in the homespun witchcraft Edie passed down to her, yet hope and clients are dwindling. . . . Until Sailor Loeffler’s bachelorette party changes everything. Sailor is local royalty—part of the vast “Savannah Sauce” empire, beautiful and wealthy beyond imagining—and Ingrid’s reading is so accurate that she becomes the bride-to-be’s confidante. To keep that access and all the privileges it brings, Ingrid relies more and more on hexes and dark spells—using the baneful magic Edie always warned her against.

As Ingrid works even riskier spells, she is drawn further into the Loefflers’ inner circle and the obstacles in her path melt away. But is it witchcraft or other, more earthbound forces? Ingrid can feel the lines blurring even as her powers seem to grow, until she must confront the truth about just how far some people, including herself, will go to keep the life they’ve always wanted . . .

The Story Keeper by Kelly Rimmer

 

My thoughts

This book is so good. I highly recommend it to all my book loving friends....

As everyone is saying, this is a book in a book. A story about a book. Two time frames and how each intersects eventually. I usually figure these things out quickly but even at the halfway point I was still guessing. I did get it but it did not in any way take away from the book. Not one bit!

This is a story about a young lady who takes a place where she practically grew up and decides to clean it up and live there. It was left to her cousin but he gave it to her. 

Recently finding out her husband and best friend are having an affair Fiona moves back home to  Wurimbirra. That is the name of the big house in New South Wales, Australia. People have always said that the place is haunted. Fiona has a hard time sleeping with all the nightly activities going on in the house. Unexplained activity at that. 

Fiona finds a book called The Midnight Estate and starts reading it. It's a story about a young man named Silas who lives in Australia but is from the US. California. He moved to California to be with the woman he fell in love with. While on a visit to California after learning his mother died Silas met a young lady, Marie. Marie is married and also very young. 

You get to know these characters well. How the story ends up being two stories in one is exceptional. This author outdid herself. I loved this book. I enjoyed getting to know each character. Getting to know the house and even the cemetery was great. You can't help but love these people. It took a bit to like Fiona's mother but she did grow on me once I learned her backstory. Tad is the uncle who left the house. Silas was the kindest person I've read about in a long time. I loved him. 

A well written story. A book about a book. What more do you need? 

Thank you Harlequin and NetGalley for this ARC.

Five stars 

About

In the aftermath of a tumultuous year, Fiona Winslow finds solace in the decaying grandeur of Wurimbirra, the rambling family estate she once called home. Intent on restoring it, she discovers the keys to more than just the dilapidated mansion—beneath the crumbling plaster and dust are secrets that have been buried for a generation.

When a curious book, The Midnight Estate, catches her attention in her late uncle’s library, Fiona is plunged into a tale that mirrors her own—a story of love, loss and betrayal. But as the lines between fiction and reality blur, Fiona must ask herself: Is the true mystery the one hidden within the walls of her ancestral home, or is it within the pages of a book that chose her as much as she chose it?

Told in a dual narrative and set against the Gothic backdrop of Wurimbirra, Kelly Rimmer, bestselling author of The Things We Cannot Say, weaves an intricate and compelling tale, inviting readers into the heart of a family’s deepest secrets with an absorbing book-within-a-book mystery.

Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews

 

My thoughts

I always enjoy books by this author.

This was a very light read with a few intense moments to keep you on your toes. It also made me laugh out loud a few times. While I didn't really consider there to be a road trip in this story it was very good. Maybe "air trip"... 

Mary Kay Andrews wrote a beautiful story here. It has everything you need for a sweet summer read. Romance, intrigue, mystery, murder, laughter, and family drama. 

When Mary Helen Sullivan Dunagin dies her two daughters find out some things are not what they thought. Their mother it seems gave away lots of money to a preacher who took advantage of elderly people. Their family home was mortgaged, and she didn't have anything to leave them except a coffee can filled with money she had saved when she worked. For a trip.

Maeve and Therese just wanted the money but that was not how it was suppose to be. They decide to take the trip to Ireland to investigate a paining that has been in their family since forever. One that could potentially be worth a lot. 

Things are tense between the sisters. They don't get along all that well. Maeve took care of their mother when she fell ill. Therese never offered to help, or even come home at all. Therese was busy trying to be an actress. 

Both unemployed. Both broke. They take the money and go to Ireland. They find out quite a bit about their ancestry and Maeve finds love. A long way from home though. 

This is a very good summer read. It's a quick, mostly happy story. It has a couple of curves that will leave you holding your breath. It's well written and easy to follow. Told from the sisters perspectives in mostly alternating chapters. You really get to know the characters in this story. I liked them all. I loved the book. 

Thank you St Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC....

4.75 stars. 

About

The Queen of the Summer Read is back with her first novel in two years!

Maeve and Therese Dunigan are sisters—but the two have been estranged for years. They could not be more Maeve, a rule-follower and Therese, a rebel. But when their mother's death brings the family back together, the two find that they have inherited a painting—one that could be worth millions and could save each of them from their respective wolves at the door. The only issue is, the painting might be a fake and the only way the can solve the problem is to find the original. This means a road trip—to Ireland, to their family roots, and to a mysterious crime that occurred years ago. With tensions simmering, the two hit the road and find themselves on twisty lanes, in colorful villages, at local pubs, and with handsome men whose gift of the gab is surpassed only by their charm. Can Maeve and Therese find the real painting, remove a family curse, solve a cold case, and actually survive without killing each other? Join Mary Kay Andrews on a road trip that will entertain you for miles.

Deathbringer by Sonia Tagliareni

 

My thoughts

I loved this book. When will the next book be available? I need it now. Yes it ends on a cliffhanger. But it's so good too. 

This book was so much fun to read. Well written for a debut too. 

Setting 1927-1939 and told in a few months. Each chapter tells the time line or month and is told alternating between Viola and Sylas. 

This is a very active story. It has a lot going on so be warned. It's an enemies to loves book. A magical story. Family and family drama. Death. The story of Viola and Sylas. A few others too but mainly it's about Viola and Sylas. Their love. Their magic. Their storm of a relationship. In a school filled with a lot of bad things. Several students have gone missing and found dead. Also some parents. 

This is a very Grimm story. (a little play on words there.) ha ha There are ghosts and magical relics. Fighting. A lot as I said. But it's also very good. Easy to follow. 

I don't want to give a feature of the synopsis as you can read that. What I want is for you to grab this one if you love fantasy, magic, goth, or anything that goes along that line. It's so good. 

Dark Academia

Death Magic

Romance

Fantasy Romance

Mystery

Magic School

Enemies to Lovers

Revenge

Thank you Atria Books for this ARC

About

For fans of Naomi Novik and Kerri Maniscalco, a dark academia romantasy steeped in necromancy, forbidden love, and a twisty murder mystery set within the perilous halls of a magical institute, as a death mage who hates her magic and a poison mage who hates her are forced to work together to stop a killer before one of them is next.

Born with the ability to speak with the dead, Viola hates her magic. It killed her sister, Olivia, and if she doesn’t learn why, it will kill her too. Her only hope lies within the perilous walls of Gorhail Institute of Magic, where Olivia spent her final days.

There, Viola clashes with Sylas, a poison mage whose magic stems from three magical snakes. Immortal, tormented, and reckless, Sylas is tethered to a life he never asked for and haunted by guilt for his father’s death. His hatred for death mages runs deep, and he’s determined to keep Viola at a distance. But when an attack forces him to heal her, their fates become intertwined by a magical bond that threatens to upend his loyalties—and his common sense.

As more students start turning up dead, Viola and Sylas are drawn into an uneasy alliance that pulls them deeper into Gorhail’s treacherous passageways, where secrets fester beneath the stone and the dead do not rest. And as enemy lines begin to blur and their undeniable attraction grows, Viola and Sylas uncover a chilling someone is hunting mages for their magical relics, and if they can’t uncover the killer in time, Viola will be next.

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

 My thoughts

This was such a good book. How anyone could think otherwise is beyond belief. It has all the feels you need for a great story. Laughter, sadness, thriller, murder, insane asylum(mention), friends, family, and drama. Lots of neighborhood drama. 

Mabel lives alone but doesn't seem lonely. She's 81 years old and goes about her day as most her age would. She has several neighbors who seem curious even after many years of being her neighbor. A small girl lives there and things Mabel is wonderful. She just pops in to visit even when Mabel seems to not want her there. Each neighbor is a character themselves. Mabel's best friend Daphne has known her longest. She's always around. Both old ladies do have some colorful language at times. But in a funny kind of way. 

This book just hit my heart in a way that not a lot of books do. I adored Mabel. I felt so bad for her growing up. Her father was a tyrant.  He did not really like Mabel. Her mother seemed to like her but only when it was convenient. I kind of felt sorry for her but not completely. If that makes sense. 

Mabel went through so much growing up. She was bullied by kids at school. Molested by a teacher and blamed for it instead of him being blamed. She had an aunt that I adored too. Two kind of. 

While I did guess about one third of the way in what was real and what was not it didn't take away from the story. Just made me want to find out for sure. I was right... 

This book is so good. So well written. A very quick read too. I listened to an audio and the book was a BOTM choice. I'm so glad I chose it. 

Thank you St Martins Press, Macmillan Audio, NetGalley for this ARC. I loved it.

Five big stars....

About

Meet Mad Mabel.

Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is eighty-one years old. She's lived on her idyllic street, Kenny Lane, for sixty years--longer than anyone else. Aside from being a curmudgeon who minds everyone else's business, few would suspect that Elsie has a past that she has worked exceedingly hard at concealing. Because when it comes to murder, no one ever suspects little girls or old ladies. And Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, once a little girl and now an old lady, has a strange history of people in her life coming to a foul end.

When a new little girl (talkative, curious, nosy) moves into the neighborhood and stops at nothing to befriend Elsie, her carefully-constructed life threatens to come crashing down as the secrets in Elsie's past start coming to light. Who was "Mad Mabel" fifty years ago? Who is Elsie Fitzpatrick today? And if the past has a habit of repeating itself, who has the most to lose?

Told with Sally Hepworth's twists, humor, charm, and heart, MAD MABEL is novel that weaves past and present together--through the power of justice and redemption, and all the way to its stunning conclusion.

The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff

 

My thoughts

I loved The Bright Years. A debut by this author. It was a very emotional and touching story. This one is even better. It's a tearjerker that will leave your eyes swollen and read. I was weeping through parts of this story. But it's also so good. One that I didn't want to put down.

When Leo tells April that he wants a divorce things start to burn. Literally. Their house is on fire and they are scrambling to get themselves and their two small children out. They watch helplessly as their kitchen and other areas burn. 

Leo gets a text that they can stay with April's parents. They love Leo as if he was their own. They also have no idea that there is a divorce on the table. April has a brother and a sister. April is the oldest. Her siblings love Leo also. He's an important part of their family. 

Deb and Billy are April's parents. They also have a secret that they haven't shared with their children. Billy has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Neither of them are sixty yet. They thought they would have a lot longer to make memories. 

This story is written between April, Leo, and Deb's POVs. A few secrets from Deb and Billy's past come about but nothing life shattering. Billy says things that he forgets are secrets. He starts forgetting so much. It's very heartbreaking. 

I've always had a terrible fear of getting alzheimer's. Reading this made that fear rise again. This story is told in such a realistic way. Told with so much care and heart. This author did such a good job of bringing these characters to life. I liked them all. I was so happy that things worked for Leo. He had always felt so abandoned. So unloved. I'm sure he thought April was replacing him. 

This is such a heartfelt book. There was a few chuckles but a whole lot of tears. Very well written and presented in a way to make you feel each character. To get to know them. 

This book will definitely be in my top twelve books of the year. It's so good.

Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC.

Five stars and would be more if I could.

About

From the author of The Bright Years, the story of April and Leo, a couple on the brink of collapse. When their house goes up in flames, family secrets and thorny histories emerge as they are forced to decide what is worth salvaging.

When April and Leo’s house burns in the middle of the night, they escape with their two young children and the quiet knowledge that the fire is not the only thing threatening their family. They retreat to April’s childhood home in Dallas, where her spirited parents and siblings provide both comfort and complication.

As the family reckons with the aftermath—grief, guilt, logistics, and memories scorched and intact—the fire exposes the cracks already forming in April and Leo’s marriage. The novel unfolds in alternating perspectives: from April, who feels the crushing weight of motherhood, marriage, and self-blame; from Leo, a high school history teacher shaped by a lonely, fractured childhood; from Deb, April’s generous and no-nonsense mother who has to contend with her husband’s recent Alzheimer’s diagnosis; and from flashbacks that trace April and Leo’s relationship from its earliest days of connection to the devastating decisions that led them here.

A family saga suffused with humor, longing, and heartbreak, The Burning Side is about what we inherit and what we choose, about forgiveness and the ache of being known. It is, above all, about the meaning of home and the costs of long love.

Seek The Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth

 

My thoughts

This was my BOTM choice and I received an ALC copy. Great narrations. They kept the story flowing and making me want more. I really enjoyed it so much. 

This is a dystopia book and I usually don't read that genre but it's so good. The only problem is..... A sequel. You're kidding right. I have to wait now for the next book. To find out what happens to Elegy Ahn? 

This book started out with someone leaving. I thought it was going to be all about him. It wasn't. Not all anyway. It's about a two women who have to fight. Each with their own agenda. One is fairly good. The other is not. Both it seems love the same man. The one they will need to win a war and save their people. 

It's hard to write this review because I could easily give things away and I sure don't want too. Just suffice it to say this is an action packed story. There is a love story but not to explicit. Actually one of the women is married and expected to fall in love with another...

Very well written. Filled with just the right amount of action. Some edge of your seat battles. Lots of characters to hold your interest. Some bad but most are good. 

And there is the fever....

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC. Also to BOTM for having it as a choice. 

Five stars! 

About

A new epic romantic, dystopian fantasy begins in Seek the Traitor's Son, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth

Elegy Ahn did not ask for destiny to find her.

She is happy with her life as a soldier, defending her small country from the Talusar, a powerful nation who worships a deadly Fever. A fever that blesses half of its victims with mysterious gifts.

But then she’s summoned to hear a prophecy–her, and the most ruthless of Talusar generals, Rava Vidar. Brought face to face, they learn that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other…but they don’t know which. And at the center of both of their fates: a man. A man that, Elegy is told, she will fall in love with.

In just one day, Elegy’s old life–her job, her purpose, and her future–is over. She and Rava are destined to collide, with the fate of their nations hanging in the balance. And when they do, only one will be left standing.

Elegy intends to make sure it’s her.

The Brunswick by Callie Murray

 

My thoughts

A heartwarming story of love, orphans, foster care, war (not explicit), family, and friends. 

This story is about a young lady named Cora. She runs The Brunswick. Her mother ran off and her dad stays in his room and is not quite right anymore. She is doing everything alone. She has friends and a best friend. But overall she does the work alone. Until Thomas comes along. He steps up and helps her. Together they work hard. Thomas was in medical school but moved to Georgia to be with his dad and brothers. 

The war is about to start and there are children in Austria who need saving. There are people who will go rescue as many as possible and bring them to The Brunswick for safe keeping. Hoping that soon their parents will follow. 

Thomas goes on the trip to help a man named George. Thomas is detained by the Nazis in Austria and goes through a lot. Cora is beside herself with worry as is his dad. 

This is a great story that will have you crying your eyes out in places. I did find a couple of chuckles. It's a very clean christian story. I think it could have used a touch of spice but that is not what happened. But it's a clean story. Not a preachy one though. No bible verses or anything to make me stop reading it. It was just a good clean story of hope and love. 

Anyone who does not appreciate what happened in Austria during this time has no heart. It was awful. Because someone is different they need to leave or be thrown in a camp. Killed. Tortured. Separated from the people they love. It is unexceptable. 

This was a quick read filled with a lot. It was very good. Well written and researched. 

For a debut you can't beat it. I think this author should be commended for this work of art.

Thank you NetGalley, Revel, and Uplit Reads for this ARC.

About

In 1939 Georgia, far removed from the war brewing overseas, Cora Cain's world feels small—and shrinking. There, she runs The Brunswick, her family's once-grand hotel, which is now struggling as the town's general store. When Thomas Watkins arrives seeking work and solace after his mother's death, a connection sparks between them. Through Thomas, Cora glimpses a life beyond obligation and her war hero father's unpredictable moods.

But everything changes when Cora's asked to turn The Brunswick into a sanctuary for Jewish refugee children fleeing persecution in Germany. As Cora and Thomas prepare for the children's arrival, they struggle to confront their pasts—and the prejudice of their neighbors—as their fragile hope is put to the test.

Meanwhile, in Vienna, ten-year-old Charlotte is offered refuge in America. But even with the horrors she sees around her, Charlotte wonders how her parents could possibly send her away. As war's shadow begins to reach small-town Georgia, each person must face what love demands and decide what they must hold on to and what they must let go.

Inspired by true events.