When You Loved Me by Beatriz Williams

 

My thoughts

Beatriz Williams is an automatic go to for me. If I see a new book coming, especially one set on Winthrop Island, I'll need to grab it. This is the best yet and I look forward to the next book. Very much so...

This book starts out with a horrific accident during a football game. One player is dead on the field and another's life is turned upside down, never to be the same again.

Nothing given away there. It's just how the story starts. Then you go to Winthrop Island and start searching for buried treasure.

Lucy Cooper had been coming to Winthrop Island during the summer for most of her life. When she was small she lived there with her parents. Her mother took her and left but Lucy came back to visit. She had a best friend, Laura Peabody, and Lucy's dad Bud Cooper,  who lived there. One summer though there was a teenage boy named Ben Ressler. Ben was visiting and both girls had crushes on him. That last summer a boy named Ben came between two best friends. Lucy did not mean to fall in love with Ben. But it happened. They were each other's first loves.. Laura didn't take it to well.

Ben had moved back to Winthrop after his football career plummeted. He became a landscaper and worked hard. He is well loved and no one on the island holds what happened against him. It was an accident.

When Lucy and Ben meet again the fire sparks. Though both it seems try to hide it and not make a deal out of it.

Then there is another story going on but set back in 1816-1817. Still on Winthrop Island. It's set during The Great Snow and is another romance in the making. Hephzibah is living with her sister and brother in law and there is a huge snow storm. Also there are pirates. When two men come in wanting help for their captian and promising to pay them handsomely what can they do. Silas who is married to Beulah, Hephzibah's sister, is sickly. Hephzibah takes charge and does what needs doing. The captain, Ramsay, is hurt and needs quite a few stiches. Hephzibah does the sewing and must do a fine job. 

You get to know the characters in both stories and how they weave together. Lucy's dad has spent his life researching buried treasure and was convinced there was treasure on his land. Thus the reason Lucy's mother took her and left. 

I adored this story. Both of them. Two strong women. Two strong love stories. Pirates and buried treasure. A mystery. A murder??? There are a few things going on and you just have to find out who is doing what and why. I wanted everyone to end up happy and together. I loved the love stories. I loved these characters. The way Ben helped the girls basketball team start winning. How he stood by Laura when she needed him but never left Lucy's side either. 

You may see a few names from other books set on Winthrop Island by this author also. I recognized some. I can't wait to read the next book already. 

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC. I also received a physical copy from attending an author event. 

I bought the audio and am so glad I did. I loved how the three narrators made this book even better. The dialect from back in the early 1800s was great. So well done. Each one did great.

 

Five stars.

About

A young widow returns to her late father’s New England estate, only to be drawn into the hunt for the rumored pirate treasure that consumed his life, in this thrilling and moving novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Husbands & Lovers.

Local history insists that a legendary pirate buried his treasure somewhere beneath Windward, the decayed Cooper estate on Winthrop Island, but Lucy Cooper never trusted the fable that broke her family apart. When a widowed Lucy returns with her young daughter to grieve her estranged father, she discovers the property’s buried under a mountain of debt, and Ben Ressler has just turned up on her doorstep.

Thirteen summers ago, a teenaged Lucy never meant to fall in love with Ben, a Dartmouth football star vacationing next door at the Peabody estate, and the object of an all-consuming crush by Laura Peabody, Lucy’s best friend. Those two weeks with Ben were the best and worst of Lucy’s life, dooming her friendship with Laura. Now Ben’s returned to live quietly in the Peabodys’ caretaker lodge, after a fatal accident ended his dazzling NFL career. He’s also the last person who saw Lucy’s father alive.

As Lucy reconstructs her father’s troubling final days, she uncovers his research on the frozen winter of 1717, when a desperately wounded pirate sought refuge on Winthrop Island with an enigmatic healer. To Lucy, this history points the way to a different kind of how to forgive yourself for the mistakes of the past and earn a second chance at love. But just as Lucy’s long-buried emotions sear to the surface, a shocking turn of events reveals that someone else on the island will do whatever it takes to claim the fabled plunder.

A timeless story of love and atonement, When You Loved Me maps both a centuries-old treasure hunt and the intimate territory of the human heart, weaving together past and present as only Beatriz Williams can.

Where She Rests (Nikki Hunt, #12) by Stacy Green

 

My thoughts

I've read all of the Nikki Hunt books and will continue to as long as Stacy Green keeps writing them. Nikki is the best. So strong and take no crap bad.... 

When three young teens are brutally murdered Nikki makes it her mission to find the killer. Two of these young girls worked at the bakery she frequented. Shot execution style. Nothing missing. Except a possible third girl. A runaway. A street child. If she is alive Nikki will find her. 

Back when Nikki was a teenager her parents were brutally murdered. An innocent young man was sent to prison for it. Nikki truly thought he was the killer. He was released after the true killer was found and brought to justice. The innocent young man is now Nikki's brother in law. He's just about the kindest person ever. But he is taken in again. A possible suspect in the murder of the two young girls in the bakery. Nikki comes to his defense...

This story has many twists and turns. A few suspects. Don't even try to figure out who the murderer is.. You won't guess. I thought I had it all figured out. I was wrong. I'm glad I was wrong but I still didn't like the one I thought was the killer. He was a jerk. 

I love almost all of the characters in this series. They start to feel like friends after a while. This one kept me reading all day. I didn't want to put it down. I wanted so bad to know who the killer was and why. Why he killed the two girls in the bakery.

All questions were answered and I finally released a held breath right before the Epilogue... Once Nikki woke up and Rory could breath again I was happy. Now I can't wait for the next book. I'm wondering how Stacy will top this one. It was perfect. 

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC. I bought the audio and it was just great. Made the characters even more realistic.

5 big stars..

About

The girl feels her pulse spike as she tucks herself into the tight space hoping he can’t hear her heavy breathing. She watches him adjust the limp body beside him, and then pause, as if he’s noticed something…

When Special Agent Nikki Hunt walks into the local bakery, she can’t believe the terrifying scene inside. Owner, Claire, is in floods of tears and trembling, the bloodied blond hair of her two young shop assistants peeking out from beneath the white sheets covering them. Nikki immediately panics as she hears Stillwater police whispering that her brother-in-law, Mark, might be the killer…

Though Nikki once proved Mark was innocent of murder, there are people in town who still believe he should be in prison. And everyone knows he just started dating Claire. But finding Mark shaking in the station’s interrogation room, her gut tells her he’s innocent once again. Evidence that a homeless teen was sleeping in the bakery is Nikki’s first real lead, and she begins a desperate search.

But despite knocking on every door, Nikki can find no trace of the missing girl. And then she receives the call she dreads… another body has been found.

Will Nikki be able to protect the people of Stillwater, and her own family? Or has the girl she’s been searching for already lost her life?

Fans of Kendra Elliot, Lisa Regan and Mary Stone will inhale this unbelievably pacy crime thriller until the early hours, desperate to flip the final pages.

The Iron Hex by Victoria S. Walsh

 My thoughts

I did enjoy most of this book. Parts were repetitive and slow but still it was ok. You have a girl who seems to be in love with a guy. The problem is the guy is a witch killer and the girl is a witch. Her best friend is a rabbit. A literal rabbit. What could possibly go wrong?

Eira is a witch who has lost her memory. Her best friend is a rabbit. She thinks her family are all dead and gone. Then along comes Hugo to help her. And her friend Evangeline is suddenly there too. These three take a journey to find a memory witch who can restore Eira's memories. There are some big secrets along the way too. And a love story in the making. Well not exactly in the making since it's kind of been there all along. The problem is one is a witch. One is a killer of witches. How do you make a love match out of that? You'll see...

This is a three part story. I've only read the first part and do highly look forward to the next one. While parts of this story drove me crazy, most was so good. I hated hearing Iron Retinue in almost every paragraph. It was a bit overdone. But this was the author's first attempt at this kind of story so you have to give credit to that. A debut novel that seems to be a hit. 

I listened to the audio while reading the ebook and the narrator Jeremy Carlisle Parker did a good job with it. While she is not one of my favorite narrators she does do a decent job of holding your attention. Keeping the characters separate has to be a job on it's on. 

 

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA and Harlequin Audio/MIRA for the arcs.

3.75 stars. 

About

She doesn’t remember her past. But some memories come with a cost.

Eira Eckhart has spent years building a quiet life in a small town at the edge of a recently overthrown kingdom. Her memory is fractured, her past a blur—but with her shop, her loyal rabbit familiar, and practicing only the potions magic still legal under the watchful eye of the Iron Empire, she’s managed to remain unnoticed by the empire’s witch hunters.

Until Hugo Venton walks through her door.

Brash, clever, and infuriatingly handsome, Hugo is searching for something…and seems to know more about Eira than she knows about herself. But when a terrifying encounter with an unnatural, deadly new breed of soldier puts a price on her head, she has no choice but to join Hugo on his quest.

Their hunt for a missing princess pulls Eira across the continent—and deeper into a past she can’t recall. As buried memories, mysteries in the Iron Empire’s capital, forgotten feelings, and the truth behind her identity begin to surface, Eira realizes the forbidden magic simmering in her veins might be the very thing that could save them from the Iron Empire’s forces as they draw ever closer…if she can remember how to control it in time.

Meet Me In Paris by Kristin Harmel

 

My thoughts

I will read anything Kristin Harmel writes. Her books always take me to places I would not be able to go. (I don't fly) They give me the emotions that all good books give. All of the emotions. They always keep me wanting more. This book was just so good. Filled with several characters and their stories. Their feelings and emotions. From finding true love to losing old loves. From young to young at heart..

This is a story of many faces. A few young ladies coming to Paris to help their friend get over her husbands affair. A divorce vacation if you will. A mother/daughter who always planned to visit and are here before it's to late. The mother has terminal cancer. A group of people who were in Vietnam together, for a reunion of sorts. A single young lady who just wants to know her father who never was part of her life. (I didn't like him at all. He reminded me of someone in a way). An older man who found out the true love of his life didn't die. She's alive but in a home for memory loss. (dementia) What a story there....

You truly will get to know these characters and all their feelings. The emotions and caring they each have. And there is a lady's man in the group of Vietnam veterans. He was a hoot for sure. 

All of the stories are heartwarming and in ways heartbreaking. Very emotional. Very touching. 

I think this author always out does herself. This is such a good book. It was so interesting to read one that was not historical though in a couple of places there is history in the subject. 

I can't wait to read her next book. 

Thank you Gallery Books and NetGalley for this ARC. 

Five stars 

About

Nine Americans in Paris. Seven intertwined love stories. One City of Light.

Love Actually meets The Notebook in a tale of love, loss, and finding your way home, all set over the course of one life-changing week in Paris.

Julia Glover has brought her twenty-three-year-old daughter, Piper, to Paris for the first time—but they know it will also be their last trip here together. Julia is dying, and as the mother and daughter desperately try to make memories together as the clock ticks down, the world opens up around them. Piper meets a cute French waiter, who might just understand her better than anyone she’s ever met, and Julia meets a man at a dive bar and struggles with how to tell him the truth about her future.

Rock star Jackson Quick’s glory days are behind him. He had a handful of hit songs thirty years ago, but he hasn’t toured in a decade. This week, he’ll launch his reunion tour in Paris, the city where it all began. But he wants more out of life than being defined by fame. When he meets a woman who finally sees him for who he is at his core, the ground shifts beneath his feet.

Henry McGee has been writing hit songs for decades—including Jackson Quick’s biggest hit, City of Light. But his secret is that every love song he’s ever written is for a woman named Celeste, whom he loved a lifetime ago, when they were both teenagers in Paris during World War II. He has spent eighty years believing she died—but when a letter arrives telling him the opposite, he’s on the first flight to France. Can he break through the haze of her dementia, using the songs he’s written all these years, to remind her of who they once were to each other—and to tell her he came back for her?

Henry’s granddaughter, Melody, has just discovered that her husband of twenty years, Gilles, a French cosmetics executive, is having an affair. When she confronts him, he tearfully apologizes and begs her to forgive him. But can she? And, perhaps even more importantly, does she want to? Or is there a different kind of life out there for her if she chooses to be alone?

These intertwining stories—plus several others—unfold over a few breathtaking spring days, as an unforgettable group of Americans in Paris must find their way to their own versions of happily ever after in the City of Light.

A Curse of Beasts and Magic by Jeaniene Frost

 

My thoughts

This was my first by this author. It was so good too. 

The only thing that I didn't like was that dragons are not good in this story. I love a good dragon story and this one is good but not the dragons good. Yikes!! I did not like the dragon's host though. That kind of made up for the dragon being not nice. :) 

A girl with a beast inside meets a man with tons of money and possibly a beast inside of him. They become an item. A fake engagement too. 

Raine was infected with a beast at the young age of fifteen. She lost her mother and grandmother that day. She has tried everything to kill this beast but to no avail. When she saves an old man her life changes drastically. 

Remington is a very rich man. He owns most of the land and soon hopes to own Raine. Well maybe not own, but have. He likes her. He finds her to be kind and full of spunk. He also believes her to be beautiful and she has a beast in her. He wants to find out what kind of beast and what she knows about it. He never expected to fall in love. Or did he?

This book was a fun read and oh my I hope the next book comes out soon. I didn't want it to end yet...

Well written and filled with a few beasts and bad guys/girls. A big fight scene and a few love scenes. Hot but not too hot. This was just a good story. A good fictional story of love, loss, fights, beasts, humans, and some horrors too. 

I listened to the audio via NetGalley and it was fantastic. The narrator, Tavia Gilbert, did such a good job. She was able to do the voices so you felt each character. She truly brought this book to life.

Thank you MacMillan Audio for this ARC.

4.5 stars 

About

New York Times bestselling author of The Night Huntress series Jeaniene Frost returns with a brand-new series! It’s Beauty and the Beast meets The Witcher, except Beauty IS the Beast, and he’s the Warden keeping mythical beings in check in our world and beyond.

Raine Stone is living a nightmare. Ever since she survived the attack that killed her family, she's been hiding a terrible secret--and a Beast inside her.

It feeds on violence and chaos, but she restrains its urges by playing vigilante on the city streets. Until one night, Raine uses the Beast’s energy to heal an elderly gentleman from a seemingly random attack and discovers a new world of danger—literally.

Remington “Remy” Byrne knows the wall between a realm of deadly mythic creatures and our own world is very fragile. After all, he’s the Warden who guards the gateways between them. Raine’s Beast contains power that could tip the scales in a sinister plot against Remy’s rule—if she allies with him.

Will they be friends or foes…or will their dangerous attraction turn into something else? And can our world be saved by their explosive alliance?

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 . . .