Tag: Book Review

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Hidden Lake by Ruhi Choudhary – Books On Tour (Review)

My love for finding new mystery/crime series is well-known to anyone who has read this blog. It should come as no surprise, then, that I am happy to let you know I have found another one!

Detective Mackenzie Price has quite a family history. The book opens with an event that would be scarring to anyone. It is interesting, then, that Mackenzie chooses to go into law enforcement. But that is somewhat typical of many of these heroines: a pivotal event provides them motivation for future choices.

I thought that the author astutely tackled Mackenzie’s memories and the influence that the event had on her. The thoughts that plagued Mackenzie were woven naturally into the plot, which was effective.

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0895Q93SRCover Apple: https://apple.co/36yGPoQ
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2X2Rlle Google: https://bit.ly/2XsJGM0

The case is fairly standard, but the author does a terrific job of not giving away everything all at once. The reader is able to put together the pieces as Mackenzie does, which is always more fun that knowing more than the characters (not that there is anything wrong with that style, but it’s always interesting to see how different authors approach policework).

Not only does the author drop hints about the case itself, there are also glimpses of potential relationship issues, both personal and work-related for “Mad Mack” (as her co-workers call her). Again, this is very effective because the author doesn’t give the reader a big exposition explanation, just little mentions here and there that hint there is more going on that we have yet to learn.

To say this was a page-turner is inadequate. I was definitely intrigued and drawn in by the style and the plot. This is quite a stellar debut, and I absolutely think that Mad Mack will be one to follow in future books.  

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/RuhiSChoudhary

Author Bio:

Ruhi Choudhary discovered her passion for writing when she was seven years old and wrote her first Star Trek episode. Being a fan of the dark and twisted, she found her calling in crime thriller.

She likes to write stories that make you a little uncomfortable and characters that you struggle to make up your mind about but stay with you.

She lives in Toronto and spends her days training to be a scientist and wishing it rained more often!

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Some Like it Greek by Sue Roberts – Books on Tour (Review)

Every once in awhile, amid the psych thrillers and historical fiction, you just need a book vacation. I have the perfect recommendation for you. Reading this was like taking a sunny vacation to Greece.

Anna has had a rough few months. After finding some documents that are memoirs from her dad’s time in Greece, she decides to follow in his footsteps, grabs her Dad’s neighbor Demi, and takes off on an adventure. How fortunate for us that we get to go along with her.

This book was pure escapism. There are no great lessons to learn or issues to overcome. Sure Anna has to make some tough decisions by the end, but isn’t that the way with any good vacation? Anybody who has had a lovely time somewhere feels that tug between wanting to stay and feeling the need to get back to real life.

Which one does Anna choose?

Like I’m going to tell you!! Read the book!

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2XYA7FF Apple: https://apple.co/3bsfipU
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2xVk69N Google: https://bit.ly/2WMA26C

I love this author’s writing style. It flows along, allowing the reader to be drawn into the story. Her descriptions of Italy and Greece were especially resonant because those are two of my favorite places in the world. The author captures them perfectly.

As I mentioned, there are no great mysteries here…just a very pleasant read with fun characters and beautiful scenery.

Sometimes that’s all a book needs to be a winner.

Author Bio:

Sue Roberts lives in Lancashire with her long term partner Derek and has had a lifelong love of writing, encouraged by winning a school writing competition at the age of 11.

She always assumed that ‘one day’ she would write a book, always having a busy household and a job, the idea remained firmly on the back burner but never forgotten.

The inspiration for her first novel came to her on a holiday to a Greek village. Her daughters had left home and suddenly the time had come to write that book! Twitter: https://twitter.com/suerobertsautho

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Here to Stay by Adriana Herrerra – Blog Tour (Review)

What could have been a run-of-the-mill, enemies to lovers/workplace romance story was made much more enjoyable by the author’s perfect capturing of a unique lifestyle and attitude that belongs to one group of people.

Every major city has its quirks, and life-long residents grow up incorporating them (often unknowingly) into their own characters. There is no place where this is truer than New York City.

People from there have a style and persona that is identifiable as “strictly NYC.” That even carries into the Boroughs, and further into neighborhoods. I lived in the city, so I’m very familiar with most of them.

I think that’s why I enjoyed this book so much. The author did a fantastic job of capturing that certain something New Yorkers have. From the lexicon to the clothing styles, it all felt familiar and a little bit comforting.

BUY LINKS

Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9780369700926_here-to-stay.html
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Here-Stay-Adriana-Herrera-ebook/dp/B086R2QY77
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-to-stay-adriana-herrera/1136795733
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/here-to-stay/id1506190677
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Adriana_Herrera_Here_to_Stay?id=_-zaDwAAQBAJ
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/here-to-stay-20

I especially liked Julia. She reminded me of a Dominican I once worked with in Midtown. Big and bold, but at times unsure in new situations. I also enjoyed Julia’s mom’s attitudes toward her daughter living in Texas. That’s another NYC thing…nothing is as good as what you can get in the city (even down to hand lotion).

I thought Rocco was an interesting character. He was working class Queens (also familiar) but painted as the bad guy in Julia’s eyes. I enjoyed watching the two of them slowly grow to understand each other and realize how much they actually had in common. It showed the importance of looking beyond the surface of people.

I got the feeling that this was written for a younger set of readers. Due to my teenage son, I’m pretty up on slang and current phrases, but don’t use them myself. The characters in this book used them consistently, especially when the NYC transplants were together. It made the book very contemporary.

I would highly recommend this well-written and “current” book. I think a lot of people will be able to identify with the characters and their situations.

About Adriana Herrera

Adriana was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last fifteen years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings.

When she’s not dreaming up love stories, planning logistically complex vacations with her family or hunting for discount Broadway tickets, she’s a trauma therapist in New York City, working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Her Dreamers series has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist and has been featured in The TODAY Show on NBC, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Library Journal and The WashingtonPost. Her debut, American Dreamer, was selected as one of Booklist’s ‘Best Romance Debuts of 2019’, and one of the ‘Top 10 Romances of 2019’ by Entertainment Weekly. Her third novel, American LoveStory, was one of the winners in the first annual Ripped Bodice Award for Excellence in Romantic Fiction. Adriana is an outspoken advocate for diversity in romance and has written for Remezcla and Bustle about Own Voices in the genre. She’s one of the co-creators of the Queer Romance PoC Collective. Represented by Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary.

Connect with Adriana Herrera

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A Dangerous Goodbye by Fliss Chester – Blog Tour (Review)

I’ve read a lot of historical fiction, mostly centered around WWII and I am always interested to learn something new (yes, I know I’ve mentioned that before). This one however was truly unique, because it was more of a mystery set in the era instead of a straight historical fiction novel. And I truly enjoyed it.

To be perfectly honest, the author had me at crossword puzzles and wordplay.

That both Fen and Arthur were fans of cryptic word puzzles was an excellent background to the mystery of Arthur’s whereabouts. It was unique to have the initial clues in his letter and it highlighted the connection that the two of them had in spite of the shortness of their actual relationship.

Amazon: https://bit.ly/33V7Rrh Apple: https://apple.co/3gVq2Ad
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2WiGBym Google: https://bit.ly/3gU1zfe

I liked how the author didn’t get bogged down in the post-war dread. We know that it was a horrible time, and there were still terrible things going on, but that wasn’t the concern of the characters in this book. There’s a time and a place for such things, and it would have been VERY out of place here.

Instead, it was almost light-hearted. That’s not exactly the right word for it, because it was still post-WWII France. I guess a better way to put it was that it the author chose to let the spy/intrigue/mystery take care of the “drama” aspect of the story.

And there was plenty of spy intrigue. I thought it was all well-done. (I really don’t want to say a lot, because I don’t want to give anything away).

Suffice to say that I thought Fen was tenacious and quick-witted – a real heroine to get behind. I loved this mystery, and look forward to more of her cases! I just hope that the clever wordplay and puzzles continue….

Twitter:  @SocialWhirlGirl
Website: https://flisschester.co.uk/  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flisschester 

Author Bio:
Fliss Chester lives in Surrey with her husband and writes historical cozy crime. When she is not killing people off in her 1940s whodunnits, she helps her husband, who is a wine merchant, run their business. Never far from a decent glass of something, Fliss also loves cooking (and writing up her favourite recipes on her blog), enjoying the beautiful Surrey and West Sussex countryside and having a good natter. 

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Baller by M. A. Foster (Review)

I loved this author’s Cougar; it was one of the most emotional, epic love stories I have ever read and still remains one of my favorite books. It would be hard to outdo Emerson and Cam’s story, but Liam and Vanessa come pretty close.

One of the things that I like most about this author is that she writes in a more narrative style than others. What do I mean by that? I am not exactly sure – it makes sense the way I think of it but is hard to explain. I’ll give it a shot.

With other stories, it is easy to recount a plot in terms of plot points: boy meets girl, boy does something dumb and loses girl, boy regrets it, boy gets girl back…that sort of thing. You know that there is going to be stupidity and tears, and worrying about making the right choices before everyone ends up where they are supposed to be.

I suppose you could pigeonhole Baller into this framework, but that would be to do it an injustice because there is nothing formulaic about the author’s storytelling. She creates whole worlds with fully realized characters who have complex relationships and connections. Her stuff is just…real. That being said, you can get book report reviews elsewhere; I’m going to talk about what I liked about the book.    

I loved the story arc, and how it overlapped with past books before moving forward. That’s another thing that I like about this author. Her stories aren’t exactly linear (as in book one happens, and then book two happens). It’s more like watching a tv show from different points of view; the holistic approach is another thing that lends realism to her plots.

I thought that Vanessa was an interesting character. She was stubborn, even when she knew she might be wrong. Thank goodness her friends were there for her from the beginning. I really enjoyed the scenes with the four of them, because it was straight-talk from real women – not just the “my tribe will always agree with me.” We could all use friends like that.

I also liked how the author captures male camaraderie, which isn’t always easy. One particular scene in a restaurant bathroom had me literally laughing out loud because I know people who would say the exact things that the guys said.

If I had any complaints about this story, and this is being nitpicky, is that everything seemed to go a little bit fast at the end. I kind of expected a little bit more angst or drama. But how it all played out didn’t bother me (if that makes sense).

This is also the only author who, in addition to the detailed character lists she shares, I also need to keep my own notes. But that’s okay, because I enjoy active reading much more – it keeps me engaged.

I love this author’s style, I love Heritage Bay, and I’ve become attached to the characters. I can’t wait to see who gets the next story!

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Southern Seducer by Jessica Peterson (Review)

I loved this author’s Charleston Heat series. Nobody can do swoony southern men and strong women like she can. It’s been nearly a year since the last one in the series was released, because the author had her own life events going on (shocking, right?) The break was much needed and inspirational, I think, because this book was personal to the core.

One thing that always stands out about her books is the honesty. Her characters are raw and real. While the endings are sometimes fairy tale-ish, the romances are something to dream about and aspire to. They also provide an escape to old married women like me. It’s fun to live vicariously.

For this first book in her new North Carolina Highlands series, we get the story of Annabel and Beau, best friends for nearly 20 years. I’m not going to go into too many details about the plot of this book (those can be found elsewhere) but I’m going to tell you what struck me personally about this friends-to-lovers story.

I think that Bel came from a very personal place for the author. The descriptions of the feelings and emotions that Bel felt as a new mom could only be put on paper by someone who had lived them herself. I imagine that other moms to newborns will identify, which makes the book so much more relatable.  

I, personally, wouldn’t know. But what the author managed to do was make me realize what I will never feel. Sometimes you don’t know what you miss until it hits you in the face that you won’t have it.

What I did feel deep down, however, was the emotion that Beau’s fear brought out in me.

[SPOILER ALERT] SCROLL DOWN TO BELOW THE BOOK COVER NOW if you don’t want to see a major plot point.

My father had a condition very similar to Beau’s dad, and the descriptions of his behavior (as well as that of Beau’s) brought the last few years of his life screaming back at me. Where other readers will relate to the PPD and find strength, I related to the memories of the dementia and bursts of outrage that Beau remembers of his father.

I’m not going to lie. I had to put the book down a few times after his descriptions of temper, or forgetfulness, or just failing…those were real and raw emotions, and they were hard to deal with. Since the author’s perspective of PPD was so accurate, it led me to wonder if she also had experience with the kind of brain trauma she wrote about. The passages were difficult, but I was able to relate to Beau more in those moments. He became more real to me than just the best friend studmuffin character.

It was a heavy dose of reality in a beautiful romance.

OKAY I’M BACK

Anyway, this author also has the slow-burn romance thing down to perfection. She’s fantastic at creating scenes that give the reader that little swoop in the belly and the “oh my” seduction. Who doesn’t love a character who can seduce both the female lead and the reader at the same time!

I loved the entire Beauregard family, and their resort is one I wish existed in real life because I would love to vacation there. I know that it is based on real-life places, but I want the whole Beauregard experience. I’m excited that it’s a big family and that we’ll (hopefully) get stories for each of them.

This is probably one of the most personal reviews I have ever written. I hope you love the book as much as I did.

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The Friendship List by Susan Mallery- Blog Tour (Review)

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but what I got was a heartwarming and honest look at friendships and how nobody has to navigate life on their own. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book.

I thought the differences between Ellen and Unity, friends since childhood, were unique, but also led them to be in the same boat in a small town. Ellen had a teenage pregnancy and ended up a single mom while Unity married her first boyfriend who she subsequently lost at an early age. Both women have become stuck in their ways.

One day, after some particularly challenging news for each of them, they sit down and write out a list of challenges designed to alter the paths their lives are taking. Sort of a bucket list for 30-year-olds.

I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. It was realistic and natural and just flowed. The inner dialogues were as crisp as what the characters said to each other, so there was no lag in the action. There were several times I found myself thinking, “Yep, that’s what I would have said.”

The author also tackled some fairly serious issues (teen pregnancy, single parenting, grief, allowing the past to control the present, aging) with a keen eye but also with a sense of humor. It was serious when it needed to be, but never got preachy.

The secondary characters were just as enjoyable as Ellen and Unity and each of them brought something fun to the story. I could see where the romantic interests for each of the woman were going right away, but the journey with them was enjoyable.

The only thing that stuck out to me, and probably only because I am a teacher by trade, was the college bus trip that Ellen and Keith took to Southern California with the high school students. I did a similar trip when I was in high school, but it was a totally different world then.

There’s no way that only two adults would take the group of teens on a two-week bus trip. And some of the events that happen on the bus trip would absolutely never occur. In fact, there were a few times that the adults were extremely irresponsible, and that bothered me a bit, because their actions didn’t really fit in with the rest of the book.

But I still think it was an excellent read and would highly recommend picking it up. There are some good lessons to be learned along the way.

BUY LINKS

Amazon Barnes & Noble Books-a-Million Indie Bound Kindle Nook Google Play Kobo Walmart Target Bookshop.org

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

SUSAN MALLERY is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship and romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations,” and readers seem to agree—forty million copies of her books have been sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.

Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She’s passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the two Ragdoll cats and adorable poodle who think of her as Mom.

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The Day Lincoln Lost by Charles Rosenberg – Blog Tour (Review)

I started this book with a completely different expectation from what I ended up getting and I am totally okay with that. This could not have been a timelier, or more fascinating, read.

Set against the backdrop of the run-up to the pivotal 1860 election, the author tackles just about every topic at issue. From slavery and abolition to the scorn of media against certain politicians, all is covered with accurate and informative detail.

I particularly liked the way the author mixed real historical figures with his fictional characters. I have studied the Civil War at great length and am familiar with several of the names mentioned in this book.

But the author wrote his fictional characters so vividly, that I found myself Googling just about every one of them to find out if the person was imaginary or was real and I just hadn’t heard of them. It made the book almost interactive, which I really enjoyed.

(Yes, I realize I could have just read the end notes, but where is the fun in that?)

I also liked how the author used an escaped slave girl to set the scene and allowed the characters’ positions to be clear through their actions instead of just through exposition. I think that this helped the story come more to life.

What I didn’t like, and I’m not exactly sure of why the author chose this path, was to change something that seems rather insignificant in the bigger picture. It has to do with the election itself, and that’s all I am going to say in terms of the overall plot.

What occurred to me, however, is that the author might have been using one of the most contentious elections in American History as a commentary for our current election. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not, but to me there were clear parallels that could have been drawn.

I found myself saying, “well that sounds familiar” more than a few times. This was especially true when it came to Buchanan’s attitudes (and those of the people surrounding him) towards Lincoln. The similarities to the past few years of history were too great to ignore.

I think that when it comes to alternate history, it’s important to go big and show how different history could have been. I didn’t get that with this one. But I still enjoyed it because of the characters and the closer look at another time that our country was in crisis.

About the Author:

Social Links:
Author website: https://www.charlesrosenbergauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharlesRosenbergAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/whomdunnit
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whomdunnit/

Charles Rosenberg is the author of the legal thriller Death on a High Floor and its sequels. The credited legal consultant to the TV shows LA Law, Boston Legal, The Practice, and The Paper Chase, he was also one of two on-air legal analysts for E! Television’s coverage of the O.J. Simpson criminal and civil trials. He teaches as an adjunct law professor at Loyola Law School and has also taught at UCLA, Pepperdine and Southwestern law schools. He practices law in the Los Angeles area.

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The Wife’s Choice by Emma Davies – Books On Tour (Review)

This is the second book in a row that I was intrigued by, and enjoyed, but still felt like there was something missing.

I could identify with Alys’ outlook on just about everything: her feelings of being unimportant at work (with the work not exactly being fulfilling to begin with), the way she had to run interference between her daughter and her husband, being at a crossroads in her life…all relatable.

Especially that feeling of what might have been. I think every woman who has reached a certain age totally gets that one. Usually, it is in tandem with “the one that got away.” It’s almost that way for Alys, but with a little twist.

I’m not telling what it is (you can read that elsewhere).

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0885VW3LWSocial Apple: https://apple.co/2yr0aMj
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3dpp5OU Google: https://bit.ly/3cdewhS

While I related to most of the situations Alys was dealing with, I found the writing style to be a little bit jarring. It switches from “I rush into the other room” to an inner monologue of “seeing you again has brought emotions back” – but Alys is not saying the second part to anyone.

It’s hard to explain, almost like these moments are supposed to be Alys’ inner monologue, but they’re not constant. As I said, it was jarring each time it occurred.

But I did like the trajectory and could understand how conflicted Alys was. I also liked how the secondary characters had just as much backstory as the main ones. And I especially appreciated the strong female friendship between Alys and Nancy. I thought that was a highlight.

I would recommend the book for some strong female characters and relatable situations.  

Author Bio

After a varied career, Emma Davies once worked for a design studio where she was asked to provide a fun and humorous (and not necessarily true) anecdote for their website. She wrote the following: ‘I am a bestselling novelist currently masquerading as a thirty something mother of three.’ Well the job in the design studio didn’t work out but she’s now a forty something mother of three and is happy to report the rest of her dream came true.

After many years as a finance manager she now writes full time and is far happier playing with words than numbers. She lives with her husband, three children, and two guinea pigs in rural Shropshire where she writes in all the gaps in between real life. It’s a county she adores, her love of its beautiful people and landscapes providing endless inspiration for her books, and in fact the only thing that would make Shropshire more idyllic is if it were by the sea. 

Pop over to her website www.emmadaviesauthor.com where, amongst other things, you can read about her passion for Pringles and singing loudly in the car. You can also wave to her on twitter @EmDaviesAuthor / https://twitter.com/EmDaviesAuthor or find her on Facebook (a little too often than is good for her): https://www.facebook.com/emmadaviesauthor/
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My Mother’s Choice by Ali Mercer – Books On Tour (Review)

This story left me feeling conflicted. I thought the character development, especially of the main character, was realistic, and the plot was well thought-out, but overall…well, I can’t quite put my finger on it.

The gist of the story is Dani has grown up under the guidance of her aunt for ten years. She has random flashes of memory of her dad and aunt from when she was four years old, but not many memories of her mom.

Her aunt has set a lot of rules, and (like any 14-year-old) Dani rails against many of them. Her aunt calls in Dani’s dad, but nothing is really clarified for Dani.

Until she finds her mom’s diary in the attic and everything changes. The phrase “be careful what you wish for” came to mind.

Amazon: https://geni.us/B086T61VF1Social Apple: https://apple.co/2wk3G9Z
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2xdGeMb Googleplay: https://bit.ly/2UVLTjb

As she reads her mother’s diary, some of Dani’s questions are answered. But in turn, more questions arise. Dani pushes the issue with both her aunt and her dad until an explosive revelation brings everything out into the open.

In some ways, I thought that Dani was the most mature character out of the three of them. She seemed the most real to me. I especially appreciated how the author treated her as a real person and not a “typical teen.” I mean, there were definite teen moments, but Dani’s emotions and thoughts were deep and real. I liked that about her.

I understood the reasons for her aunt and dad to keep things from her, but I found it difficult to feel sorry for them. I got a definite “we know better” vibe, which just sat wrong with me for some reason.

I also didn’t feel like the revelation made as big of an impact as I thought it would. I don’t know if that’s because of my slight dislike for the adults, or what. But I think that’s where I am missing out on the bigger emotional punch of the climax.

I would still recommend this book, because I’m pretty sure that others will have a much different take than I did. I did feel for Dani, and commend the author for a teen character with more depth than many adult ones. That alone is worth the read.

Author Bio

Ali decided she wanted to be a writer early on and wrote her first novel when she was at primary school. She did an English degree and spent her early twenties working in various jobs in journalism, including as a reporter for the show business newspaper The Stage. She started writing fiction in earnest after getting married, moving out of London to the Oxfordshire market town of Abingdon and starting a family. She has two children, a daughter and a son who is autistic and was diagnosed when he was four years old. 
Ali is fascinated by families, their myths and secrets, and the forces that hold them together, split them up and (sometimes) bring them back together again. She always travels with tissues and a book and has been known to cry over a good story but is also a big fan of the hopeful ending. 

For updates and pictures, follow Ali on Twitter (@AlisonLMercer) or Instagram (@alimercerwriter), or on her Facebook page (AliMercerwriter)
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