Book Critic
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Review: Ladies of the House by Lauren Edmondson
Sense and Sensibility is one of my favorite Jane Austen novels! Whenever I see Austen re-tellings with a modern flair…..I try to be wary. Some are great but others miss the mark and but yet no matter how great or awful the re-tellings are, I still can’t resist them in any form! When I saw that Lauren Edmondson was writing a modern re-telling of Sense and Sensibility, for good or for bad, I was so excited to read it! But I went into it knowing that nothing will ever live up to the original Sense and Sensibility—nor should it! Austen had her own unique voice and I expected Edmondson to…
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Review: Fatal Fried Rice (A Noodle Shop Mystery #7) by Vivien Chien
I first discovered this series because I was hungry. I was on my lunch break scrolling through Netgalley and saw the first book and was like lured in by the noodle ox on the cover and I have never been so glad to be hungry in all my life! I found such a fun series because I was hungry! This has been such a fun little series to read and I am so happy to see that we are on the seventh book in the series! I am so happy people have loved it as much as I have. Lana Lee is a great amateur detective who has funky hair,…
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Review: Spellmaker (Spellbreaker Duology #2) by Charlie N. Holmberg
I haven’t had very good luck with duologies. I typically find them to feel unfinished. There is something about the trilogy of three books that rounds out a story in a way that two books just doesn’t. So often I tend to pass on them, but then I was pitched Charlie N Holmberg’s Spellbreaker duology. The covers for Holmberg’s books are whimsical and really stand out to me. They are easy to identify and the suggest something historical mixed with fantasy and I couldn’t pass on the first book. It just sounded so good and I did enjoy it so reading the second book in the duology was a no…
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Re-Share Review: Who Speaks for the Damned (Sebastian St. Cyr #15) by C.S. Harris
Sebastian St Cyr is one of my all time favorite detectives. I love all of the books and I am actually currently reading the next book which is great by the way! I loved the series so much that I went back and read the entire series beginning to end last year so that I could get a more complete picture of Sebastian and the secondary characters. I had jumped around in the series when I started the books and while I wasn’t exactly lost, there were times when I could tell that I was missing out one some nuances between the characters and the larger narrative. So I went…
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Review: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
When I saw this book, the cover made it hard to pass on. The cover is so eye catching and colorful that I couldn’t look away! I loved it and was immediately curious what this book was all about! Then I read the back…..ummmm sold after the two rules! I couldn’t wait to check this one out! In the summary the first line is this: Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman. Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register. I mean poison and murder in the late 1700s?! YES! I couldn’t wait to get my…
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Review: An Unexpected Peril (Veronica Speedwell #6) by Deanna Raybourn
I have been a fan of Veronica Speedwell since the very first book. I adore the slow burn chemistry between Veronica and Stoker (her love interest) and the mysteries are always satisfying. Deanna Raybourn is such a great writer, I read her Lady Julia series as well as some of her standalone books and all have been so delightful! One of the things that makes this series stand out to me more than some other historical mysteries is that both Veronica and Stoker have unique professions. Veronica is a butterfly scientist/hunter and Stoker is a taxidermist—although he has had quite a few other jobs in his life so maybe it’s…
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Review: The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron
I have only had the pleasure of reading one of Kristy Cambron’s novels but I have many of them on my TBR of course. I loved The Painted Castle which I read back in 2019 and I was really excited to see that this one was coming out! When it came up for review I was ecstatic and I loved the cover! Easy yes right here! There are a lot of wonderful WWII novels that come out every year and I try and squeeze in as many as I can. Many are set in Paris or feature unlikely female heroines turned spies or resistance fighters and while the genre is…
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Review: Shipped by Angie Hockman
This is a book I bought all thanks to ‘the gram’. This book has been all over my Instagram and I finally caved and bought it. I thought the cover was cute and I was looking for a quick easy read that I would enjoy and escape for a little while and since I am dealing with a major case of wanderlust, I thought this book would tick all the boxes. The cover is adorable and the enemies to lovers troupe is one of my favorites. The two characters, Henley and Graeme, are up for the same promotion and I thought that scenario might bring up some interesting competitiveness between…
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Review: The Family Ship by Sonja Yoerg
I am eternally grateful for Sonja Yoerg reaching out a few years ago asking if I wanted to review her debut novel, House Broken. I fell in love with it and knew that Yoerg was going to be one to watch! I have since read all of her books and am always excited to see when her next book is going to drop. Her books are always well written with powerful story telling that will draw readers in. Basically it’s a no brainer when I see one of her books come up for a review—-yes! I saw the cover for this one and was instantly drawn curious about what was…
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Re Share Review: The Diabolical Bones (Brontë Sisters Mystery #2) by Bella Ellis
I never met a Bronte novel that I didn’t like. I love the Bronte’s and when I saw a series of books about the Bronte’s as detectives was coming out, I was chomping at the bit to dive into it! But I did have some hesitations. There was part of me that was thrilled for a new take on the Brontes, but another part of me was worried it would be a hokey series. But after reading the first book, I was pleasantly surprised by how well written and developed the characters and plot were! I thought the first book was wonderful and was really looking forward to the second.…