Book Critic
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Take Two Review: A Study in Scarlet Women (Lady Sherlock #1) by Sherry Thomas
When I first picked up this book, I didn’t love it. I don’t even think I made it 20% of the way through before I sat it down, though I did force myself to finish it but I just didn’t love it. I decided NOT to read any of the other books in the series but at the same time, I lamented the fact that I didn’t love this series. I mean it’s been everywhere and lots of people loved it but I just didn’t. But it started to bug me that I didn’t love it. Because by all accounts I SHOULD have loved this series. I finally gave in…
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Review: When We Were Young & Brave by Hazel Gaynor
I have been a long time fan of Hazel Gaynor, I have loved all of her books and was thrilled to see this book coming up for release. This one sounded a little different than her typical books, but still a similar time period just a different location. I couldn’t wait to see how that all translated in this story and was thrilled when I was asked to review it! Earlier this year I read a novel set during the Japanese occupation of China in WWII which was a very new piece of history for me and I was eager to read more and this book sounded like it would…
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Review: Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March
The cover of this book screamed adventure and oozed exotic atmosphere so I couldn’t wait to check it out as soon as it came in the mail. This is the author’s debut novel and it promised a far away land with a tantalizing murder mystery plus a little romance. I haven’t read anything set in India in quite some time. Not to mention something that sounded so fresh and different but yet familiar and comforting like a historical mystery is. This book came in at 400 pages so a little longer than a typical historical mystery but considering the setting, I was looking forward to what I hoped would be…
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Review: Dark Tides (The Fairmile #2) by Philippa Gregory
When I saw Tidelands was coming out, I was so excited. I wanted to read something by Philipa Gregory so badly and I jumped at the chance to read Tidelands. But I came away feeling a little underwhelmed. Most of the time, I love Gregory’s novels and have really enjoyed how rich and nuanced her history, characters, and romances are but in this one, I just felt like the story itself was cumbersome and dry. However, at the end of Tidelands I felt invested enough in the characters and the story to continue reading the series, in hopes that it would get better and the characters more exciting along with…
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Review: We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin (Audible Edition)
Since I devoured my November book club pick in a matter of 2 days, as did just about everyone else in our book club. So we decided to pick a second book for November and this was it. I had seen a ton of praise for this book all over Goodreads and on my social media so I was eager to read this one and see if it was as chilling as everyone was saying. I haven’t had a really really really great thriller lately so I had high hopes with this book. I liked that the characters all had ‘issues’, whether it was emotional or physical impairments. I thought…
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Review: The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman
Due to COVID this was a book whose release date got pushed back a couple of times so to be honest, I forgot about it for my fall reading! It was supposed to come out in September and I thought it would be a great book to close out of late summer reading with. But then it was pushed out until November and I simply forgot about it until I checked my reading calendar and saw it was time to start reading! Well….I take that back, I saw it was a Book of the Month pick for November and I was so excited because I knew it was coming up…
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Review: Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews
I haven’t met a Mimi Matthews book that I didn’t love and Gentleman Jim is no exception! I absolutely loved this one! Mimi Matthews is an auto-buy author for me. She always writes such wonderful romances with heart, chemistry, and they always leave me satisfied with a smile. I will say that I didn’t love the title of the book but when I read the author’s notes about why she went with Jim instead of Jack, I could understand but I still liked Gentleman Jack better. But no matter, Gentleman Jim is a large part of the story but not necessarily a principal character. If you love The Count of…
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Review: The Diabolical Bones (Brontë Sisters Mystery #2) by Bella Ellis
This is a series that could have gone so wrong or so right depending on the execution. The Bronte sisters as detectives? I just wasn’t sure when I first heard about it. But I am also a huge fan of all things Bronte so I decided to read the first book anyway. I am so glad I did, because I loved it! I worried that it would be hokey because the Bronte’s wrote romance rather than mystery so I just worried it wouldn’t translate well in this modern mashup of Brontes and murder. But it was great the first book was so fun and interesting that when the next book…
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Review: Spellbreaker (Spellbreaker Duology #1) by Charlie N Holmberg
I normally stay clear of duologies. For some reason they just feel unfinished and odd to me and historically I just haven’t enjoyed them as much as I have trilogies. But how could I pass on this cover? There was no way I was going to pass on this one because that cover it too stunning to not pick it up and read it! Plus I know that this author has written another successful series (The Paper Magician) that I have had my eye on for so so so long. I thought the book sounded like a quick easy read with a lot to recommend itself. I mean, how can…
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Review: The Residence by Andrew Pyper
Election Day was yesterday and I thought what better way to celebrate our right to vote by reading this horror novel about the White House and it’s ghosts. Regardless of who you voted for or if you are happy or sad about the outcome, this book is going to give you all the thrills and chills that politics are kind of known for and the best part is you don’t have to turn on the TV to get the thrills and chills…..open this book instead. It’s just as scary as modern politics. I was really drawn into this one because of the premise. I loved the setting and thought the…