Literary Criticism
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Review: Love Poems for Anxious People by John Kenney
I absolutely loved John Kenney’s book of poems, Love Poems for Married People. There was so much truth in those poems and I laughed several times. His follow up book of poems, Love Poems for People with Children was also funny, but the Married People book is still my absolute favorite. I have gifted his books of poems multiple times and I am sure I will be gifting this one to friends in the future. When I saw that this book was coming out, I knew it would be a great read. He writes with such raw realism and during this crazy uncertain time, what could possibly be better than…
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Review: The Lost Boys of London (Bianca Goddard Mysteries #5) by Mary Lawrence
Bianca Goddard is a completely new to me sleuth, last year was the first time I discovered her and it was the fourth book that I picked up. I was told that each book in the series could be read as a standalone, so I was excited to dive in, even if I was skeptical. I was thrilled that the book was indeed possible to read as a standalone and thought it was a very interesting and enjoyable series so I was excited to read the next book, even if I haven’t gone back and read the other books in the series. This book sounded exceptionally good as it is…
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Review: Promised by Leah Garriott (Audible Edition)
A few months back I did a special feature on this book and I just couldn’t get the cover and description out of my mind! I knew my review schedule was packed, so I downloaded it to listen to when I had errands to run. That’s the thing I love most about audiobooks, there are plenty of days that I have to run errands or just need to get out of the house and go for a drive during the quarantine or days where I have house work to do, rather than sit and read, I multitask with audiobooks. I rarely accept audiobooks for review because I want to pick…
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Review: Stories We Never Told by Sonja Yoerg
Sonja Yoerg is another author that I have been a long time fan of, though I have to admit I was a little worried about this one. Yoerg usually writes more women’s fiction, but this one was marketed as more of a thriller. But I did keep an open mind. I hate how some authors get pigeon holed into writing a certain genre, just because an author is known for writing women’s fiction doesn’t mean she can’t write anything else right? While Yoerg might be known for a certain genre, I would argue that she should be known for her ability to write complex characters that truly stand out rather…
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Review: Feels Like Falling by Kristy Woodson Harvey
When Kristy Woodson Harvey’s Peachtree Bluff series ended last year, I was so sad but at the same time looking forward to what she came up with next. Harvey has such a great writing style that is refreshing, charming, and heartfelt so I knew that whatever she had up her sleeve was going to be outstanding. When I saw that it was going to once again tap into the importance and power of friendships, I couldn’t have been more thrilled if I tried!
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Review: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (Audible Edition)
This book has been all over my social media, especially my Instagram. I even ordered a Book of the Month that I didn’t really want just so I could get this book as an add on when I missed it in December when it was the selection. My sister also sent me a copy of this book for Valentine’s Day and as soon as I started reading, I downloaded the Audible Edition so I could keep reading even while I was in the car. The Audible narration is fantastic by the way. Sometimes I find it difficult to read and listen to the same book together but with this one…
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Review: Duke Darcy’s Castle (Dare to Defy #3) by Syrie James
I have recently had a lot of luck with historical/Regency romances and when this book came along I was excited to see if my luck would hold! Admittedly though, this cover didn’t speak to me in any way. In fact it was a little confusing. The pose is a little awkward and a pose of that nature is usually reserved for more saucy romances but in this one, the characters are fully clothed and it made me think more clean romance. But either way, I thought the summary sounded fun and I especially liked the crumbling castle element so I was excited to check it out and see if it…
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Review: Mrs Boots (Mrs Boots #1) by Deborah Carr
Deborah Carr is an author that only recently popped onto my radar with her book The Poppy Field. When her latest novel came up for review I found myself eager to read it as I hadn’t gotten around to The Poppy Field yet. I was also intrigued by the fact that this book is told mostly through letters and I love epistolary novels so this book was a no brainer yes for me. The other thing that drew me to this book was the fact that I knew nothing about this apparently well known women, Florence Boot. Before this book I hadn’t heard of her or the well known—but clearly…
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Review: Lakeshire Park by Megan Walker
I fell head over heels in love with this cover and couldn’t wait to start reading it. The cover reminds me of a Jane Austen novel and the summary boasted a charming and sweet romance—-a tough one to resist for certain! I picked this one up early one morning and could have easily finished it in one sitting if life hadn’t interfered! As it was, I finished it in two sittings and was scouring the internet looking for more books by this new to me author. This was just the book that I needed to read right now and I couldn’t be more excited to review it!
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Review: The Love Story of Missy Carmichael by Beth Morrey
This book sounded like something completely different than the traditional ‘romances’ that I tend to pick up when I am looking for something different. When I read the description, the main character is 79 years old. I was like oh, interesting….which immediately put it into the category of something different for me. Plus I loved that it said the novel was a ‘coming of old’ story. Not going to lie it made me laugh and I usually tend to pick up books that feature young heroines so reading something with a much older heroine sounded new and exciting. Plus this debut has been getting a lot of buzz lately and…