Reading
-
Review: The Fleur de Sel Murders: A Brittany Mystery (Kommissar Dupin #3) by Jean-Luc Bannalec
I am always open to reading quirky books. Don’t get me wrong, I love traditional story telling with traditional themes and relatable stories but I also tend to gravitate toward strange or unusual books that are off the beaten path. Sometimes that works out and other times it doesn’t. It’s 50/50 for me….either weird works or it doesn’t. This mystery series sounded quirky. I debated about reviewing it but ultimately decided on picking it up. How does one make the ‘sea salt industry’ look glamorous and intriguing to the average reader? Even with a mystery? I was up for the challenge and dug right in. The old salt farmers have…
-
Review: Black Amber by Phyllis A. Whitney
Phyllis Whitney is an author who has been on my radar since I was old enough to read and appreciate romantic suspense books…..so basically since like thirteen or fourteen. So for over 20 years I’ve been trying to motivate myself enough to read one of her books. I mean she’s written tons and tons and tons of books so she must be doing something right. So why haven’t I picked up her books? I honestly have worried that they would be ‘dated’. I mean, Victoria Holt (my all time favorite romantic suspense writer), wrote books that were very clearly meant to be historical fiction. They were always set in the…
-
Review: The Girl I Used to Be by Mary Torjussen
I was introduced to Mary Torjussen last year when I read GONE WITHOUT A TRACE. While there were a few things that didn’t work for me in that book, I was impressed enough by her writing that when THE GIRL I USED TO BE came up, I was willing to review her latest thriller. She doesn’t write series books and for that I am thankful. Don’t get me wrong I love series however sometimes it’s nice to have a full story and resolution in just one book. As a reader it helps me get closure and I personally hate when authors or publishers milk a series just for the sake…
-
Review: The New Neighbors by Simon Lelic
I am a total true crime junkie. Whenever I am home sick or just wanting to waste a day watching mindless TV, my go to station is ID Discovery. I absolutely love watching true crime. My favorites though are always the ones about seemingly normal families and people. I think I watched Nightmare Next Door like every day that I was pregnant and home on bed rest…..by the end of three months I was certain that my neighbors were all serial killers. So it’s safe to say that I love the whole suburban killer next door idea so when this book made it’s way into my mailbox, I was totally…
-
Review: The Family Gathering (Sullivan’s Crossing #3) by Robyn Carr
This year I have tried to read a little more fluffy contempo romances. I’ve sometimes felt that I get pigeon holed into reviewing just historical fiction—don’t get me wrong, historical fiction is my jam but sometimes I need a break and could go for something a little more modern and different just to keep things interesting. Romances never seem to get old for me and I think a lot of women would agree. It doesn’t matter how cliche or repetitive the romance might seem–theres just something about love and having everything turn out in the end that just makes me happy and gives me hope that romance is still alive…
-
Special Feature: Madam of My Heart by Gini Grossenbacher
Madam of My Heart by Gini Grossenbacher Publication Date: February 6, 2017 eBook & Paperback; 476 Pages ISBN-13: 978-0998380605 Series: American Madams, #1 Genre: Historical Fiction/Victorian Baltimore, 1849. During a scandalous crisis, the young Irish Brianna Baird flees her home at Fells Point. With little cash and only a seamstress’s trade, she braves the hypnotic streets of New Orleans. The tantalizing Madam DeSalle lures her to her brothel, then sells her to the dashing but questionable gambler, Edward Spina, who falls in love with her. In a tawdry alliance with these two profiteers, Brianna embarks on a journey through the French Quarter’s debauched and glittering Voodoo world. Facing…
-
Review: The Elizas by Sara Shepard
If I’m being perfectly honest, I don’t really know what grabbed me about this book but something just did. When the pitch came through I wasn’t entirely sure this was something that I was interested in reading. Maybe it was the colorful cover or maybe it was the idea of a false memory. I don’t know but something made me think this was something that I would be interested in. Sara Shepard wrote the wildly popular Pretty Little Liars series so maybe that was what made me excited. I mean her books are popular right? She must be doing something right, so I agreed to read. This is Shepard’s first…
-
Review: Come From Away by Genevieve Graham
I love when new authors find me and think that I will like their books. I am always intrigued because with the internet it’s hard to get a feel for people sometimes so when an author asks me if I would like to review their book or they think it’s something I will like—it always makes me pause. I can honestly say that I give every single book that comes across my desk for review, my full and complete consideration for this reason. Authors, publishers, friends on social media…..I read all the pitches. Now that doesn’t mean that I review them all, but if it truly is something I’m interested…
-
Special Feature: THE PARIS SPY (Maggie Hope Mystery #7) by Susan Elia MacNeal
Earlier this year I read the latest Maggie Hope mystery, THE PARIS SPY and was once again hooked on our favorite secretary turned spy! I happened to find this series via the cover. I saw the cover on one of my social media platforms back in 2012 and just knew that I had to read this book…..I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an ARC when it came up and was hooked! I have since read all of the Maggie books and was thrilled to learn that more are planned—I am not ready to say goodbye to my favorite red head just yet. This series has always been…
-
Review: My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
Hamilton is everywhere thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda! All of a sudden US History is cool again and everyone wants to get their hands on the hottest tickets in town! Currently the musical is playing in Portland which is near where I live and tickets are going for $400 a pop. I’ve been trying to enter the giveaway thing that they do for tickets but never seems to win—does anyone??? So like so many other Americans I too have jumped on the Hamilton train and plan to ride it all the way until I can see the musical which will likely never happen at this rate but a girl can dream!…