Reading

  • Spotlight Feature: THE LIGHT IN SUMMER (Butternut Lake #5) by Mary McNear

    William Morrow is delighted to publish THE LIGHT IN SUMMER, the newest novel by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mary McNear (William Morrow Paperback Original, On Sale: June 20, 2017). Year after year, Mary McNear brings readers to the one place they want to spend their days: Butternut Lake, a town based on Mary’s lifetime of summers spent in a small town on a lake in the Northern Midwest. In THE LIGHT IN SUMMER, it is summertime on Butternut Lake, where the heat of noon is soothed by the cool breezes of evening, the pace grows slower, and sometimes, just sometimes, the summer light makes everything clearer……

  • Review: One Good Thing (Ten Beach Road #5) by Wendy Wax

    I am knee deep in summer reading and what better book to read at the beginning of summer than something with the word ‘beach’ in the title and a cocktail on the cover? Ok this one didn’t have ‘beach’ in the title but the series does so I figured close enough! One Good Thing is the fifth book in the Ten Beach Road series and it did get me in the mood for summer. Embroiled in a battle to regain control of their renovation-turned-reality TV show, Do Over, Maddie, Avery, Nikki, and Kyra find themselves holding tight to the frayed ends of their friendship and relationships. Maddie must face the…

  • Review: Love & Death in Burgundy by Susan C. Shea

    How many amateur detective novels have you read that are set in a quaint English village? Tons, am I right? Now don’t get me wrong, I love my English village mysteries but sometimes it’s nice to have a change of scenery. The French country side is the perfect setting for this mystery. When I think of France all I think of is Paris, but there is a whole other beautiful countryside that often gets overshadowed by the lights of Paris. I loved how this story brought life to the French countryside. I am ready to buy a little chateau in the country and drink wine…..now if only there was a…

  • Review: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

    War and Peace or more commonly known as “the book most people have lied about reading” is the definition of epic. This book is big and intimidating but it’s often the crown jewel for readers, why? Because it’s arguably the greatest novel ever written, so naturally if you’ve read it you must be part of the ‘in crowd’ or elite readers of the literary world. So, why haven’t I read this book up until now? I mean, I’ve read massive books before, I mean the A Song of Ice and Fire books are just as long as this book so I’ve clearly read long books. Let’s not forget Les Miserables,…

  • Book Blast: THE FORTUNE TELLER by Gwendolyn Womack

    The Fortune Teller by Gwendolyn Womack Paperback Publication Date: June 6, 2017 Picador Paperback; 368 Pages ISBN: 9781250099778 Genre: Fiction/Historical/Mystery FROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE MEMORY PAINTER COMES A SWEEPING AND SUSPENSEFUL TALE OF ROMANCE, FATE, AND FORTUNE. Semele Cavnow appraises antiquities for an exclusive Manhattan auction house, deciphering ancient texts—and when she discovers a manuscript written in the time of Cleopatra, she knows it will be the find of her career. Its author tells the story of a priceless tarot deck, now lost to history, but as Semele delves further, she realizes the manuscript is more than it seems. Both a memoir and a prophecy, it appears to…

  • Review: Angels and Demons (Robert Langdon #1) by Dan Brown

    Is Dan Brown’s writing terrible? Yes. Are his stories far fetched and unbelievable? Yes. Are the books poorly researched? Yes. Did that stop me from reading this book in a frenzy? Absolutely not! I will fully admit, I loved The Da Vinci Code. I didn’t care how unbelievable or bad the writing, the story itself was so good that I was reading well into the night, every night. I simply had to know what happened next. That was at least 10 years ago that I read that book, so I felt like I was long overdue for a Robert Langdon mystery. For some reason, the mood just struck me and…

  • Review: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King

    Well it was bound to happen at some point in my literary review career…..the dreaded DNF (did not finish) tag. But little did I know that this would happen to one book that I was convinced I would love. When I finished the A Song of Ice and Fire AKA Game of Thrones series, I was longing for something similar and just as epic. I can’t tell you how many times The Dark Tower series was recommended…..countless times. I have it in paperback and on my iPad, that’s how much I wanted to read it. I even waited until the mood was perfect and I was ready to get into…

  • Review: A Twist in Time (Kendra Donovan #2) by Julie McElwain

    Long time readers of my blog know that I love time travel novels. I personally feel like I was born in the wrong era so I compensate by reading books on time travel and hope that I stumble upon my own vortex and end up in the castle of an insanely handsome duke to be, who just happens to be single and makes me a duchess and showers me with glittering jewels, titles, lands, oh and love of course! Wow, I digress…I got wrapped up in that daydream a little too much I think haha! In the spirit of my daydreaming, I picked up the latest Kendra Donovan novel which…

  • Book Blast: The Service of the Dead by Candace Robb

    Please join author Candace Robb as her Kate Clifford Mystery Series is featured around the blogosphere, from May 9-24. The Service of the Dead by Candace Robb Paperback Publication Date: May 9, 2017 Pegasus Books Paperback; 256 Pages Series: Kate Clifford Mysteries, Book One Genre: Historical/Mystery/Thriller Expertly recreating the social and political upheavals of late medieval Europe, Candace Robb introduces a new series starring Kate Clifford, a woman forged on the warring northern marches of fourteenth century England. Political unrest permeates York at the cusp of the fifteenth century, as warring factions take sides on who should be the rightful king–Richard II or his estranged, powerful cousin in exile, Henry…

  • Review: Where the Dead Lie (Sebastian St. Cyr #12) by C.S. Harris

    When this one came up for review, I agreed because it sounded like a bit of a gritty Victorian/Regency mystery and I was ready for a bit of a new mystery series. However, I was hesitant because this book was number 12 in the series. Lately I’ve been jumping into a couple of new series a little late in the game and I felt like at the very least, I should read the first book in this new series so I could get an idea of where things were at, at least with the main character, Lord Devlin. London, 1813. Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is no stranger to the…