Review: Why Mermaids Sing (Sebastian St. Cyr #3) by C.S. Harris

This mystery series has been one that I have read and enjoyed but wouldn’t consider a favorite….until now. I picked up the later books in the series but hadn’t gone back to read the earlier books.

While I didn’t always feel out of place or lost in the plot, there were clearly nuanced relationships between the characters within the larger narrative that left me feeling not as invested in the series as I had hoped.

I read the first book a few years ago and thought it was good and at the time had planned to read the series in order, but I just didn’t have it in my reading calendar to do that. Well a few years went by and here I was over Christmas break and found that I had a clear schedule and nothing to read. The second book in this series was on sale so I downloaded it and devoured it in a day, needless to say I downloaded this one immediately following and was incredibly thankful for instant download because I couldn’t wait to see what Sebastian investigated next. Continue reading “Review: Why Mermaids Sing (Sebastian St. Cyr #3) by C.S. Harris”

Spcial Feature: HOUSE ON ENDLESS WATERS by Emuna Elon

I love seeing all the new and promising books at the beginning of a new year and this year is no different. There are so many books coming out not only this month, but throughout 2020 and it is looking like 2020 will be a great reading year for me.

One of those hot new releases is this lovely book right here. Perfect for fans of historical fiction as well as family sagas, HOUSE ON ENDLESS WATERS (out tomorrow 1/7/20) promises a lot of drama and a sweeping family drama.

HOUSE ON ENDLESS WATERS is a gorgeously written and translated work from an award-winning Israeli author about the complex nature of identity and the inextricability of past and present. Be sure to get this one on your radar readers, it sounds like it’s going to be a good one! Continue reading “Spcial Feature: HOUSE ON ENDLESS WATERS by Emuna Elon”

Review: When Gods Die (Sebastian St. Cyr #2) by C.S. Harris

I was approached a few years ago to read the Sebastian St Cyr series and at that time it was on book 12! I decided to give it a go, but I wanted to read the first book before I started book 12—so I did.

I read the first book and I thought it was really good but I didn’t have a desire to go back and read the series from beginning to end so that I could read book 12. So  read book 1 and then started book 12. Since then I have read books 12-14 with book 15 coming out later this spring.

As I was approaching the end of the year, I wanted to read something quick and fun, I happened to see this second book was on sale, so I picked it up randomly just to pass some time. Continue reading “Review: When Gods Die (Sebastian St. Cyr #2) by C.S. Harris”

Review: The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey

Sometimes I get pitched books months and months in advance and sometimes I simply forget a title until I pull up my calendar for the following month to see what I have coming up to read.

That’s what happened with this book. I pulled up my December calendar…..the day after I made my Book of the Month selection for December. If you guys didn’t know, this book was a Book of the Month pick for December and Evie Dunmore who wrote Bringing Down the Duke (one of my favorite read of the year) recommended it so before I could look at my upcoming calendar, I selected this one and was set to watch my mailbox for it to arrive.

The following day (once my box shipped mind you) I pulled  up my December review calendar and low and behold there was The Glittering Hour on my schedule! I had been sitting on the ARC e-copy this entire time and hadn’t read it yet! Well you can imagine how fast I downloaded my ARC to my iPad and started reading. Continue reading “Review: The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey”

Review: The Girl I Left Behind by Andie Newton

WWI or WWII novels are usually a pretty easy sell for me. I love them. There is something about the back drop of a war that adds drama and interest to a novel and I always enjoy reading modern war time novels set in this period.

That said, not all WWI or WWII novels are created equal. While I enjoy books set in this time period, I don’t always love every single story that is set here. Often the historical fiction market is saturated with books set in WWII and I sometimes find myself worrying that the books I have read will just run together and not stand out.

When I picked up this novel, it sounded like a good read and one that I would probably enjoy, but I found myself hoping that there would be something about the plot or characters to make this one stand out. The cover is beautiful and the summary sounded wonderful, but would the story be unique or would it blend in with the other historical fiction novels set in this same time? Continue reading “Review: The Girl I Left Behind by Andie Newton”