Special Feature: The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone

As a little girl, I grew up LOVING my doll house. I had both the Barbie Dream House and a small miniature dollhouse with tiny little doll furniture. There was something so satisfying about setting up my dollhouses. I loved decorating it and I think I even painted the interior rooms occasionally. I loved picking out the furniture and adding little personal touches room by room. The as childhood faded away, so did my love of dollhouses. Until I saw this book.

I started thinking about what it was that I loved about dollhouses so much? For me it was the satisfaction of creating a house exactly like I wanted it. It gave me something to control and be creative with. I imagined that’s what this book might touch on when I read the description. But it sounded like that and so much more! I love magical realism novels and was so sad I couldn’t fit this one in my review schedule, but rest assured dear readers I have downloaded a copy and will be reading it late because it sounds positively charming (plus early reviews are raving about it!).

The idea of an enchanted dollhouse really captivated my imagination and I cannot wait to dive into this one! I think the juxtaposition of the town worlds—big and small—coming together to create a unique story full of magic, imagination and creativity. This book promises a rich and diverse story with fantasy and magic and of course some romance that is sure to captive readers from the beginning and I simply cannot wait! If you have been thinking about this book or have seen it around the blog-o-sphere then I think it’s a sign to add it to your TBR list—-it’s right up there on mine!

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Review: At the Edge (Alpha Crew #1) by Laura Griffin

Ok I couldn’t stay away. I tried to start another book but there was something about the thick prose of another author that made me long for more quick thrilling reads by Laura Griffin! So I decided to pick this one up. I really wanted something more with a military/terrorist plot similar to some of the books in Griffin’s other series. All of Griffin’s books are so incredibly diverse in content. Some feature a serial killer, others organized crime, while some have a military/terrorist angle. So it’s kind of a mixed bag which makes things really exciting and keeps the series feeling fresh.

Considering the last book I read by her had more of an organized crime angle, I found myself longing for something with the military/terrorist plot so I decided to grab this book before the few remaining others that I have to read. I wasn’t aware that this was more of a novella than a full length novel. To be fair though, there are two parts to this particular story so two novellas. Each book clocks in at around 150 pages (I am currently reading the second installment to this story) but I am unsure if the other two books (this series has 4 total books) in the series are part of these first two or if they read by themselves.

I don’t usually read novellas because I always walk away feeling like there could have been so much more explored or developed. About the only time I read novella is when they are in between two larger proper books. But that said, I was open to the fact that Griffin is clearly a beloved author of mine and even though the Alpha Crew series is different than what I would normally read, I was open to it because I know she is an outstanding writer!

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Special Feature: A Love by Design (The Secret Scientists of London #3) by Elizabeth Everett

In the last few years I have been really noticing an upswing in STEM based romances! They seem to be everywhere and I love reading about academic romances. But I feel like most of the STEM based romances are contempo romances with young hot upcoming scientists showing just how excited and sexy science can be. This is one of the reasons this book series stood out to me—it’s a historical fiction series with science at its heart!

I love that these books are all set in the Victorian age, that period is ripe for stories about science and technological advancement! I am really excited to read this series and honestly it’s a shock that I haven’t read the series yet. It should tick all the boxes for me, smart women, swoon worthy heroes, Victorian England, and of course some science to sweeten the pot! From what I am hearing the books can be read out of order so if you are looking for a sexy new historical romance I would say jump into this series wherever you want.

Since this book is out now, I think I am going to see if I can work it in a little later this spring for review. I have some travel coming up and would love to fill my travel days with some happy and fun romances and this seems like it will fit the bill! But for now I only had room for a feature but after reading early reviews and hearing other people rave about this fun series, I am bumping it up on my TBR list and going to check it out later this spring so be watching for a full review coming soon!

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Review: Whisper of Warning (The Glass Sisters #2) by Laura Griffin

I think I have officially wrapped up one of my last Laura Griffin books. I might read the Alpha Crew novella series and I know there are a couple other smaller series that she wrote which I might also pick up. But as far as the principal books she has written, I think this was the last one. Some of her books have been better than others but I can fully stand behind Griffin being a five star author and all of her series being five star as well.

For some readers, they might find some of the characters off putting, or maybe the chemistry between the characters was a little wanting but overall you cannot deny her superior knowledge of forensics, police procedure, law, and of course military and terrorism. She is an absolutely fantastic writer and researcher and I have never found one of her books wanting in the research or pace categories. They are always interesting and read super quick.

I literally picked up a different book to read (different author) the other day when I was done with this book and I felt lost. The style of the other author was thick and cumbersome and I longed for another Griffin book that was quick, to the point and fast moving. I mean I have been reading Griffin’s books since basically October with a couple of other authors sprinkled in so it was a little jarring to read something more dense. That’s one of the reasons I love Griffin’s books, she is to the point and you get right into the story and they move FAST

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Review: Thread of Fear (The Glass Sisters #1) by Laura Griffin

Do you ever read and book and think to yourself—-wow this didn’t age well. I love Laura Griffin and have nearly read every single one of her books. I have loved them all for different reasons. Sometimes in her Tracer books, the technology has changed so much from the mid 2000’s and sometimes it feels a little antiquated or old but I still always find something to love in the mystery itself even if the technology might be out of date. But in this one, it isn’t the technology that’s out of date.

I will get more into that in a minute. What made me want to read this particular book is seeing Fiona in other books by Griffin. I thought she had a pretty cool job being a police sketch artist. That’s a job I never thought too much about but when I read about her in some of the other books I was really intrigued by how one becomes a police sketch artist and how they come up with their drawings etc. In this book as well as another, Griffin does a really good job of explaining how artists work with the victim. Now I have no idea if that’s legit but it sounds plausible and believable so that was the big thing that appealed to me about this book.

I was going to take a break after reading all the Griffin standalones, but who am am I kidding, I won’t stop until I have read ALL of her books at this point. So here we are, I am almost there and so far have yet to find a book that I truly haven’t liked. There were some parts or characters that I like and didn’t like for various reasons but overall I have loved all of Griffins books!

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