Teri M. Brown's Blog, page 34

Book Review: Two Left Feet

I first learned of Tomasina Decrescenzo, author of Two Left Feet, when she reached out to me about being on The Writer's Lounge. Her book, though fiction, is filled to the brim with stories of her childhood and what it was like to grow up in an Italian immigrant family in New York.

The main character, Mikey, short for Michelina, regales readers with childhood stories from magic wine, to witch's curses, to only being able to find two left sneakers when buying shoes for the summer.
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Decrescenzo is a wonderful storyteller and will have you laughing out loud. Definitely a fun read.

Book Review: Haunted By You

​Haunted by You by Louise Davis is a delightful YA Fiction that is a perfect mixture of suspense and clean romance. And I learned when interviewing Davis that this, too, is part of a trilogy!

Genevieve is a teenage girl who falls for Steve, a student at a private school in Charleston and a ghost tour guide. However, their budding romance has to take a back seat to what Genevieve learns about her father - he's being blackmailed!
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Davis does a good job introducing us to the characters and providing enough details to make us look in all the wrong directions for the blackmailer. And although the ending wraps up nicely, there is plenty of room for more!

Book Review: The Girl Who Broke the Dark

The Girl Who Broke the Dark by Evelyn Puerto is another story I simply could not put down despite it not being a genre I usually enjoy. This fantasy, a twisted version of the fairytale, A Sleeping Beauty, had me wishing for more. And once again, I'm thrilled because it is just the first volume in what will become her Royal Mages series.

Puerto weaves a tale about Princess Eliana, her country of Ymittos, and a sleeping prince cursed by the evil sorcerer Cetus. Although she remains unaware of her role until her 18th birthday, Eliana is destined to break the curse or watch her country - and eventually the entire continent - fall victim to Cetus. Unfortunately, to do what she must, Eliana must venture deep underground to face barbarians, monsters, and her own fears.
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I struggle with fantasy because I get lost in the world building, non-human characters, and social/physical law differences. However, I LOVED LOVED LOVED The Girl Who Broke the Dark and am enthralled with the story. I can't wait to read Puerto's second installment.

Book Review: The Lighthouse

I won a copy of The Lighthouse by Karin Ciholas through an Atmosphere Press giveaway and wasn't sure what I would think of it. Ancient history is not really my thing. However, once I started reading, I couldn't stop thinking about the characters - even when I was supposed to be doing other things. In fact, I read far too late into the night on a couple of occasions so I could finish. (And the best part is that Ciholas is writing a trilogy, so I'm not really done!)

The Lighthouse is set during the days of Christ and seen from the point of view of Simon, an educated Jewish healer, and his best friend from boyhood who eventually becomes a Roman solider. When a thug kills a member of Simon's family and then abducts his sister, he is chosen to avenge them. But how can he both murder Meidias and keep his Hippocratic oath?

Ciholas did a great job describing Simon's struggle to be everything he was meant to be as well as everything he has been asked to be. Despite a setting and time far removed from my own, I think all readers will understand that challenge.

As a #researchjunkie, I stand in awe of Ciholas' tremendous research, and how she was able to bring me into Simon's world. Ciholas shows readers what it was like to be Jewish during Roman rule, whether focusing on family and religious traditions or the fear of those in power.
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This is an excellent read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves great character development, historical fiction, and escaping into a story.

Book Review: The Book of Lost Friends

​I thoroughly enjoyed this dual timeline, dual POV historical fiction by Lisa Wingate. We see Augustine, Louisiana in the 1870s from the eyes of a former slave, Hannie, and see the same town in the 1980s through the eyes of Benny, a first-year teacher. What ties these two together? A book of lost friends.
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Although the novel is fiction, Wingate bases Hannie on someone who took out an ad - the Lost Friends - to help her locate her family lost to her because of slavery. This is a piece of history I had never encountered before, and Wingate did an excellent job helping me feel the pain of those who were separated from parents, children, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Book Review: The Undomestic Goddess

​I really enjoyed The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella. The main character, Samantha, goes from being a workaholic lawyer to a housekeeper - this despite having no idea how to cook or clean or even start a washing machine!

I picked up this book because my current Work in Progress is a contemporary humor with a side of romance written in first person. This is a big switch from historical fiction written in third person. And, I've been told that Kinsella is a master at her genre.
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I've been delighted to see well-developed characters and even life lessons, helping me see that even light-hearted books can make an impact!

Book Review: The Bucharest Legacy

If you love an intellectual spy thriller, then you are going to love The Bucharest Legacy by William Maz. This is the second in the series but, as I can attest, can stand well on its own. However, based on how much I enjoyed this read, I'll definitely be going back for the first in the series, The Bucharest Dossier.

Maz gives the reader everything they need - CIA spies, Russian spies, Romanian spies, love interests, threats, secret drops, defectors, and more! Every time you think you know the answer, Maz twists the plot again. I was hooked from paragraph #1.

I was also lucky enough to interview William Maz on Online for Authors. The Bucharest Legacy ends in a way that invites another book - and William says he's finishing that up now!

Book Review: Friends Come to Call

​Friends Come to Call by Karen C Whalen is a fun, spunky, cozy mystery - the 4th in the Tow Truck Murder Mystery Series. I read the first in this series, Toes on the Dash, and fell in love with Delaney. She is the perfect combination of gutsy and girlie - and always finds herself in the middle of some murder. This time, the scene is the Christmas Fair, and the potential suspects mount up quickly.

I was surprised when the killer confessed because it is not who I imagined the killer to be! Yet, as soon as I knew, I realized that I had just missed the clues.
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I will never match Delaney's ability to match her shoes to her mood, but I will, without a doubt, continue to love these stories. Well-done, Karen!

Book Review: The Blue Iris

​The Blue Iris is Rachel Stone's debut novel that launched last week. I was lucky enough to receive an Advanced Reader Copy and can't say enough good things about this Women's Fiction/Literary Fiction book!

I love great character development, and Stone did not disappoint. I immediately fell in love with Tessa, a young woman haunted by her past and struggling to find her "big" in life. I enjoyed how Tessa was like all of us - bold sometimes and timid at others, sure of herself and doubtful, ready to tackle life and wanting to hide under the covers. Because she was so real, I connected with her immediately.

However, Stone did more than create one great character. She created a host of characters and provided them with their own POVs in the story. I gasped at her future in-laws, wondered at her fiancé, rooted for Luke, cried over Sam and Charlie, shook my head over Tony, and ached for Darryl. I hated to finish the last page knowing that these lives would no longer be part of mine.
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Stone did an amazing job on her first novel. I can't wait to see what she brings to the table next.

Book Review: Jackson

I really enjoyed Jackson by Lynn McLaughlin. This is a story of Jackson, who suffers from anxiety and suicidal ideation, and his mother who would do anything to help him. This poignant novel looks at mental health from the viewpoint of someone who is affected and those who love him. It helps readers consider the right ways and wrong ways to help, and gives voice to the fear of letting an adult child fight their own battle.

I had to opportunity to chat with the author on Online for Authors. We discussed the difficulties of parenting a child with mental health issues, whether to "label" a child with these problems, how to best help, and what isn't helpful. Although the novel is fiction, Jackson is based on several people she's worked with over the years. Her hope is to give kids the mental health tools they need before it becomes a crisis. You can listen to the entire podcast here: https://onlineforauthors.org/lynn-mclaughlin/​
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