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Books You’re on the Fence About - 2023
The Wedding Girl – Madeleine Wickham – 3***
Milly is engaged to Simon, the son of the immensely wealthy Harry Pinnacle. But Milly has a huge secret that is likely to derail all her mother’s plans for the “wedding of the century.” I didn’t like either Milly or Simon, but I still found the book entertaining. It was a quick, fast, chick-lit romantic escape.
LINK to my full review
My review of Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North by Rachel Joyce
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Legacy – Nora Roberts
2**
From the book jacket: Adrian Rizzo was seven when she met her father for the first time. That was the day he nearly killed her – before her mother, Lina, stepped in. Soon after, Adrian was dropped off at her grandparents’ house in Maryland… Lina, meanwhile, traveled the country promoting her fitness brand and turning it into a billion-dollar business. … A decade later, Adrian has created her own line of yoga and workout videos. She’s just as coolheaded and ambitious as her mother. But while Lina dismisses the death threats that Adrian receives as a routine part of her daughter’s growing celebrity, Adrian can’t help but find the vicious rhymes unsettling.
My reactions
If that synopsis seemed long, imagine how this 400-plus-page-long tome feels. Lord, but it takes forever for the “thriller” part of the plot to come to fruition. And the romance takes just a long to blossom. The only thing more boring would be to actually watch all the yoga / fitness videos she describes.
There was a nugget of an interesting romantic thriller here, and it’s a pretty fast read. Certainly kept me entertained while I spent hours waiting in an emergency room.
The Girl From Silent Lake - Leslie Wolfe
Detective Kay Sharp Series Book #1
3★
Review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Book Of Magic – Alice Hoffman – 3.5***
I came late to the Hoffman fan club. I’m not terribly interested in reading about witches and magic, and I had seen the movie of Practical Magic, which I thought was terrible. But I finally read that first in the series last year and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like it. So here I am again. What I really like about the books is the relationships between the generations of women. Hoffman moves back and forth between various characters. She does this quite well, keeping the story flowing and the reader turning pages.
LINK to my full review
Her Royal Spyness – Rhys Bowen – 3***
Book #1 in the “Her Royal Spyness” mystery series introduces us to Lady Victoria Georgina Charlotte Eugenie, daughter to the Duke of Glen Garry and Rannoch, and thirty-fourth in line to the throne, and commonly known as Georgie. There’s little actual spying involved, rather it’s a typical cozy mystery in which Georgie tries to clear her name, and her brother’s, after a body is found in her bathtub! There’s a host of upper-class friends / family to round out the cast, and, best of all, her maternal grandfather, a retired cop. A fun, fast, read.
LINK to my full review
Daybreak - Kate Hawthorne - (Vermont)
Vino & Veritas series part 12
3.5★
Review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Not a bad book just could have been better constructed.
Lightning Men – Thomas Mullen – 3.5***
Book two in the Darktown series continues the story of a newly integrated Atlanta police force in the 1950s. There’s a lot going on here from the basic police procedural involving the crimes the officers are trying to solve, to the racism on the force, to the ugly and dangerous tactics of the Klan, to some personal marital issues, to political corruption. It certainly captured my attention. Mullen crafts a tight thriller, with complex characters, and a couple of stunning scenes. Still, I felt a little lost regarding the relationships between the characters because I hadn’t read the first book in the series first.
LINK to my full review
And I finished reading
Broken by Rebecca Zanetti.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
my review
Here is my 3.33 rounded to 3 stars review of Sign Here
by Claudia Lux.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Overall, this unique, thought-provoking, and entertaining novel has great characterization, and a tense and suspenseful part three. This book has a clever premise and a solid mystery with some twists that will keep readers guessing and others that were somewhat predictable. The world-building is done well, but this is a slow-paced novel that took a while to draw me into the story line.
Poirot Investigates – Agatha Christie – 3***
This was the first collection of short stories featuring the little Belgian and his “little grey cells” that Christie compiled. I love Poirot and I really appreciate the friendship and banter between him and Captain Hastings. The short stories do little to give the reader many of the clues which Poirot spends time thinking about, and rely heavily on his explanations to Hastings at the end of each episode outlining his “methodical thinking.” Even so, he is still among my favorite detectives, and I enjoyed these stories very much.
LINK to my full review
Blaze Returns - Bill Runner - (Nevada)
Axel Blaze series Book #1
3★
Review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Historical fiction fans: Mixed feelings about The Curious Life of Elizabeth Blackwell by Pamela Holmes 
A story based on the life of an admirable woman, but written quite poorly.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Masterpiece – Fiona Davis – 3***
In this work of historical fiction, Davis turns her attention to another New York City landmark: Grand Central Terminal. I really wish Davis had focused more on the building’s historic past, the many reasons it achieved landmark status, and the fight to save it -or- on the feminist issue of unrecognized artists (or other contributors) due to gender bias. Trying to do both resulted in a work that didn’t fully explore either theme. It was a pretty fast read, and I kept turning pages, but I was left with a “Is that all?” feeling.
LINK to my full review
Self-Portrait with Nothing by Aimee Pokwatka
SFF with a literary twist. Not bad, not good.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Kindest Lie – Nancy Johnson – 3***
There’s a good premise here and some interesting family dynamics. Johnson captured my attention early and kept me turning pages. I wanted to know what would happen to these people and how their stories would play out, but I thought Johnson relied too much on the secrets and failed to make sense of the present. Ruth is supposed to be this brilliant scientist and yet she behaves just as impulsively as Midnight, the young white boy she befriends. This is Johnson’s debut novel, and I think a little more work (and editing) might have made this a very memorable work.
LINK to my full review
Take Care of Me - Gianni Holmes - (Ohio)
Take Care series Book #2
4★
Review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I liked the book but it's here because I can't in good faith recommend it for everyone.
The Last Thing He Told Me – Laura Dave – 3.5***
A book-club friend once said that she dislikes thrillers because she dislikes being manipulated. I am beginning to feel that way about thrillers, too. However … This is a fast-paced, intriguing book. There are several twists and turns that kept me turning pages long after I should have stopped to do other necessary things. Yes, there were some things that bothered me. A few threads that were left hanging. A few inconsistencies that an editor should have caught. As thrillers go, this is pretty good.
LINK to my full review
Here is my 3.44 rounded to 3 stars review of Raven Unveiled
by Grace Draven:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Overall, this fantasy is gripping, heart-breaking, and thought-provoking. The high stakes and smooth writing made it a page turner. However, the pace slowed at times, and I wanted a more extensive world-building.
Here is my 3.18 rounded to 3 stars review of The Wilderwomen
by Ruth Emmie Lang:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Magical realism, great dialogue, a mother’s disappearance, an unforgettable journey, and sisters reconnecting, combined to make this novel unique and enjoyable. However, it is written in a meandering fashion that tends to subdue the suspense and mystery. Additionally, there are chapters that go back in time that tend to disrupt the flow.
Unveiling The Past- R W Wallace - (Norway)
Ghost Detective series Book #2
3★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Life Among the Savages – Shirley Jackson – 3***
This collection of essays / vignettes is about Jackson and her family’s 1953 move to a small town in Vermont, where she and her husband settled into a large house and proceeded to fill it with children and books, a dog, two cats, and “literally thousands of socks.” I’ve read two of Jackson’s classic “horror” tales previously, so, I knew she was a talented writer. But I had no idea she had such a wicked sense of humor!
LINK to my full review
The Thirteen Problems – Agatha Christie – 3***
This is a collection of short stories. The Tuesday Murder Club is a group of friends, including Miss Jane Marple, who regularly meet and take turns relating an interesting murder case they are aware of, but without revealing the culprit. The club members try to guess who committed the crime. Of course, Miss Marple is always right.
LINK to my full review
I just finished Thank You for Your Servitude
No big revelations. My three star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Book Concierge wrote: " The Thirteen Problems
– Agatha Christie – 3***
This is a collection of short stories. The Tuesday Murder Club is a group of friends, including Miss Jane..."
I am reading the same book and this factor - "Of course, Miss Marple is always right." - is making it so boring. I am just about halfway done and am not at all motivated to complete the rest of the stories. Your review makes it clear that I can't expect any improvements in the second half. Sigh.
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
A hardhitting memoir by the actor known for his role as 'Chandler Bing' on FRIENDS. Quite intense. But needs a round (or more) of editing.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read
Anywhere You Are by Constance O'Day-Flannery.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Saha by Cho Nam-Joo
Finally a second translated work by the author of Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982. Unfortunately, this one falls somewhat flat, but it is a decent read for lit-fic lovers.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Evan Help Us – Rhys Bowen – 3***
Book two in the Constable Evans series has Evan looking into two seemingly unrelated deaths. I like Constable Evans, but this one dragged a little. Still I enjoy spending time with the colorful residents of Llanfair.
LINK to my full review
Frozen on the Moors- Priscilla Masters - (England)
Joanna Piercy series Book #3
3★
Review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Lindbergh Nanny laws just a three star for me.
The main character wasn’t drawn as well as I would have hoped. My review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Christmas Hummingbird by Davis Bunn
Not exactly as I had expected. But I loved the parts about hummingbirds!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks
Had this on my agenda since ages. Interesting content, but the writing style didn't click well with me.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Thanks heavens I read later books in the series before going back to this the first. The Crow Trap
isn’t nearly as good as later books. My three star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A Cowboy For Christmas – Lori Wilde – 2.5**
Okay, it’s an Avon Romance and I was expecting something predictable and heart-warming, not great literature. This had a lovely premise: a struggling, young widow with a toddler, meets her late husband’s estranged brother and the sparks fly. But there’s a very weak subplot involving Lissy’s mother-in-law; this tortured character just tortured me every time she appeared on the page, and the book lost a ½ star as a result. That’s not to say that I won’t get back on the horse and try another of Wilde’s cowboy romances in the future.
LINK to my full review
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Evans Above – Rhys Bowen – 3***
Book # 1 in the Constable Evans mystery series. I can’t really call it a cozy because our lead character is a policeman, after all, and NOT an amateur sleuth, but it has many of the hallmarks of cozies. I enjoyed the book, though it was a bit slow-moving.
LINK to my full review