authentic reviews and insightful interviews for inquisitive readers
A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Summer 2024. Beware of spoilers! Title: House of Marionne Author: J. Elle Series: House of Marionne #1 Much thanks to J. Elle, Penguin/Razorbill, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book hits many of the same story beats as other YA fantasy*, so I could understand if some readers accuse it of being formulaic. I didn’t mind its predictability. …
A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Summer 2024. Beware of spoilers! Title: The Burning Author: Linda Castillo Series: Kate Burkholder #16 Much thanks to Linda Castillo, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to use free ARCs in exchange for an honest review. Not much to say, this book was great! The mystery was very intriguing and brilliantly framed the dilemma of victim blaming, how easy it is to fall into. The …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Ambush in the Mountains by Mary Alford a story of second chances, forgiveness, self-healing, compassion, unbridled trust, friendship, love, and redemption. As with most of her books she uses the weather as a character. Like the previous book, this book dealt with the dark subject of human trafficking in a compassionate and informative way. The opening scene in the story has Elizabeth Wyse remembering her Amish roots when she enjoyed the snow. At 18 …
UPDATE And it’s just my luck that less than 24 hours after I latched every ounce of focus in my ADHD brain onto this mystery, I remembered the Grimlet’s Facebook page, a.k.a. the page where Darynda fans go to play. There’s more information there. A moment of silence while I absorb the epicness of my failure. She’s been battling cancer. It crossed my mind yesterday but I didn’t want to assume; mastectomies can be preventative as well as a treatment. …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A Jewel in the Crown by David Lewis is a thriller and mystery all in one book, a spy novel set in England during WWII. In 1940 there is a fear of German infiltrators throughout England. To safeguard the Crown Jewels from the Nazis, Winston Churchill devises a daring gamble to have them shipped overseas. The priceless artifacts will be secretly removed from the Tower of London and driven north to Scotland by two …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper It Had to Be You by Eliza Jane Brazier is part fantasy, part thriller, and part romance. Readers might think about the similarity to the movie “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The book opens with contract killers Eva and Jonathan meeting on a train going from Florence to Paris. They both act on their physical attraction yet go their separate ways until six months later they meet at Versailles …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Confidence Games by Tess Amy is a thoroughly entertaining read. Readers will fall in love with the characters and even though they are con artists, will root for them. There are hidden truths, friendships, the true meaning of family, and a suspenseful mystery. Emma Oxley and Nellie Yarrow were inseparable friends until Emma got engaged. After her fiancé ditched her, who should show up to help her recover, Nellie. They now decide to …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The River Queen by Stephenia H. McGee has readers experience the glitz and glamour of a showboat, along with an immigrant family and their flare for showmanship. There are River pirates, smuggling, some romance, showboats, and a setting of the Roaring 20s. Readers find Emmett Carter who is investing with his brother in their inheritance in a steamboat. The boat is attacked by river pirates, and he is thrown overboard. Left with nothing else …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper All Our Tomorrows intermingles the romance genre with family fiction. Readers will not be disappointed in this first book of the series. Per usual, Catherine Bybee provides poignant and bittersweet moments where readers will have a roller coast of emotions: laughing, crying, and worrying right along with the characters. This one has emphasis on relationships: family, corporate business, and personal. The book opens with the funeral of Aaron Stone who has been estranged from …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Love on a Whim by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a delicious read. The quote at the beginning of the novel sums it up, “Eat ice cream. Read books. Be happy.” The book explores family, faith, romance, forgiveness, friendship, and second chances. The plot begins with Dawn Dixon’s best buddy from college, Brynn Haywood, attending a civil engineer convention in Las Vegas. While there she, uncharacteristically, decides to leave the convention with someone she just …