Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Hacienda

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!
 
Isabel Canas
Expected publication date: May 10, 2022
Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches...

In the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father is executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.

But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.

When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz’s fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark its doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano?

Beatriz only knows two things for certain: Something is wrong with the hacienda. And no one there will help her.

Desperate for help, she clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, Andrés will have to rely on his skills as a witch to battle the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda.

Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz’s doom. - from Goodreads

This blurb grabbed my attention from the beginning with the references to Mexican Gothic and Rebecca - this sounds amazing!

Monday, February 14, 2022

Guest Blogger: New-To-Me Author January

 
A few weeks ago, I shared the new-to-me authors I read in 2021.  Today, my sister Michele is back on the blog to share the new-to-her authors she read in January!

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I decided to start off 2022 reading some new-to-me authors. My thought was this could be a good challenge to start a new year and also to clear some authors and books that had been accumulating on my TBR! I did have a few DNFs (which I won’t share here) but overall, I enjoyed most and now have some new authors to stalk follow!


Julie Olivia – In Too Deep

Meghan Quinn – That Second Chance

India Holton – The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels

Jacob Chance – Honeymoon Hitman

Evie Alexander – Highland Games

Willa Nash – The Bribe

Jenny Bunting – Fool’s Gold

Kylie Scott – Repeat

SL Scott – Head Over Feels

Ashley Winstead – In My Dreams I Hold a Knife

Elsie Silver – Off to the Races

Catherine Cowles – Beautifully Broken Pieces


Have you read any of these authors? Or have you read any new to you authors lately?

 

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Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Woman in the Library

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!
 
Sulari Gentill
Expected publication date: June 7,2022
In every person's story, there is something to hide...

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who'd happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning―it just happens that one is a murderer.

Award-winning author Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all. - from Goodreads

This sounds so unique and unexpected!  And I love the library setting!

Monday, February 7, 2022

Blog Tour + Review: The Door-Man

Thank you to Trish Collins at TLC Book Tours for inviting me to be a part of the blog tour for The Door-Man by Peter M. Wheelwright!  I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
 
Peter M. Wheelwright
Publication date: February 1, 2022
In 1917, during the construction of a large reservoir in the Catskill hamlet of Gilboa, New York, a young paleontologist named Winifred Goldring (1888-1971), identified fossils from an ancient forest flooded millions of years ago when the earth's botanical explosion of oxygen opened a path for the evolution of humankind. However, the reservoir water was needed for NYC, and the fossils were flooded once again, along with the doomed town. 
A mix of fact and fiction, The Door-Man follows three generations of interwoven families who share a deep wound from Gilboa's last days. The story is told by Winifred's grandson, a disaffected NYC doorman working near the Central Park Reservoir during its decommissioning in 1993. 
The brief and provisional nature of one's life on earth – and the nested histories of the places, people and events that give it meaning – engender a reckoning within the tangled roots and fragile bonds of family. - from Goodreads
In The Door-Man, Peter M. Wheelwright takes the true story of what happened in the town of Gilboa, New York and interweaves it into a multi-generational story while also reflecting on the fleeting nature of life and where we all come from.  While I did have some issues with this book, there were also things to enjoy.

In the early 20th century, the town of Gilboa was chosen as the site of a new reservoir that would feed into the water system of New York City.  Fossils of an ancient forest were discovered during the construction, but it wasn't enough to stop the reservoir and the town was ultimately flooded, forcing the relocation of many families.  The story follows three generations of local families as their histories intermingle and secrets are discovered.

While I enjoyed Wheelwright's writing, the story was quite a bit more "literary fiction" than I typically read.  There were several places in the narrative where I felt like the commentary was too much for me to understand or detracted from the story.  There were hints of secrets and mysteries and I think for me the story could have worked much better if those angles were played up a bit more.

I enjoyed the way Wheelwright mixed fact and fiction; the book made me want to know more about what happened in Gilboa.  The parts of the story that took place there were really interesting.  There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but it was intriguing to learn about the different families, how they interacted with each other, and how their identities were revealed.  I also liked how the story moved back and forth in time; it added a little bit of suspense.

3 stars



Purchase Links: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Author Links: Website , Instagram, and Twitter

Friday, February 4, 2022

Romance Quick Reviews

Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison (2021)

In an effort to save her Christmas tree farm from financial ruin, Stella may have told a little white lie on a contest application - that she and best friend Luka were actually a couple.  However, when they decide to go ahead with the fake relationship, it gives them the chance to explore feelings they've both hidden for years.  While this wasn't a perfect read for me, it had a lot of really wonderful things going for it.  I felt like there was a little too much going on at times, too many plot threads that weren't necessary.  While I liked Stella's backstory and the history she and her mom had at the tree farm, the drama with her dad felt tacked on and the fact that it totally disappeared in the second half of the book made me think the book could have done without it completely.  But, I loved a lot about this story - the fun secondary characters, the small-town setting, the relationship between Stella and Luka.  Their close, touchy-feely friendship made the leap to romance so believable and natural.  And Borison's writing is just amazing - so lush and detailed that I could picture each scene in my head as I was reading.  Definitely a must-read for fake relationship and friends-to-lovers romance fans!  4 stars

Until It Fades by K.A. Tucker (2017)
 
When single mom and waitress Catherine saves the life of NHL star Brett Madden, she's worried about the attention it will bring to her life.  But, her connection with Brett is overwhelming, and Catherine will have to decide what she wants.  The author wrote this book as a sort of modern-day fairytale, and I can definitely see that in the story.  Catherine and Brett are from two completely different walks of life, but their chemistry is undeniable.  I really liked Catherine; she has not had an easy go of it for several years.  A scandal during high school made her the subject of town gossip, and now she's trying to create a better life for her and her daughter.  As a character, she was so well-rounded and I really rooted for her.  Brett was a little less successful for me; he was just too perfect, but I can also see how he works well as the "prince" character.  The pacing of the story felt off to me.  I wanted more of Brett and Catherine's relationship, more of how they overcome their differences and outside forces together.  A lot of time was spent just getting them to the point of being together.  However, the writing was wonderful and I thought the story had a good mix of romance and drama.  4 stars


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Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Month in Review: January 2022

 
How are we already done with January?  The month seemed to fly by, despite the fact that I rarely left the house for most of it!  Tom went back to work, but his company had pushed back their reopening plans, so he mostly worked from home.  He had to "punch in" two days a week, but since there's a location only a mile from our house, he would go there, punch in, and come right back home.  I had a couple doctor's appointments, so it was nice that he was home and could watch Henry.  
 
Speaking of Henry, he's now two months old - I can't believe it!  The changes in him seem to come so fast - literally one day he no longer fit in newborn diapers and clothes.  He really focuses on us when we're talking to him and will follow a toy from side to side.  The best part has been the "real" smiles and giggles.  He also likes to try to mimic us when we make animal noises at him!  I'm trying to introduce more books to him; he's obviously still too little for most things, but he's enjoyed looking at the pictures of animals in his black-and-white board books.  

We were able to spend some time with family this month, too.  All the grandparents came for visits, and we saw my mom several times.  It's been so nice having her close; she can see Henry practically whenever she wants!  We also celebrated my niece's birthday with a small party.  We took a trip to Barnes & Noble and she picked out some new books.  It's hard to believe she's 6 already!  She held Henry for the first time and it's so cute to see how gentle and loving she is with him.

The Books
 
 


 
 
The Posts and Reviews
 
 
How are you doing?
 
 
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Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Top Ten Tuesday: Books With Character Names in the Titles

 
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is books with character names in the titles.  For this one, I looked for titles with the full character's name on my own shelves, and I was able to find quite a few!



Which titles did you find?


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