Friday, September 22, 2023

Quick Reviews: Time Travel and Time Loops

Twice in a Lifetime by Melissa Baron (2023)

Isla, suffering from depression, anxiety, and panic attacks, trades her life in Chicago for a more slow-paced one in Missouri.  She is surprised one night to receive a text from someone claiming to be her husband, since she's definitely not married.  But, she eventually believes that he is contacting her from the future, one in which they are no longer together.  As they build their relationship over the phone, soon the time will come for them to meet in person - can Isla fix things this time around?  I really wanted to love this book - I'm such a sucker for time travel - it never makes sense to me (and it really doesn't in this book), but I'm always up for it.  However, this book missed the mark for me.  The author gives trigger warnings up front for depression, anxiety, and suicide, and much of the story is devoted to Isla and her mental health.  I know it's important to have issues like this represented in books, but it was very hard for me to read.  At times it almost felt like a checklist of important points about depression and anxiety was used to craft certain parts of the story, and it felt clinical and textbook-y.  I know lots of people have enjoyed this book, but it was just a little too heavy and dark for my personal taste.  3 stars

Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major (2023)
 
Emma, a literary agent, is having a terrible day - something's off with her kids, she's facing a crisis at work, her sister-in-law is acting strange.  Then, she and her husband get into a fight, and when he leaves to take the dog for a walk, he is struck by a car and killed.  To Emma's surprise and confusion, when she wakes up the next day, she's repeating her terrible day all over again, and again, and again.  No matter what she does, she can't save her husband.  I love books that feature a time loop.  Although they can seem repetitive at first, I like watching the characters try to figure out how to get themselves out, usually by making some realization about themselves.  Emma is a very relatable character - she's always on the go, always needing to answer a text or go to a meeting, thinking about what needs to be done next - but she's also very caring and loving, almost to a fault.  My heart broke for her as she struggles with the time loop and losing her husband every night, but I was also happy when she realized that this time could be seen as a gift.  The inclusion of Emma's husband's anniversary letters to her over the years added some much-needed history and context to the story.  4.5 stars


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Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Top Ten Tuesday: My Fall TBR

 
 
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is our fall TBR.  I'm really going to lean into the season and go with horror/thriller types, although I still snuck a romance in there!  And yeah, two Grady Hendrix books because I've enjoyed his books in the past and now seems like a good time to catch up!

What will you be reading this fall?


Monday, September 18, 2023

Micheles Monday Picks #27

Angela is so generous to let me pop in with my little series, Michele’s Monday Picks!  I’m not a blogger or bookstagrammer, but I love getting excited about new releases with the rest of you.  Here I’ll be sharing new books I’m really looking forward to!

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By Sara Raasch & Beth Revis
Expected Publication: October 3, 2023

From Goodreads:
A witch and a hunter. Vengeance is their mission. Love is their destiny.

Fritzi is a witch. A survivor of a brutal attack on her coven, she's determined to find her only surviving family member and bring the hexenjägers—zealot witch hunters—to justice for the lives they ended. To do this, she will need to take down their leader—Kommandant Dieter Kirch.

Otto is a hexenjäger and a captain, the second in command to Dieter Kirch—but that's just his cover. Years ago, the hexenjagers burned his innocent mother alive and since then, he has been planning a move against the witch hunters that tore his family apart. And now the time has come for them to pay for what they've done.

When Fritzi and Otto are unexpectedly thrown together, neither is sure they can trust the other, despite their common enemy. But all they have is one another, and they both crave revenge. As truths come to light and trust shifts, Fritzi and Otto uncover a far more horrifying plot at the center of the hexenjäger attacks . . . but their own growing feelings for each other may be the most powerful magic of all.


Witches and witch hunters, sounds like a great read for fall - do you think you’ll be picking this one up?

Friday, September 15, 2023

Guest Blogger: Bookish Podcasts #1

 Michele is back today to talk about some of her favorite bookish podcasts!

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When I’m not listening to an audiobook, I catch the next best thing – bookish podcasts! I’ve found a lot over the past few years. Some are run by authors, others by book lovers. Some focus on author interviews and others trend toward book reviews and other bookish topics. Here are a few that I follow:


Fated Mates is a romance novel podcast co-hosted by author Sarah MacLean and romance critic Jen Prokop. Weekly episodes include romance novel read-alongs and discussions of the work of the genre, highlighting the romance novel as a powerful tool in fighting patriarchy…with absolutely no kink shaming.




Join Instagram book content creator @getlitwithlianna as she sits down with a different guest author to chat about their books, writing career, and everything in between!

 

Join Elin Hilderbrand, #1 New York Times bestselling author of 30 titles and the “Queen of the Beach Reads,” and Tim Ehrenberg, creator of the popular Tim Talks Books, as they talk shop and host spirited discussions with special guests from bestselling and internationally recognized authors, to publishing industry insiders, to local island legends who feature prominently in Hilderbrand’s prolific Nantucket stories.  From what it’s like to take a book to the screen to the intricacies and intimate details of an author’s writing process, Hilderbrand and Ehrenberg take listeners on an exciting (and amusing) journey each episode, bringing books to life in a brand-new way.

 

Buzzing about Romance is a Romance Reader Podcast. The Hosts of Buzzing about Romance Podcast love talk about all things in the Romance Book Genre. Our goal is to help the romance reader find their next great read. We do this by recommending books based on tropes and through critical book reviews. Join Duchess Katie and Lady Sadie on the sister podcast, Corset and Crown, as they explore the works of Historical Romance and the amazing humans writing it.


A gothic, mystery and horror podcast hosted by Agatha Andrews.



Do you listen to podcasts? Share your favorites!

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Can't-Wait Wednesday: A Winter in New York

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!
 
Josie Silver
Expected publication date: October 3, 2023
A young chef stumbles on a secret family recipe that might lead her to the love—and life—she’s been looking for in this stunning novel.

When Iris decides to move to New York to restart her life, she realizes she underestimated how big the Big Apple really is—all the nostalgic movies set in New York she’d watched with her mom while eating their special secret-recipe gelato didn’t quite do it justice. 

But Bobby, Iris’s best friend, isn’t about to let her hide away. He drags her to a famous autumn street fair in Little Italy, and as they walk through the food stalls, a little family-run gelateria catches her eye—could it be the same shop that’s in an old photo of her mother’s?

Curious, Iris returns the next day and meets the handsome Gio, who tells her that the shop is in danger of closing. His uncle, sole keeper of their family’s gelato recipe, is in a coma, so they can’t make more. When Iris samples the last remaining batch, she realizes that their gelato and her gelato are one and the same. But how can she tell them she knows their secret recipe when she’s not sure why Gio’s uncle gave it to her mother in the first place?

Iris offers her services as a chef to help them re-create the flavor and finds herself falling for Gio and his family. But when Gio’s uncle finally wakes up, all of the secrets Iris has been keeping threaten to ruin the new life—and new love—she’s been building all winter long. - from Goodreads

 

Monday, September 11, 2023

Michele's Monday Picks #26

Angela is so generous to let me pop in with my little series, Michele’s Monday Picks!  I’m not a blogger or bookstagrammer, but I love getting excited about new releases with the rest of you.  Here I’ll be sharing new books I’m really looking forward to!

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By Kerri Maniscalco
Expected Publication: October 3, 2023

From Goodreads:
The adult debut of #1 New York Times bestselling author Kerri Maniscalco, Throne of the Fallen is a seductive new standalone novel set within her fan-favorite Kingdom of the Wicked world, perfect for readers of fantasy, romance, and mystery alike.

Sinner. Villain. Ruthless.

These are wicked names the Prince of Envy welcomes. They remind him what he isn’t: a saint. And when a cryptic note arrives, signaling the beginning of a deadly game, he knows he’ll be called much worse before it ends. Riddles, hexed objects, anonymous players, nothing will stand in his way. With a powerful artifact and his own future at stake, Envy is determined to win, though none of his meticulous plans prepare him for her, the frustrating artist who ignites his sin—and passion—like no other…

Talented. Darling. Liar.

The trouble with scoundrels and blackguards is that they haven’t a modicum of honor, a fact Miss Camilla Antonius learns after one desperate mistake allows notorious rake—and satire sheet legend—Lord Phillip Vexley to blackmail her. And now it seems Vexley isn’t the only scoundrel interested in securing her unique talents as a painter. To avoid Vexley’s clutches and a ruinous scandal, Camilla is forced to enter a devil’s bargain with Waverly Green’s newest arrival, enigmatic Lord Ashford ‘Syn’ Synton, little expecting his game will awaken her true nature . . .

Together, Envy and Camilla must embark on a perilous journey through the Shifting Isles—from glittering demon courts to the sultry vampire realm, and encounters with exiled Fae—while trying to avoid the most dangerous trap of all: falling in love. 


There are so many YA authors branching into Adult and I’m here for it - do you think you’ll be picking this one up?

Friday, September 8, 2023

Quick Reviews

 Dream On by Angie Hockman (2022)

When Cass wakes up from a coma after a car accident, she is convinced that she is dating a man named Devin - she knows what he looks like and all these things about him.  But, no one in her life knows Devin.  Then, Cass actually meets him, the real Devin, in a flower shop a year later.  Is a relationship meant to be?  I wanted to love this one - the premise is so unique!  Cass has memories of someone she's never met, and then they cross paths!  However, it was evident from very early on in the book what was actually going to happen once Cass and Devin start dating for real.  Even though he seemed like a nice guy, Cass always had some issue with something he did or said.  I did enjoy the glimpses into Cass' work life (starting a job as a lawyer while still trying to recover from her accident), and her friends and family seemed pretty great.  I just wanted more whimsy, more charm, and this ended up falling flat for me.  3 stars 
 
The Spectacular by Fiona Davis (2023)
 
Dancer Marion takes a big chance on trying out for the Rockettes and is thrilled to find out she made the cut.  But, her family and boyfriend are not happy about her new career, and when the Big Apple bomber strikes Radio City Music Hall, Marion will have some tough choices to make in the wake of personal tragedy.  Fiona Davis quickly became an auto-buy author for me, and her books just keep getting better and better.  While I've always loved her writing, in this book it just felt like she hit an amazing groove.  Marion is a character that you're going to love - she wants more from her life than what her father and boyfriend expect of her.  She's passionate and determined.  After the bombing, she wants to get more involved in the investigation, worried that the police aren't doing enough.  She starts working with a friend, a doctor, who helps the police create a psychological profile of the bomber.  The story is the perfect blend of a coming-of-age story of sorts for Marion combined with a murder mystery - there's a little something for almost any reader.  I can't wait to read more from Davis and see what iconic NYC building she chooses next.  4.5 stars


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