Friday, January 8, 2021

December Quick Reviews

Batter of Wits by Karla Sorenson (2020)

Grace is moving to Green Valley, but just outside town, her car breaks down.  Tucker stops to help her, and she takes an immediate dislike to him.  Those feelings don't last long, though, and soon the two are falling for each other - despite a lot of complications.  I really loved this book - there were so many elements beyond the romance, although that did take center stage.  Grace wants a fresh start in a new place; Tucker is unhappy in the life his father planned for him.  And then these two find each other, and wow - the sparks, the deep intense feelings.  They understand each other like no one else, but they can't be totally open with their relationship, and that's where the big issues come in.  Although I felt like their problems were solved a little too quickly and easily, and I wanted more development in Tucker's background, I couldn't read this book fast enough - I was so engrossed in this romance!  4 stars

Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl (2016)
 
I don't know about you, but I felt very Marvel-deprived in 2020, so I was excited to come across this Black Widow novel.  Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, rescues a Russian girl from the same man who trained her to be a spy; several years later, Natasha and Ava must work together to bring him down again.  Although I felt the pacing was a bit slow, there was a lot to enjoy about this book.  It felt like kind of an origin story for Black Widow; we got a bit more of her background and some surprise twists regarding other characters in the book.  Natasha is not the sole focus of the story, as there is a lot from the POV of Ava and Alex, another teenager, but when Natasha shows up, she is in full spy mode and I loved seeing her do her thing, from working with S.H.I.E.L.D. tech to beating up the bad guys.  There's a cameo from Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, and his trademark snark came through in spades.  Overall, a fun read if you're missing seeing Marvel films in theaters.  4 stars

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (2019)

Alicia's life seems perfect - beautiful home, successful career, happy marriage - until the day she shoots her husband in the face five times and never speaks another word.  Psychotherapist Theo Faber jumps at the chance to work with the institutionalized Alicia, and the ensuing sessions will lead Theo - and readers - down an unexpected path.  I haven't been reading many mysteries/thrillers this year, but the premise of this one really appealed to me.  The story is told from the POV of Theo, interspersed with excerpts from Alicia's journal.  I can't say I liked Theo that much; he seemed very pompous and obnoxious.  But, the short chapters kept the story moving quickly, and there were enough "oh sh*t" reveals to keep me wanting more.  As the story unfolded, I really couldn't imagine where it would end up, which is definitely the mark of a great mystery.  It's best to go into this one as blind as possible!  4 stars

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33 comments:

  1. Ooh The silent Patient was a fave of mine too!! The author has a new one out I'm looking forward to.

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  2. Yes, The Silent Patient was a good one. Definite surprises there. ;-)

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  3. I really wanna read The Silent Patient. I know a lot of people who enjoyed it so I wanna give it a go.

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  4. Such an interesting group of books. A little bit of something for everyone. Looks like it was a solid bunch too.

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    1. It was! December was a great reading month.

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  5. I've never read anything by Karla Sorenson but I feel like I've been seeing her books around a lot lately. It sounds like this one was a pretty captivating read.

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  6. I was curious to see what you thought of The Silent Patient.
    I so need to do short reviews to catch up...

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  7. I loved The Silent Patient - great twist at the end! Batter of Wits was really good too.

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  8. The Silent Patient... what a twist!

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  9. I have heard that The Silent Patient is really a page-turner. Glad to hear you liked it!

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  10. The Silent Patient is one I've been interested in for awhile! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

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  11. I really liked Silent Patient! I usually get book twists but Michaelides somewhat put my mind elsewhere that I didn't see it coming!

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  12. Yes! I felt so Marvel deprived too. I am so excited for Wanda Vision. You've piqued my interest in Black Widow Forever Red. I do worry about reading her background story but it sounds more of a fun read than anything hard hitting.
    You know I love that you do these quick mini reviews. I probably should do the same more often since sometimes I don't like doing a whole post on one review.
    Question: Is Batter of Wits a clean romance? I can never find those.

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    1. Thanks, Adriana! These quick reviews take so much less brain power!

      Batter of Wits is not clean, I would say. It has some steamy scenes.

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    2. Thanks, I like to avoid those unless it's a slow romance.

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  13. Silent Patient looks interesting, thanks for sharing!

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  14. The Black Widow sounds like a lot of fun. I miss Marvel movies!

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    1. Me, too, so glad the Disney+ shows are starting soon!

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  15. I agree about The Silent Patient. I went into that one spoiler free and was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

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  16. Oh, I do miss Marvel movies, so Black Widow sounds like a lot of fun!

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I'm so glad you stopped by, and I would love to hear your thoughts! Comments are always greatly appreciated!