Synopsis
This is the story of how my parents split me in two, and how I ultimately put myself back together…
On the eve of Marin’s birthday, her parents tell her they’re getting divorced—or, in a parallel universe, they don’t tell her anything at all. This defining moment, along with Marin’s subsequent choices, turn her into polar ends of herself and drastically affect the relationships she has with her two best friends, her mom, and soccer player Sam Hanson. The possibilities of ‘what could have been’ play out in alternating scenarios throughout the book.
If Marin can’t make it into Wash U and get away from her suffocating mother, she just might self-implode. She’s determined that nothing will stop her, but then she can’t seem to say no to what everyone else wants—or yes to Sam, seeing as her best friend Hannah wants him too.
Things that this Marin puts up with—a narcissistic mother and a buoyant yet selfish best friend—the other never would. But then, the other can’t stop fighting long enough to get who or what she wants. Instead, she marks a path through life that nearly alienates her best friend Whitney and the boy from work she won’t let herself be distracted by, because distractions like Sam Hanson won’t get her into dance school and away from her mom.
One moment may have changed the trajectory of her future, but if Marin can’t find her way back to herself, she’ll not only lose the boy and her best friends, but also the future she’s worked so hard for.
IN ONE LIFE AND OUT ANOTHER will appeal to fans of E.Lockhart, Brenna Yovanoff, and Kristin Dwyer, as well as readers who enjoyed the SLIDING DOOR premise of MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE by Taylor Jenkins Reid or THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig.
Told in alternating chapters, this story asks if the person changes the life, or if the life changes the person.
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My Review This concept reminds me of the movie, Sliding Doors, with Gwyneth Paltrow. Her life is vastly different depending on whether or not she catches her train. ONE LIFE AND OUT ANOTHER explores how Marin’s life plays out based on her parents’ decision to divorce or stay together. In one life, her parents are still together, though unhappy as ever, but her friendships with her two BFFs, Whitney and Hannah, are fractured. In one life, she’s still friends with Whit and in another Hannah. In both lives, she’s hopelessly in love with Sam Hanson but can’t have him, though for different reasons.
What the author does really well is show how the choices parents make have very significant impacts on their children, impacts that can alter the course of their lives. And that staying together “for the sake of the children” might not always be the best choice, though divorce is no picnic either. The story is raw, the characters fully developed, and the choices that Marin needs to make, both due to and in spite of her parents, alter everyone’s lives, not just hers. The story is emotionally charged without being over done. Marin’s angst is palpable without being annoying as she navigates her journey into young adulthood with or without the support of her parents and friends.
Plot There are three main plots running through the story as well as some subplots. I can’t really pick a main plot because all three are given similar weight and are equally important to Marin’s life. The first is getting into her dream school, the second is her relationship with Sam, and the third is her friendships with Whit and Hannah. There are also good subplots around her dancing as well as her relationships with both of her parents that are intertwined so thickly in the main plots that they can’t really be extracted without derailing the entire story. The author weaves them all together seamlessly, making us care about all of the characters, but especially Marin.
Characters The characters are all fully fleshed out! No one is a cardboard cutout, not even Ernie, owner of the ice cream parlor! Marin, Whit, Sam, Hannah, and Marin’s mom are deep characters, with rich backstories and understandable motivations that drive their actions. Marin’s dad spends a lot less time on the page, so I didn’t get as much of a feel for him, but he’s not a stereotype either. The growth that all the characters experience is believable and necessary to the characters that J. Mercer has crafted for them.
What I Loved About IN ONE LIFE AND OUT ANOTHER 1. The Concept. I love a good “what if” premise. It’s one of my favorites, especially when taken to extremes. The author does a masterful job of executing on this premise.
2. Sam. Sam is the dream guy. He’s patient, funny, understanding, but still vulnerable without being a pushover.
3. Marin. Her home life is a wreck, but she doesn’t let it destroy her, too. She has plans for her future and won’t let anyone or anything get in her way.
4. Family Drama. I don’t actually love family drama, but it’s a reality for so many families and seeing it portrayed so honestly with being overly done made the story that much richer.
5. Dance. As the mother of a dancer, I really enjoyed these aspects of the story.
Bottom Line A wonderfully executed alternate choices tale with fully-developed characters.
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About the Book – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited Title: IN ONE LIFE AND OUT ANOTHER Author: J. Mercer Publisher: Bare Ink Release Date: May 16, 2023 Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance / Family Issues Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon IT | Amazon FR | Amazon DE
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Author J. Mercer
About The Author J Mercer grew up in Wisconsin where she walked home from school with her head in a book, filled notebooks with stories in junior high, then went to UW Madison for accounting and psychology only to open a dog daycare. She wishes she were an expert linguist, is pretty much a professional with regards to competitive dance hair (bunhawk, anyone?), and enjoys exploring with her husband—though as much as she loves to travel, she’s also an accomplished hermit. Perfect days include cancelled plans, rain, and endless hours to do with what she pleases.
For updates and news, you can find her on Facebook, but she’s more often on Instagram, talking about what she’s reading and other bookish things. Go there for book recommendations, reading-inspired writing tips, or even to read along. If you prefer everything delivered directly to your inbox, click here to get on the email list.
OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL – Map Your Way to Success (Helping Writers Become Authors Series) by K.M. Weiland
Synopsis Can Outlining Help You Write a Better Story?
Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly wielded, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer’s arsenal.
Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success will:
Help you choose the right type of outline for you
Guide you in brainstorming plot ideas
Aid you in discovering your characters
Show you how to structure your scenes
Explain how to format your finished outline
Instruct you in how to use your outline
Reveal the benefits
Dispel the misconceptions
Includes exclusive interviews with ten respected authors, answering important questions about outlining.
Outlining can organize your writing and help you take your stories to the next level. Find out how!
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My Review I have rampant ADHD. I didn’t realize that until the pandemic unfortunately, but I’ve definitely struggled my entire life. I just never knew why. So, I desperately need to plot in advance of writing. But even my plotting habits are all over the map. I was looking for a roadmap, a series of checkpoints to get me from blank page to a fully fleshed out outline to begin the writing process. I spent ten years as a project manager for a tech company and realized I flourished in that job because of the structure my brain needs, even if I didn’t know that was the reason for it at the time. An avid reader of K.M.’s blog, I happily purchased her book, not only to support her, but to get all the wisdom she willingly provides us in a single book, rather than clicking through dozens of posts on her website.
Weiland walks through the planning and plotting process with lots of examples and commentary by other author who swear by the plotting method, which I found really helpful. I think what I took most from her recommendations is that an outline doesn’t need to be strict. If inspiration hits while writing, you don’t have to rigidly maintain your original outline. It’s okay to take a path you didn’t even know was there and head in a new direction as long as the fundamentals of story structure are maintained. While I was hoping for a guidebook that gave me a checklist for completing my outline, project management style, it’s more of a recipe that you can adapt to your own tastes. Take what works for you and discard what doesn’t.
I think for me, my process will likely pull from a lot of different books, pulling out the pieces that fit into the way I work, and creating a flow that works for me. And Weiland’s book is the perfect place for me to start building my own system.
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About the Book Title: OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL – Map Your Way to Success Series: Helping Writers Become Authors Series #1 Authors: K.M. Weiland Publisher: PenForASword Publishing Release Date: November 28, 2013 Genre: Self Help / Writing Fiction Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon DE | Amazon IT | Amazon FR | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
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Author K.M. Weiland
About the Author K.M. Weiland lives in make-believe worlds, talks to imaginary friends, and survives primarily on chocolate truffles and espresso.
She is the award-winning and internationally published author of acclaimed writing guides Outlining Your Novel, Structuring Your Novel, and Creating Character Arcs, as well as Jane Eyre: The Writer’s Digest Annotated Classic.
Her fiction includes the gaslamp fantasy Wayfarer, the historical/dieselpunk adventure Storming, the portal fantasy Dreamlander, and the medieval epic Behold the Dawn.
When she’s not making things up, she’s busy mentoring other authors on her award-winning blog HelpingWritersBecomeAuthors.com.
Called One of the Best Crime Novels of the Year by New York Times * NPR * New York Post * Washington Post * Buzzfeed * South Florida Sun-Sentinel * Library Journal * CrimeReads
From the award-winning author of All Her Little Secrets comes yet another gripping, suspenseful novel where, after the murder of a white man in Jim Crow Mississippi, two Black sisters run away to different parts of the country . . . but can they escape the secrets they left behind?
It’s the summer of 1964 and three innocent men are brutally murdered for trying to help Black Mississippians secure the right to vote. Against this backdrop, twenty-one year old Violet Richards finds herself in more trouble than she’s ever been in her life. Suffering a brutal attack of her own, she kills the man responsible. But with the color of Violet’s skin, there is no way she can escape Jim Crow justice in Jackson, Mississippi. Before anyone can find the body or finger her as the killer, she decides to run. With the help of her white beau, Violet escapes. But desperation and fear leads her to hide out in the small rural town of Chillicothe, Georgia, unaware that danger may be closer than she thinks.
Back in Jackson, Marigold, Violet’s older sister, has dreams of attending law school. Working for the Mississippi Summer Project, she has been trying to use her smarts to further the cause of the Black vote. But Marigold is in a different kind of trouble: she’s pregnant and unmarried. After news of the murder brings the police to her door, Marigold sees no choice but to flee Jackson too. She heads North seeking the promise of a better life and no more segregation. But has she made a terrible choice that threatens her life and that of her unborn child?
Two sisters on the run—one from the law, the other from social shame. What they don’t realize is that there’s a man hot on their trail. This man has his own brand of dark secrets and a disturbing motive for finding the sisters that is unknown to everyone but him . . .
“Anywhere You Run had me hooked from the first page… It’s a novel both tender and ferocious—an absolute stunner.” —Lou Berney, Edgar Award–winning author of November Road
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My Review This is one of those books that will stick with me years, maybe even decades, after I’ve finished it. The story is powerful, the characters breathtaking, the world maddening. As a cis het white woman, the most discrimination I’ve ever experienced is workplace misogyny, which is nothing compared to what Violet and Marigold go through in the deep south of 1964 America. I wanted to scream so many times. The way Violet and Marigold had to demur and act as if they were inferior to their white neighbors was only the tip of the iceberg. Being blamed for crimes against white people for simply being Black in the south was just one of the many injustices they faced. So when Violet takes the law into her own hands, getting the only justice she has available to her to not only protect herself, but her sister, I found myself not hating her for it. In fact, just the opposite. But instead of her being an anti-hero, she was actually a hero. To herself, her sister, and her family’s memories.
The story gripped me from the first paragraph and never let up. I was so invested in these characters and what would happen to them that I didn’t want it to end. I took my time and savored it, even though it’s a page turner. Because I knew when it was over, I’d have the book hangover to beat all book hangovers. And now that I’m finally here, I was right. I’m lost over what to read next, though I have already purchased Morris’s first novel.
Plot The main plot is the fate of the two sisters, but it seems like two separate plots at first. Violet is dealing with the consequences of her actions which are the direct result of the inaction of local law enforcement, while Marigold is dealing with the consequences of her actions — namely getting pregnant by a coworker she’s not sure she loves, but is now permanently tied to. As these consequences take on lives of their own and neither sister is able to control any aspect of their respective situations, they both seek to regain control of their own lives in very different ways. But the diverging plots are really two sides of the same coin as their fates collide when a man pursuing Violet uses Marigold to track her down. Told in multiple points of view, this is part mystery, part thriller, and part women’s fiction, but so expertly woven, I I still struggle to classify it.
Characters The characters are brilliantly crafted. Even the antagonist has a rich backstory and compelling reasons for doing what he feels he has no choice but to do. While I didn’t root for him to succeed, I understood why he was doing what he was doing and hoped for a happy ending for his family. I also was really pulling for him to find a way out of the mess he’d gotten himself into so that there would be a HEA for all involved. But this isn’t one of those kinds of stories. Violet, Marigold, Hank, and even the tertiary characters all came across as living, breathing human beings with reasons for doing everything they did. No one seemed to just be there to serve the story, but rather will like integral pieces of it, even the walk-on characters. The last book I read with this level of rich character development was GONE GIRL.
What I Loved About ANYWHERE YOU RUN 1. Pacing. The story moves at just the right pace from start to finish.
2. Violet. She doesn’t think she has anything to offer other than her looks, but she’s smarter than anyone gives her credit for.
3. Marigold. The typically grounded older sister finds herself in a place she’s not experienced with and without the tools to cope, but she’s as resourceful as Violet.
4. Twists. So many unexpected twists kept me guessing, kept me invested, and made me not to want the story to end.
5. Unexpected Endings. The author let us know early on that anything could happen and that no one was safe. I had no idea where the story would end up, but the ending was unexpected and satisfying.
Bottom Line One of the best books I’ve read in a long, long time. This one will end up on my list of all-time favorites and I will read anything this author writes.
About the Author Wanda M. Morris is a corporate attorney, having worked in the legal departments of some of America’s top Fortune 100 companies. As an accomplished presenter and leader, she previously served as President of the Georgia Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, in which she established a signature female empowerment program known as the Women’s Initiative.
Wanda M. Morris is an alumni of the Yale Writers Workshop and a Claymore Award finalist for mystery writing. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. She is married, the mother of three, and she lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
THE ROSIE PROJECT (Don Tillman Series #1) by Graeme Simsion
Synopsis The international bestselling romantic comedy “bursting with warmth, emotional depth, and…humor,” (Entertainment Weekly) featuring the oddly charming, socially challenged genetics professor, Don, as he seeks true love.
The art of love is never a science: Meet Don Tillman, a brilliant yet socially inept professor of genetics, who’s decided it’s time he found a wife. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which Don approaches all things, he designs the Wife Project to find his perfect partner: a sixteen-page, scientifically valid survey to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, the late arrivers.
Rosie Jarman possesses all these qualities. Don easily disqualifies her as a candidate for The Wife Project (even if she is “quite intelligent for a barmaid”). But Don is intrigued by Rosie’s own quest to identify her biological father. When an unlikely relationship develops as they collaborate on The Father Project, Don is forced to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie―and the realization that, despite your best scientific efforts, you don’t find love, it finds you.
Arrestingly endearing and entirely unconventional, Graeme Simsion’s distinctive debut “navigates the choppy waters of adult relationships, both romantic and platonic, with a fresh take (USA TODAY). “Filled with humor and plenty of heart, The Rosie Project is a delightful reminder that all of us, no matter how we’re wired, just want to fit in” (Chicago Tribune).
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My Review My husband read this first and handed his well-worn copy over to me and said, “I think you’ll really like this.” He was not wrong. I absolutely loved it. It has everything I love in a good book: quirky characters, a slow-burn romance, at least one clueless individual, and the street-smart counterbalance to round it all out. This formula works in any genre, but it’s my particular favorite in a romantic comedy. There’s so much opportunity for comedic moments with these ingredients and THE ROSIE PROJECT does not disappoint.
Don Tillman is a professor of genetics at a university in Sydney. He’s socially awkward at best, but more likely, he’s on the autism spectrum. When Don decides he should get married, he approaches it like everything else and creates The Wife Project, to help him find the perfect spouse. Love, obviously, isn’t a requirement. But that gets upended when he meets Rosie through his best friend Gene and helps her with The Father Project. Rosie is seeking her biological father with very little to go on from her late mother. That leads Don to suggesting genetics to get to the root of the problem. With Rosie’s DNA and a list of potential candidates, the two set out on a hilarious adventure that includes many mishaps, such as infamous The Jacket Incident.
Plot The main plot is the relationship between Don and Rosie, but the subplots are such a strong part of the story, it wouldn’t work without them. First there’s The Wife Project. Don creates a scientifically rigorous questionnaire to find his perfect mate. And while Rosie is wholly unsuitable, he cannot deny the spark between them. No matter how hard he tries. Then there’s The Father Project and all the hijinks that go along with attempting to gather DNA from unsuspecting men. There’s also his best friend Gene and his philandering ways. In an open marriage with Claudia, Don’s other BFF, Gene is on a mission to sleep with a woman from every country on the planet. He even has a map in his office with pins, because that’s not gross and creepy. While Don may be oblivious about so many things when it comes to emotions, he senses Claudia pulling away from Gene. She may have signed up for an open marriage, but Don feels she’s no longer a fan. So on top of everything else, he feels he must save his best friends’ marriage.
Characters The characters are so fun. They really make the book work. Without Don’s cluelessness and Rosie’s quirkiness it just wouldn’t be the same story. On a trip to New York to gather some DNA, Don finally finds his people in a group of Yankees fans. He doesn’t make friends easily, but batting averages, game stats, and other numbers associated with the game are his love language, and he ends up developing a real friendship with one fan in particular. This was one of my favorite moments in the book, I loved seeing Don come alive when he was in his element.
What I Loved About THE ROSIE PROJECT 1. Don. Quirks and all, he is one of the most interesting characters I’ve read in a long time. The way he names everything is just the icing on the cake that is Don Tillman.
2. Rosie. She’s funny, zany, whip smart, and puts up with all of Don’s eccentricities, challenging him in the way he needs to be challenged.
3. The Wife Project. The way Don approaches finding a suitable mate is comedy gold.
4. Twists. Even in a comedy, there were plenty of twists. Not least of which were related to The Father Project. Every time I thought I figured out the identity of Rosie’s biological father, I was wrong again.
5. Finding Unexpected Love. Don doesn’t believe he’s even capable of loving someone, so when he realizes he actually does love Rosie, it was one of the most satisfying moments of any romantic comedy.
Bottom Line A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that exceeded all my expectations.
About the Author Graeme Simsion is a former IT consultant and the author of two nonfiction books on database design who decided, at the age of fifty, to turn his hand to fiction. His first novel, The Rosie Project, was published in 2013 and translation rights have been sold in forty languages. Movie rights have been optioned to Sony Pictures. The sequels, The Rosie Effect, and The Rosie Result, were also bestsellers, with total sales of the series in excess of five million.
Graeme’s third novel was The Best of Adam Sharp, a story of a love affair re-kindled – and its consequences. Movie rights have been optioned by Vocab Films / New Sparta Films with Toni Collette attached to direct.
Creative Differences was originally created as an ‘Audible Original’ audiobook, but is now in print with a collection of short stories from across Graeme’s career.
Two Steps Forward is a story of renewal set on the Camino de Santiago, written with his wife, Anne Buist, whose own books include Medea’s Curse, Dangerous to Know and This I would Kill for, The Long Shadow and Locked Ward. Movie rights were optioned by Fox Searchlight. A sequel, Two Steps Onward, was published in 2021.Graeme is a frequent presenter of seminars on writing. The Novel Project is his practical, step by step approach to writing a novel or memoir..
Synopsis
Bookworm (buk-werm): Someone who loves books, reading, and/or studying. For reference, see Charlotte Kent.
Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Kent likes happy endings. Not that she’s looking for one herself. Awkward, never been kissed, and bookish to the core, Lottie would rather read about love than experience it.
But she enjoys helping others find their HEA in books.
Lottie loves working at the library…even if it means running into Bo Stryker.
Broody, athletic, and unfairly attractive when he frowns, Bo works at the flower shop across the street. Lottie is about to get rejected…when surprisingly, Bo steps in, pretends to be her boyfriend, and steals her first kiss.
One viral video later, everyone thinks they’re together.
Bo wants to keep pretending. Lottie wants to make amends—long story short: she was on a ladder; he startled her; the book slap was an accident.
A fake relationship may be the solution. But as they grow closer, Lottie can’t help falling for Bo—which is a disaster because grumpy sunshine only works in fiction…right?
This book features two opposites with undeniable chemistry, one lovable librarian, so many stolen kisses and answers the question:
What happens when a nerd falls for the grump-next-door?
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My Review I didn’t realize how much my soul needed another Cookie O’Gorman YA contemporary romance until I started on page 1 of BOOKWORM. My goodness, her characters and her writing are so much fun! And, I was pleasantly surprised to find out the main characters are the offspring of some of my favorite Cookie characters! Bonus! Yes, I’m using lots of exclamation points because I just loved this story so much. I smiled constantly as I read about Charlotte-Lottie-Lotte and her family and friends. And Bo Stryker is exactly my kind of guy — hot, dark and brooding with a heart of gold (Jon Snow anyone?). Bo is a soccer phenom who lives next door to Charlotte, Lottie, Kent and they’ve been at odds with each other since Kindergarten. That doesn’t stop Lottie from watching him workout every morning from the safety of her bedroom window, though.
When the girls at school make a bet to see who can land Bo first, he seeks out Lottie as his fake girlfriend to get them to back off. The only problem is, Lottie realizes she likes Bo. A lot. And the whole fake thing has the potential to turn into something real. For her at least. So she establishes ground rules: first and foremost is no kissing. Too bad, because the one and only kiss they’ve shared was out-of-this-world hot!
Plot The plot was so fun. It was primarily the relationship between Bo and Lottie, but there was some subplotting around Lottie’s library fundraising event and some cute food-centered super minor subplots. There’s also Lottie’s relationship with Bo’s grandmother and a minor character arc on her part. The story moves at a typical O’Gorman pace with lots of laughs on every page.
Characters The characters are always what I love best about Cookie’s books and BOOKWORM is no exception, though I think I adore Lottie the most. She’s me in teenage form. Upbeat, insecure, opinionated, bookloving, smiles all the time. I could identify with her so much. I think what I loved most about her is that she’s different than a lot of teen protagonists. She just goes with the flow and speaks her mind. It’s a rare combination that I just loved. As I mentioned above, Bo is the swooniest of swoon-worthy book boyfriends. His gruff exterior and marshmallow center were a delight to read. It was also fun to see some familiar characters as well (Ninja girl!!!).
What I Loved About BOOKWORM 1. Lottie. I love her optimism, the way she handles the “bad guys”, how she’s always up for a challenge, her sense of humor. Really, I just love everything about her. She may be my favorite YA female protagonist of all time.
2. Bo. Gruff, scowly on the outside, soft as a marshmallow on the inside. Plus, those arms.
3. Books. I love how books and reading are such an integral part of the story.
4. Scarlett. Lottie’s younger sister is the yin to her yang. I sure hope she gets her own book soon (Cookie, if you’re reading this…)
5. Swoony One-Liners. Bo is a man of few words, but when he says something, it’ll make any girl’s knees weak. I mean, just his favorite flower about undid me.
Bottom Line This might be O’Gorman’s best young adult book so far. At least it’s my favorite! I loved everything about it.
About the Author Cookie O’Gorman writes YA & NA romance to give readers a taste of happily-ever-after. Small towns, quirky characters, and the awkward yet beautiful moments in life make up her books. Cookie also has a soft spot for nerds and ninjas. Her novels ADORKABLE, NINJA GIRL, The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, The Good Girl’s Guide to Being Bad, The Kissing Challenge (YA novella), WALLFLOWER, CUPCAKE, and FAUXMANCE are out now! She is also the author of NA sports romances The Best Mistake, The Perfect Play, and The Sweetest Game. Her newest release BOOKWORM is coming on April 20, 2023!
Reclusive fantasy author turned famous when his series got developed into a mega TV hit. Except now I’m way behind deadline, and the whole world is waiting to see what I’ll write next. The pressure is getting to me, and I. Can’t. Write.
Cue: small town where people don’t recognize me.
Cue: my assistant insisting on a personal chef to keep me fed and nothing more.
Cue: finding the first bit of inspiration I’ve felt in months whenever she’s around…
Am I a walking cliche now, or what?
Dani Cooper seems to have her own hurdles to jump this holiday season. Newly divorced, looking for her next move. She’s the first person who’s seen me for me in way too long. And I see her, too–as way more than just an employee, a divorcee, a cook. She’s becoming my muse…
But when my Christmas deadline hits, will it spell the end of us, too?
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My Review This was just the right light-hearted romantic comedy I needed over the holiday season. Filled with lots of sweet, funny moments, it tells the tale of Matt, a younger, hotter, George R.R. Martin-type, who is trying to write the last book in his series at the same time that the television series based on his books is set to begin their last season of production. Too many similarities to ignore it, but that’s what makes it so fun and relatable. When recently divorced Dani is hired to cook and clean for the reclusive author as he pounds out his manuscript, these two end up falling for each other. But with Matt leaving just after the new year, both of them know this isn’t mean to last. Except what if they both want it to?
Plot The story itself is pretty predictable, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a hoot. It’s delightfully whimsical, filled with quirky characters and hilarious moments that kept me turning the page. There were a few twists I didn’t see coming, but nothing earth shattering. Just enough to remind me that the story wasn’t as predictable as I thought. The author’s style and well-developed characters carries the story to perfection.
Characters I loved everything about this wacky cast of characters. Dani, Matt, Dani’s family, the slightly eccentric neighbor, and even Matt’s assistant are well differentiated and utterly delightful. There is no one that you love to hate, in fact, the only real antagonist is the calendar eating away at Matt’s deadline and the opportunities for Matt and Dani to spend time together. Also maybe Matt’s stubbornness.
What I Loved About WRITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS 1. The Town. This is a really fun small-town romance that feels straight out of Stars Hallow.
2. Writing. I enjoyed reading about Matt’s writer’s block, his ability to find anything to do other than write, and his back-and-forth with his editor. All things I can relate to!
3. Dani. As a forty-something divorced mom, she wasn’t the least bit silly but also wasn’t overly serious. She was believably zany while also being down to earth.
4. Matt. His stubborn tenaciousness contrasted with his ability to procrastinate grounded him in reality so well. We’re all a little bit juxtaposed. But his more straight-laced style to Dani’s free-spiritedness was a nice balance.
5. Christmas. I love a good holiday romance and this was a Hallmark Christmas movie in book form. I loved every minute of it.
Bottom Line A delightfully quirky holiday romance that warmed my heart and made me smile.
About the Author USA Today bestselling author Julie Hammerle writes young adult novels that focus on nerds, geeks, and basket cases falling in love. On the YA side, she is the author of The Sound of Us (Entangled TEEN, 2016) and the North Pole romance series (Entangled Crush, 2017). For adult romances, look for Knocked-Up Cinderella in the fall of 2018. A graduate of Butler University with degrees in secondary education and Latin with a minor in music, Julie lives in Chicago with her family and enjoys reading, cooking, and watching all the television.
Synopsis For the first time in history, we have instantaneous access to the world’s knowledge. There has never been a better time to learn, to contribute, and to improve ourselves. Yet, rather than feeling empowered, we are often left feeling overwhelmed by this constant influx of information. The very knowledge that was supposed to set us free has instead led to the paralyzing stress of believing we’ll never know or remember enough.
Now, this eye-opening and accessible guide shows how you can easily create your own personal system for knowledge management, otherwise known as a Second Brain. As a trusted and organized digital repository of your most valued ideas, notes, and creative work synced across all your devices and platforms, a Second Brain gives you the confidence to tackle your most important projects and ambitious goals.
Discover the full potential of your ideas and translate what you know into more powerful, more meaningful improvements in your work and life by Building a Second Brain.
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My Review To say this book was life changing, would be an understatement. If only with this book had been written ten years ago! Of course, the note taking tools of ten years ago didn’t lend themselves to this method as well as modern tools do, but I would’ve found a way to make it work. For my entire adult life, I’ve tried and failed to find a system that works for me. A way for me to create what I called a personal knowledgebase that covered all aspects of my life, but what Tiago Forte calls a Second Brain. I had a system I used in the 90s in Microsoft Outlook. I created “contacts” with various notes and information I wanted to be able to easily access, then peppered it with keywords to search on. But as one job led to another and another, I lost that repository. I’ve used folders, notebooks, and even invested in The Paper Tiger, a method that relied on search terms and tags to find information, but everything ultimately left me feeling more frustrated than helped.
Enter Evernote, Notion, and similar apps. I discovered Notion before I discovered this book. I began using it to store information I had once stored in Microsoft OneNote, due do the markdown language capabilities and robust database support. As I learned how to use Notion, I stumbled upon Thomas Frank. He’s not only a Notion guru, but a Second Brain evangelist. I bought Tiago Forte’s book shortly after watching Frank’s first video. But as I read the book, the more I realized that Notion wasn’t really the right tool for me. The ability to create a folder structure and areas the way my brain works, was hindered by the complexity of Notion. That was the opposite of what I needed.
When I finished Forte’s book, I simultaneously stumbled upon a post on Medium about another note-taking app called Nimbus Note. I did the free two week trial, and by the end of the first day, I knew that Nimbus more closely aligns with how I personally took the lessons from Forte’s book and applied them to my life. Since then, I’ve become more organized, more resourceful, and more importantly as an author, more creative! Being able to spend more time brainstorming and less time digging through my notes has added a level of focus I didn’t know I was capable of.
I loved this book so much, I bought a paperback copy for my husband and he’s adopting these techniques as well!
About the Author Tiago Forte is one of the world’s foremost experts on productivity and has taught thousands of people around the world how timeless principles and the latest technology can revolutionize their productivity, creativity, and personal effectiveness.
He has worked with organizations such as Genentech, Toyota Motor Corporation, and the Inter-American Development Bank, and appeared in a variety of publications, such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Harvard Business Review. Find out more at Fortelabs.com.
Synopsis The mind-blowing new thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and Recursion—currently in development as a motion picture at Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners
“You are the next step in human evolution.”
At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.
But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways.
The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.
Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost.
Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.
And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?
Intimate in scale yet epic in scope, Upgrade is an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential.
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My Review This was a riveting story from the opening pages. Logan Ramsay is as ordinary as they come. Ordinary intelligence, physique, life, but with an extraordinary backstory that unfolds slowly. He is the offspring of one of the world’s most brilliant biotech scientists, who also happens to be disgraces after her discovery led to the death of scores of people across the globe. But that pales in comparison to the legacy she leaves behind after her death.
After an unfortunate accident, Logan finds himself the victim of an upgrade to his entire body. He not only becomes stronger, more focused, and develops more endurance, but his new intelligence puts his former intellect to shame. But the government cannot allow him to be among the masses in his upgraded form. Soon, Logan is running for his life and the lives of everyone on earth. Because the same upgrade he was given is coming for everyone in the belief that smarter people will stop destroying the planet. Only one problem, up to a billion people could die from the upgrade.
Plot The plotting is expertly done. The author takes on a fast-paced adventure as Logan races against time to save himself, his family, and the world as a whole. There are several amazing twists that were both heartbreaking and stunning. The subplotting is subtle and involves Logan’s family, but it’s so intertwined with the main plot, it almost doesn’t feel like a subplot.
Characters The characters were fascinating, particularly Logan. His metamorphosis was believable as he evolved, his emotions wholly in synch with what he was experiencing. The rest of the cast were nearly as well developed, even minor characters.
What I Loved About UPGRADE 1. The Science. Crouch does a great job of making the futuristic seem possible and relevant.
2. Pacing. A fast-paced story that only let up long enough to allow us to catch our breath.
3. Plot. The plot was not only interesting, but chilling, and it pulled me in.
4. Theme. While the author is a little heavy with the theme, I think it’s an important one to dissect from all angles and he did a great job of that.
5. Twist. I love a good plot twist, and Blake Crouch had several that were fun as well as surprising.
Bottom Line A gripping, fast-paced tale about a totally plausible, near-future dystopian Earth.
Disclaimer
I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author Blake is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of a dozen novels, most recently, Dark Matter, Recursion, and Upgrade, for which he is also writing the movie for Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners. His international-bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy was adapted into a television series for FOX, executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan, that was Summer 2015’s #1 show.
With Chad Hodge, Crouch also created Good Behavior, the TNT show starring Michelle Dockery based on his Letty Dobesh novellas. His novel, Recursion, is currently being developed as a Netflix series by Shonda Rhimes and Matt Reeves, and Skydance is developing a film adaptation of his novella, Summer Frost, based on Crouch’s script. His novels have been translated into forty languages and his short fiction has appeared in numerous publications including Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, and Cemetery Dance.
At the moment, Crouch is writing a new book and creating a nine-episode adaptation of his novel Dark Matter, for Apple TV+. Blake lives in Colorado.
Synopsis Selected as one of The New York Times Book Review’s Best Books of the Year and honored worldwide, Lisa, Bright and Dark was an immediate sensation when it was first published.
Detailing how mental illness affects friends and family of the ill, Lisa, Bright and Dark has been in print for more than forty years.
Its value has not diminished over time, and readers throughout the world contact the author regularly to discuss their reactions to it. A straight-through read, it is full of romance, excitement, suspense, and finally triumph.
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My Review I first read this novel in middle school as a young teen and found it riveting. Now as a parent with my own teens, I was interested in rereading some of my childhood favorites. The story still holds up, but some of the dialogue left me wondering if my parents’ generation really talked like that. I don’t recall it standing out to me as a teen, but that was also a long time ago. I’m not sure today’s teens will find the dialogue youthful, and many of the cultural references will be very dated. In fact, I had to Google Joanne Woodward’s famous smile, because I didn’t get that reference at all. However, the overall themes of mental illness, adults not being able to clearly see what it so obvious to peers, and the desire and willingness to do whatever it takes to help a friend will resonate strongly with today’s generation.
Narrated by Betsy, the book is about Lisa, a mutual friend, who is crying out for help, fearing she’s losing her mind, and how no one is willing to help her. Times were likely a lot different back then, with teachers unwilling to step in and advocate on behalf of their students, but I think most of the rest of is still relevant today. Lisa goes out of her way to get someone, anyone to listen. Though Betsy is more of a peripheral friend, Lisa seems to trust her and Betsy and her other friends, Mary Nell and Elizabeth, do everything they can to get Lisa the help she needs.
Plot The plot centers around Lisa as seen through Betsy’s eyes. The girls struggle to get Lisa the care she needs despite dismissals and outright denials from the adults in the situation. There’s not much subplotting going on, but considering the subject matter, I’m not sure that’s necessary. The plot itself moves fairly well with short chapters and emotional punches.
Characters Lisa, though not the narrator, comes off as the most well-developed character in the story, followed by Betsy, the narrator, then Mary Nell and Elizabeth. But Elizabeth, I suspect, was deliberately an enigma, at least until the end. While I mentioned above that as an adult now, I didn’t find their dialogue to be particularly youthful, their thought processes definitely were. This made their actions and motivations exceedingly believable. And while the teens were well-rounded, the adults came off looking like idiots, at least in the eyes of the narrator.
What I Enjoyed About LISA, BRIGHT AND DARK 1. Commitment. The way Lisa’s friends are devoted to getting her the help she needs was heartwarming.
2. Lisa. She was a complex character who knew something was wrong with her and terrified.
3. Betsy. She came off as annoying at times, but she always had her heart in the right place.
4. M.N. Mary Nell was an interesting character that was both trying and dedicated, which made her fascinating.
5. Honesty. The book was an honest tale of mental illness and how it can rob someone of everything.
Bottom Line A gripping YA tale of friendship and mental illness.
About the Author John Neufeld was born in Chicago, educated at Phillips Exeter and Yale, worked in publishing 1962-1969 when LISA,BRIGHT AND DARK was published (after EDGAR ALLAN).
He lives in Connecticut and is the author of more than a dozen children’s and adult novels. He is a teacher as well as NPR commentator. Neufeldauthor.wordpress.com is his blog.
LOVE YOU S’MORE (The Campfire Series #3) by Beth Merlin
Synopsis Having successfully designed the wedding gown of the century, Gigi Goldstein is on top of the world – that is until it all suddenly comes crashing down around her. When the paparazzi captures her and Perry Gillman in a compromising moment the night of the royal wedding, she finds herself entangled in a scandal of global proportion. Convinced her carelessness has ruined every relationship in her life, she’s surprised and moved by her boyfriend, Gideon’s, sudden proposal of marriage and accepts it without a second thought.
Four months later, Gigi’s living at Badgley Hall contemplating an entirely new kind of life, while guilt, regret, and obligation keep calling her back to her old one. Will Gigi stay in South Gloucestershire, marry Gideon, and become the Countess of Harronsby?
Or, will unfinished opportunities and an old flame bring her back across the pond to confront her past and reclaim her future?
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My Review This is the final book in The Campfire Series, and it wraps up Gigi and Perry’s story with a heartfelt bow. Author Beth Merlin brings her dynamic characters back for a final performance, and it’s well worth the wait. After the royal wedding blew up in spectacular fashion, Gigi has retreated to Badgley Hall with Gideon to escape the limelight and regroup. But she soon realizes she doesn’t really fit in Gideon’s world either. As tabloid fodder, she doesn’t feel at home in English society and Gideon’s friends aren’t making things any easier. The longer she practices to be the future Countess of Harronsby, the more she misses designing. It’s in her blood, after all. Gigi has some tough choices to make once again, and this time, it’ll be harder than ever.
Plot The plot moves along at the perfect pace, with plenty of unexpected twists. Because this is Perry and Gigi’s story, I might have known loosely how it would end, but not how it would get us there, and that was the most fun of all. Once again, the author does a masterful job of providing detailed descriptions, bringing her world to full, colorful life.
Characters All of our favorites return, but the addition of some fun, new characters only adds to the vivacity of the cast. Merlin is a master at creating fully fleshed out characters that are people you’d love to hang out with. Even though they inhabit a world none of us could ever hope to be a part of, they remain down-to-earth and relatable in the best possible ways.
What I Loved About LOVE YOU S’MORE 1. Fashion. Once again, we’re deep in the fashion world with vivid descriptions that make the couture jump off the pages.
2. Jamie and Thom. Now the dads to twins, these two got their HEA, and it’s so satisfying.
3. Gigi. She’s more poised now than ever before. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it.
4. Perry. He’s the same McDreamy-esque guy both Gigi and I fell in love with way back at Camp Chinooka.
5. Ending. A perfect wrap up to one of the best escape-read series I’ve enjoyed in a long time.
About the Author Beth Merlin has a BA from The George Washington University where she minored in Creative Writing and a JD from New York Law School. She’s a native New Yorker who loves anything Broadway, rom-coms, her daughter Hadley, and a good maxi dress. She was introduced to her husband through a friend she met at sleepaway camp and considers the eight summers she spent there to be some of the most formative of her life. One S’more Summer is Beth’s debut novel.
THE RUMOR GAME by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra
Synopsis “A juicy, elegant, absolutely flawless thriller with a twist. It’s the diverse Gossip Girl we’ve been waiting for!” —Tiffany D. Jackson, New York Times best-selling author of Grown and White Smoke
“Explosive.” —Entertainment Weekly
All it takes is one spark to start a blaze.
At Foxham Prep, a posh private school for the children of DC’s elite, a single rumor has the power to ruin a life.
Nobody knows that better than Bryn. She used to have it all—the perfect boyfriend, a bright future in politics, and even popularity thanks to her best friend, cheer captain Cora. Then one mistake sparked a scandal that burned it all to the ground.
Now it’s the start of a new school year and the spotlight has shifted: It’s geeky Georgie, newly hot after a summer makeover, whose name is on everyone’s lips. When a rumor ignites, Georgie rockets up the school’s social hierarchy, pitting her and Cora against each other. It grants her Foxham stardom . . . but it also makes her a target.
As the rumors grow and morph, blazing like wildfire through the school’s social media, all three girls’ lives begin to unravel. But one person close to the drama has the power to stop the gossip in its tracks. The question is—do they even want to?
From Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra, authors of the Tiny Pretty Things duology (now a Netflix series), comes another edge-of-your-seat social thriller perfect for fans of We Were Liars and Cruel Summer.
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My Review High school drama has never been so dramatic. When a scandal hits an elite DC private school, no one is safe. Three daughters of some of the most powerful people in Washington become embroiled in a dangerous game of rumors and online bullying that goes beyond just out of control into a careening disaster with victims well beyond the prep schoolers. Senior Bryn has a shattered reputation after she let her anger at her cheating boyfriend take control of her actions, even unintentionally. Now, trying to reclaim her spot as the queen bee, she elicits the help of her shy, Desi neighbor, Georgie. But Georgie has massive issues of her own, so when the rumors start swirling around her, she turns to Bryn’s ex-BFF, super popular, Cora, to out the perps and regain control of her life. With so many behind-the-scenes maneuvering and games being played with peoples lives at stake, the fallout will be wide and detrimental.
Plot The plot was interesting with several unexpected twists. It centers on the rumors swirling around campus and online. The comments are brutal and they impact all three girls’ lives. The whispers, stares, and snide comments in the hallways at school means the online rumors don’t stay online. So even if they wanted to delete their social apps to escape the bullying, they really can’t. It’s a well-written story of how cyberbullying can take a toll on even the strongest individuals and tear their lives apart.
Characters The characters were absolutely the best part of this story. All three main characters are really well developed, deeply flawed, and worthy of the way we come to care about them.
What I Enjoyed About THE RUMOR GAME 1. Own Voices. The authors helped bring their diverse characters to vivid life the way only #ownvoices authors can.
2. Fighting Back. I love stories where victims turn the tables on their bullies, but this had a twist that made it more realistic than just a feel good kind of story. Because even when you fight back with good intentions, you can leave unintended damage in your wake.
3. Consequences. The consequences for all were the natural fallout of bad behavior and I felt like everyone more or less got what they deserved.
4. Indian Food. Georgie has an interesting relationship with her food, but the way she described it all in detail left me salivating for some samosas and biryani.
5. Baez. Cora’s long-term childhood friend turned boyfriend was as loyal as they come. I hated that he got caught up in all the drama, but he remained so devoted to Cora, it was heartwarming.
Bottom Line An intense look at the devastation wrought by online bullying among teens, told with heart and grace.
Disclaimer I was provided with a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
About Dhonielle Clayton Born and raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., Dhonielle spent much of her childhood hiding beneath her grandmother’s dining table with a stack of books. As an English teacher at a ballet academy, Clayton rediscovered her passion for children’s and young adult literature. To ground herself in the canon, she pursued her Masters in Children’s Literature from Hollins University before receiving her MFA in Writing for Children at the New School. She is a former middle school librarian, where she pestered children to read and curated a diverse collection. An avid traveler, Dhonielle’s lived in several foreign countries, but she’s now settled in Harlem, where you’ll find her writing late into the night, lurking in libraries, and hunting for the best slice of New York pizza. She is the COO of We Need Diverse Books and the co-founder of Cake Literary. The co-author of the dance dramas Tiny Pretty Things and Shiny Broken Pieces, as well as the upcoming Rumor Game, Dhonielle is the author of the New York Times bestselling YA fantasy series The Belles. Find her on the web at DhonielleClayton.com or on Twitter @brownbookworm..
About Sona Charaipotra The author of the YA doc dramedy Symptoms of a Heartbreak, SONA CHARAIPOTRA is not a doctor — much to her pediatrician parents’ chagrin. They were really hoping she’d grow up to take over their practice one day.
Instead, she became a writer, working first as a celebrity reporter at People and (the dearly departed) TeenPeople magazines, and more recently contributing to publications from the New York Times to TeenVogue. She was also the editor of the Barnes & Noble Teen blog. These days, she uses her Masters in screenwriting from NYU and her MFA in creative writing from the New School to poke plot holes in her favorite teen TV shows — for work of course. She’s the co-founder of CAKE Literary, a boutique book packaging company with a decidedly diverse bent, and the co-author of the YA dance dramas Tiny Pretty Things and Shiny Broken Pieces (now a Netflix original series!), as well as the upcoming psychological thriller Rumor Game. Her follow-up to Symptoms will be the YA contemporary romp How Maya Got Fierce, which draws on her magazine world experience and is pitched as the Bold Type meets Younger. She’s a former We Need Diverse Books board member. Find her sharing pictures of her kids and her chai on Instagram @sonesone2, talking writing and books on Twitter @sona_c, or pinning gorgeous lenghas and her favorite Indian food on Pinterest...
ALL OF US VILLAINS (All of Us Villains Series #1) by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman
Synopsis
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER An Indie Bestseller! An Indie Next Pick!
The blockbuster co-writing debut of Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman, All of Us Villains begins a dark tale of ambition and magick…
You Fell in Love with the Victors of the Hunger Games.
Now Prepare to Meet the Villains of the Blood Veil.
The Blood Moon rises. The Blood Veil falls. The Tournament begins.
Every generation, at the coming of the Blood Moon, seven families in the remote city of Ilvernath each name a champion to compete in a tournament to the death.
The prize? Exclusive control over a secret wellspring of high magick, the most powerful resource in the world—one thought long depleted.
But this year a scandalous tell-all book has exposed the tournament and thrust the seven new champions into the worldwide spotlight. The book also granted them valuable information previous champions never had—insight into the other families’ strategies, secrets, and weaknesses. And most important, it gave them a choice: accept their fate or rewrite their legacy.
Either way, this is a story that must be penned in blood.
The All of Us Villains Duology:
#1) All of Us Villains
#2) All of Our Demise
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My Review Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games. That’s the best way to describe this amazing tale of a group of teens, fighting to the death, to see whose family will control high magick until the next generation of champions. Each family chooses one champion to represent them in the tournament. There is only one survivor and the family of that survivor will be the powerful for at least a generation. Which means they’ll stop at nothing to ensure their champion is the winner. Including cheating, bribery, coercion, and even sacrifice. The story is told from the point of view of four champion, all with their own concern, motives, and desires. There were so many unexpected twists that this became the page-turner I needed to keep me engrossed, reading late into the night.
The story starts with various teens vying to be selected as their family’s champion, but soon, the sinister nature of the tournament becomes apparent. But unlike The Hunger Games, these magical kids want to sacrifice themselves for the fame, the glory, and of course the power. Even though only one can win, each believes they will be the winner. But the further into the story we go, the more we learn about these champions and that not all are created equal. Not just in their abilities, but in their motivations and desires. And one champion in particular has an idea, crazy as it sounds, that could end the tournament once and for all, and maybe just maybe save all their lives in the process.
Plot The plot is complex with so many moving parts and balls in the air, it’s an intense read. With so much going on, there was action or drama of some kind on every page. So many secrets, lies, and power plays, the story moves at a clipped pace, without ever becoming exhausting. It also never got confusing, which can happen when there are a lot of levers in play. The authors did a masterful job of plotting an intriguing tale, giving us surprises and twists at just the right times, and foreshadowing everything.
Characters This might be my only complaint. I often confused to two female protagonists. Though they serve different purposes, their personalities were very similar, while the two male leads, were as different as night and day. The other minor issue I had with the characters is that most of the non-narrators tended to fade into the background, with only a few exceptions.
What I Loved About ALL OF US VILLAINS 1. World Building. Spell casting, and spell making, and spell rings, oh my! The level of world building was off-the-charts good.
2. Setting. The fictional town of Ilvernath was such a key factor in the story, it was almost a character itself.
3. Magic. I really love the take on magic the two authors weave into their story. It’s different from any other magic I’ve read in the genre.
4. Twists. There were so many twists and turn, that I came to expect the unexpected, but still managed to be surprised all over again.
5. Ending. While this is the first half of a duology, I liked the ending that left me breathless for more rather than a frustrating cliffhanger.
Bottom Line A fabulous dark tale of magic, friendship, and loyalty that left me ready for more. I’ve already preordered book 2!
About the Author Amanda Foody is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of All of Us Villains, the Wilderlore series, the Shadow Game series, and more. Her work has appeared in publications including Buzzfeed, Popsugar, Culturess, and Amazon selected All of Us Villains as the Best Young Adult Book of 2021. Originally from Pennsylvania, she lives in Boston, MA with her partner and their orange tabby, Jelly Bean. When not writing, she unironically loves to cook. You can find her on Instagram @amandafoody or on her website, www.amandafoody.com..
About the Author CHRISTINE LYNN HERMAN is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of novels about magic, monsters, and growing up, including All of Us Villains, The Devouring Gray duology, and The Drowning Summer.
Christine resides in Somerville, MA, with her partner and cat. To learn more, follow them on Instagram @christineexists, sign up for Christine’s newsletter, or visit christinelynnherman.com.
Synopsis
An embattled actress becomes entangled in a dark conspiracy at a spiritual retreat—and starts a true crime podcast to try to break the case—in this chilling novel about fame, violence, and our morbid fascination with murder, from the acclaimed author of Dead Letters.
Olivia Reed needs a break. She doesn’t want to think about her name plastered on tabloids or be reminded of her recent meltdown on a Manhattan street. Her micromanaging publicist has just the thing in mind: a remote retreat in upstate New York—the House of Light. It’s not rehab; it’s a Spiritual Center, a site for seeking realignment and personal growth. There will be yoga and morning meditation, soft bamboo-blend fabrics and no shortage of crystals to cleanse her energy.
But Liv will soon find that the House of Light is filled with darkness. A prickly local, Ava, informs her that something twisted is lurking behind the Light’s veneer. There have been a series of mysterious suicides committed by women caught in the Light’s web, and no matter who Ava talks to, no one believes the Center is involved. To find out what’s really happened and put her celebrity to good use, Liv starts a podcast, seeking to connect the dots and expose the Light’s true intentions. Because beneath the glowing skin of the Light’s inhabitants lie rotten souls, and Liv starts to wonder if anything—even her own life—is how it appears.
Caite Dolan-Leach brings her tantalizing voice, her gift for atmosphere, and a cast of delightfully devious and absorbing characters to this riveting novel of suspense.
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My Review This was an intriguing read. It starts off with troubled actress, Olivia Reed, being taken to a rehab facility, known as the House of Light, and spirals from there into a mystery within a mystery and peppered with several interesting surprises. While there was lots of mystery and intrigue, there wasn’t enough action to make this a full five stars from me. Plus, Olivia, or Liv, is a less than likable character without enough growth to change my opinion of her. After some very new-age spiritual orientation, she more or less reluctantly settles into her time there, going with the flow with leaders with names like Dawn, and Rain, and Mud Puddle. Okay, maybe not that last one, but you get the picture. These people are crystal-channeling, Birkenstock-wearing, robe-clad cult leaders and Liv has too many street smarts to be fooled by their promises of “finding the light.”
It’s only when she meets her wacky neighbor, Ava, that she begins to suspect there may be something more sinister going on. She manages to get herself kicked out, but Ava has ignited a desire in her to uncover the truth. This leads her to conducting her own investigation and launching a true-crime podcast surrounding the deaths of a number of women once associated with the House of Light. Liv has made more than her fair share of mistakes in the past, but that doesn’t stop her from having inappropriate contact with Ava’s husband. That particular storyline was very much in character with who Liv is, but it made her very difficult to connect with. Her rate of self-absorption never really resolves, unfortunately, as the mystery unfolds.
The closer she gets to uncovering the truth, the more she feels like she’s in danger. But what she uncovers will rock her world and leave her questioning nearly everything about her own life.
Plot As I mentioned above, I didn’t find enough action in the plot to keep me riveted to the pages. But it’s not boring and it didn’t drag; it’s just not a page-turner. The author did a good job of foreshadowing, but enough that I figured out some of it before the big reveal. Some other elements of the overarching mystery were surprising enough to make up for that, though.
Characters While the characters were all really well developed, I never liked Liv. I would have liked to have seen a positive change character arc for her, but I also understand that not everyone needs that. But we spend so much time inside her head, it would’ve been nice. While she does acknowledge some of the stuff she did was wrong, she’s still doing dumb stuff right up to the very end.
What I Enjoyed About DARK CIRCLES 1. Mysteries. A love that there were a series of mysteries rather than just a single one. The missing and dead women, Olivia’s missing mother, her father’s true motives, and more, were expertly woven throughout.
2. Setting. The fall setting in the northeast U.S. set a great tone for a dark and twisted tale.
3. Writing. I really enjoyed the author’s voice and how she interwove the podcast narration into the the narrator’s tale.
4. Olivia’s Lack of a Driver’s License. Yes, her reason was she lived in New York, and didn’t really need to know how to drive, but a lot of Gen Z and Millennials aren’t bothering to learn how to drive, and that felt really authentic to me.
5. Surprises. There were enough interesting surprises to make of for the lack of overt action, making this a satisfying read.
Bottom Line A dark tale with intrigue and fully-fleshed out characters.
About the Author Caite Dolan-Leach is the author of Dead Letters and a literary translator. She was born in the Finger Lakes and is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and the American University in Paris..
Welcome to the blog tour for YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING, a standalone young adult paranormal thriller, by Shani Michelle. See below for information on the book, buy links, my five-star review, and details on her giveaway.
YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING by Shani Michelle
Synopsis
A teen girl who sees visions of the past must use her gift to save a kidnapped classmate in Shani Michelle’s high-stakes YA thriller You Should Have Seen This Coming!
Hayden sees the past. Just touching an object will occasionally give her flashes of the previous owner’s memories. And if that memory happens to be a deeply hidden secret, then she has no problem making you pay for your crime, in cash.
Cassie sees the future, and it sucks. She will randomly wake up from dreams filled with disasters that she feels compelled to stop, and she would really like to stop watching her boyfriend fall in love with someone else!
But when Cassie tries to warn Hayden that her latest blackmailing scheme is a trap, she knows she’s really in trouble. All her visions warn her of the upcoming kidnapping, nothing she does stops it. And it’s all Hayden’s fault!
Can Hayden’s gift help her find Cassie before it’s too late?
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My Review This is the book I’ve been waiting for! Shani Michelle’s young adult thriller grabbed me from the opening pages and never let go. Cassie sees the future. She sees her now ex-boyfriend falling for the new girl, Hayden. Hayden sees the past, but as the new kid in town she doesn’t share that information with anyone. When Cassie sees her own kidnapping, she does everything she can to prevent it, but sometimes destiny has other ideas. With a troubled past, the town isn’t convinced foul play was involved in Cassie’s disappearance. But her best friend, Audra, and ex, Brody, are positive Cassie wouldn’t just run off. Though they have no idea what Hayden is capable of, they know there’s some sort of connection between Cassie and Hayden and solicit Hayden’s help in finding Cassie before it’s too late. The dynamic that results from this unlikely trio makes for some of the best conflict in the book.
Plot The story centers around finding Cassie once she goes missing, but the various subplots, involving the mystery around Hayden’s mom and the sheriff and Cassie’s relationship with Brody, help support the main plot. With so many twists and turns, I devoured the story to find out what happened next.
The Characters The author does an amazing job of creating uniquely differentiated characters with alternating first person point of view. Not something easily done. From Hayden’s tortured past, to the mysterious disappearance of Cassie’s mother, the author crafted layered characters with believable flaws combined with just the right amount of positive traits to make the cast come to life.
Top Five Things I Loved About YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING 1. Visions. This is one of my favorite supernatural abilities. And having one character who can see the future and one who can see the past was twice the fun.
2. Twists. Some things were predictable but many others were beautifully crafted twists I never saw coming.
3. Hayden. She’s snarky, irreverent, and complex — the best combination.
4. Pacing. The story unwinds at the perfect pace, with short chapters that kept me reading far too late.
5. Cassie. She may not always make the best choices based on what she sees in her visions, but her heart’s in the right place, making her someone you can’t help rooting for.
Bottom Line Intense thriller with a fast pace and wonderful characters made this a fast, exciting read.
Disclaimer
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author Shani Michelle is the author of YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING. She also works in TV news. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her husband, family, friends, reading, watching way too much TV, and coming up with new story ideas. (She’s also written several rom-com and middle grade novels as Shani Petroff).
Welcome to the blog tour for THE STARS FORGOT US, a standalone young adult paranormal suspense, by R.J. Garcia. See below for information on the book, buy links, my five-star review, and details on her giveaway.
THE STARS FORGOT US by R.J. Garcia
Synopsis Fifteen-year-old Jacob Kelly would love to go back to simpler times. Before his parents’ divorce and the onset of his brother’s Schizophrenia. But when he returns to his hometown, things feel off. After a series of strange occurrences, Jacob fears his new house is haunted or worse yet, he is losing his mind.
To his surprise, Jacob discovers a mysterious teenage runaway, Sanctuary Daniels, living in the house. She reveals she has been kept by a figure known only as Mother, in a place where downstairs children are languishing prisoners, and upstairs children do Mother’s bidding.
Jacob’s investigation into Sanctuary’s allegations, along with their budding romance, are cut short when she is reclaimed by evil beings. Beings who unleash terror upon Jacob and his family. Now he must journey to a real haunted house to save his first love and fight for his very life.
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My Review This was such a fun read! It starts off with a bang and just keeps going. Fifteen-year-old Jacob, his single mom, and his mentally ill older brother, Michael, move back to their hometown, and into a house that may or may not be haunted. The fact that Michael hears voices doesn’t help Jacob when he starts to hear a girl’s voice coming from inside his house. After all, schizophrenia can run in families. But it’s more than just voices with someone writing on the walls of his closet. Soon Jacob is seeing things, or someone specifically — Sanctuary (Ary) Daniels, the first girl he ever crushed on in middle school, who mysteriously disappeared before he moved away.
But nothing is as it seems. Ary tells a horrific tale of abuse at the hands of her foster mother, but she also tells obvious lies about how she ended up in his house, only making everything else she tells him suspect. But Jacob is drawn to her, and not just because she was his first crush. There’s something about her that makes him trust her more than not. And that’s when things get really interesting.
Plot The story flows really well and kept me turning the pages. Chapters are short and full of action and mystery that never stops coming. The romance is sweet and well done. The author does a masterful job of weaving in twists and turns that leaving you needing to know what happens next!
The Characters I love all the characters. They’re all so interesting and fun; like the kind of people you’d want to hang out with. You know, without all the dangerous stuff happening on-page. Jacob is sweet, Michael is multi-faceted, their mom acts like you’d expect a mom of teen boys to behave — I cannot overstate how rare that is in YA. Ary is by far the most intriguing character, with good reason, which I will not spoil for you.
Top Five Things I Loved About THE STARS FORGOT US 1. Jacob. He has his flaws, but he’s one of the good ones.
2. Twists. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you realize you have no idea what’s going to happen next.
3. Lucas. Jacob’s cousin, and one of his best childhood friends, is deeply layered. He kept me guessing on what his angle really was.
4. Pacing. The story moved at a perfect pace, keeping my interest throughout.
5. Ary. Her sweet innocence and complex nature made her an enigma that was a fun change from many YA love interests.
Bottom Line Fun fast read with excellent pacing and wonderful characters! This makes me want to read more by R.J. Garcia.
Disclaimer
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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About the Book – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited Title: THE STARS FORGOT US Author: R.J. Garcia Publisher: Midnight Tide Publishing Release Date: March 30, 2022 Pages: 298 Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Suspense Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars Links:Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon DE | Amazon IT | Amazon FR
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Author by R.J. Garcia
About the Author R.J. Garcia is a wife and proud mom. She earned her MSW and worked with foster children and as a school social worker. Writing has been her other great love. She has published several non-fiction pieces. She has been writing short-stories for as long as she can remember. To her amazement, those short stories became novels!
Synopsis When Blue Mancini’s mother picked her name, it ended up being a self-fulfilling prophecy.
A year ago, Blue’s brother, Jack, was involved in a car accident that killed the father of her classmate, Maya Rodriguez. Luckily for Jack, he got out of a manslaughter charge and into a plea bargain thanks to the top-notch lawyer hired by Blue’s wealthy parents.
The fallout is now affecting Blue as Maya returns to school determined to carve out a pound of flesh from the only member of the Mancini family she can reach. On top of that, Blue has a demanding mother, a father who’s never around, a drama-addicted best friend, and a secretive new guy who’s determined to make Blue his own personal cheer-up project. It’s a perfect storm of misery.
When Maya’s social media taunts and in-person digs finally push Blue to retaliate, they find themselves in afterschool detention and forced into a project meant to foster cooperation and civility. As the layers of their tangled drama unravel, Blue learns more about Maya’s life—and her own sense of privilege—when secrets are revealed that cast a new perspective on everything in Blue’s world.
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My Review This may be my favorite read of 2021. High school junior, Blue, is as blue as her name. Her older brother, Jack, recklessly drove after a party and was involved in an accident that killed a man. A man with a wife and three children. The man may or may not have been partially to blame, but he’s dead. Though Jack was under the legal limit, he was also underage and drinking. Blue’s life is forever altered, but so is Maya’s, the daughter of the man killed, who also happens to go to Blue’s private school. Maya blames Blue for the loss of her father, even though Blue had nothing to do with the accident. The bullying at school as a result of Maya and her possy of friends is unrelenting, but as with everything, there are always two sides to every story.
After Blue and Maya get into a classroom altercation, they’re stuck in detention together where the school counselor is determined for them to learn how to co-exist in the school, forcing them to work together on a school club. It goes anything but smoothly, but Blue and Maya learn that neither of them is who they assumed the other to be, and that everyone has secrets they don’t want the world to know. And that includes Blue’s new boyfriend, Devon, who is hiding something so horrible, she isn’t even sure she wants to know what it is.
Plot The story centers around Blue and Maya’s relationship. The way Maya treats Blue early on, I was hoping she wouldn’t get a redemption arc, but by the time I got halfway in, I was rooting for it. The author does an amazing job of creating sympathetic, yet flawed characters that pull at you. Blue may live in a big house and have lots of money, but she discovers her life isn’t so different from Maya’s after all. A strong subplot is her relationship with Devon, and it may go down in history as one of my favorite teen romances.
The Characters All the characters are amazing. I loved Blue and Devon from the very first scene. Neither is perfect, but they’re so easy to adore. Maya grew on me. She’s got a massive chip on her shoulder, but for good reason. She deals with racism, classism, and dark family secrets in addition to losing her father. She makes it hard to love her, but she still manages to dig her way into my heart through amazing character development and writing by the author.
Top Five Things I Loved About BLUE 1. Blue. She’s perfectly imperfect. She’s kind, but she still makes assumptions about other people. Her heart’s in the right place, but she still manages to say the wrong thing far too many times. She realizes she lives a life a lot of other kids don’t, but she still takes much of it for granted.
2. Devon. The boy with the dark secret who still manages to be so upbeat most of the time is my soulmate.
3. Maya. The life she’s lived, the secrets she keeps, the burdens she carries all shape who she is, and as I got to know her, my animosity toward her melted away and I just wanted to hug her.
4. Secrets. The secrets everyone carries slowly unfold at just the right pace to keep me turning the pages.
5. Plot. I absolutely loved the plot. The author did a masterful job of making me feel all the feels, even when I didn’t want to.
Bottom Line My favorite read of 2021 so far! Loved the characters, the story, the writing, everything!
Disclaimer
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author L.E. DeLano comes equipped with a “useless” Theatre degree that has opened doors for her in numerous ways. Though mostly raised in New Mexico, she now lives in Pennsylvania with two adventurous kids and two ridiculous cats. When she’s not writing (which is almost never), she’s binge-watching Netflix and planning road trips.
Her debut novel, TRAVELER was selected as a Keystone To Reading Secondary Book Award finalist for school year 2018-19 by the Keystone State Reading Association (KSRA) and also voted one of The 20 Most Beautiful Books in the World for 2017 by MTV UK.
Synopsis A young witch tries to unravel the mystery of who is framing her for dark magic in Georgia Bowers’ creepy YA debut fantasy, Mark of the Wicked.
Magic always leaves its mark.
All her life, Matilda has been told one thing about her magic: You use only when necessary. But Matilda isn’t interested in being a good witch. She wants revenge and popularity, and to live her life free of consequences, free of the scars that dark magic leaves on her face as a reminder of her misdeeds.
When a spell goes awry and the new boy at school catches her in the act, Matilda thinks her secret might be out. But far from being afraid, Oliver already knows about her magic – and he wants to learn more. As Oliver and Matilda grow closer, bizarre things begin to happen: Animals show up with their throats slashed and odd markings carved into their bodies, a young girl dies mysteriously, and everyone blames Matilda. But she isn’t responsible — at least, not that she can remember. As her magic begins to spin out of control, Matilda must decide for herself what makes a good witch, and discover the truth…before anyone else turns up dead.
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My Review I was in the mood for something different, and DAGGER HILL delivered! Set in 1989, before everyone had a smartphone, four friends hang out during their summer before senior year, each dealing with different issues associated with coming of age, when the world as they know it comes crashing down around them in the form of a military plane. Before the plane crashes into Dagger Hill, the kids see someone parachuting out of it. And Gabe sees someone in a gas mask pick up and carry their injured friend, Kimberly, to safety. At least that’s what he thinks. Until the army begins to interview them and they realize something more is going on, and no one knows where Kimberly is. Or the man in the “bug” mask.
Plot The story is gripping from early on and never lets go. The author uses a fun method for his storytelling — a combination of first person, newspaper articles, third-person, and interviews to bring his tale to life. It makes each chapter different from the last and helps reveal the information to the reader in a unique way. The plot unfolds at a steady pace with lots of twists and turns.
The Characters The characters are awesome. Each of the main characters, Gabe, Sonya, Charlie, and Kimberly, are complex, with secrets, worries, and problems of their own as they try to hold onto childhood for one more summer. The adults, from Gabe’s police chief dad to Sonya’s scientist dad, to the army officials and doctors, are just as varied and complex as the main characters, making this more than just a plot driven tale.
Top Five Things I Loved About DAGGER HILL 1. Pacing. The story MOVES. But at the right pace. I stayed up late devouring the story but without becoming overwhelmed. It was perfect.
2. Setting. I love both the small town and the era it was set in. It feels modern, but without all the high-tech stuff that can interfere with a good thriller. Plus the music and movie references were a fun blast from the past.
3. Characters. While this is primarily a plot-driven tale, the character development is off-the-charts good and will stay with me for a long time.
4. Twists. So many good twists that left my jaw hanging open.
5. Storytelling. I love the way the author unfolds his tale using different techniques for a unique approach to a really unique story.
Bottom Line Fabulous, fun, un-put-downable read!
Disclaimer
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author Devon Taylor was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and currently lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and two daughters. His day job consists of sneaking around the house with ninja-like stealth to avoid waking up his kids. When not writing, reading, or tediously typing out text messages with all the correct spelling and punctuation, he spends his time with his family. THE SOUL KEEPERS is his debut novel.
Synopsis A young witch tries to unravel the mystery of who is framing her for dark magic in Georgia Bowers’ creepy YA debut fantasy, Mark of the Wicked.
Magic always leaves its mark.
All her life, Matilda has been told one thing about her magic: You use only when necessary. But Matilda isn’t interested in being a good witch. She wants revenge and popularity, and to live her life free of consequences, free of the scars that dark magic leaves on her face as a reminder of her misdeeds.
When a spell goes awry and the new boy at school catches her in the act, Matilda thinks her secret might be out. But far from being afraid, Oliver already knows about her magic – and he wants to learn more. As Oliver and Matilda grow closer, bizarre things begin to happen: Animals show up with their throats slashed and odd markings carved into their bodies, a young girl dies mysteriously, and everyone blames Matilda. But she isn’t responsible — at least, not that she can remember. As her magic begins to spin out of control, Matilda must decide for herself what makes a good witch, and discover the truth…before anyone else turns up dead.
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My Review I had no idea what I was getting into with this book, but I’m so glad I requested a review copy! MARK OF THE WICKED is enthralling, impossible to put down, and filled with the types of characters that are so complex, you don’t know whether to love them or hate them. I started off not much liking Matilda. She uses her magic to harm those she considers her enemies. The only problem is, if she harms someone with magic, she is scarred for life; their name carved into her face. But Matilda has learned how to hide her scars from everyone, so at the outset, it seems like she suffers no consequences for her actions. She’s angry, spiteful, and nearly impossible to sympathize with. At first.
When she meets Oliver, though, we get to see a side to Matilda that was missing — the reasons for the things she does. She reveals her deeper fears and her darker pain that she resorts to magic to help her cope, the way an alcoholic turns to booze to numb the pain. But there is something more sinister than Matilda afoot, with grisly animal deaths that somehow keep pointing to Matilda. But with her mother acting suspicious, her grandmother not having spoken in three years, and Matilda’s blackouts, anything is possible.
Plot MARK OF THE WICKED is superbly plotted, with intertwining plots. Debut author, Georgia Bowers, creates intrigue with her storytelling. The pacing is perfection. Set in a small town in England, with a dark history, similar to that of Salem, Massachusetts in the states, her backdrop comes alive, becoming a part of the story as much as the characters.
The Characters Speaking of characters, for me anyway, the ability to create an antihero like Matilda, and make us root for her the way we rooted for Walter White in the first few season of Breaking Bad, is a rare talent and Bowers does it masterfully. Supporting characters, like Matilda’s classmates, Erin, Oliver, her mother, and grandmother, are more than just cardboard cutouts and stereotypes. It would have been easy for the author to make someone like Ashley a less than sympathetic character, but even she has more depth than just the class queen bee.
Top Five Things I Loved About MARK OF THE WICKED 1. Magic. The magical world building is amazing and really adds to the plot and character development.
2. Characters. Their depth and complexity made this a book I couldn’t put down.
3. Plot. The story is unforgettable, with a number of twists and turns that made this a book I couldn’t put down.
4. Redemption. Matilda’s character arc is the opposite of Breaking Bad as she learns some brutal, valuable lessons about life, love, and what it means to be a good citizen.
5. Storytelling. The author does an amazing job of weaving in threads that stick with you, gnawing in your brain, that keeps you reading to find out what they mean.
Bottom Line A stellar debut novel by an author I cannot wait to read more from.
Disclaimer
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author Georgia Bowers lives in Bedford, a small market town in England. When it was time to decide what to do with her life, she was obsessed with two things: books and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It seemed sensible to follow in the brogued footsteps of Rupert Giles, so she became a librarian, though sadly not the demon fighting kind. But there’s still time.
Ever since her mum told her that witches used to meet in the woods near their village, she’s been obsessed with witchcraft and the paranormal. When she was a teenager, a weekly habit of Point Horrors satisfied her thirst for chilling tales before she moved on to reading Stephen King. These days she likes to give her nerves a break every now and then with a good YA romance.
After completing a course in writing YA fiction she was a winner in the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Undiscovered Voices. Since then she has dabbled with stories of chosen ones and ghostly best friends until she conjured up the magical ingredients for her debut novel, Mark Of The Wicked.
Welcome to the blog tour for AMENDS, the second book in the adult urban fantasy/mystery series, Diana Hawthorne Supernatural Mysteries, by Carissa Andrews. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, my review, and details on her giveaway.
AMENDS (Diana Hawthorne Supernatural Mysteries #2) by Carissa Andrews
Synopsis
For as psychic as she is, shit goes sideways far too often around Diana Hawthorne.
Diana now has everything she ever wanted–her memories, and the soul mate she didn’t realize she was missing. There’s just one problem… the old gods expect her to make amends for her absence. And her work starts now.
But time lost at the oracle isn’t the only thing she has to atone for. Her friend Demetri was stripped of his powers–and it was all her fault. If she could just set things right, she’d feel a whole lot better about moving forward. Unfortunately, Demetri wants nothing to do with her and knows exactly how to keep her out of his head.
To make matters worse, in the age of social media, Diana’s abilities have gone viral. People from all over the world are clambering to get on her books. One case, in particular, hits her radar and despite herself, she can’t shake it. A 14-year-old boy is wrapped up with a deadly governmental agency and he’s scared to death. And he should be–they want to weaponize his power.
Torn between what was and what is, Diana struggles to fully embrace who she’s becoming. Will she be able to help Demitri and make things right? Or will her new role mean leaving the past behind?
Calling fans of KF Breene, Shannon Mayer, and Shayne Silvers! If you like snarky-fun humor, gripping supernatural scenes, and twists that leave you spellbound — then you will LOVE Carissa Andrews’ world built especially for Diana Hawthorne.
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My Review She’s baaaack! Diana Hawthorne from ORACLE returns with a whole new host of problems. If you haven’t read ORACLE yet, be aware there are mild spoilers head for book 1. Our favorite psychic/goddess is back, along with the rest of the cast, with a new mission — fix the problem she created for Demitri, and oh yeah, make amends for her past. Now that Diana finally knows who she is (the big question in book 1), with Blake by her side again, just as annoying and steamy as before, she has her work cut out for her. While Diana attempted to live in the past before, she’s now thrust into the twenty-first century with a vengeance she cannot ignore, which only complicates what she needs to do.
AMENDS picks up right after where the first one ends. This time, Diana will be forced to choose between her two worlds or find a better way to straddle them, all while still carrying a heavy dose of guilt over Demetri’s loss of powers she fully blames herself for.
Plot As with book 1, AMENDS has an intense plot with solid subplots, including ones that span at least two books and definitely a third. Andrews does a stellar job with plotting, weaving the pieces together brilliantly. She ups the stakes this time, which was hard to do, considering we were dealing with a child sex-trafficking ring in book 1, but she manages to pull it off, generating another unputdownable page-turner.
Characters Once again, the characters are complex and fun. Bringing in new characters, like the curmudgeonly Kyros, who is the oil to Ren’s water, along with favorites from Greek mythology, including Apollo. The “will they or won’t they” between Diana and Blake is only further intensified, making this even more delicious. Especially since they now both have the added insights of who they each other truly is.
What I Enjoyed About AMENDS 1. Greek Mythology. I absolutely love this part of the book. The author incorporates the mythology with expertise, that only adds to the story.
2. Diana. She really grew on me over the course of ORACLE, so by the time I started AMENDS, I already loved her. She’s more her than ever, now that she has her memories back.
3. Blake. The man with the perfect ass is less of a mystery, making him much more fascinating.
4. Kyros/Ren. The battle of the assistants is worth the price of admission alone!
5. Psychic Powers. I’ve always been fascinated by this particular trope, and the author does a great job of brining the supernatural to the modern world without making things too easy for Diana and crew.
Bottom Line Better than the first, AMENDS is a wild page turner with a fantastic cast.
Disclaimer I was provided with a copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
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About the Book – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited Title: AMENDS Series:Diana Hawthorne Supernatural Mysteries #2 Authors: Carissa Andrews Release Date: July 23, 2021 Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy/Mystery Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars Links:Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon DE | Amazon IT | Amazon FR
About the Author “An author emerges from the depths of Minnesotan waters. Sci-fi/Fantasy is my pen of choice.”
Carissa Andrews is a Minnesota-based genre-bending author who writes a combination of science fiction, fantasy, and dystopia. When not writing her own books, she’s busy reading them. Carissa’s internationally bestselling trilogy, The Pendomus Chronicles, is now in digital, print, and audiobook formats. She has hit the scene as an up and coming speculative fiction author who uses a mix of scifi and fantasy, twisted in modern mythology and alternative history. Check out The Final Five, Oracle, Awakening, and Love is a Merciless God!
Carissa has big plans for 2020. Check out her upcoming series, The Windhaven Witches. For more information on their release, visit Carissa Andrews’ author website: www.carissaandrews.com and sign up for her newsletter notifications. She lives in central Minnesota with her husband and brood of five kids. Not to mention, her insane husky puppies, Aztec and Pharaoh.
Carissa is also a freelance graphic designer, writer and content creator, social media manager, and marketing professional. She writes consistently on topics of science, technology, art, writing, photography, graphic design, health, self-improvement, and more. Her articles can be found published across the interwebs. Carissa is also a Top-Rated Freelancer on Upwork, and can be contacted for freelancing opportunities: http://bit.ly/UpworkCarissaAndrews.
Welcome to the blog tour for TELL ME S’MORE, the fourth book in the adult contemporary romance series, Campfire, by Beth Merlin. See below for information on the book, buy links, my five-star review, and details on her giveaway.
TELL ME S’MORE (Campfire Series #4) by Beth Merlin
Synopsis
“A beautifully written contemporary romance, with plenty of enjoyable comedy, it challenges us to evaluate our lives and make big decisions on who we want to be and not necessarily what everyone expects us to be.” – Adventures in Lit about The Campfire Series
Camp Chinooka was supposed to be a place of inspiration, the place where Perry Gilman would finally compose his symphonic masterpiece. But four years later, Perry Gillman isn’t any closer to his dream of becoming a world renowned musician. Instead, he fell love in with Gigi Goldstein and he thought that love would be enough. Now, struggling to find the right subject for a new musical while hustling as a piano player at a local jazz bar, he can’t help but measure his own shortcomings to his famous father’s monstrous success. So, when he stumbles onto the idea to write a musical about the life and times of Elizabeth I, everything finally changes. The musical is an international sensation and suddenly, Perry is on the fast track to super stardom.
However, fame and success come at a price. When his relationship with Gigi is thrown into a tailspin, he must decide whether to follow his dream for which he fought for so long or sacrifice it all for true love.
Told from Perry’s perspective, Tell Me S’more shows that there are two sides to every story and a cost to every choice.
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My Review While billed as book four in the series, I’d recommend reading it after book two and before book three. It fills in nearly all of the gaps between books one and two, but I’d read it after the second one so it doesn’t spoil any of the best surprises. After Camp Chinooka, Perry and Gigi are making a go of it in New York. Perry plays piano in a nearby jazz club at night while Gigi and Jamie work on getting G. Malone off the ground. But Perry is hitting one creative roadblock after another, and after he suffers a particularly rough setback, he takes stock of the project he’s been working on for the past four years, Frostbite, a retelling of Shakespeare’s, The Winter’s Tale.
When tragedy strikes at home, Perry rethinks everything in his life, and begins to formulate an idea for a musical based on Elizabeth I. In the vein of Hamilton, the work unfolds with the level of detail Merlin is famous for, and I’d go see this right now if it was a real musical. However, as Perry’s successes pile up, his relationship with Gigi begins to crumble, and he will be forced to choose between his two greatest loves.
Plot I ultimately knew what was going to happen going into it, because it’s essentially the same thing from Perry’s point of view, but since most of it happens between the end of book one and the beginning of book two, it does fill in some gaps. It ends at the conclusion of book two, and nicely sets up the third book. It’s well-told, as all Merlin’s books are, but doesn’t move quite as fast as book two. Still, it’s an engaging read and Perry’s character is so fully developed, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The descriptions of his process for creating Elizabeth was riveting, and his heartache is palpable, endearing him to me forever. I know I was on the fence about Perry vs. Gideon after book two, but now I’m solidly in Perry’s court.
Characters It’s the same cast I’ve already grown to know and love, but from a different perspective, plus a few new characters thrown in the mix. They’re all very well crafted and believably unique.
What I Loved About TELL ME S’MORE 1. Elizabeth I. I loved seeing the process for this musical coming to life. I’d buy tickets to go see it tomorrow if it was a real thing!
2. Perry. He has redeemed himself and I’m now rooting for him.
3. Music. I’ve always been in awe of the way musicians write music, and feel like I have a better understanding of the process now.
4. Annabelle. I liked her in book two and love her even more in this one. She and Gideon both got raw deals, but I’m pulling for them both to get their own HEAs.
5. Ending. Gut-wrenching and fitting for this story. Loved it, even though it made me cry.
Bottom Line Can be read as a standalone, but packs SO much more emotional punch if read after book two.
Disclaimer I was provided with a copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author Beth Merlin has a BA from The George Washington University where she minored in Creative Writing and a JD from New York Law School. She’s a native New Yorker who loves anything Broadway, rom-coms, her daughter Hadley, and a good maxi dress. She was introduced to her husband through a friend she met at sleepaway camp and considers the eight summers she spent there to be some of the most formative of her life. One S’more Summer is Beth’s debut novel.
