Book Review: The Man in the Brown Suit

 

The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫3.5/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

Newly-orphaned Anne Beddingfeld is a nice English girl looking for a bit of adventure in London. But she stumbles upon more than she bargained for! Anne is on the platform at Hyde Park Corner tube station when a man falls onto the live track, dying instantly. A doctor examines the man, pronounces him dead, and leaves, dropping a note on his way. Anne picks up the note, which reads "17.1 22 Kilmorden Castle". The next day the newspapers report that a beautiful ballet dancer has been found dead there-- brutally strangled. A fabulous fortune in diamonds has vanished. And now, aboard the luxury liner Kilmorden Castle, mysterious strangers pillage her cabin and try to strangle her. What are they looking for? Why should they want her dead? Lovely Anne is the last person on earth suited to solve this mystery... and the only one who can! Anne's journey to unravel the mystery takes her as far afield as Africa and the tension mounts with every step... and Anne finds herself struggling to unmask a faceless killer known only as 'The Colonel'.

🚢

Confession: this is the first ever Agatha Christie novel I’ve read. First. Ever.

🤦🏻‍♀️

I quite like the murder mystery genre and have no excuse as to why I have never explored the world of Agatha Christie before now, but I intend to add at least one of her books to my TBR each month for the rest of this year.

My takeaway from this novel was not life changing, but the female MC was a competent, capable, and delightfully witty young woman & I just loved her!  I realize I’m late to the party, but it’s safe to say I’ve found another author to binge.

😬

Book Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid 🎧

 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

💍💍💍💍💍💍💍

This is the fourth book I’ve read from Taylor Jenkins Reid and by far the most enjoyable for me.  As a fan of historical fiction, I was quickly drawn in by Evelyn’s storytelling of her life as an up and coming actress in the Golden Age of Hollywood.  When she discloses the name of who she considers to be the love of her life, the plot thickens and it soon became clear that there was so much more to this story than the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

🎥

I tend to have a soft spot for any story that can genuinely surprise me with a plot twist - bonus points if it happens a bit late in the game 🙌🏻 Let’s just say that Evelyn Hugo serves one up just the way I like it! I loved everything about this book and believe it to be the best Taylor Jenkins Reid has written to date.  I highly recommend this to lovers of historical fiction and contemporary romance. 

Book Review: Good Girl Complex

Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️3/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

Mackenzie "Mac" Cabot is a people pleaser. Her demanding parents. Her prep school friends. Her long-time boyfriend. It's exhausting, really, always following the rules. Unlike most twenty-year-olds, all she really wants to do is focus on growing her internet business, but first she must get a college degree at her parents' insistence. That means moving to the beachside town of Avalon Bay, a community made up of locals and the wealthy students of Garnet College.

Mac's had plenty of practice suppressing her wilder impulses, but when she meets local bad boy Cooper Hartley, that ability is suddenly tested. Cooper is rough around the edges. Raw. Candid. A threat to her ordered existence. Their friendship soon becomes the realest thing in her life.

Despite his disdain for the trust-fund kids he sees coming and going from his town, Cooper soon realizes Mac isn't just another rich clone and falls for her. Hard. But as Mac finally starts feeling accepted by Cooper and his friends, the secret he's been keeping from her threatens the only place she's ever felt at home.

⚓️

This was my first read from Elle Kennedy and I have heard great things about her previous works.  Unfortunately, this book just didn’t grab me.  I believe that fans of Kennedy’s books may still enjoy this new release because the writing was quite good. My difficulty with this story lay with the hero - I just did not like him.  A common romance trope, it ticks a lot of boxes, but my inability to like Cooper even the slightest bit prevented me from fully enjoying this book. That being said, there were some deliciously funny moments in this story and I would still recommend it for fans of contemporary romance novels with a heaping helping of sexy times.

😏

Thank you 🙏🏻 to the author along with Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Great or Nothing

 Great or Nothing by Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, and Jessica Spotswood

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

A reimagining of Little Women set in the spring of 1942, when the United States is suddenly embroiled in the second World War, this story, told from each March sister's point of view, is one of grief, love, and self-discovery.

In the spring of 1942, the United States is reeling from the attack on Pearl Harbor. While the US starts sending troops to the front, the March family of Concord, Massachusetts grieves their own enormous loss: the death of their daughter, Beth.

Under the strain of their grief, Beth's remaining sisters fracture, each going their own way with Jo nursing her wounds and building planes in Boston, Meg holding down the home front with Marmee, and Amy living a secret life as a Red Cross volunteer in London--the same city where one Mr. Theodore Laurence is stationed as an army pilot.

Each March sister's point of view is written by a separate author, three in prose and Beth's in verse, still holding the family together from beyond the grave. Woven together, these threads tell a story of finding one's way in a world undergoing catastrophic change.

This was an incredibly inventive reimagining of Little Women that I absolutely enjoyed. With each of the March sisters being written by a different author, I initially feared that the story would seem a little disjointed as the POV changed from chapter to chapter, but it was a beautifully crafted collaboration.  I especially loved how, while exploring some heavy topics that were never addressed in Louisa May Alcott’s original novel, sisters Meg, Beth, Jo, and Amy did not stray from their initial characterizations in the literary classic. 

The only reason I give this book four rather than five stars has more to do with my personal preference.  While the stories of Meg, Jo, and Amy were written in prose form, Beth’s added POV was written in verse.  Inserted at the end of each chapter, I found myself skimming or skipping over them completely about halfway through the book.  Not that they weren’t well written, I’m just rarely drawn to verse without rhyme.  I realize some would consider that to be a fault on my part as a reader, but it doesn’t prevent me from highly recommending this book. 

Thank you to the authors along with Random House Children’s, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The Corset Maker

The Corset Maker by Annette Libeskind Berkovitz

⭐️⭐️💫2.5/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

In Warsaw, Poland, the young Rifka Berg, raised in an ultra Orthodox home, asks her father why girls don’t have bar mitzvahs. Eventually, his answer provokes Rifka to risk

everything. In a bold move, unheard of at the time, teenage Rifka and her close friend, Bronka, open their own business–a corset shop on the most fashionable street in Warsaw. Rifka yearns to read forbidden literature and to explore the world beyond the confines of her small community. 

Her wishes come true, albeit harrowingly, when the tumultuous events of the 20th century take her on a journey for survival. Faced with life and death situations, Rifka will have to take immense risks. She will have to decide if there is ever a time to abandon her principles for a higher purpose. What decisions will she make? Will circumstances choose for her?

😬

First of all, I appreciate that this work of fiction was a passion project for the author. She shares in her Author’s Note that she has never written fiction, but has previously published several works of nonfiction. The author says this story is loosely based on the bits and pieces of real life events that her deceased mother reluctantly shared before her passing in 1980.  So, I commend Annette Libeskind Berkovitz for stepping out into the unfamiliar terrain of historical fiction to preserve her mother’s legacy for future generations of their family.

The story, the setting, and the general plot were intriguing to me because I have a soft spot for historical fiction novels set in WWII era Poland.  However, I struggled through half of this 400+ page novel before filing it under DNF. In my opinion, the dialogue and interaction between characters was often flat and difficult to believe. The voices of these characters never came to life for me and it became increasingly difficult for me to connect to them in a significant enough way to keep reading.  The narrative was beautifully written and well researched, but the characters simply lacked the ability to hold my attention.

Thank you to the author along with the publisher and NetGalley for making this ebook available to read for free in exchange for an honest review.

{• when to DNF a book •}

At what point do you file a current read under DNF?📖🙅🏻‍♀️

I generally try to finish a book, even when it’s an absolute chore, but there are times when I just have to say NOPE 👎🏻 and walk away.  

I’m hanging in there with an ebook right now that’s failing to grab my full attention. I’m having a difficult time connecting to the characters and the dialogue often falls flat.  When is it okay - if ever at all - to just throw in the towel?

Book Review: Under the Whispering Door

 Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead.

Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mount'ains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop's owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over.

But Wallace isn't ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo's help he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life.

When the Manager, a curious and powerful being, arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

🫖☕️

This book was an absolute unexpected delight! It’s the first book I have read by T.J. Klune and has inspired my decision to read more.  It tackles some heavy topics and the overall theme is beautiful, but dang, was it funny!  I mean, these characters were so perfectly quirky, that their dialogue and interactions with one another were an absolute riot at times.  I’m not sure what I was expecting a “T.J. Klune novel” to be, but this wasn’t it.  I did not expect to find myself laughing out loud while listening to this audiobook, but it happened numerous times.  It speaks volumes about the brilliance of a book when it is equal parts thought-provoking and hilarious.  I very much enjoyed this audiobook and will be adding The House in the Cerulean Sea (also by Klune) to my TBR list for March. 

💜

Book Review: The Rose Code

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of East-End London poverty, works the legendary code-breaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart. 

1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter—the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger—and their true enemy—closer...

🌹

Kate Quinn never disappoints! I have thoroughly enjoyed each of her three historical fiction novels that I’ve read and am looking forward to her next offering, The Diamond Eye.  Not only is the story itself near perfect, her accompanying Author’s Note was a gem 💎 

I can always count on a Kate Quinn novel about resilient women during 1940’s wartime to be a FIVE STAR read! 

 

Book Review: One Italian Summer

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

When Katy’s mother dies, she is left reeling. Carol wasn’t just Katy’s mom, but her best friend and first phone call. She had all the answers and now, when Katy needs her the most, she is gone. To make matters worse, their planned mother-daughter trip of a lifetime looms: two weeks in Positano, the magical town Carol spent the summer right before she met Katy’s father. Katy has been waiting years for Carol to take her, and now she is faced with embarking on the adventure alone.

But as soon as she steps foot on the Amalfi Coast, Katy begins to feel her mother’s spirit. Buoyed by the stunning waters, beautiful cliffsides, delightful residents, and, of course, delectable food, Katy feels herself coming back to life.

And then Carol appears—in the flesh, healthy, sun-tanned, and thirty years old. Katy doesn’t understand what is happening, or how—all she can focus on is that she has somehow, impossibly, gotten her mother back. Over the course of one Italian summer, Katy gets to know Carol, not as her mother, but as the young woman before her. She is not exactly who Katy imagined she might be, however, and soon Katy must reconcile the mother who knew everything with the young woman who does not yet have a clue.

🍋🇮🇹

This was an emotional journey for me personally as the fifth anniversary of the death of grandmother is mere weeks away.  Just like Katy, I lost my person, and I could identify with her difficulty to grapple with her feelings of grief and discovering how she should best express them.  Grief is an emotion, mourning is the expression of the emotion and the only way to reach a place of healing.  This was a story of self discovery and acknowledging your own resilience in the midst of absolute brokenness and I believe that the author communicated that very well.  Additionally, any time there's an element of time bending magic weaved into a book, I AM HERE FOR IT!

🌀🌀🌀

The reason I am landing on a four star review instead of five - because I highly recommend this book! - has to do with the slow burn of a couple of elements that I struggled to reconcile as I was reading.  First of all, there was Katy's perception of her relationship with her mother.  For me, it was just improbable.  She often referred to her mother as her best friend, soul mate, and the center of her world - and the feeling was mutual.  Now, this is coming form someone who absolutely can say that I had a soul mate in my grandmother.  She was my person, my biggest fan, my person, but I could make decisions and choices without her.  Katy's utter dependence on her mother seemed unhealthy at times and as a mental healthcare professional, I really struggled to feel okay about that as I got deeper into the story.  I also reached a point of feeling like Katy herself was becoming less and less relatable with the life altering choices she was making in direct response to her grief.

Another personal issue I had with this story was how long it takes for the author to reveal how and why Katy is interacting with the 30 year old version of her mother.  I found myself thinking "Wouldn't this seem weird to Carol?" or "Doesn't this particular detail seem off to one or both of them?" more than once. Once all of the details begin to unravel, all of my questions were sufficiently answered, but geez that happened very late in the story. 

Fortunately, the concerns I was having with this story fell away when Rebecca Serle turned everything we thought we knew up until a point completely on its head!  My reservations were addressed in an unexpected and beautiful way that left me in tears, reading the last page of this book.  I only worry that some readers will give up long before reaching the pay off in the end.  So, that's why I was to take this opportunity to say to anyone who may soon read or is currently reading this book with the same roller coaster of emotions that I was experiencing: KEEP READING!  It will all make sense.  It will all be dealt with.  IT WILL BE WORTH IT!

A huge thank you 🙏🏻 to the author along with Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.  I predict this will be one of my favorite books of this year 💜

 

Book Review: A Flicker in the Dark

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

When Chloe Davis was twelve, six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town. By the end of the summer, her own father had confessed to the crimes and was put away for life, leaving Chloe and the rest of her family to grapple with the truth and try to move forward while dealing with the aftermath.

Now twenty years later, Chloe is a psychologist in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. While she finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she’s worked so hard to achieve, she sometimes feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. So when a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, seeing parallels from her past that aren't actually there, or for the second time in her life, is Chloe about to unmask a killer?

😱 I… I just. 😱

To debut author Stacy Willingham, I just have to say: BRA-VO!

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

This book was a beautifully crafted psychological thriller. The story is told to us from the point of view of a convicted serial killer’s daughter who self medicates for the post traumatic stress she still suffers from, 20 years after her father’s arrest.  Needless to say, Chloe was a hot mess even before we realize there’s a copycat killer on the prowl.

😬

There are many twists and turns as the mystery unfolds - my head is still spinning- and I loved every second of it.  I must confess that I had confidently sussed out the killer twice (so I thought) but Willingham spins such an intricate web that I was nowhere near to solving the puzzle.  With such an impressive debut, I will be watching this author closely, impatiently awaiting her next novel.

🤗🤗🤗

Do yourself a favor and get your hands on a copy of this book right now!

Thank you 🙏🏻 to the author along with MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. 💜

 

Book Review: Death in Cornwall

Death in Cornwall by G.M. Malliet 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 3.5/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

To celebrate their engagement, DCI Arthur St. Just and Portia De’Ath visit the quiet village of Maidsfell in Cornwall. Upon arriving they find the villagers in an uproar over plans to redevelop the local seafront.

The fishermen want to build a new slipway to aid their business, but many residents worry it will spoil the view for the tourists who help drive the economy. After a heated village meeting on the issue, St. Just overhears an argument involving Lord Bodwally – an unpopular aristocrat staunchly opposed to the plans. Later, Bodwally’s lifeless body is discovered. It’s murder.

Although Bodwally was disliked, who’d go so far as to kill him? St. Just, although an outsider from Cambridge, feels compelled to help local authorities investigate. Is Bodwally’s death linked to the seafront, his suspect business dealings, or a secret from the past? One thing is certain, the fallout threatens to change Maidsfell forever...

🕵️‍♀️ 🔍

This book is the fourth in a series of St. Just Mysteries but never having read the previous installments did not make this read any less enjoyable.  I quite like the detective mystery genre and this novel ticked all the appropriate boxes.  The setting is very cozy and DCI St. Just himself is competent and easy to like.  I believe the author did a brilliant job of creating a host of intriguing characters turned suspects and infusing just the right amount of humor throughout. 

😱🔪 

This story appeals to anyone who enjoys a classic murder mystery  I’m happy to have found myself a new detective to track and plan to go back and read the previous three novels in this series. My only complaint is that this book was a bit too long. At just over 11 hours in length, it was a few hours longer than I prefer novels of this genre to be.

Thank you 🙏🏻 to the author, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for providing me the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

 

Book Review: The Christie Affair

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Star Rating 

The Summary:

Every story has its secrets.

Every mystery has its motives.

“A long time ago, in another country, I nearly killed a woman. It’s a particular feeling, the urge to murder. It takes over your body so completely, it’s like a divine force, grabbing hold of your will, your limbs, your psyche. There’s a joy to it. In retrospect, it’s frightening, but I daresay in the moment it feels sweet. The way justice feels sweet.” 

The greatest mystery wasn’t Agatha Christie’s disappearance in those eleven infamous days, it’s what she discovered. 

London, 1925: In a world of townhomes and tennis matches, socialites and shooting parties, Miss Nan O’Dea became Archie Christie’s mistress, luring him away from his devoted and well-known wife, Agatha Christie.

The question is, why? Why destroy another woman’s marriage, why hatch a plot years in the making, and why murder? How was Nan O’Dea so intricately tied to those eleven mysterious days that Agatha Christie went missing?

😱

This story had layers. So many layers! Not at all what I was expecting, but in the best possible way.🤌🏻

Nan is the chief narrator of this story, spinning the yarn of her own backstory and the events that led her to cross the path of one Agatha Christie.  Agatha plays the role of a secondary character in the majority of this book, - much to my surprise -  but I felt that it worked beautifully.  We will never know the truth of Christie’s mysterious but brief disappearance, but I quite liked Nina de Gramont’s take on those events.

Thank you 🙏🏻 to the author, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

 

Book Review: The German Wife

The German Wife by Debbie Rix 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

Germany, 1939: Annaliese is a doctor’s wife, living in an elegant grey stone house with ivy creeping over the balcony. But when her husband is ordered to work at the Dachau labour camp, her ordinary life is turned upside down by the horrors of war. And Annaliese finds herself in grave danger when she dares to fight for love and freedom…

America, 1989: Turning the pages of the newspaper, Annaliese gasps when she recognizes the face of a man she thought she’d never see again. It makes her heart skip a beat as a rush of wartime memories come back to her. As she reads on, she realizes the past is catching up with her. She must confront a decades-old secret – or risk losing everything…

Germany, 1942: Annaliese’s marriage is beginning to crumble. Her husband, Hans, has grown cold and secretive since starting his new job as a doctor at Dachau. When a tall, handsome Russian prisoner named Alexander is sent from the camp to work in their garden, lonely Annaliese finds herself drawn to him as they tend to the plants together. In snatched moments and broken whispers, Alexander tells her the truth about the shocking conditions at the camp. Horrified, Annaliese vows to do everything she can to save him.

But as they grow closer, their feelings for each other put them both in terrible danger. And when Annaliese falls pregnant she has to make an impossible decision between protecting herself and saving the love of her life…

📚PUB DATE IS IN TWO DAYS📚

🥰

Full disclosure:  WWII era historical fiction is my ✨favorite✨ genre.  The title of this book caught my eye, inspired by true events on the cover caused a pitter patter of my heart, and reading the description made my soul sing!  I was absolutely giddy at having been approved for an advanced copy of this audiobook for review.  I’m talking this level of excitement:

  

I’m happy to report that this book lived up to and exceeded all of my expectations!  Every layer of this heart-gripping story is so beautifully written, I could not suggest even the slightest improvement.  But do not think for a moment that I am not picking up the pieces of my heart as I type!😭❤️‍🩹

I suppose, if hard pressed to find a fault, - if it can even be called that - I would have loved an added Author’s Note to accompany this story.  I am always fascinated to hear about the inspiration and research involved when writing such a shining piece of historical fiction.  

Thank you 🙏🏻 to the author along with Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for early access to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review 💐

 

Book Review: The Crowns of Croswald

The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night📱

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Star Rating 

The Summary: 

In Croswald, the only thing more powerful than dark magic is one secret...

For sixteen years Ivy Lovely has been hidden behind an enchanted boundary that separates the mundane from the magical. When Ivy crosses the border, her powers awaken.

Curiosity leads her crashing through a series of adventures at the Halls of Ivy, a school where students learn to master their magical blood and the power of Croswald’s mysterious gems.

When Ivy’s magic - and her life - is threatened by the Dark Queen, she scrambles to unearth her history and save Croswald before the truth is swept away forever.

🪶✨

I absolutely enjoyed this book!  It’s marketed as a middle grades fantasy, which isn’t a genre I am usually drawn to, but this book appeals to all ages.  The world building is flawless and the setting was somewhat reminiscent of Hogwarts, to me. That is NEVER a bad thing, in my opinion.✨

💜

Ivy’s story reminds the reader that our self worth is not always reflected in worldly possessions. Even when we live a humble existence, we can still be destined for greatness.

The Crowns of Croswald is an ongoing series, with the fourth book’s pub date just around the corner. This first book in the series gets a definite recommendation from me for anyone who is into the magical fantasy genre. An absolute must if, like me, you have a child who falls into that middle grades category. My son and I will definitely be finishing this series together!

Thank you 🙏🏻 to the author along with Stories Untold Press and NetGalley for the free digital copy in exchange for my honest review 💜

 

Book Review: The Echo Wife

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Star Rating 

The Summary: 

I’m embarrassed, still, by how long it took me to notice. Everything was right there in the open, right there in front of me, but it still took me so long to see the person I had married.

It took me so long to hate him.

Martine is a genetically cloned replica made from Evelyn Caldwell’s award-winning research. She’s patient and gentle and obedient. She’s everything Evelyn swore she’d never be. 

And she’s having an affair with Evelyn’s husband. 

Now, the cheating bastard is dead, and both Caldwell wives have a mess to clean up.

Good thing Evelyn Caldwell is used to getting her hands dirty.

😱🤯😱

This. Book. Was. WOW!  I feel like I need to personally thank Sarah Gailey for sharing their brilliance with mere mortals such as myself.  This was my first time reading one of their books and now I’m making room on this year’s TBR list for more. The Echo Wife is a science fiction thriller of the domestic variety that delivers all the suspense and plot twists one loves about this genre. The story, told from Evelyn’s POV, was gripping from beginning to end. I listened to the majority of this eight hours long audiobook in one sitting (shout out to the snow day) and it just ticked all the boxes for me.

I loved, loved, LOVED this book and highly recommend that you get your hands on a copy of your own 😍

 

📚Used Books & Amethyst Crowns 👸🏻

Confession: Philippa Gregory has been one of my favorite authors of historical fiction for many many moons. I swear to you, if you had asked me a month ago, I would have confidently told you I have read every last page to every book she has written until… this.  I recently found this gem at a local used bookstore.  Could it be? A Philippa Gregory novel that I have not yet read? 

Sweet cousin of a 🌹Plantagenet King🤴🏻, IT IS!

I’m very excited to add this one to my 2022 TBR pile!  Do you have a favorite book about knights 🗡 and kings 👑 and stuff?  Kindly leave your book recs in the comments, my Ladies & Lords.  

                                                            

First Book Review of 2022: Wizard’s First Rule

 

Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind 🎧

⭐️⭐️2/5 Star Rating

I hate to kick the year off with a negative review, but there were just so many things I found wrong with this book! The writing was mediocre with too much repetition and dialogue that often fell flat. This was an audiobook listen for me so I initially wondered if the narrator was causing my concern with dialogue, but the verbal exchanges between characters seemed more and more ridiculous as time wore on. I felt that the world building was sufficiently done, but the author failed to make me care one iota about any of the main characters.  I wanted to LOVE this book after being told by more than one person to check out the Sword of Truth series, but I didn’t even like it.  There was nothing truly original about the storyline and it could have benefited from a serious editing pen to tidy up the amateurish writing and cut some completely useless chunks of the plot that went on for seemingly endless chapters in the last quarter of the book. 

🧙🏻‍♂️•🐉•🏰

Mages, dragons, and fantastical realms generally tickle my fancy, but the first book in this SEVENTEEN volume series was unfortunately not enough to pique my interest. If you are made of stronger stuff, maybe you’ll be able to soldier on through the next few books to see if the author redeems himself, delivering an overall enjoyable fantasy book series.  

I’m not that girl.