Book Review: House of Earth and Blood

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

🌙

It’s safe to say that what Sarah J Maas thinks is sexy/romantic and what I think is sexy/romantic are not the same thing. 

😬

Cringey sex scenes and inner monologues about how much dirty sex one character wants to have with the other character aside, this is the best SJM book I’ve ever read. I personally found the writing of all of the ACOTAR books to be super lazy and admittedly only decided to give the Crescent City series a chance as a direct result of peer pressure, but I liked this more than expected.

🤷🏻‍♀️

I should also clarify that this is four stars compared to other Sarah J Maas books I’ve read. If I had to rate it without overlooking the cringe level of the “romance” aspects and all the swearing for the sake of swearing, it would be a solid three stars for me. However, I am willing to add the extra star simply because I knew full well what I was getting myself into with a book written by Maas. She has yet to deviate from a very distinct formula - only the characters and settings seem to change, but the key elements of the story remain the same.

🌙

I keep hearing that the second book in this series has an EPIC ending, so I’m definitely going to press on and read House of Sky and Breath soon. Also because Ruhn Danaan.

💜

 

Book Review: Weather Girl

Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

Ari Abrams has always been fascinated by the weather, and she loves almost everything about her job as a TV meteorologist. Her boss, legendary Seattle weatherwoman Torrance Hale, is too distracted by her tempestuous relationship with her ex-husband, the station’s news director, to give Ari the mentorship she wants. Ari, who runs on sunshine and optimism, is at her wits’ end. The only person who seems to understand how she feels is sweet but reserved sports reporter Russell Barringer.
In the aftermath of a disastrous holiday party, Ari and Russell decide to team up to solve their bosses’ relationship issues. Between secret gifts and double dates, they start nudging their bosses back together. But their well-meaning meddling backfires when the real chemistry builds between Ari and Russell.
Working closely with Russell means allowing him to get to know parts of herself that Ari keeps hidden from everyone. Will he be able to embrace her dark clouds as well as her clear skies?

☔️

Another easy and fun read from Rachel Lynn Solomon! I loved everything about this one and especially appreciated that - FINALLY - we get a male love interest who is an average attractive guy. 

👏🏻🙌🏻

I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to have our MMC be something other than the dude whose muscles have muscles. Good for the dudes with the ridiculously sculpted abs, but shout out to all of those soft belly guys who are no less hot! 

🌧 

I always love when those of us who have less than perfect bodies are represented well in a l romance novel. Thank you for that, RLS!

💜

 

Book Review: By Any Other Name

 

By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate 📱

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

With a successful career as a romance editor, and an engagement to a man who checks off all ninety-nine boxes on her carefully curated list, Lanie's more than good. She's killing it. Then she’s given the opportunity of a lifetime: to work with world-renowned author and her biggest inspiration in love and life—the Noa Callaway. All Lanie has to do is cure Noa's writer's block and she'll get the promotion she's always dreamed of. Simple, right? 
 
But there's a reason no one has ever seen or spoken to the mysterious Noa Calloway. And that reason will rock Lanie’s world. It will call into question everything she thought she knew. When she finally tosses her ninety-nine expectations to the wind, Lanie may just discover that love By Any Other Name can still be as sweet.

📚💻

This was such an easy, predictable, romcom read and I was 100% there for it!  Something about a book about someone writing a book always appeals to me, I can’t explain it.  I read this ebook in one sitting and enjoyed it from beginning to end.

✍🏻📖

Don’t go into this one expecting swoon-worthy romance or even a dash of spice - you’ll find none of it here. This is more a story about one’s idea of romance and falling in love should feel like. All the while, totally falling for someone you don’t particularly like half the time. Go figure. 

🤷🏻‍♀️

I found both main characters likable as individuals and I was totally rooting for them as a couple.  I recommend this one to anyone looking for a cute and entertaining weekend read.
Thank you to the author along with NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. 

Book Review: Bone Deep

 

Bone Deep by Charles Bosworth, Jr. & Joel J. Schwartz 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

First responders concluded that Betsy was dead for hours when Russ discovered her. No blood was found implicating Russ, and surveillance video, receipts, and friends’ testimony all supported his alibi. Yet incredibly, police and the prosecuting attorney ignored the evidence. In their minds, Russ was guilty. But prominent defense attorney Joel J. Schwartz quickly recognized the real killer.

Bone Deep takes readers through the perfect storm of miscalculations and missteps that led to an innocent man’s conviction—and recounts Schwartz’s successful battle to have that conviction overturned. Written with Russ Faria’s cooperation, and filled with chilling new revelations and previously undisclosed evidence, this is the story of what can happen when police, prosecutor, judge, and jury all fail in their duty to protect the innocent—and let a killer get away with murder.

🔪😵💀 

I went into this audiobook having no prior knowledge of the murder case it details. I like the occasional true crime book or documentary and decided to give this one a listen.  The first half of this audiobook was tedious at times because it’s basically a transcript of Russ Faria’s hours long interrogation by police. At just over the halfway mark, the overall vibe changes when the court proceedings begin to unfold. That is when this story went from “meh” to downright insane!  

😱

This is a must read for true crime fans and I promise you that the second half of the book more than makes you for the shortcomings of the first. It wasn’t until near the end that I realized this is the same murder case that has inspired the new NBC mini-series “The Thing About Pam”, starring Renee Zellweger - the trailer for which I had already seen and planned to watch.

Thank you to the authors along with NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. 

Book Review: The Wedding Season

 

The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall 📱

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

Freya Scott is getting married. Her wedding to Matthew, her long-term boyfriend, is the first of eight in her calendar this year, and as someone who prides herself on being meticulously organized, Freya is intent on making it the perfect day to remember.

But when Matthew calls things off hours before they walk down the aisle, Freya’s entire life plan goes up in smoke. Humiliated and heartbroken, the last thing she wants is to attend a summer of other peoples’ nuptials on her own.

Fortunately, her friends have an idea: together they devise a series of outrageous challenges for Freya to complete at each event, designed to distract her from Matthew and what might have been.

By the time the final wedding arrives, she will discover that the road to a happy ending sometimes has unexpected detours, that “I do” is only the beginning––and that perhaps her own love story isn’t over just yet.

💒 👰🏻‍♀️💍🤵🏼‍♂️

I should first say that while this story is cute, funny, and a bit of a romp, the cover and title don’t do it justice. The cover is adorable and our main character does have to attend a series of weddings while getting over a horrendous breakup, but there are so many other unexpected layers. 

❤️‍🩹

Freya’s love life may get top billing but there were important, non romantic relationships - like the not so great one she has with her mother - that are explored and beautifully developed.  Life long friendships, new friendships, workplace relationships, and both strong and broken familial ties add to the complexity of this lovely story. 

🦚 

Not really a spoiler - but maybe - some of the interactions between Freya and her estranged mother had me teary-eyed. While this particular relationship evolves throughout the story, it’s still complicated in the end,  and I very much appreciated that.

💐

As a deliciously entertaining romcom - this book ticked all of the boxes. I love the journey, leading to newfound  self compassion and self acceptance that Freya embarks on and I found some of the plot points to be less predictable than most books of this genre. Ultimately, I was elated to find this story to be more than its cute cover led me to expect and I highly recommend it!  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go read every other book Katy Birchall has written. 

🤷🏻‍♀️😂

Thank you 🙏🏻 to the author along with NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.  

Book Review: All That You Are

 

All That You Are by Elicia Roper 📱

The Summary:

This novel tells the story of Athena and Caiden.
Caiden is strong willed and self-less, he puts the needs of his family and friends above his own.
Athena is a firecracker with a kind-hearted soul.
As they go through the journey of life you will see how Athena and Caiden bring comfort to each other, as they learn to cope and mend with the pain of loss and heartbreak.

💔

DNF after 10 chapters. When I purchased this ebook, I did not realize it was an unedited ARC. 

I tried to overlook the spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors and give it a read because the cover is so cute & I wanted to enjoy a light romance read. Sadly, there were also issues with the pacing, story structure, and interaction between characters that prevented me from being able to continue past chapter 10. 

Unfortunately, this one is not yet ready for public release, but I wouldn’t be opposed to reading it once it’s been edited and the final draft is due for publication.  Until then, I will refrain from giving it a star rating and further critique. 

This is my second DNF of 2022, but I can definitely say this one wins best cover of the two.  Isn’t it gorgeous?!

Book Review: The Spanish Love Deception

 

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️3/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

Catalina Martín, finally, not single. Her family is happy to announce that she will bring her American boyfriend to her sister’s wedding. Everyone is invited to come and witness the most magical event of the year.

That would certainly be tomorrow’s headline in the local newspaper of the small Spanish town I came from. Or the epitaph on my tombstone, seeing the turn my life had taken in the span of a phone call.

Aaron Blackford. The man whose main occupation was making my blood boil had just offered himself to be my date. Right after inserting his nose in my business, calling me delusional, and calling himself my best option. See? Outrageous. Aggravating. Blood boiling. And much to my total despair, also right. Which left me with a surly and extra large dilemma in my hands. Was it worth the suffering to bring my colleague and bane of my existence as my fake boyfriend to my sister’s wedding? Or was I better off coming clean and facing the consequences of my panic induced lie?

🇪🇸✈️ 💒 

I have to say that I enjoyed most of this book. The enemies to lovers + fake dating tropes = pages of awkward hilarity. I love both main characters independently and enjoyed all of their interactions leading up to the actual “romance”.  I just could not get behind these two as a couple and I can’t really pinpoint why.

Imagine seeing an attractive person from across the room. You’re taking in all of their fine features and thinking “ummm… yes, please” when - record scratch - your great aunt Cheryl is suddenly standing right in front of you, introducing this hottie as your second cousin, once removed. Those butterflies in your stomach turn to piranhas in half a heartbeat, right?  That’s akin to how I felt when Lina and Aaron finally started to hook up.  The slow burn was great fun and I was totally there for it, but by the time everything began to spice up, it was no bueno for me.  The more Aaron called Lina “baby”, the more I internally cringed. 

Book Review: Out Front the Following Sea

Out Front the Following Sea by Leah Angstman 📱

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5 Star Rating

The Summary;

Out Front the Following Sea is a historical epic of one woman’s survival in a time when the wilderness is still wild, heresy is publicly punishable, and being independent is worse than scorned — it is a death sentence. At the onset of King William’s War between French and English settlers in 1689 New England, Ruth Miner is accused of witchcraft for the murder of her parents and must flee the brutality of her town. She stows away on the ship of the only other person who knows her innocence: an audacious sailor — Owen — bound to her by years of attraction, friendship, and shared secrets. But when Owen’s French ancestry finds him at odds with a violent English commander, the turmoil becomes life-or-death for the sailor, the headstrong Ruth, and the cast of Quakers, Pequot Indians, soldiers, highwaymen, and townsfolk dragged into the fray. Now Ruth must choose between sending Owen to the gallows or keeping her own neck from the noose.
Steeped in historical events and culminating in a little-known war on pre-American soil, Out Front the Following Sea is a story of early feminism, misogyny, arbitrary rulings, and the treatment of outcasts, with parallels still mirrored and echoed in today’s society.

🌊🌊🌊

Wow! 

Leah Angstman has penned one of the most gripping historical fiction novels of 2022 with Out Front the Following Sea.  This is a story of perseverance in the face of a myriad of hardships: death, ridicule, loneliness, and the unfortunate fate of being born a woman in 17th Century America - just to name a few.  Ruth Miner’s colonial world comes to life on the page as it is full of both adventure and heartache.  I laughed and I cried - I gasped and raged for a couple of chapters - then I cried some more.  

🌊🌊🌊

Thank you, Leah Angstman for not only writing such an incredible book, but also sharing in the Author’s Note some interesting facts about the Pequot language and culture. I loved everything about Out Front the Following Sea (including that stunning cover that I could gush about for days) and plan to purchase a hardcover copy for my bookshelf.  It’s always such a rare treat to be blown away by an author’s debut novel and it makes me excited for what is to come. 

🌊🌊🌊

Thank you to the author along with BookSirens and Regal House Publishing for a free digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. 

Book Review: The Love That Split the World

The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫3.5/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

Natalie Cleary must risk her future and leap blindly into a vast unknown for the chance to build a new world with the boy she loves. 

Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start... until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” They’re just momentary glimpses at first—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right.

That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.

Quick and dirty review: I didn’t love this as much as I wanted to, but it wasn’t bad.

Emily Henry has become one of my favorite authors and this is her debut novel, published in 2016. The cover is probably the most beautiful book cover I’ve ever seen and the summary grabbed me by the collar - I’m a sucker for a good multiverse story!  My biggest issue with this one was that, in the end, I had no idea what actually happened to Natalie and Beau.

🤷🏻‍♀️

I can’t say for sure if my need for answers is just a personal preference or if other readers would also be left with a feeling of “Say what?” as well. Nevertheless, it was a compelling story with relatable characters and supernatural elements that I quite enjoyed. I’ll be buying a physical copy for my shelf because that cover and would still recommend this as a good, if a little confusing, YA paranormal romance. 

Book Review: Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

Finlay Donovan is―once again―struggling to finish her next novel and keep her head above water as a single mother of two. On the bright side, she has her live-in nanny and confidant Vero to rely on, and the only dead body she's dealt with lately is that of her daughter's pet goldfish.

On the not-so-bright side, someone out there wants her ex-husband, Steven, out of the picture. Permanently. Whatever else Steven may be, he's a good father, but saving him will send her down a rabbit hole of hit-women disguised as soccer moms, and a little bit more involvement with the Russian mob than she'd like.

Meanwhile, Vero's keeping secrets, and Detective Nick Anthony seems determined to get back into her life. He may be a hot cop, but Finlay's first priority is preventing her family from sleeping with the fishes... and if that means bending a few laws then so be it.

With her next book's deadline looming and an ex-husband to keep alive, Finlay is quickly coming to the end of her rope. She can only hope there isn't a noose at the end of it...

📚🕶

Oh, Elle Cosimano, you clever woman! Where is the petition I sign to guarantee at least a dozen books in the Finlay Donovan series? I just never want it to end!  Now, buckle upas I proceed to gush about this book.

🤷🏻‍♀️

WOW, so full disclosure, I did not really expect this follow up to Finlay Donovan Is Killing It to be quite as good as its predecessor. I mean, how often does an author publish a single perfect, genre bending novel in her lifetime - let alone TWO of them?! I have never been so happy to say I was wrong! Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead is just as great as - dare I say even better than - the first book! Seriously, I can't even apologize for all of the exclamation points in this review because how else will I convey MY UNDYING LOVE FOR THIS BOOK?!

🕵🏻‍♀️💻

As with the first Finlay Donovan novel, Cosimano delivers a hilarious contemporary murder mystery with enough suspense and romance to keep any reader enthralled. I listened to the audiobook and have to give narrator Angela Dawe all the heart eyes for a job brilliantly done. Thank you Elle Cosimano for knockin’ us dead with this incredibly entertaining book and added thanks to you, NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for a free audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The Suite Spot

The Suite Spot by Trish Doller

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

Rachel Beck has hit a brick wall. She’s a single mom, still living at home and trying to keep a dying relationship alive. Aside from her daughter, the one bright light in Rachel’s life is her job as the night reservations manager at a luxury hotel in Miami Beach—until the night she is fired for something she didn’t do. 

On impulse, Rachel inquires about a management position at a brewery hotel on an island in Lake Erie called Kelleys Island. When she’s offered the job, Rachel packs up her daughter and makes the cross country move. 

What she finds on Kelleys Island is Mason, a handsome, moody man who knows everything about brewing beer and nothing about running a hotel. Especially one that’s barely more than foundation and studs. It’s not the job Rachel was looking for, but Mason offers her a chance to help build a hotel—and rebuild her own life—from the ground up.

🏕🍻💖

Absolutely loved this follow up to Float Plan by Trish Doller! She does such a great job of writing three dimensional, relatable characters.  I actually enjoyed this story even more than the first of the Beck Sisters duology, but had one small complaint that prevented this one from receiving a five star rating.  The resolution to the final conflict seemed rushed to me. I would have liked to have seen more time spent on that whole situation to have felt completely satisfied.

🤦🏻‍♀️

I have had an unfortunate run of disappointing contemporary romance reads over the past couple of months. So bless you, Trish Doller, for this refreshing romance that kept me enthralled from beginning to end!

Thank you 🙏🏻 to the author along with NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a free copy of this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. 

Book Review: The Great Gatsby

 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story is of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his new love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted "gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession," it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.

The Great Gatsby is one of the great classics of twentieth-century literature.

💜

Well, there's a reason why this book is widely known as a literary classic. As hard as it is to believe, I've managed to exist for 43 years without ever having read this book. I've never even seen the movie - unfathomable, but true - despite the lure of Leo Dicaprio & Toby McGuire. So, you can imagine my surprise when I discovered there was more to The Great Gatsby than tales of a rich playboy who throws good parties. Seriously, that's what I thought it was about.

🤦🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

I love a book with twists and this one surely delivers on that front. I also love a story that challenges me to have a little sessiom of self examination. After I finished reading this one, I began questioning my own priorities and how I measure success.  Gatsby was a tragic figure despite his ability to project himself as the definition of the most popular and intriguing man in any room.  It was a reminder that we never know what another person may be struggling with, even if they seem to be living their best life. Give this one a read if you enjoy a story with unexpected depth. I quite liked it.

Book Review: Fraternity of Brothers Book 1

Fraternity of Brothers Book 1 by Marina Pacheco 📱

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫3.5/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

Medieval Europe, 996 AD. Fifteen-year-old Galen survived a horrendous assault, only to be exiled by his family. Taken in by monks and grateful to be spared as a suspected sinner from the execution block, he ekes out a lonely existence of unrelenting pain. But he gains a chance to prove himself worthy when a famous young illustrator arrives at the abbey and selects him to help with an important manuscript.

Thrilled to be handpicked for his superb scribing skills, Galen fears the other members of the order will sabotage his newfound fellowship with their whispered accusations. But when more brutal attacks rock the quiet community, a confrontation with his assailant might force him to finally speak his truth.

Will Galen find his voice and triumph over trauma and tragedy?

While it took me about 50 pages to really be drawn into The Life of Galen, the first book in Marina Pacheco's Fraternity of Brothers series, I ended up really enjoying this book.  I became so enraptured that I read it in one day.

I loved this story and how it explores the ways true friendship can heal emotional wounds. A young scribe, Galen, learns to trust that he is worthy of a friend as he has become somewhat content with his lonely existence when he meets fellow monk, Alcuin, a  man brave enough to choose the company of an outcast and risk the judgement of his peers.  I aspire to be the type of person who chooses a friend based on my own opinions, not those thrust upon me by others, and I love how that is beautifully represented in this book. 

My chief complaint was how quickly the villain was bested at the crescendo of the conflict in the story. There seemed to be an awful lot of build up to something that was over and down with in just a few short paragraphs.  I still look forward to reading more in this series of five books set in 996 AD Anglo-Saxon England.  

Thanks to the author and Voracious Readers Only for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The White Ship

 

The White Ship by Charles Spencer 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

The sinking of the White Ship is one of the greatest disasters in English history. Here, Sunday Times bestselling author Charles Spencer tells the real story behind the legend to show how one cataclysmic shipwreck changed England’s course.

In 1120, the White Ship was known as the fastest ship afloat. When it sank sailing from Normandy to England it was carrying aboard the only legitimate heir to King Henry I, William of Ætheling. The raucous, arrogant young prince had made a party of the voyage, carousing with his companions and pushing wine into the eager hands of the crew. It was the middle of the night when the drunken helmsman rammed the ship into rocks.

The next day only one of the three hundred who had boarded the ship was alive to describe the horrors of the slow shipwreck. William, the face of England’s future had drowned along with scores of the social elite. The royal line severed and with no obvious heir to the crown, a civil war of untold violence erupted. Known fittingly as ‘The Anarchy’, this game of thrones saw families turned in on each other, with English barons, rebellious Welsh leaders and Scottish invaders all playing a part in the bloody, desperate scrum for power.

One incredible shipwreck and two decades of violent uncertainty; England’s course had changed forever.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🤴🏻

Full disclosure: I’m a huge fan of Medieval History. If that’s not your jam, this book may not be as enjoyable for you as it was for me. This is a brilliant piece of nonfiction work from Charles Spencer. The sinking of The White Ship is an event I was mildly familiar with (Didn’t we all read Beowulf in junior high?), but this book was very educational. Wait! I mean that in the absolute best way! It was an enjoyable read and I never once felt bogged down by the details.  

🏰⚔️

This well written account covers the pivotal years at the end of William the Conqueror’s line before the Plantagenet reign began.  I’ve found that there is a more bountiful offering of enjoyable but historically accurate books about the Plantagenet and Tudor Dynasties than the preceding royal bloodlines.  I highly recommend this to anyone interested in England’s monarchy in the High Middle Ages. 

Book Review: Black Cake

 

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫4.5/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

We can't choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become?
In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett's death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a traditional Caribbean black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child, challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage, and themselves.
Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor's true history, and fulfill her final request to "share the black cake when the time is right"? Will their mother's revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?
Charmaine Wilkerson's debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names, can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch.

🍰🌊🏊🏾‍♀️

This was my January pick for my Book of the Month subscription and I am so glad I flipped a coin in favor of this book.  When a debut novel is this incredible, it just gives me warm and fuzzy feels all over. *sigh* Confession: I’d never even heard of black cake before reading this book, so I don’t know which emoji best depicts it and will be using them all.

🥮🤷🏻‍♀️

As you can imagine from my 4.5 star rating, this book was near perfect.  Beautifully written and successfully weaving multiple timelines, I was particularly drawn to the “flashback” timeline being shared by Eleanor Bennett.  However, the characters in the present day timeline, Eleanor’s two adult children, were the weakest part of the story for me.  I did not connect to or care about Byron or Benny and find myself skimming over their parts in the last quarter of the story. Because I found both of those prominent characters in this book to be flat and uninteresting, I knocked off half a star for this otherwise stellar debut.

🎂

Thank you to the author along with NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: A Letter to Three Witches

A Letter to Three Witches by Elizabeth Bass 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5 Star Rating 

The Summary:

Bewitched meets Practical Magic in this sparkling and quirky rom-com with an enchanted twist. When romance problems cause their powers to go berserk, a trio of witches whose family was banned from practicing magic risk getting in serious trouble with the Grand Council. Can they get their magic—and their love lives—in order before it’s too late?

 

🧹🧙🏻‍♀️🧙🏻‍♀️🧙🏻‍♂️

I absolutely loved this book! So many rom-com novels follow the same recipe these days  and it has become just plain boring to me. This story was a new, fresh idea and was executed flawlessly.  I also appreciate how A Letter To Three Witches was a ”spice free” read without sacrificing the chemistry between the two characters with the burgeoning romance. Above all else, I had no idea what an enjoyable ride this book would be and I particularly loved the witty dialogue & hilarious hijinks our three witches got up to. 

Thank you 🙏🏻 to the author along with NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio arc in exchange for my honest review. 

Book Review: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

Finlay Donovan is killing it... except, she's really not. She's a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay's life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn't written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.

When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she's mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet... Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.

 📚💻🕶

Finlay Donovan might not actually be killing it, but author Elle Cosimano most certainly is! This book was wildly entertaining, y’all. I’d file this under contemporary murder mystery comedic thriller with a hint of romance. If you’re anything like me, you never even knew you needed a book that hits on all of those genres at the same time - but, believe me, you do!

As if the brilliant execution of this book wasn’t enough, I’ve finished it just in time for the sequel! Elle Cosimano’s follow up to this hilarious book, Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead, was just published on February 1st.  I recommend you binge read these two back to back because when I reached the end of this story, I was not ready to say goodbye to Finlay, unlikely heroine that she may be. 

😂

Book Review: A Brush with Love

A Brush with Love by Mazey Eddings

⭐️⭐️💫2.5/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

Harper is anxiously awaiting placement into a top oral surgery residency program when she crashes (literally) into Dan. Harper would rather endure a Novocaine-free root canal than face any distractions, even one this adorable. 
A first-year dental student with a family legacy to contend with, Dan doesn’t have the same passion for pulling teeth that Harper does. Though he finds himself falling for her, he is willing to play by Harper’s rules.
So with the greatest of intentions and the poorest of follow-throughs, the two set out to be “just friends.” But as they get to know each other better, Harper fears that trading fillings for feelings may make her lose control and can't risk her carefully ordered life coming undone, no matter how drool-worthy Dan is.
Blood, gore, and extra-long roots? No problem. The idea of falling in love? Torture.

 🪥❤️

Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me. The back and forth between Harper and Dan from “just friends” to “I can’t live without you” and back again was very frustrating to me. While I liked both main characters, I reached a point of liking them better apart and no longer rooting for them to be together. 

To be fair, this is a debut novel for Mazey Eddings and I think there was a lot of potential here. I would definitely give future novels by the author a fair chance because it is so satisfying to witness an author’s growth as they hone their craft. Sadly, most of the issues I had with A Brush with Love can be chalked up to “first book flaws”.

🥴

Thank you to the author along with NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.