Kingdom of Sea and Stone by Mara Rutherford My rating: 4 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of Kingdom of Sea and Stone in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist Can I tell you a secret? I truly struggle writing book reviews for sequels and Kingdom of Sea and Stone is no exception. There it is; I said it. I keep staring at my computer screen, wondering what I should include and what I should leave out. At the very least, this is still a review and not a summary or your Wednesday evening…
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Confessions on the 7:45
Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger My rating: 3 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Park Row, for providing me with an ARC of Confessions on the 7:45 in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I have seen promotions for Confessions on the 7:45 quite a bit during the last month or so on various social media outlets. I’m always excited when I get to read an ARC that gets some publicity. Call it a bit of pride. On my wall calendar I noted all the book reviews that are part of the Fall Reads Blog Tour and the closer we…
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The Orphan of Cemetery Hill
The Orphan of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Graydon House, for providing me with an ARC of The Orphan of Cemetery Hill in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I had Fox’s first novel, The Witch of Willow Hall, on my to-read list ever since it came out in 2018. Being the hopeful optimist that I am, I kept making plans to read it any day now. Well, the road to hell is usually paved with good intentions. So, sadly, I hadn’t been introduced to her writing until the publisher was so kind…
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Smash It!
Smash It! by Francina Simone My rating: 1 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of Smash It! in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist A few months ago I saw a book promotion for the upcoming Fall publications and Smash It! got a lot of attention. I checked it out and hoped I would have enough time to read it once it was published. One could only imagine how lucky I felt when I found out Smash It! is one of the books included in the Fall Reads Blog Tour I’m participating in. Based…
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These Vengeful Hearts
These Vengeful Hearts by Katherine Laurin My rating: 2 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of These Vengeful Hearts in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I was obsessed with the Pretty Little Liars TV show for its entire run. High school thriller, with lots of intrigue and conspiracy. Sign me up! I welcomed the possibility of high school being the exact opposite of what it was like for me. So, it’s a sort of nostalgic feeling I get when reading high school thrillers that offer me an alternative option for experiencing the good…
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Road Out of Winter
Road Out of Winter by Alison Stine My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, MIRA, for providing me with an ARC of Road Out of Winter in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist Truth be told, I’m struggling to write this review, and not only because since the weekend, I have found myself dealing with writer’s block. But also, because I want to give this book the review it deserves. I’m afraid anything I’ll mention here would give away some detail of the story that is so profound in its overall message. So, as my husband suggested I’m going to…
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Lies Lies Lies
Lies Lies Lies by Adele Parks My rating: 3 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing, for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I really like mystery and thriller stories. Give me something that gives me the spooks and I’m all yours. However, recently I have noticed a change, or rather shift, in genre categorizations. A few times now I started reading a thriller/mystery novel with the appropriate gusto only to find out that the book should have been labelled a psychological or domestic drama. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not…
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Someone’s Listening
Someone’s Listening by Seraphina Nova Glass My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing, for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist Over the last few months I have noticed a theme has emerged that is giving my reviews a certain flavour, shall we call it? This theme is that it’s hot. I’m hot and not like the strutting down the beach in my beachwear, turning heads with my confidence that makes me desirable, yet approachable. No, I’m talking about the constant sweat stains, the film of oil that has…
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The Woman Before Wallis
The Woman Before Wallis: A Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts, and Royal Scandal by Bryn Turnbull My rating: 3 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, MIRA Books, for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist Give me stories about the nobility. Give me stories set in London, the countryside or with a Mediterranean flair. Give me complex characters that try to make their way through life without losing hope. Give me all that and I am yours as a loyal reader. I thought this book would totally be my cup of tea. I imagined myself…
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No One Saw
No One Saw by Beverly Long My rating: 1 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, MIRA, for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist At the time I decided to read and review No One Saw, I was not familiar with the characters of detectives McKittridge and Morgan or the previous story that did the initial introduction of them. I jumped in with both feet, ready to embark on a mystery story with a police-procedural flair to it. The story accomplished that and yet it didn’t. There was a distinct divide between solving the…
