Scorpionfish by Natalie Bakopoulos My rating: 4 of 5 stars Thank you NetGalley and Tin House Books for providing me with an ARC of Scorpionfish in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I read this book a couple of months ago when the restlessness and reality of the lockdown really kicked in. I live very close to the Greek neighbourhood in my hometown and with everything having been shut down the prospect of not being able to travel or even take a stroll down my beloved neighbourhood made me sad. When I was scrolling through NetGalley I was hoping to find something that slightly…
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Annabeth Neverending
Annabeth Neverending by Leyla Kader Dahm My rating: 2 of 5 stars Thank you NetGalley and Create Space for providing me with an ARC of Annabeth Neverending in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I still have quite a few books sitting on my “to-read” NetGalley shelf, so I thought now is just as good a time to finally check them out and review them as any other. In the past, I would have a few weeks off during which I had enough time to get super excited about new books and then schoolwork would catch up with me again, putting my reading and…
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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…
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The Last Wife
The Last Wife by Karen Hamilton 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 have not felt this torn about a book since I read Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, except this time I am even more at odds with what to write. Let me set the scene. I decided to write this review a few hours after finishing the book, before the few strands of coherent thoughts about this book vanish into thin air. I have done my stretches. Literally rolled…
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The Talking Drum
The Talking Drum by Lisa Braxton My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inanna Publications, for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist An ensemble of characters provides diverse and individualized perspectives on life in a neighbourhood that is deemed unimportant by the “higher” social strata. Each chapter tells the overall story of displacement, personal and interpersonal struggle, and gentrification through the eyes of one of several main characters. Each one is in one way or another connected with the other characters in the story to varying degrees. The Details What struck…
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Stranger in the Lake
Stranger in the Lake by Kimberly Belle My rating: 2 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Park Row, for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist Two words: murder mystery! I’m weird in the sense that murder mysteries calm me down. When I have had a stressful day, I put on an episode of some murder show and I feel better. When I’m anxious and feeling on edge: murder mystery. Here is the thing, though. It has been very hit and miss for me when it comes to murder mystery books. Some of them…
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Out Now: Queer We Go Again!
Out Now: Queer We Go Again! by Saundra Mitchell My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I have seen people rave about the first anthology of this collection and I wish I could have checked it out before diving into this one, but since the lockdown is still going strong in my neck of the woods, I am dependent on the digital books my library has to offer. Unfortunately, All Out was not listed in its database. So, I’m putting a pin in reading…
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Breath Like Water
Breath Like Water by Anna Jarzab My rating: 2 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I read most of the book in one day, staying up until 2 o’clock in the morning just to finish it. It wasn’t because I was so hooked on the story, instead I kept seeing all this potential and held out hope that the story might improve or at least find its centre. I checked out a few other reviews in this story and I must warn you, this is going…
