The Forgotten Sister by Nicola Cornick My rating: 3 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Graydon House Books, for providing me with an ARC of The Forgotten Sister in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist The duality of the narration The Forgotten Sister promised to offer intrigued me greatly. One part historical fiction plus one part contemporary fiction makes for an interesting read for sure. Throw in the promise of a murder mystery, a ghost and a special gift and I’m all yours. The Details I did not particularly like the two main characters. I thought they were both very self-absorbed, but…
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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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Earthbound Bones
Earthbound Bones by ReGina Welling My rating: 3 of 5 stars Thank you NetGalley and Willow Hill Books for providing me with an ARC of Earthbound Bones in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I already had this entire review mapped out when I decided to double check a fact before giving my two-cents’ worth. It turns out that this new series by the author is a spin-off her previous series called Psychic Seasons. To most readers, who are familiar with Welling’s work this isn’t really news, but I think it’s important to point out to anyone interested in this new series Earthbound, familiarity…
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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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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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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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Sister Dear
Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon My rating: 3 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. I kept putting off writing this review for as long as I could and now, I’m in a real time crunch. I’m tired, uninspired and a headache is starting to form right behind my eyes and I just want to curl up on the couch and watch cartoons. Yup, it’s one of those days. I kept procrastinating on this review, because I don’t know what to say about it. I don’t know…
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The Lost City
The Lost City by Amanda Hocking My rating: 3 of 5 stars I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I have a confession to make. I haven’t had the opportunity or time to check out Hocking’s Trylle Trilogy or Kanin Chronicles and I think that led to some confusion when I read this book, The Lost City. I felt very out of place and could tell that I was missing the bigger picture of this story. Nonetheless, I will give my honest review of Hocking’s newest book. Let’s start with the characters. They were all very well developed and had…
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The Queen’s Assassin
The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz My rating: 3 of 5 stars I really don’t know what to think of this book. I finished it almost a week ago and I can’t make up my mind how to rate and review it. I mean, I liked it well enough to finish it and it didn’t feel like a chore and punishment to do so. You know how you sometimes force yourself to read through a book just for the sake of finishing it? That was definitely not the case with this book. But something felt missing. I’ll discuss the little things that have been nagging me as much…
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The Marquise of O-
The Marquise of O– by Heinrich von Kleist My rating: 3 of 5 stars I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I read this story twice. Once during my advanced German literature reading course I took more than 10 years ago and then again for this purpose of this review. It is strange to say I enjoyed it, but I kind of did. It certainly leaves a lasting impression on the reader, as it did for me. I remember it so vividly, most likely because we discussed it in detail, but also because of the subtle approach the author took…
