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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Brightly Burning
Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Gist I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I am a sucker for space stories. Throw some young adult plots with a sprinkle of classic literature retelling and I’m a very happy reader. Brightly Burning is all that. It is a retelling of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre…set in space with quite a bit of young adult drama. Yes, please! The Details As with the author’s other retelling (The Stars We Steal) I was excited trying to figure out what character was based on the characters in the original classic and also what changes were made to…
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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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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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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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This Is How I Lied
This Is How I Lied by Heather GudenkaufMy rating: 5 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. I finished this book two days ago and needed some time to relish in it. It was an intense, but very satisfying read. I haven’t had much luck in the past with mystery stories and was on the verge of cutting them out completely from my reading list, but then I got an email from the publisher with a very intriguing synopsis of a new mystery/thriller/suspense story. Well, colour me…
