Fiction

Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble (Winner Bakes All #2) by Alexis Hall

This was a cute and fun LGTBQ+ contemporary romance. Paris is a hot mess. He’s got a cat, a degree, a roommate and a love for baking. But, his constant self-doubt and second-guessing have left him a hot mess. His roommate enters him into the country’s biggest baking competition (think The Great British Bake Off) and he’s excited and nauseas at the same time, thinking he’ll be the first one sent home. To his surprise, he wins the first challenge, despite hitting a fellow contestant, Tariq, in the face with his refrigerator door. But, the public scrutiny is harsh, interacting with the fellow contestants is nerve-wracking, and Paris spirals.

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November 11, 2022 0

The Wicked Remain (Grimrose Girls #2) by Laura Pohl

This was a satisfying conclusion to a good YA Fantasy duology. The events pick up a few months after the first book. The girls continue to search for a way to break the curse, but are waylaid by personal issues that distract them from their goal. As they make progress on finding out the origin of the curse, more girls start dying.

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November 9, 2022 0

The Prisoner by B.A. Paris

I’ve been a bit ambivalent about the author’s previous books, but I enjoyed this one. It’s a good mystery/thriller that kept my attention and kept me reading late into the evening. Amelie is a young woman that is used to struggling to survive. Down to her last few dollars, she befriends a group of wealthy women and begins working as a housekeeper and cook for one of them. This brings her into contact with Jed Hawthorne, a wealthy billionaire. Before she understands what’s she gotten herself into, she’s married to Jed and forced to be his perfect trophy wife. Then one night Amelie is snatched from her bed and wakes up in a pitch-black room with no idea where she is. The captors don’t speak and she doesn’t know why she’s taken, or why she feels safer with the captors than she does with her husband.

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November 9, 2022 0

Racing the Light (Elvis Cole and Joe Pike #19) by Robert Crais

This is another fun and exciting Elvis Cole mystery/thriller. This time, Elvis is hired by a mother desperate to find her son Josh, a controversial podcaster. She thinks he’s in mortal danger, and although she’s quirky and has a flock of professional bodyguards following her around, Elvis takes the case. And the cash. As Elvis starts to look into the son’s life, he once again attracts danger and enlists the help of his buddy Joe Pike to watch his back.

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November 8, 2022 0

A Murder at Balmoral by Chris McGeorge

This is a good locked-door mystery set in an alternative universe England where King Edward VIII did not abdicate and marry an American divorcee. In this story, his lineage sits on the throne. As the story begins, King Eric has required his immediate family attend Christmas as Balmarol and he’s sent all of the staff away, except his chef Jonathon and his head security officer. During an after dinner speech, King Eric begins to speak, begins choking, and falls to the ground. Moments later, he’s dead. Each member of the family has motive and opportunity, is keeping secrets, and they’ve elected the chef to investigate the murder.

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October 30, 2022 0

Blue Shadows Fall (Blue Shadows Fall, #1) by Lenore Stutznegger

This is a very good first book in a new YA Fantasy series. In a dystopian world decades in the future, Blue Haven is a 17 year old who dreams of becoming a warrior. Over 150 years ago the Shadow Elves, humans infected by a zombie apocalypse-like plague, ravaged the world and decimated the population. Blue lives in a small farming community in the Smoky Mountains, where they are the last survivors of their world and not much happens. But Blue’s superhuman sight is showing her troubling images of green-eyed strangers and handsome Shadow Elves. But, that can’t be right because leaders of her village insist the Shadow Elves were all killed and they are safe. As Blue investigates her visions, she discovers the leaders may have lied. About everything.

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October 29, 2022 0

All the Dark Souls by A.M. Dunnewin

This was a very good first book in a new fantasy series. Joss is one of a long line of executioners in the kingdom. She is required to execute those condemned by the kingdom. Despite her inherited role, Joss and her assistant Henrik work as healers for the surrounding villages. One day Joss and Henrik find a seriously wounded man on the road. They take him home and care for him, but are hesitant to reveal their occupation. The wounded man, Aric, is an assassin who was beaten and left for dead after he failed to kill his last assignment. He also doesn’t want to reveal who he is, especially since the dangerous men that hired him know where he is and want him to finish the job. When Joss and Aric’s duties intersect, decisions are made that jeopardize all of their lives.

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October 29, 2022 0

A Life Unplanned by Caitriona Drexler

I am total nerd that goes to San Diego Comic-Con every year, so when I was given the opportunity to read this book where the couple meets at New York Comic-Con, I jumped at the chance. I absolutely loved their meet-cute – it’s every nerdy single girl’s dream to be swept off her feet by Batman!! While there were plenty of nerdy references and comic touches, the book also deals with some tough issues. I loved Sadie and Theo’s relationship and how they communicated with each other. About half-way through, however, the book started to lose me a bit. I think the book lost momentum as it veered away from the relationship and I wasn’t as invested.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Katie and Brey PA and the author. All opinions are my own.

October 18, 2022 0

Clara in a Time of War by C.J. McGroarty

This is a quiet, sweet book about courage, loneliness, and love set during the Revolutionary War. Clara is struggling to work her husband’s farm while he’s off at war. One morning her son finds an injured man, Declan, in their carriage house, and her quiet life changes. Clara nurses him back to health and the two slowly develop feelings for each other, despite her marriage. As the British army inches closer to Clara’s door, Declan moves on, never forgetting about Clara. Does the couple have any chance at happiness?

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October 18, 2022 0