*The Stranger I Wed by Harper St. George

May 15, 2024 By Leave a Comment


*The Stranger I Wed by Harper St. George
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Larkspur

New to wealth and to London high society, American heiress Cora Dove discovers that with the right man, marriage might not be such an inconvenience after all. . . .

Cora Dove and her sisters’ questionable legitimacy has been the lifelong subject of New York’s gossipmongers and a continual stain on their father’s reputation. So when the girls each receive a generous, guilt-induced dowry from their dying grandmother, the sly Mr. Hathaway vows to release their funds only if Cora and her sisters can procure suitable husbands—far from New York. For Cora, England is a fresh start. She has no delusions of love, but a husband who will respect her independence? That’s an earl worth fighting for.

Enter: Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth, a no-nonsense member of Parliament whose plan to pass a Public Health bill that would provide clean water to the working class requires the backing of a wealthy wife. He just never expected to crave Cora’s touch or yearn to hear her thoughts on his campaign—or to discover that his seemingly perfect bride protects so many secrets…

But secrets have a way of bubbling to the surface, and Devonworth has a few of his own. With their pasts laid bare and Cora’s budding passion for women’s rights taking a dangerous turn, they’ll learn the true cost of losing their heart to a stranger—and that love is worth any price.

Harper St. George knows how to write a rich and satisfying story with characters that are entertaining and interesting. I loved this enchanting historical story set in the late 1800’s so much, I never wanted it to end.

Cora, the eldest of the Dove sisters, must marry a titled gentleman to gain her inheritance, so she and her two sisters travel to England to find a groom. When Cora arrives in London, she meets an assortment of potential husbands including Devenworth.

Devenworth needs a rich bride to save his ancestral home. Although he is attracted to Cora, he ultimately marries her for her dowry. They marry first and slowly fall in love as they become acquainted with each other. The more they learn about each other, the deeper they fall. However, they are afraid to let down their guard and trust each other completely.

I loved Devenworth and Cora together and enjoyed all of their encounters. Sparks would fly whenever they were together, and I found myself immediately immersed in their story. I felt like I was right there with them, and I easily connected with all the characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait to read future stories featuring the two other Dove sisters.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

Double Lives by Mary Monroe

May 13, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Double Lives by Mary Monroe
Publisher: Dafina
Genre: Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

Since childhood, identical twins Leona and Fiona Dunbar have been getting in—and out—of trouble by pretending to be each other. Yet underneath, they couldn’t be more different. Outspoken Leona lives to break rules, have a good time, and scandalize their respectable hometown of Lexington. Fiona is a seemingly-demure churchgoing girl who is the apple of her domineering, widowed mother Mavis’s eye.

But together, the twins have fooled teachers, boyfriends, bosses, racist police—and most importantly, strait-laced Mavis. Even when Leona does jail time for Fiona, their unbreakable bond keeps them fiercely loyal. . . . So when Fiona feels stifled in her passionless marriage, and Leona is heartbroken over losing her one true love, it’s perfect timing to change places once again . . .

Leona is shocked to discover she enjoys the security of being a wife and homebody. And the unexpected spark between her and Fiona’s husband is giving her all kinds of deliciously sexy ideas. Meanwhile, Fiona enjoys being free, single, and reveling in the independence she’s never had. And the more she indulges her secret, long-repressed wild child, the more Leona’s ex-lover becomes one temptation she’s having trouble resisting . . .

As the sisters’ masquerade ignites desires and appetites they never expected, it also puts their most damning secrets on the line. Once the fallout rocks their small town, can Fiona and Leona’s deep sisterhood shield them from total disaster and help them reconcile their mistakes? Or will the trust between them become a weapon that shatters their lives for good?

Identical twins Fiona and Leona find it amusing and convenient to switch identities as it suits them, but could their harmless switching lead to serious trouble?

This 320-page historical fiction is a great example of why Mary Monroe is one of my favorite authors. Her unique writing style and engaging plots are always a guarantee that I will be drawn in for a thrilling read. The author masterfully developed Fiona and Leona’s story throughout, and lastly climaxed in a plot twist that I did not see coming.

Double Lives is a work of historical fiction that spans from 1901 to 1938 in a small, segregated country town in Alabama. Readers are introduced to identical twins Fiona and Leona Dunbar who find it amusing in ‘fooling folks’ by switching their identities. The narrative alternates between Fiona and Leona’s perspectives. The author’s signature style of creating characters that are intriguing and memorable resulting in this entertaining, and original plot. I found myself unable to put the book down, eager to see how the story would unfold.

The bond between the sisters is like no other. I found it disturbing the sacrifices Leona made for Fiona. It was even more unsettling that Fiona allowed her sister to take on a negative image while benefiting from their switching. In my opinion, Fiona was selfish, while Leona was naive and always ended up being the protector or scapegoat. This unfair dynamic between the sisters made me angry. Leona was also naive when it came to her friendship with Bonnie Sue. Bonnie Sue got on my nerves and was very much obsessed with Leona, but Leona could not see it.

Who wouldn’t want to trade places to get out of trouble or to get out of their current circumstances? Mary Monroe has written another captivating five-star book that tells the story of the Dunbar sisters’ masquerade, which ignites into something they may not be able to switch back from. I highly recommend it.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

My First Birding Adventure – North America by Elya Baird

May 2, 2024 By Leave a Comment


My First Birding Adventure – North America by Elya Baird
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Bring the world of birding indoors with My First Birding Adventure-North America!

My First Birding Adventure- North America was designed to replicate the outdoor birding experience. When outdoors, bird enthusiasts will go to various locations in nature, look for birds, and identify the birds they find using their field guide. This book brings the world of birding indoors as readers flip through nature scenes, search for birds, and identify them with the mini field guide at the back of the book.

Once the book is finished, complete the bonus activities or go outside with the field guide and see if you can find any of the birds in nature!

Calling all bird lovers as well as future fans of this hobby! I have quite the treat for you.

Bird watching requires patience and close attention to detail, so it only made sense that this picture book encourages both of those habits. This is something that is meant to be savored and returned to again and again as readers both young and old sharpen their identification skills. I’d recommend bringing it out on such excursions when possible in the beginning in order to have a quick reference for what to look for.

I liked the fact that Ms. Baird included so many hints about where to find this sort of wildlife, how to identify them, and how to tell the differences between males and females of the same species. This was a solid introduction to those topics that can easily be built upon as new bird watchers become more comfortable with quickly taking note of these things and learning how to identify lots of other types of birds, too.

The best portions were the ones that showed various nature settings and asked readers to quickly identify which birds they could see there and remember as much about them as possible. Sometimes one only has a moment or two to figure all of this stuff out in real life, so practicing ahead of time is an excellent way to get better at it while at a park, field, lake, or other natural setting. While it certainly isn’t possible to include every common type of bird in something like this, I thought the author picked a nice cross-section of possibilities for readers living in North America.

My First Birding Adventure – North America was exciting and informative.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Man in the Cellar by Palle Rosenkrantz

April 19, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Man in the Cellar by Palle Rosenkrantz
Publisher: Kazabo Publishing
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Romance, Paranormal, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Holger Nielsen just wanted a quiet London vacation when he rented 48 Cranbourne Grove. But the rental agent forgot to mention he’d be sharing his new home with a very hungry cat and . . . the man in the cellar.

When Holger Nielsen stumbles on a murder, the obvious thing to do is report it to the authorities and get on with his life. But as the crime unravels, it isn’t clear whether it’s worse to be an accessory to murder or an accessory to justice. Scrupulously authentic, The Man in the Cellar is an insider’s tour of turn-of-the-century London and Denmark. But beware. Scandinavia hasn’t always been IKEA and Legos.

Introspection is required for this tale, and it will be richly rewarded.

I enjoyed the challenge of attempting to solve the murder alongside Holger’s efforts to do the same. The author did not make this an easy task, and there were plenty of clues along the way that were either not necessarily what they seemed to be at first glance or could be interpreted differently depending on how the reader wanted to understand them. As someone who has read quite a few books from this genre, I appreciated the mental challenge of it all. This was something that required paying close attention and using one’s deduction skills. That’s exactly the sort of mystery I love to read.

The character development was strong for the protagonists and supporting characters alike. This is not an easy task to accomplish by any means, but it makes for such a rewarding experience when it happens. Many of the people described in this tale were middle-aged or senior citizens, and it was interesting to see how the various generations communicated with each other as there were certain differences in what they considered appropriate behavior along the way. Not only that, but each individual had quirks or habits that made his or her reactions to specific scenes unique. Holger, for example, seemed to be a little wary of cats and eager to send them back to humans who knew what to do with such unpredictable little creatures as quickly as possible when I first met him. Learning about how everyone’s minds worked only made me more eager to keep reading.

This is one of those cases where a slower pacing works beautifully. There is definitely something to be said for getting to know the characters, clues, and settings well before moving on to the next scene. Including letters between characters, all of whom had their own special writing styles, was a smart way to encourage readers to pause and think about what they were reading and how much of it was new information versus a confirmation of things the characters may have already figured out.

The Man in the Cellar was an excellent example of the best the mystery genre has to offer.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Excitements by CJ Wray

April 3, 2024 By 1 Comment


The Excitements by CJ Wray
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Historical, Fiction
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Meet the Williamson sisters, Britain’s most treasured World War II veterans. Now in their late nineties, Josephine and Penny are in huge demand, popping up at commemorative events and history festivals all over the country. Despite their age, they’re still in great form—perfectly put together, sprightly and sparky, and always in search of their next “excitement.”

This time it’s a trip to Paris to receive the Légion d’honneur for their part in the liberation of France. And as always, they will be accompanied by their devoted great-nephew, Archie.

Keen historian Archie has always been given to understand that his great aunts had relatively minor roles in the Women’s Royal Navy and the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, but that’s only half the story. Both sisters are hiding far more than the usual “official secrets”. There’s a reason sweet Auntie Penny can dispatch a would-be mugger with an umbrella.

This trip to Paris is not what it seems either. Scandal and crime have always quietly trailed the Williamson sisters, even in the decades after the war. Now armed with new information about an old adversary, these much decorated (but admittedly ancient) veterans variously intend to settle scores, avenge lost friends, and pull off one last, daring heist before the curtain finally comes down on their illustrious careers.

The Williamson sisters, Josephine and Penny are quite a pair. In this novel, these two elderly World War II veterans are to be honored at an event in Paris. Their grandnephew looks out for them, and they keep him busy with their adventures.

Penny and Josephine may be in their nineties, but they are not done yet. They have more adventure ahead.

The book covers two timelines, past and present. In the past, readers get to know this fascinating duo as they play out their lives during the war. The sisters think they are ordinary, but they are anything but. The secondary characters are written in a way to help us get to know Penny and Josephine. The setting paints a vivid chronological picture, putting readers there in their mind’s eye.

Themes of family, friendship, and aging underscore the story. This is a tale that is well-written and entertaining. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

The Fog Ladies: Date with Death by Susan McCormick

March 13, 2024 By 3 Comments


The Fog Ladies: Date with Death by Susan McCormick
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Chamomile

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

The Fog Ladies are at it again, spunky senior sleuths and an overstressed young medical resident solving murders from their elegant apartment building in San Francisco. They join a senior dating group, and romantic intrigue soon turns to murder. Graham Parselle, lady killer extraordinaire, plunges off a cliff on a Senior Singles outing. Did one of his dates pitch him over? Or is Olivia Honeycut’s new beau to blame?

Upon picking this one up, I knew I was in for a fun read. These ladies are a hoot and I loved getting to join them for this exciting mystery! I haven’t read the others, but found that I was able to follow along without trouble and got to know the ladies who formed the group of friends lovingly referred to as ‘The Fog Ladies’ fairly easier regardless, Still, if the others are as much fun as this one, I recommend reading them all, and in order to get the most enjoyment out of the series!

The Senior Singles sound like a fun place to make friends, enjoy outings and events together, and maybe even find that special one. Dating over sixty is no walk in the park, and the Fog Ladies are intrigued when one of them mentions the group. What sounds like harmless fun quickly becomes a quest to find a killer and the ladies are on the hunt!

The humor in this one made this story, and I loved meeting these ladies and getting to join in in the fun at their impromptu meetings! I loved the differing personalities and even enjoyed Sarah and Chantrelle’s special place in the story. And Boris, we can’t forget Boris!

The mystery was intriguing, and I loved unraveling it along with the Fog Ladies! While I did guess the killer before it was revealed, I admit the story kept me guessing for a while which is always a treat in a mystery! I tend to peg the killer pretty early on, so the twists and surprises in this one provided a fun puzzle to unravel.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Slaughterhouse by K.A. Lugo

March 7, 2024 By 1 Comment


Slaughterhouse by K.A. Lugo
Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Rated: 5 stars
Review by Rose

It’s the anniversary of the date he lost his family and Jack doubts he’ll ever find those responsible. Depression has taken hold, and he pulls out his Beretta for the last time. As he fingers the trigger, Ray shows up with the identity of the man who’d killed himself in Jack’s house weeks before, leaving a note simply saying, ”I’m sorry.”

Jack soon finds himself dragged into San Francisco’s underbelly and his life threatened at the hands of the city’s deadly Chinese gang, the Jade Dragons. When things become more dangerous, Jack must keep pushing forward, even knowing it could mean his death because the gang’s leader, Li Zihao, may have the answers Jack’s looking for—who destroyed his family and what happened to Leah.

Is Jack ready for the truth?

This is the 3rd book in the Jack Slaughter Thriller series (you can see our review of book one here. If you haven’t read the first two books, don’t worry…there are plenty of clues that let you know what happened in the previous two books and, if you are anything like I am, you’ll soon remedy that situation and go looking for the first two books. I missed book two, but it is already on the way from Amazon. I see a Jack Slaughter weekend in the future where I can read straight through the series. If you can read the books in order, though, you will have a much fuller understanding and appreciation of the characters and their relationships.

Jack has been through a lot with the death of his daughter, the disappearance of his wife, and the appearance in Jack’s house of a suicide and a note saying just “I’m sorry.” He’s reached the end of his rope and doesn’t see any sense in going on.

The characters are a big part of what makes this series work. I absolutely love the relationship between Jack and Ray, and the rest of the supporting cast also add a special spark to the book (not to give away any spoilers but I absolutely loved the 666s!)

The action is nonstop…with twists and turns I definitely didn’t see coming… and just when you think things couldn’t get any worse, you find out differently. This book will literally keep you reading just so you can find out what is coming next!

I’m looking forward to the next installment in Jack’s story. Thank you, Ms. Lugo, for a wonderful character.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Sally Mitts Finds A Home – The Story Of A Shy Shelter Kitten by Shain Stodt

March 6, 2024 By 2 Comments


Sally Mitts Finds A Home – The Story Of A Shy Shelter Kitten by Shain Stodt
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

When little Sally’s family moves away, she is left alone in the world. Wandering unknown streets, our bodacious kitten has adventures both wonderful and scary. When a well-meaning Samaritan finds Sally asleep on their doorstep, they take her to an animal shelter, where she is surrounded by strangers. Lonely and feeling very small, she tries to curl into a ball and hide.
Then Sally felt a warm nudge. What was this?
One of the cats was rubbing against her!
Right through the cage, she felt his soft fur.
And he made the sweetest sound,
a loud rumbling purr.

Life is so much better with a friend! But when Charlie is adopted, Sally feels more alone than ever. Considered unfriendly and unadaptable because she is shy, it looks like Sally may languish in a cage. Until a patient man who won’t go away offers her the chance to trust again. A tender, heartwarming story about courage, love, and a brave kitten’s journey to her new forever home.

Everyone deserves the chance to live happily ever after, especially pets waiting for adoption in animal shelters.

Almost all of the pets my family had when I was a kid were rescues, and we often knew no more than a handful of things about their lives before they came to live with us. Some of my favorite scenes in this story were the ones that explored a few of the reasons why a pet might need to be rescued or adopted. These were such honest and sweet moments that later played out in how Sally and her companions behaved at the shelter and helped to explain why some animals behave certain ways due to their past experiences.

I loved how much space was left for interpretation and discussion. As this is the first instalment in a new series, it made perfect sense for the author to introduce characters without answering many of the audience’s questions about them or tying up every loose end. There were so many opportunities here for the sequels to explain what happened to Sally’s original family, whether she might someday see Charlie the Tailless again, and so much more.

The gentle and empathetic ending made me smile. It was perfect for the little ones who will read this or have it read to them, especially since some of the earlier scenes talked about how hard it can be to be a stray animal in ways that were appropriate, but still sad, for that age group. Ending on a reassuring note was exactly what was needed, and I look forward to seeing what sorts of adventures Sally might have next.

Sally Mitts Finds A Home – The Story Of A Shy Shelter Kitten was a heartwarming tale that made me yearn for more.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

Dreams of Drowning by Patricia Averbach

March 4, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Dreams of Drowning by Patricia Averbach
Publisher: Bedazzled Ink
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Dreams of Drowning is a work of magical realism that moves between real time where lives are buffeted by political conflict, tragedy and loss and another mysterious time where pain is healed, and love is eternal.

It’s 1973 and Amy, an American ex-pat, is living as an illegal immigrant in Toronto where she’s fled to escape the scandal surrounding her twin sister’s death by drowning. Joanie’s been gone two years, but Amy still hears her cries for help. Romance would jeopardize the secrets Amy has to keep, but when she meets Arcus, a graduate student working to restore democracy in Greece, she falls hard. Arcus doesn’t know about Amy’s past, and she doesn’t know Arcus has secrets of his own, including the shady history of an ancient relic he uses as a paperweight.

In 1993 Toronto, Jacob Kanter, a retired archaeologist, is mourning his dear wife and grappling with his son’s plans to move him to a nursing home. Despite double vision, tremors, and cognitive impairment, he remembers sailing as a youth and sets out toward the lake where he boards a ferry boat embarking on its maiden voyage. He expects a short harbor cruise, but the Aqua Meridian is larger than it looks, and time is slippery on the water. When he hears a drowning woman call for help his story merges with Amy’s, and they discover they have unexpected gifts for one another.

Secrets always find a way to reveal themselves in the end.

Recovering from trauma is rarely if ever a straightforward process. Some of the most memorable passages were the ones that explored the many different ways that ordinary moments in life triggered Amy’s terrible memories of her sister’s accidental death. Even a sight as innocuous as noticing store employees carrying a mannequin through a store could dredge up memories she desperately wanted to forget. I thought the author did an excellent job of showing how someone might deal with flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, panic attacks, and the pain of losing a loved one, especially during a period of history when it was much less common to seek treatment from a mental health professional after a traumatic event.

Ms. Averbach did an incredible job of writing a dual perspective novel. The vast majority of the time, I find that I have anywhere from a mild to a strong preference for one of the storylines when I read something like this. It was refreshing to be equally emotionally invested in both Amy and Jacob’s lives and to never be ready to stop reading about either of them. They were both well developed and sympathetic characters that I couldn’t wait to learn more about. This is an incredibly difficult thing to pull off in my experience, so kudos to the author for not only accomplishing it but for making the transitions between the two timelines so seamless and beautiful.

I also enjoyed this exploration of Canadian life in the past. Toronto was and still is a multicultural city filled with a wide variety of often colorful personalities, and the plot reflected that nicely. Readers do not need to have any special knowledge of this part of the world to enjoy the storyline, but those who are already familiar with it will find fabulous references to that culture tucked away here and there.

Dreams of Drowning was utterly delightful. I wouldn’t change a single thing about it!

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

*All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata

February 29, 2024 By Leave a Comment


*All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata
Publisher: Avon and Harpers Voyager, Avon
Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Larkspur

The people we lose take a part of us with them…but they leave a part of themselves with us too.

Aurora De La Torre, or Ora to her friends, knows moving back to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a place that was once home and is now full of bittersweet memories of her late mother, isn’t going to be easy. Starting your whole life over probably isn’t supposed to be.

But after breaking up with her longtime, famous musician boyfriend, hiding out in a small town in the mountains might be the perfect remedy for a broken heart. And checking out her landlord who lives across the driveway just might cure it, too.

Only Tobias Rhodes didn’t rent out the apartment to her, rather it was his teenage son, Amos. Fiercely protective of his family and distrusting of strangers, gruff and grumpy Rhodes initially keeps little miss sunshine Ora at a distance. But over days and weeks, long hikes and fireside chats, Aurora breaks down his walls and soon an unbreakable friendship blossoms into a once-in-a-lifetime love.

When I first read this book in 2021 I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now that it has been rereleased, I decided to read it again and I found that I loved this story just as much the second time around. Mariana Zapata knows how to paint a picture and make the story come alive.

All Rhodes Lead Here is a slow burn, emotional story with realistic character development. The two main characters Rhodes and Aurora, are confident, successful people, but they also have insecurities in some areas of their lives.

Aurora is recovering from a breakup that left her devastated. She had no power or control in her last relationship and is now on a mission to achieve some goals she has set for herself to regain her self esteem. Aurora is slowly learning to believe in herself again, face her fears and regain her confidence that her last relationship destroyed. She has nowhere to go and nothing to show for the years she wasted on her past relationship so she decides to move to Pagosa Springs, Colorado. She meets Rhodes when she rents an apartment from him.

Rhodes is the strong silent type and he keeps his emotions hidden behind his stoic demeanor. He is perfect for Aurora because he is protective, has a big heart and he is willing to wait to give Aurora the time she needs before starting another relationship.

I enjoyed reading Rhodes and Aurora’s story, they have loads of chemistry and I loved all of their interactions. These two cautious people are perfect for each other. This beautiful story is filled with emotion and yearning and it immediately drew me in. I cared about the characters and I couldn’t stop reading until they found their happily ever after. I loved this endearing story and I think you will too.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,
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