REVIEW: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
Young Adult published by HarperCollins 5 Feb 13
So freaking good!
REVIEW: Leopard’s Scar by Christine Feehan
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 29 Nov 22
Their first meeting was over blood and guts. Even though Meiling was brought up to fear leopard shifters, she is unable to leave a grievously hurt Gedeon to die. So she carries him away from danger and nurses him back to health. But that’s as far as she’s willing to go, unless Gedeon can convince her otherwise.
REVIEW: Death at the Auction by E. C. Bateman
Stevie‘s review of Death at the Auction (The Stamford Mysteries, Book 1) by E. C. Bateman
Contemporary Cozy Mystery published by One More Chapter 18 Nov 22
I don’t think I’ve come across many novels set in Stamford, much less cosy mysteries, which is slightly odd, given how many similar towns have more than their fair share of unlikely (fictional) killings. I used to be quite familiar with that corner of England, though less so with the town in question, so I thought I’d give this new series a go. Felicia Grant returns to the town after an absence of eight years to rescue the auction business she set up with her father, after the old man has a fall and is unable to act as auctioneer during his convalescence. Accompanying Felicia is her teenage son, Algernon – seemingly wise beyond his years – and they soon find themselves joined by Felicia’s ex-husband, Dexter, star of a popular TV antiques show, and his film crew.
REVIEW: The Choice by Nora Roberts
Romantic Fantasy published by St. Martin’s Press 22 Nov 22
Breen has literally fallen through the looking glass (or welcoming tree) to enter a fantasy land, only to find that she belongs here and slowly but surely her memories of her time here have returned. But for all the new friends and relatives, there’s the bad guy, a demigod and her grandfather to boot, who is gunning for her. He’s constantly battering against her defenses and sending his minions to attack and harass her. Will Breen be able to turn the tables on him and end him for all time?
Review: Shatter Me by Tehereh Mafi
Young Adult published by HarperCollins 15 Nov 11
“I spent my life folded between the pages of books.”
REVIEW: Gild by Raven Kennedy
Paranormal Romance published by Raven Kennedy 16 Oct 20
This is a very fast-paced read and easy to devour. It took me only four hours to fly through this story, and when a book is so easy to read, it quickly becomes a favorite of mine. A King Midas retelling with so many twists was an incredible book idea.
REVIEW: This Year’s for Me and You by Emily Bell
Stevie‘s review of This Year’s for Me and You by Emily Bell
Contemporary Women’s Fiction published by Penguin 27 Oct 22
I enjoyed Emily Bell’s first book, also set around the festive season, when I read it last year and was looking forward to seeing the author’s style mature in subsequent novels. This one, however, feels like it might have been a previously drafted story, and not just because it’s set four years ago. I found the main characters less relatable and the jumps between their present and past a little less polished. Having said that, I liked the basic idea of the story and the descriptions, particularly those of the main locations in London, Dublin, and Suffolk were very vivid. My favourite parts of the story were definitely those that centred around the friendship between Celeste and Hannah, even though that was pretty much all told in flashbacks, as well as in conversations between Celeste and those of her friends who also knew Hannah.
REVIEW: Be Your Everything by Catherine Bybee
Contemporary Romance published by Montlake 15 Nov 22
Chloe D’Angelo wakes up in a hotel room with a headache and a wedding ring. Can a girl really forget getting married to the man of her dreams? What really happened that night and what is her family going to say when everything comes to light?
DUCKIES DO SERIES: The Friend Zone Trilogy by Abby Jimenez
Contemporary Romance published by Forever Jun 2019 – April 2021
Y’all, this was an emotional journey! I did not expect these books to get such a range of emotions out of me. I was laughing out loud a lot in each book and then the tears would sneak up out of nowhere. Each one was so, so good, and I can’t recommend this series enough.
REVIEW: The Spice Master at Bistro Exotique by Samantha Vérant
Stevie‘s review of The Spice Master At Bistro Exotique by Samantha Vérant
Contemporary Women’s Fiction published by Berkley 06 Dec 22
I’ve probably mentioned before that I have a fondness for stories in which a plucky heroine risks all to follow her dream and set up in business doing something she loves, and Jenny Colgan is one of my go-to authors for such plots. I’m similarly fond of any story that features recipes of one sort or another, so this novel about a budding restaurateur, complete with a selection of ‘her’ signature dishes, looked to be just my thing. Kate Jenkins has lived in Paris since she was a teenager, and her free-spirited mother moved there with her from the US. She loves the city, particularly its food, and now she’s about to open her own restaurant specialising in her own twists on popular cuisine.
