Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Book Review - The Sea Before Us by Sarah Sundin

 

 

The Sea Before Us by Sarah Sundin is about an American naval officer, Lt. Wyatt Paxton, who tries to run away from his past but instead ends up falling in love. In 1944, Wyatt arrived in London to prepare for his assignment of helping Allied forces with the invasion of France. He works closely with Dorothy Fairfax, a “WREN” in the Women’s Royal Naval Service.

Dorothy is assigned to collect and piece together reconnaissance photographs of France via holiday photos. Her assignment of sorting through thousands of photos will help create an accurate map of Normandy. The maps will serve as a guide for the Allies to bombard Normandy, and hopefully lead to fewer casualties.  

While their jobs are not fully dependent on each other, the pair spends a lot of time together. As a result, their budding friendship starts to turn into something more for Wyatt. However, Wyatt’s love is unrequited as Dorothy is attracted to an old childhood friend who also seems to be interested in Dorothy. Dorothy is hesitant to have anything more than platonic feelings for Wyatt because she doesn’t want to leave her bereaved father in England, who depends on her. Will Dorothy and Wyatt be able to get what they both desire?

I thought the novel was an okay read. It took a bit in the beginning for me to get into the book. The writing style isn’t my favorite and I think that took away some of my enjoyment from reading the book. I also, felt that the book was a bit longer than needed. I didn’t care for in-depth war scenes as some of the terminology and scenes made it hard for me to imagine. The book is a straightforward read with most of the twists easy to guess. It is also the beginning of a series that I would be open to reading more of.

Monday, July 29, 2024

Book Spotlight - Cabaret Macabre: A Locked-Room Mystery (Joseph Spector Series) by Tom Mead + Giveaway

About The Book:

Title: CABARET MACABRE: A Locked-Room Mystery (Joseph Spector Series)

Author: Tom Mead

Pub. Date: July 16, 2024

Publisher: Mysterious Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 320

Find it: Goodreadshttps://books2read.com/CABARET-MACABRE 

This latest puzzle mystery from the author of Death and the Conjuror and The Murder Wheel takes stage magician sleuth Joseph Spector to a grand estate in the English countryside.

Victor Silvius has spent nine years as an inmate at The Grange, a private sanatorium, for the crime of attacking judge Sir Giles Drury. Now, the judge’s wife, Lady Elspeth Drury, believes that Silvius is the one responsible for a series of threatening letters her husband has recently received. Eager to avoid the scandal that involving the local police would entail, Lady Elspeth seeks out retired stage magician Joseph Spector, whose discreet involvement in a case Sir Giles recently presided over greatly impressed her.

Meanwhile, Miss Caroline Silvius is disturbed after a recent visit to her brother Victor, convinced that he isn’t safe at The Grange. Someone is trying to kill him and she suspects the judge, who has already made Silvius’ life a living hell, may be behind it. Caroline hires Inspector George Flint of Scotland Yard to investigate.

The two cases collide at Marchbanks, the Drury family seat of over four hundred years, where a series of unnerving events interrupt the peace and quiet of the snowy countryside. A body is discovered in the middle of a frozen pond without any means of getting there and a rifle is fired through a closed window, killing a man but not breaking the glass. Only Spector and his mastery of the art of misdirection can uncover the logical explanations for these impossible crimes.

An atmospheric and puzzling traditional mystery that pays homage to the greatest writers of the genre’s Golden Age, Cabaret Macabre is the third book in Tom Mead’s Joseph Spector series, hailed by the Wall Street Journal as “a recipe for pure nostalgic pleasure.” The books can be enjoyed in any order.

 

Reviews:

"Ingenious . . . Mead hides all the clues in plain sight, constructing a fair-play puzzle that will delight and challenge readers who love pitting their own wits against the author’s. It’s another crackerjack entry in an exceptional series."― Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW

"Mind-bogglingly complex . . . A lovely valentine to Mead’s idol, John Dickson Carr, and even more to Clayton Rawson’s tales of The Great Merlini."― Kirkus

 


About Tom Mead:

Tom Mead is a Derbyshire mystery writer and aficionado of Golden Age crime fiction. His debut novel, Death and the Conjuror, was an international bestseller, nominated for several awards, and named one of the best mysteries of the year by The Guardian and Publishers Weekly. Its sequel, The Murder Wheel, was described as “pure nostalgic pleasure” by the Wall Street Journal and “a delight” by the Daily Mail. It was also named one of the Best Traditional Mysteries of 2023 by CrimeReads. His third novel, Cabaret Macabre, will be published in 2024.

Subscribe to Tom’s newsletter! Scroll to the bottom.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of CABARET MACABRE, US Only.

Ends August 6th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

7/1/2024

Two Chicks on Books

Interview/IG Post

7/2/2024

Lady Hawkeye

Excerpt/IG Post

7/3/2024

Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Excerpt/IG Post

7/4/2024

Daily Waffle

Excerpt

7/5/2024

Writer of Wrongs

Excerpt

7/6/2024

@darkfantasyreviews

Excerpt

Week Two:

7/7/2024

@dreaminginpages

IG Review

7/8/2024

Brandi Danielle Davis

IG Review/TikTok Post

7/9/2024

Books and Zebras

IG Review

7/10/2024

@evergirl200

IG Review

7/11/2024

GryffindorBookishnerd

IG Review

7/12/2024

@katemageau

Review/IG Post

7/13/2024

Bookborne Hunter

Review/IG Post

Week Three:

7/14/2024

Lifestyle of Me

Review

7/15/2024

Fire and Ice

Review/IG Post

7/16/2024

@jaimes_mystical_library

IG Post

7/17/2024

Edith's Little Free Library

IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post

7/18/2024

Country Mamas With Kids

Review/IG Post

7/19/2024

Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's

Review/IG Post

7/20/2024

The Momma Spot

Review/IG Post

Week Four:

7/21/2024

@lara.maynard

IG Review

7/22/2024

Dana Loves Books

Review/IG Post

7/23/2024

heyashleyyreads

IG Review/TikTok Post

7/24/2024

Deal sharing aunt

Review/IG Post

7/25/2024

One More Exclamation

Review/IG Post

7/26/2024

@amysbookshelf82

IG Review

7/27/2024

A Blue Box Full of Books

IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post

Week Five:

7/28/2024

@nolareads504

IG Post

7/29/2024

two points of interest

Review

7/30/2024

More Books Please blog

Review/IG Post

7/31/2024

FUONLYKNEW

Review


Sunday, July 28, 2024

Book Review - Owner of a Lonely Heart: A Memoir by Beth Nguyen

Owner of a Lonely Heart: A Memoir by Beth Nguyen is about a woman coming to terms with her relationship with her family, her identity, and what it means to be a refugee. At the end of the Vietnam War, Beth Nguyen was eight months old when she and her family fled Saigon for America. Beth’s entire family went to America except her mother. Beth didn’t reconnect with her mother until she was nineteen years old. Over the course of her adult life, Beth and her mother have spent less than twenty-four hours together.

When I first started this memoir, I thought it was going to be about Beth and her relationship with her mother. However, it turns out to be more than that plus it had a lot of random and “incomplete” stories thrown in.  For example, in one of the first chapters, Beth talks about one of her earliest visits to see her mother and she portrays it in one way but then in a later chapter she mentions she wasn’t completely honest and she didn’t share the full background on that visit. I didn’t understand why she didn’t give those details when she first mentioned the visit. Beth would rehash a particular visit a few times and sometimes, she would get repetitive with the details. It felt like the story was dragging with the repetitive and sometimes, mundane details.

As the book progresses, she talks about the relationship she has with her family, her Vietnamese identity, and being a mother. At times, I felt like the memoir was all over the place and I couldn’t understand the point that Beth was trying to make. Towards the end, I was a bit over the book. I wish we found out more details on why her father thought it was okay to leave Beth’s mother behind, but he kept in contact with her. It didn’t seem like there was any malice between Beth’s father and mother. It felt like that most of Beth’s interaction with her mother was bland and without emotion. I didn’t feel connection between the two and why we should care about their relationship or even root for them.

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Book Review - Westside Saints by W.M. Akers


Westside Saints by W.M. Akers is about a private detective, Gilda Carr, who specializes in finding tiny treasures and solving tiny mysteries. In 1922, six months ago from the start of our story, there was a civil war that ruined the Westside of Manhattan. The residents are still facing the aftermath from the war. In the Lower West, the area is frozen, and life is hard. Gilda Carr nearly died during the war after she tried to protect her city. Now, she wanders the streets and is cold and weary. She hopes for something better even though life seems bleak.


While spending her days drinking, she comes across a friend whose family wants to hire Gilda to solve a mystery for them. They want her to find a biblical relic, a saint’s finger, that was stolen from their church. The church needs to find the relic because the church leaders believe it’s the cornerstone of their promise of an “electric resurrection” when the dead will return to life. Gilda is hesitant to believe that can happen. However, that all changes when her mother, Mary Fall, who has been dead for years, walks through the parlor door. Mary doesn’t remember anything of her daughter or how she died. Gilda wants to keep Mary’s resurrection a secret so they can work together to investigate what brought her back to life. 


When I spotted this book, I didn’t realize it was a part of a series. It wasn’t made very clear when I picked up the novel, that it was the second book in the series. Unlike other serialized books, this series needs to be read in order. I found the story to be confusing and the writing wasn’t the easiest for me to get into. I had to re-read the same sentence several times. I didn’t find myself connecting with any of the characters so, I was not motivated to keep reading. I quickly abandoned this novel a few chapters in as it wasn’t worth my time anymore.

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Book Review - Unnatural Order Vol. 1: The Prisoner by Chris Yost + Giveaway


 

 


 

Unnatural Order Vol. 1: The Prisoner by Chris Yost is about a group of warriors trying to save the planet from a great evil, the Druid. The Druid wishes to bring change, but doing so will cause the world to end and be reborn into something different. A group of warriors is trying to exact revenge on the Druid for killing their respective families, and they are hunting for its weakness. They heard of a rumor that there is a prisoner from a different time who knows the Druid’s secrets and weaknesses. Will the warriors be able to save the prisoner and put a stop to the Druid’s plans?

The graphic novel was an okay read. It did take a bit for me to get into it as there were many characters. The story got interesting as it progressed, albeit a bit predictable. I thought it was an entertaining read and I would be open to read more chapters from the author. I did enjoy the graphics and thought they were well done.

 

 **Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

About The Book:

Title: UNNATURAL ORDER Vol. 1: The Prisoner

Authors: Christopher Yost & Val Rodrigues (Illustrator)

Pub. Date: June 18, 2024

Publisher: Vault Comics

Formats:  Paperback, eBook

Pages: 144

Find it: Goodreadshttps://books2read.com/UNNATURAL-ORDER-Vol-1-The-Prisoner 

ZERO DARK THIRTY meets LORD OF THE RINGS and GAME OF THRONES in UNNATURAL ORDER Vol. 1: The Prisoner, a genre-blending tale of dark fantasy, science fiction, and action adventure by writer/creator Chris Yost (co-creator of Marvel's X-23 and writer of films (THOR: Ragnarok) and series STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN) and artist Val Rodrigues where the world is not how it's supposed to be.

EVERYONE WANTS TO CHANGE THE WORLD.

One will transform it.
One will save it.
One will destroy it.

After the fall of the Britons and the Roman invasion of Hibernia, the captive known only as the Druid is released, sending a darkness across the world…an age of horrors, of fire, and entrails. As the innocent burn in the Wicker fields, those who would resist learn of the existence of a man who even the Druid fears. For it is this prisoner, a soldier from a different time, who alone knows the Druid’s secret: this is not how the world is supposed to be.

Collects issue #1- 4 of the gripping, genre-bending, action-packed sci-fi dark fantasy series!

For fans and readers of: Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Rainbow Six (Tom Clancy), Rainbow Six: SIEGE (video game); Timeline (Michael Crichton), The Man in the High Castle (Philip K. Dick), The Castaways in Time series (Robert Adams)Seven to Eternity(Rick Remender / Image Comics)Black Science(Rick Remender & Matteo Scalera / Image Comics), Vanish (Donny Cates /Image Comics), Barbaric(Michael Moreci & Nathan C. Gooden / Vault), Brandon Sanderson’s Dark One (Vault)Monstress (Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda / Image Comics),The Sacrificers (Rick Remender / Image Comics), Briar (Christopher Cantwell & German Garcia / BOOM!)Coda (Simon Spurrier & Mattias Bergara / BOOM!)Once Upon A Time at the End of the World (Jason Aaron & Alexandre Tefenkgi / BOOM!), Something is Killing the Children (James Tynion and Werther Dell'Edera /Image),Grim, W0rldtr33 (James TynionJordie Bellaire, Fernando Blanco / Image),Conan the Barbarian, and Hellboy

From writer Chris Yost ,(co-creator of X-23, writer ofX-men, Amazing Spider-man, Batman, Avengers, and more!), films (Thor: Ragnarok and Secret Headquarters), and television/streaming (Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Cowboy Bebop) and in-demand artist Val Rodrigues!

 

INSERT YOUR POST OR REVIEW HERE!

 

About Christopher Yost:

CHRISTOPHER YOST (he/his) has written for films (THOR: RAGNAROK, SECRET HEADQUARTERS), television (STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN, COWBOY BEBOP) and animation (the upcoming TIGER’S APPRENTICE and Seth Rogen’s TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES), but his first love has always been comic books, where he’s written for AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, X-MEN, BATMAN, AVENGERS and his own original series KILLER OF DEMONS.

Yost lives and works in Los Angeles, California and he can be found on X/Twitter @Yost and Instagram @versus_yost

Unnatural Order from Vault Comics has been cooking in his head for about 10 years, representing his desire to find a modern day take on the sword and sorcery genre after years of sci-fi and superheroes. It’s a mash up of military and fantasy stories, and the idea of a group of dungeon crawlers in a helicopter gunning down a dragon so they can go fight a wizard who’s taken over a nuclear power facility felt like a tale that needed to be told. 

Twitter | Instagram

 

About Val Rodrigues:

VAL RODRIGUES is a Brazilian comic book artist.
He lives in São Paulo with his wife Miriam and their two cats Chico and Frida.
Val is the artist for UNNATURAL ORDER with writer Christopher Yost for Vault Comics. His previous published work includes Deep Roots (Vault Comics) and MEZO (A Wave Blue World).

 

Twitter | Instagram | TikTok

 

 


Giveaway Details:

2 winners will receive finished copies of UNNATURAL ORDER Vol. 1: The Prisoner, US Only.

Ends July 20th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

6/17/2024

Two Chicks on Books

Excerpt/IG Post

6/18/2024

MoonShineArtSpot

Review or Excerpt

6/19/2024

Fire and Ice Reads

Excerpt/IG Post

6/20/2024

Sadie's Spotlight

Excerpt/IG Post

6/21/2024

Writer of Wrongs

Excerpt

6/22/2024

Comic Book Yeti

Val Rodrigues Interview/IG Post

Week Two:

6/23/2024

Daily Waffle

Excerpt

6/24/2024

The Momma Spot

Excerpt

6/25/2024

GryffindorBookishnerd

IG Review

6/26/2024

@dana.loves.books

IG Review/TikTok Post

6/27/2024

@blueeez_away

IG Review

6/28/2024

@evergirl200

IG Review

6/29/2024

Lifestyle of Me

Review 

Week Three:

6/30/2024

@enthuse_reader

IG Review/TikTok Post

7/1/2024

Edith's Little Free Library

IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post

7/2/2024

kaylyn_s_booknook

IG Review/TikTok Post

7/3/2024

@sparks_books

IG Review

7/4/2024

jlreadstoperpetuity

IG Review/TikTok Post

7/5/2024

Socrates is Downstairs

Review/IG Post

7/6/2024

A Blue Box Full of Books

IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post

Week Four:

7/7/2024

Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's

Review/IG Post

7/8/2024

nerdophiles

Review

7/9/2024

@thepagelady

IG Review

7/10/2024

Country Mamas With Kids

Review/IG Post

7/11/2024

Brandi Danielle Davis

IG Review/TikTok Post

7/12/2024

Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

Review/IG Post

7/13/2024

@stargirls.magical.tale

IG Review

Week Five:

7/14/2024

Books and Zebras

IG Review

7/15/2024

The Book Critic

Review/IG Post

7/16/2024

@jaimes_mystical_library

IG Review

7/17/2024

Two Points of Interest

Review/IG Post