Book Review - The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

 

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo is about a female fox spirit, Snow, who wants to avenge the death of her child. In 1908, in Manchuria, a courtesan is found frozen to death in the doorway of a prominent restaurant. The shop owner fears that her death is a bad omen especially since rumor has been circling that it is the work of foxes. Foxes are believed to have the ability to trick and lure people into doing their bidding because they transform themselves into beautiful and alluring people.

Bao is an amateur detective that people hire when they want to find people. He has the ability to tell if someone is lying or if they are telling the truth. He was hired by the shopkeeper to find the dead woman’s identity so she could get a proper burial and not haunt his shop. Bao has always been intrigued by fox gods since he was a child. He is excited that he finally might get his chance to meet one now.

Snow is a fox spirit haunted by the death of her child. She is searching for the man responsible for her child’s death. She is traveling from northern China to Japan searching for the truth. Unknowingly on her trail Bao is determined to find out the truth behind the dead woman.

I found the book to be an entertaining read. It was filled with emotion and well-developed characters. While the book was predictable, I still found myself wanting to read what happened to the characters. I loved reading about the fox spirit mythologies, but I just wish the book had a quicker pace. I liked that the book was told from alternating points of view. I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Book Review - The Californians by Brian Castleberry

 

The Californians by Brian Castleberry is about a young man, Tobey Harlan, trying to escape from a wildfire, the events that happened a hundred years ago, and how they affect the present. Tobey has just been dumped, and to make matters worse, he lost everything he owned, even his job, to a Northern California wildfire.  He decides to steal three paintings by a popular artist Di Stiegl from his father’s house, in hopes that with the money he gets from selling the painting, he can move somewhere no one can find him.

A hundred years earlier, German Jewish immigrant, Klaus Aaronsohn was in love with silent cinema. He manages to gain access to a film studio in Astoria, Queens and changes his name to Klaus von Stiegl, and crafts a persona of a mysterious German film director. His popularity soared and he became well-known and famous. He ends his career directing a notorious 60s-era detective show.

The novel is told from alternating points of view of the different characters and time periods. I was excited to read the book but after a few chapters, I decided this wasn’t the book for me. The book had too many characters and it was difficult to keep track of them and how they all related to each other. The writing style was confusing and tedious to read. The book would jump between characters and periods and it wasn’t always clear when the change was being made. After reading more than twenty-five percent of the book, I stopped reading because nothing was going on that kept my interest.

Book Review - Build a Girlfriend by Elba Luz

 

Build a Girlfriend by Elba Luz is about a young woman, Amelia Hernandez, who was recently dumped and her subsequent ploy to become the ultimate girlfriend.  Amelia was excited to see her girlfriend until she was unexpectedly dumped right after Amelia confessed her feelings to her.  Amelia feels that her family curse caused her relationship to dissolve. The rumor is that every romantic relationship that a Hernandez woman is in will eventually end. Amelia’s sisters, mom, and aunts seem to be okay with the curse and have accepted it, but Amelia wants to be in a relationship and wants to break the curse for herself.

Amelia feels that she is the reason why her relationship doesn’t work. She is determined to find a way to fix the issue. Together with her sisters, mother, and aunts, they hatch a plan for Amelia to re-date her exes and figure out where she went wrong and how she can become the perfect girlfriend. Unfortunately, her plan hits a snag when she is reunited with Leon. Leon was the ex that Amelia is still not over. She decides the best way to get over Leon is to show him the perfect girlfriend she is and break his heart in the process.

The book was an okay read, but it was much longer than it needed to be, as well as boring and repetitive at times. There were too many characters and they felt one-dimensional. The book was very predictable and had all the common romance tropes. Amelia was hard to understand and like as a character. She could be fun at times, but then she did some silly things out of nowhere. I did like the family dynamics between the different characters and enjoyed reading those parts. I think if the novel had been edited down and fine-tuned, I would have enjoyed it more.

March Empties 2025

 

It's been a while since I did an empties post! Oh wowzie I had finished a lot of things in the last few months. I do need to try and stay on top of cleaning and throwing these out. There were a few things that I liked and a few things I wouldn't try again. 

The Hair Toss Empower-mint Conditioner was a basic conditioner but I wouldn't mind trying the other scents. The conditioner came in a giant squeeze bottle and had a pleasant minty scent. It was very affordably priced even though it wasn't on sale.

Frankly Butter So Much Cream was so hydrating and it wasn't too heavy or greasy. I do wish that the dispenser was a bit better though. It had a small nozzle and sometimes I would oversqueeze and too much product would come out. 

The Goldfaden MD Supreme Serum was an overpriced waste. I didn't notice a single difference while applying this serum. Also the dropper didn't even work. The serum was too thick. For something this expensive I would expect a lot better. Even the bottle felt cheap and dingy.  

I love the Starface Moisture on Mars! It is one of the most lightweight and soothing cream. The cream isn't heavy and leaves skin feeling like butter. I am so disappointed that they don't make this cream anymore.

I love the Lancome Hydrazen serum oh wow this made my skin feel and look radiant. It gave me an amazing inner glow. It is so lightweight but it left my skin feeling like silk. I loved this.

Was there anything you finished this month that you liked?

Book Review - After the Shadows by Amanda Cabot

 

After the Shadows by Amanda Cabot is about a woman, Emily Leland, returning home after the death of her husband. Emily is hopeful to be returning home to Sweetwater Crossing after her abusive husband dies in a bar fight. She is hoping to reconnect with her sister, Louisa, and father. Emily receives more bad news instead of the warm welcome she was expecting.

She discovers that her father has died but the circumstances and story don’t add up to Emily. She believes there is more at play than the sheriff and the townspeople believe. To make matters worse, Louisa doesn’t believe that there was more to their father’s death. She feels that Emily is drumming up drama and shame for the family instead of accepting the circumstances of their father’s death.

Craig Ferguson is the new schoolteacher and also new to the area. He and his son moved to the Sweetwater Crossing after his wife died in an unexpected accident. As they enter the town, the house they are going to stay in burns down, leaving them homeless. Emily decides to turn her family home into a boarding house and welcomes Craig and his son into her home.

Louisa is upset that Emily just arrived in town and decides what to do with the family home without consulting her. She decides to leave town and learn the midwife trade in another town. Emily tries to make the best of the situation but feels lonely and lost. Craig who is still bereft from losing his beloved wife, understands her pain and the two find themselves growing closer. As the pair grow closer, a few strings of deaths occur which makes them suspicious that there might be a killer among them.

While the book does have some mystery pieces, I found it to be more of a cozy romance read. I felt like the murder mystery portion took a backseat to the budding romance between Craig and Emily. I thought the book was an okay read. I felt like the pacing was slow and I found my eyes glazing over a few times. The book does have one major twist, but it was mostly predictable. I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Book Review - Cabaret Macabre: A Locked-Room Mystery by Tom Mead

Cabaret Macabre: A Locked-Room Mystery by Tom Mead is about mystery novel about events that happened in the past and the consequences it has in the future. Victor Silvius has spent nine years at The Grange, a private sanatorium, as an inmate. He was sentenced thereafter for attacking Judge Sir Giles Drury. The judge’s wife, Lady Elspeth Drury, believes that Victor is the one responsible for sending her husband death threats. Lady Elspeth wishes to avoid another scandal; she reaches out to a retired stage magician Joseph Spector. She knows he can be discreet as Joseph was involved in another case in which Sir Giles presided over.

Victor’s sister, Miss Caroline Silvis, believes her brother isn’t safe at the sanatorium. She feels that someone is trying to kill him, and she suspects that the judge is plotting Victor’s murder. She feels that Sir Giles has gone out of his way to make sure Victor’s life is a living hell at the sanatorium. She decides to hire Inspector George Flint of Scotland Yard to investigate.

As Joseph and George begin working on their respective cases, they end up at Marchbanks, the Drury family home for over four hundred years.  There the pair discovers a body in the middle of a frozen pond but have no way of getting to it there. Then a rifle is fired through a closed window and kills a man without shattering the glass. As they continue to investigate, the long list of suspects is dwindling. Will the two detectives be able to figure out who is behind everything?

I was a bit disappointed in this novel. I love a good murder mystery. The book has an interesting plot and premise and many twists. However, I had a hard time getting into the book. Even though it is a part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. I felt that there were too many characters, and it was hard to keep track of all of them. I also felt that the writing style was so dreadfully bland. I felt like I was reading a documentary. The novel failed to keep my interest, and I don’t think I would be reaching for another one of the author’s books.

Book Review - The Brave In-Between: Notes from the Last Room

The Brave In-Between: Notes from the Last Room by Amy Low is a memoir about Amy navigating life after going through a divorce while battling stage four cancer.  Amy is in a hospital room which will be the last room she will reside in. Her doctors told her that there is no cure for Stage IV metastatic colon cancer and the odds of long survival are very slim.  However, it is now four years after her diagnosis, and that has changed her outlook on life.

I thought the book was an okay read. I usually don’t like reading a lot of memoirs, but I was curious about this one. I felt like I could have gone without reading it. At times, I was trying to understand what the end goal of the book was. I wasn’t sure if this was supposed to be a self-help book, a guide, or a memoir. The book does have religious elements and talks about the author coming to terms with her life. If that is something that interests you, you might enjoy the book more than I did.

Book Review - Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen

 

Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen is about two brothers, Nick and Joshua Morrow, returning home after their father, Carlyle, calls them back there. Nick Morrow never expected to receive an invitation from his father to return home to their family home and farm in rural Nebraska. He thought when he first left, he would be leaving everything in the past including his abusive father.  However, he knows that he and his brother could never refuse or ignore their father.

Joshua was disowned and left the family home after marrying a woman named Emilia. She is a woman of Asian descent. Carlyle is sick and hopes that he can reconcile with his sons before dying.  As expected, Carlyle warms to and spends all his time with his older son, Joshua, and leaves Nick and Emilia alone.  As Nick and Emilia spend more time together, they grow closer and become intimate. It isn’t long before Nick finds himself drawn to her but he suspects that Emilia might have a darker motive than she is letting on.

I had originally picked this book because of the gorgeous cover and the interesting title. The synopsis seemed so interesting and filled with dark twists and turns. It does spoil some of the story though.

I was deeply disappointed in this novel. It was very boring and predictable. There would be pages where nothing would happen. The book was told in a dual timeline but it felt like it didn’t add anything to the story or the progression of it.  I was able to guess every single twist and turn way before it was even hinted at.

I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. It felt dry and clinical, almost like reading a textbook. I also didn’t like that the author kept reusing the same words multiple times within a short span. It made the book feel like the author used a bunch of words to make the book seem more intellectual/literary and longer than it should have been. I was expecting a lot more from this book and it failed to deliver as there was no horror or scary parts.

Book Review - Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts, and Schemes by Laci Mosley

Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts, and Schemes by Laci Mosley is a nonfiction book about cons, frauds, scams, and schemes that are commonplace in our world. Laci Mosley is a comedian, podcaster, and actress who from a young age knew that life can be filled with people who will try to scam, con, and rob others. Some of them can be little cons where they don’t hurt anyone or get anyone in trouble. Those little ones would just help give someone a boost to get them where they need to be in life.

I was surprised at how much I liked this book. It is written as a memoir and a self-help book. I found it to be entertaining and funny.  I liked that Laci incorporated her life story and real true crime stories but also identified how someone could put it into play in making themselves better. While I might not be putting any of her advice into practice, I did like the book and would be open to reading books by the author. I know the author has a podcast, but this was my first time hearing about her. I might be open to listening to her podcast if I come across it.

Book Review - The Secrets of Emberwild by Stephenia H. McGee

The Secrets of Emberwild by Stephenia H. McGee is about a woman, Nora Fenton, who is left to pick up the pieces after her father dies. Nora is a gifted horse trainer and loves to race and raise horses. She even prefers being in the company of them instead of men.  She finds that she can understand horses better, they are more reliable, and they don’t try to control her or tell her what to do. When her father passes away, Nora feels that she must save their struggling horse farm.

She decides that she will enter her prize colt in the harness race at the Mississippi Fair. If she wins, she feels that she might get a chance at independence and save her family’s farm. But in 1905, women were not allowed to race, and Nora was determined to race regardless of what was expected of her.

As if Nora doesn’t have enough on her plate, a stranger arrives at the farm in the guise of looking for work and starts to ask a lot of unsettling questions about the farm and their prized seed horse. She feels that he is asking these questions because he has a darker motive than just wanting the horse training job. However, she can’t help but feel that the stranger is connected to her father. Nora was there when her father took his last breath and had made a deathbed confession. Nora couldn’t completely piece together the remnants of the story her father tried telling her while gasping for breath. He had hinted at a dark secret about the farm and that everything he had built was based on lies.

Silas Cavallero feels that his father’s death wasn’t an accident no matter what everyone says. He knows his father was a gifted horse trainer and wouldn’t have died in a horse racing accident like everyone claims. He is willing to do whatever it takes to solve the mystery, so he travels to Emberwild to take a job and ask around if anyone knows his father. As Silas probes further into the mystery of his father’s death, someone is desperate to protect their secret that they won’t stop until Silas either gets the message and leaves or dies. Silas must decide if knowing the truth is worth risking his life for.

I thought the book was an okay read. I felt like the book was a bit long-winded at times. I didn’t connect with most of the characters, and I was disappointed that Nora’s mother was so detestable. I felt that as her mother, she could have done more to protect Nora and be more honest and upfront with her daughter. It seems that they both wanted the same things but Nora’s mother insists on being “cloak and dagger” about certain things, which didn't make the situation any better.  I didn’t connect with any of the characters and found most of the twists of the books to be predictable. I would be open to reading more books by the author, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to read more of their books.

Book Review - The Trouble with Anna by Rachel Griffiths

 

The Trouble with Anna by Rachel Griffiths is about a young woman, Lady Anna, who needs to marry Julian Lord Ramsay otherwise she will be left destitute.  Anna loves living with her beloved grandfather and their horses.  However, when her grandfather unexpectedly dies, she finds that her grandfather wrote in his will that unless Anna marries Lord Ramsay, she will inherit nothing and be destitute. 

Lord Ramsay is shocked to hear the news and believes that Anna put her grandfather behind the scheme to marry him. However, it isn’t a ruse and Anna is just as surprised. She wants nothing to do with Lord Ramsay either, but as the pair are thrown together, they find themselves attracted to each other. Will Anna be willing to marry Lord Ramsay or will she fight for her independence?

The book was an okay read. It moved very slowly and there were portions where nothing happened. I did like some of the back-and-forth dialogue between the characters as they were witty and clever.  There were a few parts where I even laughed at the commentary between the female characters. However, a few times, I found Anna to be annoying. She could be so bold and fight for what she believes, and then in turn shrink like a violet near Lord Ramsay and do or say silly things.  I also found their romance to be a bit weird. Lord Ramsay seems to find Anna to be plain and silly and makes fun of her constantly, and then somehow is so besotted he can’t put two thoughts together. The book is billed as a spicy romance, but I didn’t notice any spicy parts. Just a lot of heavy making out between the pair.  I found the entire book to be dull and didn’t care for any of the characters towards the end.

Book Review - Wishing on a Christmas Cowboy by Sara Richardson

 

Wishing on a Christmas Cowboy by Sara Richardson is about a woman, Kyra Fowler, who inherits property from her dad who abandoned her as a child.  Kyra is a pediatric nurse, and she is excited that she has her dream job lined up. She is moving to London to work at a prestigious children’s hospital there.  However, before she can move and start her life over, she has to fix up the small Wyoming town her estranged father has left her. She hopes that she can fix up the place according to the will and then attract a buyer so she can move on with her life. She hopes that by the New Year, everything will be settled with her father’s will and that she will be in London.

Aiden Steele is an ex-Navy SEAL. He feels that it is his fault he couldn’t save his brother-in-law on the battlefield. He thinks that he needs to help save his sister’s ranch and give his nieces the life they deserve since their father is no longer alive. He is upset that Kyra inherited the town and wants to sell it off to developers. He decides to show Kyra the magic of a small town and hopes that a Christmas miracle happens, and that she decides not to sell. However, the more time he spends with Kyra, he realizes that his plan might have unintended side effects.

The novel is an okay read. It is a straightforward romance with no unexpected twists and turns. It does have some steamy sexual scenes but nothing that goes into a lot of detail or happens that frequently. I found the book to be an entertaining read, and it was a fun romance book to read during the holidays. It does remind me a bit of those cheesy holiday romance movies from Hallmark.

 

Book Review - The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony

 

 

The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony is about a group of Irish women who demand control of their bodies and the effects this has on modern women. In 1969 in Dublin, Maura had just married the man of her dreams. Dr. Christy Davenport is of a woman's dreams and a pillar of society. He is charismatic, handsome, and has a great job. Shortly after tying the knot, Maura noticed her husband has a darker side that she didn’t know about. He has a vicious temper, and he is quick to anger and turns violent. While Maura wants to have a child, she worries that her child might never be safe around her husband.

Maura befriends one of her husband’s patients, Bernie. Bernie is a mother of three and she learns that if she conceives again, that her health complications might be fatal. Bernie loves her husband and wants to be intimate with him but they both fear the consequences if she ends up pregnant again.
In Dublin 2023, Saoirse is a nurse who is engaged to a fiancée whom she loves. He wants kids, but Saoirse is unsure if she wants kids or if she will ever be ready for kids. After a tense conversation, Saoirse decides to go for a walk and crosses paths with one of the women who made this choice even possible for her.

The novel was an entertaining and poignant read. It is still relevant today as women all over the world still struggle to maintain control of their bodies and their family planning decisions. The novel is told from alternating points of view and time. It was interesting reading the point of view of all the women, how different each of their circumstances were, and the reasons why they each didn’t want to have children. While the story didn’t have any twists or unexpected moments, I found the book to be a great read, and it kept me engaged to read more about these strong women. It also served as a reminder that if you stand up for what you believe in, change can happen.

Book Review - Body of Evidence by Irene Hannon

 

 

Body of Evidence by Irene Hannon is about a pathologist, Grace Reilly, who suspects that a recent death might be the work of a serial killer.  Grace Reilly is used to death as a forensic pathologist in Missouri. She serves the state and performs autopsies all over Missouri, especially since the state doesn’t have enough pathologists on staff. While performing an autopsy on a recently deceased elderly person, she noticed something strange in the person’s stomach. Everyone believes that the elderly person died of natural causes, but Grace is hesitant to ignore her gut feeling.

Grace decides to take her concern to the new sheriff, Nate Cox. Nate doesn’t believe there is any foul play but when Grace insists that something is amiss, Nate decides to help her investigate. As the pair investigate the death, they realize that someone is desperate to keep a secret that will ruin many lives.

I found the book to be a quick-paced read with a few twists and turns. I was surprised by the ending and thought the book was well-written and thought out. I do like that there was a romantic element but also a mystery element. The book is the third book in the series, but I was able to read the book and enjoy it without having to read the other previous books. I would read more books by the author.

 

Book Review - When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain

 

When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain is about a young woman, Dovie, who can hear the bones of dead people.  The small town of Lucifer’s Creek, Arkansas, is known to be a tourist hiking spot because of the surrounding Ozark mountains. In the last three years, more than two dozen people have disappeared on the local hiking trails. Most of the hikers have vanished without leaving a trace behind. That is, until their buried bones start to sing.

Dovie is a local seventeen-year-old who has the ability to hear the voices of the bones of dead people. She doesn’t believe in magic and doesn’t think her ability is magical. The women from her family have this ability and have been using it to help find dead people. The locals were scared of their ability and stayed clear from Dovie and her family. They think that she is a witch and that she should be repenting for her sins, even though she has been helping the sheriff find the bodies of the missing hikers.  Dovie tries to ignore the voices of the bones but they sing loud enough that she can’t ignore them and she wants the victims and their families to find peace.

The locals and old-timers in the community believe that there is a local creature that is responsible for the deaths. They claim that the mythical Ozarks Howler has murdered the people. However, Dovie doesn’t believe in the Howler, nor does she believe it when her best friend, Lo, tells her that he can see the shadows of the dead people. Lo believes that the dead people are haunting him and that they want him to figure out who is behind their murders.  Dovie feels that the only thing she can do is use her abilities to help guide the sheriff and deputies to the bodies and let them deal with catching the killer.  Dovie finds solace in that at least with her abilities the families can find some peace with the recovery of the victim’s bodies.

Lo wishes that the shadows would stop following him around. He can’t sleep or move around without them following him around for answers. He wishes he could get a moment of peace. Even though Dovie can hear their bones, the truth isn’t buried there but deep in the hills where their bodies are found. Will Lo and Dovie be able to find out the truth before anyone else gets killed?

It took a few chapters before I got into the flow and writing style of the book. I found myself having to re-read a few sentences and trying to understand what was going on. The book started off strong with an attention-grabbing introduction but it was slow towards the middle and it finally picked up towards the end. The book was a bit predictable but there were a few unpredictable twists. I did like the witchy and mountain vibes along with some supernatural elements. The book was an entertaining read and I would be open to reading more books by the author.

**Disclosure - I received a free unedited ARC in exchange for an honest opinion. I was not required to leave a review.** 

February 2025 Empties

 

 

 

I can't believe it is already February although, 2024 felt both long and short! I did manage to finish a few things but it did take me a few months. I finished a lot of skincare items as I am trying to keep my skin hydrated for the cold weather.

The Spascriptions Exfoliating Coffee Body Wash is a good basic body wash. It is a gel based wash with little bits of exfoliant that keeps skin feeling clean and smooth. I also like that is a huge bottle for less than $10 and it smells great. It doesn't have a heavy coffee scent that smells like you dumped a cup of coffee all over yourself. 

The Whish Body Butter in Kabosu sea salt had an interesting scent. It smelled like clean cotton. It had a mild scent and it didn't linger. The butter was thick but not very greasy. I did like body butter but I am not a fan of the container. Because it has a pump top, I feel like a lot of the packaging was the pump and there was very little product. For $22 for just 5 ounces, I can find an affordable option that works just as great.

The Would Shampoo and Conditioner Fresh Tracks smells so good. It has a fresh woodsy scent. It is made for men but I love it. It had a good lather but I needed to follow up with conditioner even though it is a 2 in 1. The scent does last long after washing my hair which I loved. I would get this again.

The Mi-el Honey infused hydration mask is a nice clay mask. It is very hydrating and doesn't leave skin feeling dried out. I love how refreshed and soft my skin felt afterwards. I will definitely be rebuying this if I come across it again.

Book Review - Big Nate: Beware of Low-Flying Corn Muffins by Lincoln Peirce

 

Big Nate: Beware of Low-Flying Corn Muffins by Lincoln Peirce is a graphic novel about a young boy, Nate, and his adventures. Nate is back in this newest book and the school staff and students are wary of his pranks and his schemes. Will the other students be able to handle his weird quirks and hobbies?

The graphic novel was nicely illustrated. I like that the comic was in color. I found the scenes to be funny and entertaining. There were a few parts that I thought might be too mature for children but I found the graphic novel to be entertaining. I would be open to reading more of Nate’s fun adventures.

Book Review - Shades of Mercy: A Porter Beck Mystery (Porter Beck, 2) by Bruce Borgos

 

Shades of Mercy: A Porter Beck Mystery (Porter Beck, 2) by Bruce Borgos is about Sheriff Porter Beck investigating the recent surge of drug overdose deaths. Beck has returned to his home town after being away for a few decades. He recently has taken the sheriff position that his father once had. The area that Beck and his twelve-person team usually cover has been quiet until recently.

Beck received a late-night call that one of his childhood friends had overdosed on an illegal opioid.  Then another one of his childhood friends, who is a successful rancher, is targeted by a military drone that was hacked. The drone blows up the rancher’s prized bull. To complicate matters, the hacker seems local as they called out Beck by name. This motivates Beck even more to find who is behind the hack.

As Beck investigates the drone hacking, the trail leads him to Mercy Vaughn, a known hacker in the area. However, Beck is unsure how she could pull off the hacking since she is in a secure juvenile detention center with no computer access. But Beck feels that something isn’t right about Mercy and when Mercy disappears, he realizes that she is in danger. Will Beck be able to find Mercy and find out who is behind the hacking before it’s too late?

The book is part of a series, but I was able to read and follow the book without reading the previous book. The book was a straightforward and interesting read. The book did have a few twists but nothing unexpected that blew my socks off. I did think towards the end of the book, the writing got a bit muddied and confusing. It was hard to keep track of what was going on.   I did like reading about Beck and his team's investigation. I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Book Review - What Happened to the McCrays?: A Novel by Tracey Lange

 

What Happened to the McCrays?: A Novel by Tracey Lange is about Kyle McCray returning home to care for his father and to deal with the fallout of him leaving unexpectedly two and half years ago. Kyle wasn’t expecting to return home to Potsdam, New York, after leaving without telling anyone. He wasn’t expecting a warm welcome from the people he abandoned, especially his father and his beloved ex-wife of sixteen years, Casey. However, he knew that he had to be there for his father after he had a stroke.

Kyle planned to lie low and help his dad heal and recuperate before he could leave again, especially after Casey made it clear that she didn’t want him there.  As Kyle helps his father heal, he realizes the impact he made when he left abruptly.  He decides to redeem himself when he is offered a coaching position for a middle school hockey team. As he teaches the children to believe in themselves, he finds compassion and hope in unexpected places. Kyle even contemplates staying in Potsdam, and repairing the bond he and Casey had. Will Casey and Kyle be able to move forward and find peace with each other?

The book was an okay read. I had a feeling about what drove Casey and Kyle apart even though the book took a while to get there. I thought the book had a lot of unnecessary details that made the book feel like a chore. The book is narrated by both past and present Casey and Kyle. It was interesting because we could see the beginning of their relationship and how it began to unravel. I have read the author’s book “We Are the Brennans”, and I feel like both of her books are focused on family dynamics, grief, and forgiveness. For both books, I found the “twists” to be predictable and the book to be long-winded. I might read more books by the author in the future, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get their next release.

Book Review - When Cicadas Cry: A Novel by Caroline Cleveland

 

When Cicadas Cry: A Novel by Caroline Cleveland is about Zach Stander, an attorney from South Carolina, who is trying to find the truth behind a murder. In Walterboro, South Carolina, a young white woman is found bludgeoned to death with an altar cross in a rural church on Cicada Road. A young black man, Sam Jenkins, is found covered in her blood and is kneeling over the body. The county is already filled with racial tension, and with the murder case involving two different racial groups, it is bound to explode with more violence.

Zach Stander is a lawyer with a past. He currently lives with his girlfriend, Addie Stone, who is a private detective. Together the two of them try to prove that Sam is innocent but not before they find themselves tangled in a web of lies and deception.  

Thirty-four years earlier, two young women were found murdered on quiet Edisto Beach, an hour southeast of Walterboro. The killer was able to disappear without a trace and the police have no leads. As Zach and Addie dig into Ben’s case, they start to see some similarities, and they wonder if there is any connection between the two cases.

The book was filled with twists and turns. I didn’t expect the murderer and thought it was a clever twist. There were a few clues given that made me question every connection especially since we also got to read sections narrated by the murderer.  I did like that the book had multiple narrations and storylines. However, sometimes, I do think that the second story line of Addie investigating the cold cases took away from Ben’s case. The book was an entertaining read and I would read more books by the author.

Book Review - Guardians of Dawn: Zhara (Guardians of Dawn, 1) by S. Jae-Jones

 

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara (Guardians of Dawn, 1)  by S. Jae-Jones is about a young woman, Jin Zhara, who is trying to come to terms with her magical powers in a world where magic is banned. Magic is forbidden in the world of Morning Realms. Magicians are called abominations and put to death when they are discovered. This was because the ruler blames magicians for transforming into monsters that had destroyed and dominated the land twenty years earlier.

Zhara lives with a cruel stepmother and her blind younger sister. Zhara has to keep her stepmother happy otherwise, her stepmother might turn Zhara in to the Kestrels. The Kestrels keep the Morning Realms free of magicians and kill anyone who is against them. The last thing Zhara needs is anyone finding out that she has magical powers.

On a chance encounter, Zhara crosses paths with a young man, Han, who brings her into contact with a secret magical group called the Guardians of Dawn. Zhara heard rumors of the Guardians and thought they were just rumors. Together with Han, Zhara investigates more into the Guardians and realizes that there is more to these rumors than she thought.  As if Zhara doesn’t have enough on her plate, a mysterious plague is corrupting the magicians of Morning Realms and turning them into monsters. The Guardians believe that it is a demon that is responsible for the destruction. Will Zhara and Han be able to figure out who is behind the corruption before all is lost forever?

I thought the book was an okay read. I did like some aspects of the world-building, but I found some parts confusing. For example, they mention that there is a ruler in the city where Zhara and Han live but then there is another leader in another land that had put martial law against magicians into effect. That allowed one of the ruler’s wives to be killed against her husband’s wishes.  I wish the hierarchy of the rulers and some parts of the worldbuilding were either fleshed out more or included in an index.

The book was engaging at times, but it felt that it moved very slowly. There were pages where nothing happened, and it felt boring. There were a lot of characters and past storylines that were hard to keep track of. Like the worldbuilding aspect, I wish there was an index, or that it was fleshed out more. I did think some parts were a bit juvenile in how young the characters acted. It felt like every “main” character had the “good looks giggles” at some point. I thought the book was an okay read. I would be open to reading more books from the series, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for them.

Book Review - Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

 

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera is about a woman, Lucy Chase, who returns to her hometown, where everyone thought she murdered her best friend, Savvy. Lucy and Savvy were best friends in their small Texas hometown, Plumpton. They were smart, pretty, and was the envy of many people. Lucy was married to a wealthy attractive man, who had bought her a huge ring and a sizable home in Plumpton. Her husband was popular and well-liked by their neighbors. Savvy was a social butterfly and was beloved. She was known to be kind and well-liked, and if the rumors are true, very popular with the men in town. However, when Lucy is found wandering the streets in a daze covered with Savvy’s blood, everyone believes that she murdered her best friend.

Years have passed since that fateful night, but Lucy still can’t remember anything. After that day, she picked up and moved to LA to start a new under-the-radar life. The police didn’t have enough evidence to charge Lucy with anything. That all changed when a huge hit true-crime podcast, “Listen for the Lie”, and its host, Ben Owens, began to dig into Lucy and the murder of Savvy.  Lucy finds her life turned upside down and she is forced to return to her hometown again. She had promised that she would never return but, after meeting Ben, she feels that maybe she owes it to Savvy to figure out what happened that night.

The book was a quick and funny read. I found Lucy’s narration to be funny and well-written. The book kept me guessing until the very end as there weren’t many clues to lead us to the suspect. Many of the twists and surprises were revealed through the podcast format of the book. I did like reading the podcast interviews but at times, I lost track of the different characters and how they were related to the murder. There were a few parts of the book that I didn’t like such as the ending and a confrontation Lucy had with her ex-husband and her parents. I found those scenes to be a bit weird and far-fetched, especially on how trusting some characters were of others.  I found the book to be an enjoyable read. I would read more books by the author.

Book Review - The Sherlock Society by James Ponti

 

The Sherlock Society by James Ponti is about a pair of siblings, Alex and Zoe Sherlock, who decide to open a detective agency during their summer break. Zoe wants to attend a cheerleading camp with her best friends, but her parents refuse to let her go. Now, Zoe is now stuck spending the summer with Alex and his two lame friends: Lina, an avid reader and new to the area, and Yadi, an aspiring cinematographer and rabid conspiracy theorist.

Alex, Lina, and Yadi are members of the Sherlock Society at school. They focus on solving puzzles and all things Sherlock. One day, Zoe reluctantly participates in a locked room puzzle with the Sherlock Society members, and she unexpectedly has fun and enjoys herself. Zoe has so much fun that she proposes to the group that they spend their summer solving mysteries and getting paid for it as detectives.

As the quartet tries to devise ways to get business, the siblings’ retired grandfather, a reporter, decides to show the kids his storage unit filled with his cold case files. He allows them to pick which case they want to try and solve first. They decided to find Al Capone’s hidden treasure which is supposedly located in their hometown of Miami. Their investigation leads them to the Everglades where they discover that someone has been illegally dumping waste in Native and protected areas.  

I have read the author’s other middle school series, City Spies, and liked it. I was really excited to start reading this series as I love Sherlock and mysteries in general. The book is an entertaining read and filled with humor.  I like that the author sprinkled in facts about journalism and Al Capone, however, I would have liked to see an appendix letting readers know which facts are true and which are made up about Al Capone or even ways on how children can get involved in volunteering or helping to clean up the environment.  I feel like that would add an extra layer to the book for kids to connect to the characters. The book does leave off on a cliffhanger and I am interested in seeing what new adventures the Sherlock Society will have next.

 

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

Book Review - Beyond Real: The Complete Series by Zack Kaplan

 

Beyond Real: The Complete Series by Zack Kaplan is a graphic novel about a woman, June, whose boyfriend is left in a coma after a car accident. After the car accident, June starts to experience strange visual phenomena. She tries to figure out what is causing the images to appear. She discovers that her world which she considers “reality”, is a computer simulation.  June will have to journey through the simulation to find the world’s creator and save her true love from death.

The graphic novel was beautifully drawn and very colorful. The story was easy to follow but it was predictable. I thought it was an okay read but a bit boring at times. That said, I wouldn’t go out of my way to read more graphic novels by the author.

Book Review - Beneath the Bending Skies by Jane Kirkpatrick

 

Beneath the Bending Skies by Jane Kirkpatrick is about a woman, Mollie Sheehan, who wants to obey her father’s wishes even though it means having one heartbreak after another. In 1860s Montana, Mollie has spent her entire life following and listening to what her father wants. She tries to be a dutiful daughter even if this goes against her heart.

Mollie finds herself attracted to Peter Ronan, her father’s friend. Their young romance blooms and Mollie hopes that they can spend their future together. However, her hopes are dashed when Mollie’s father disapproves of the match and feels that Peter betrayed him by courting his daughter. Her daughter moves the entire family to California to discourage the match and to help Mollie move on from Peter. Mollie tries to move on but she still feels attracted to Peter and she fears that she can no longer follow her father’s desires while ignoring her own.

I found this book to be dull. There would be page after page where nothing would happen. It feels like I am reading a textbook or a daily journal of boring life events. There was nothing that held my interest and the story was filled with tedious details. The author introduced a lot of characters that didn’t have an impact on the story, and it was confusing to keep track of them all. I found the whole Honor Thy Father storyline to be a bit creepy and unsettling. I wasn’t a fan of the book, I don’t think I would go out of my way to read more books by the author.

Book Review -Artifice by Sharon Cameron

Artifice by Sharon Cameron is about a young woman, Isa de Smit, who sells forged artwork to the Nazis in order to help evacuate Jewish children out of Amsterdam.  Isa has been raised in her parents’ small art gallery. She was surrounded by art, beauty, and creativity until the Nazi occupation deemed art to be degenerate.  It caused artists to go into hiding or risk being deported. Isa’s friend, Truus, joined the Dutch resistance against the Nazis to help protect the most vulnerable.

When unpaid taxes threaten her beloved art gallery, Isa decides to make the Nazis pay. All of the art her family kept was taken by the Nazis either by stealing or buying from illegitimate sources. She decides to sell them a fake Rembrandt that was drawn by her talented father.  After selling the fake, Isa wants to sell more to get more money for the resistance groups that are evacuating children.

Isa feels that one more forgery, a copy of a Vermeer piece, that her father was working on will help generate enough to get more children out of harm’s way. However, she needs help from a master forger to make her new painting look like it was painted in the proper time period. Isa is desperate to find help before the children get deported to Nazi camps or that Isa becomes outed as a collaborator.  The only thing the Dutch people hate more than the Nazis are the people who help them. Isa discovers that she has an unlikely ally from an unexpected person. Will Isa be able to help Truus rescue the children?

The novel is based on true events, and I found it to be an okay read. I wasn’t familiar with the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam. The book started interestingly, but it was a slow and boring read for me. I felt like nothing happened for a while and then towards the end, it picked up again. I also had a hard time connecting with Isa. I didn’t feel anything toward Isa and her journey. I would be open to reading more books by the author.