Book Review - A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts by Therese Anne Fowler

Photo Credit - Amazon

After the Civil War, Alva Smith and her southern family find themselves destitute. She arranges herself to marry into the Vanderbilt family who is wealthy but, socially outcasts. Alva is determined to win respect after being ignored by the socialites from old money. She designed and help builds nine mansions, hosts grand balls attended by a duchess, and her daughter marries a duke. Alva also disrupts the norm for her time by asserting power in her marriage and becoming a leader in the women's suffrage movement.

It was interesting to read about Alva Vanderbilt who is a very complex person. I loved, hated, and loved to hate her while reading this book. I felt like the novel was a bit slow-moving and then in some parts, significant events were mentioned in passing.  I wish more time was spent on developing characters than describing the mansions she built.

 **Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

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Alice never really believe in luck as she had her fair share of bad luck. However, she still believes in love. Alice has been in love with her best friend, Teddy for years. When Teddy's eighteen birthday arrives, she buys him a lottery ticket attaching a note professing her love for him. The unimaginable happens and Teddy wins the lottery.

Teddy and his mother are overjoyed by the news because they have been struggling financially At first, they are stunned by their good luck but, then  Teddy gets swept up in the fame and fortune of being the youngest winner of $140 million.  With Teddy's sudden influx of cash, things between him and Alice begin to change.

I found the novel to be a fun and entertaining read. It was interesting to see how different people would spend their lottery winnings. I enjoyed most of the characters but, did find them to be a bit annoying. Alice was so blinded by her grief and then her love for Teddy that she didn't take the time to considered other people around her. While I understand and appreciate her need to give money to the less fortunate (I loved Teddy's idea in the end on what to do with his wealth), I didn't like that she was trying to force her way on Teddy. Especially when she mentioned her main motivation behind volunteering. I wish there was more development on some of the characters but, overall it was a nice cozy young adult romance novel.

 **Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - The Monster Hypothesis by Romily Bernard + Giveaway

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The town of Bohring is home to more alligators than people. It is also the hometown of a monster curse where kids turn into monsters. Kick Winter is living in the Hollows swamp with her fake psychic grandmother Missouri. Kick is having a hard time making new friends and finding the space to do her scientific experiments.

Kick recently discovered that the town's curse of turning kids into monsters is happening. The townspeople are worried but,  Kick knows there has to be a scientific explanation for everything. She doesn't believe in curses or monsters. As the new kid, she's determined to prove there is no curse, even if it means becoming a fake psychic.

The novel was a fun read with outlandish characters such as a chicken loving gator. I liked that the main character tries to use logic and science to solve the monster mystery. I enjoyed the messages of friendship, being true to yourself, believing in yourself and doing the right thing.  The book is an enjoyable read for middle schoolers who loves mystery novels.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

 

Title: THE MONSTER HYPOTHESIS

Author: Romily Bernard

Pub. Date: December 10, 2019

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Pages: 304

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

Welcome to Bohring-home to 453 people, 2,053 alligators, and one monster curse.

Correction: home to 454 people, now that Kick Winter is living in the swamp Hollows with her Grandma Missouri, the town (fake) psychic. Bohring is anything but boring for Kick who has already blown a hole through the kitchen floor, befriended a chicken-eating gator, and discovered that the town's hundred-year curse is upon them.

It's the Bohring curse and all the kids are about to become monsters-or so the legend goes. People are worried-except for Kick. She knows there's a scientific explanation for everything, especially curses and monsters. But Kick is the new kid in school and she's determined to make a name for herself . . . by pretending to be psychic.

According to her calculations: one teeny-tiny life + (fake) psychic skills = popularity. But when kids start disappearing and glowing creatures start showing up, Kick's theory quickly evaporates in a puff of foul-smelling swamp gas. Can Kick use her (real) science smarts to prove the curse is a hoax? Or is it just-maybe-sort of-somehow possible the curse is here?

Author Romily Bernard weaves a fast-paced middle-grade mystery filled with humor and scientific intrigue, set in a perfectly eerie Southern town.

About Romily:

Romily Bernard graduated from Georgia State University with a literature degree. Since then, she's worked as a riding instructor, cell-phone salesperson, personal assistant, horse groomer and exercise rider, accounting assistant, and, during a very dark time, customer service representative. . . . She's also, of course, now a YA novelist.

So don't let anyone tell you a BA degree will keep you unemployed.

Romily currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and Find Me is her debut novel. It placed first in the 2011 YA Unpublished Maggie Awards (given by Georgia Romance Writers) and won the Golden Heart Award for YA Romance from the Romance Writers of America in 2012.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Pinterest | YouTube

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a hardcover of THE MONSTER HYPOTHESIS, US only.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba21027/?

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

12/2/2019	Popthebutterfly Reads	Review
12/3/2019	Mythical Books	Excerpt
12/4/2019	Sometimes Leelynn Reads	Review
12/5/2019	Lifestyle of Me	Review
12/6/2019	BookHounds	Excerpt

Week Two:

12/9/2019	Ogitchida Kwe's Book Blog	Review
12/10/2019	For the Love of KidLit	Excerpt
12/11/2019	Little Red Reads	Review
12/12/2019	Life Within The Pages	Review
12/13/2019	Book Briefs	Review

Week Three:

12/16/2019	Adventures Thru Wonderland	Review
12/17/2019	BookishRealmReviews	Review
12/18/2019	fictitious.fox	Review
12/19/2019	Paper safari	Review
12/20/2019	Nay's Pink Bookshelf	Review

Week Four:

12/23/2019	She Just Loves Books	Review
12/24/2019	Hurn Publications	Review
12/25/2019	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt
12/26/2019	Character Madness	Excerpt
12/27/2019	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Excerpt

Week Five:

12/30/2019	Two Points of Interest	Review
12/31/2019	Fyrekatz Blog	Review

 

Book Review - Processed Cheese by Stephen Wright

Photo Credit - Amazon

Graveyard is on his way to look for a job when a bag of money drops from the sky and falls into his path. Graveyard hurries home to his wife, Ambience to share in the good news. Together they go on a spending journey to have everything they always wanted. The owner of the money bag begins to search for his money and is willing to do whatever is necessary to get it back.

At first, I thought the character's names were a bit weird but, I thought I can just ignore it. But, when everything started having wack-a-doo naming, even the days of the week. I started losing interest in the novel very quickly. It took more effort to remember the weird names and what they meant. I spent more time trying to decipher the names than I was focusing on the novel. I couldn't even make it past a few chapters before I realized this book isn't for me.

 **Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena

Photo Credit - Amazon

Almost newlyweds Karen and Tom Krupp are happily living the American dream. They have a lovely home and a comfortable life together. All that changes when Tom comes home and finds out Karen has disappeared. Her car is gone but, she left her purse and phone at home.

Tom begins to panic and calls their friends and then the police to report Karen's disappearance. The police arrive to take Tom to the hospital because Karen was in a car accident. Karen was speeding through a rough part of town and lost control of her car. Karen suffered a concussion and a few scrapes. When the cops come to ask her about details surrounding her car accident, Karen claims that she lost her memory and has trouble remembering the night before. The police believe her memory loss is very convenient and that she is hiding something.

When Karen returns home, she wants to heal and move on. However, she starts to notice her stuff being moved around in her house. It feels that someone has been in her house. Karen is unsure who she can trust because she has a few dark secrets she wants to keep hidden.

I was excited to read this book because I enjoyed Lapena's debut novel "The Couple Next Door". There were a few twists and unexpected discoveries in the novel but, because I didn't care for any of the characters, I didn't care about anything they were experiencing. However, I am still looking forward to reading more books by the author.

 **Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - The Runaway Princess by Johan Troïanowski

Photo credit - Amazon

Princess Robin has a knack for wandering away from her castle into her whirlwind adventures.  Robin doesn't act like other princesses who stay at home and follow the rules. Instead, she wants to go on adventures involving monsters, magical creatures, and pirates. Where will Robin go to next for her great adventure?

The graphic novel was a fun and entertaining read. I love the puzzles that were included in the book. I love that each adventure is whimsical and unpredictable. It's the perfect graphic novel for any middle grader.

 **Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - The Stranger Inside by Laura Benedict

Photo Credit - Amazon

Kimber Hannon comes home from vacation to find out someone is living in her house. She has no idea who this stranger is but, he tells the police that he has permission to live there. He even has the paperwork to prove that belongs in her home. However, Kimber knows that she didn't invite this stranger into her home. 

The stranger knows secrets from Kimber's past and wants everyone to know Kimber's secrets. Kimber is afraid if the truth is revealed that she will lose everything she worked for. Kimber realizes that the stranger doesn't just want her house but, everything she has. Will Kimber be able to figure out who the stranger is?

The novel has an interesting premise and I was very excited to read it. For a stranger to take over someone's home; that is very twisted and intimate. However, while I like the idea of the novel, I felt like the story progressed very slowly. And, I honestly hated Kimber as a person. I found myself hoping that she suffers more than she did. I feel like she is the type of person who is self-centered and only cares about herself but, judges others on their actions.  After reading about Kimber's history and personality, I was surprised there weren't more people who wanted to see her suffer.

 **Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**