Jeff Sexton

Intriguing Theory Scant On Application. This is one of those books you might read in a Computer Science degree program - probably more on the Master's degree level rather than the Bachelor's, as this is more designed for Tech/ Business Leadership than necessarily a traditional Bachelor's program that is more geared towards students entering the workplace or pursuing further academic careers. *In theory*, the theory here presented sounds pretty solid. While using a manufacturing plant as the touchpoint even though the author later admits that physical manufacturing and software development actually have little in common even in the theoretical world Kersten has crafted here, the actual software development theories *sound* like they could work. But that is precisely the ultimate problem here - though not enough of a problem to warrant a star deduction. Namely, that in failing to provide even a singular concrete example - even from within a classroom or study! - of how this could potentially work in the "real" world, Kersten does himself and his readers a significant disservice.

This book was actually recommended to me by my Group Manager when speaking of my own future career goals as an existing roughly mid career Senior Developer, and again, from a more Tech Leadership level, the book really was quite fascinating. I just *really* wish there had been even a single instance of real world application of the theory at any level at all.

Recommended.

Four POVs. Three Big Ideas. Two Interesting Twists. One Technically Error Free Book.

Ok, so the title may have been a bit of a stretch there.

There are absolutely four primary POVs here across our 10 "influencers" (my God I both despise the term and indeed the entire concept, despite some authors labeling *me* as one), and while it can at times be confusing when switching between them early on, as the characterizations and "voices" get set, it does in fact get a bit easier.

The Big Ideas here are all various flavors of social commentary on the idea of the "influencer", though so much as mentioning them begins to get too close to spoiler territory for my own comfort in writing this review.

The two interesting twists are deep in the book and *absolutely* spoiler territory to discuss, but I found them fairly well done and truly intriguing.

And yes, ultimately there are no technical flaws here. Yes, there were absolutely different things that different readers may have problems with - including the multiple POVs. But there was nothing wrong that begins to approach a universal, objective level, and thus the book retains its full five stars. Very much recommended.

Solid Introduction Prequel - And Marketing. This is one of the shorter short stories out there at just 22 pages, but it does its job remarkably well - it shows us where our lead characters are just prior to the opening of Marsh's earlier book Did Not Finish, as well as some of their initial motivations, setting up perfectly to lead directly into that particular book. Which makes it a spot-on prequel. In serving up this book just ahead of the launch of the *sequel* of Did Not Finish, One Star Review, it *also* reminds readers of the story and brings these characters back to the forefront of the mind, which as someone who has read nearly 200 books *since* reading Did Not Finish, was greatly appreciated. As to the actual story within these 22 pages... yes, they are more like an extended scene or two from each of our leads for Did Not Finish than a complete tale of its own here - but it seems that this was never *intended* to be a complete tale of its own, instead being exactly what it is - an "introduction" that also serves as a "reintroduction" to those of us who had already read Did Not Finish. Ultimately, it does everything it needed to do and not anything more, and thus this is actually a successful story. Very much recommended.

Transformative Yet Still A Touch Myopic. In centering this book around a grid that combines the traditional left/ right spectrum with "Modernity" and "Post-Modernity" as its up and down, Butler does an interesting and even transformative job of showing Americans that no matter what they think about politics and the church... they likely have some form of idolatry at play. The weakness here is the exact framing - in limiting himself to just the traditional left vs right and modern vs post-modern, Butler does in fact speak to a large swath of the majority. However, as Jason Blakley's Lost In Ideology - which will release almost a full month *after* this particular book hits bookshelves - shows, there is actually quite a bit more nuance and flux within the "traditional" ideologies than many - including, clearly, Butler here - think. So one can't really fault Butler for not having read a book at the time of writing this one that won't even be published until *after* this book itself is. ;) But the point remains, for those of us able to read both books close together, as I have been even months before either releases to the public. (Yes, making these Advance Reader Copies.) Furthermore, this framing also largely excludes more minority political views that don't abide by the usual L/R spectrum nor the up/ down system Butler uses here.

Overall though, this is yet another of those books that, particularly going into a Presidential election year with all of the hand-wringing, arguments, and outright vitriol that includes in the modern era of American politics (and every era, according to other works I reviewed a few years ago such as James Morone's Republic Of Wrath), every single member of every single American Church - no matter the individual's politics or the church's faith traditions - *needs* to read. Short at just 220 or so pages - over 22% of that being bibliography and discussion questions - this is written in a fairly conversational style such that one could easily envision Butler speaking this entire book into existence over the course of probably a couple of months or so of sermons. The included discussion questions, both at the end of each chapter and at the end of the book, foster a great deal of introspection and, in the case of groups, discussion, and could genuinely go quite a way to at least moderating the vitriol of this and hopefully future campaigns.

Ultimately truly a remarkable work, one that sadly will likely be review bombed by haters of Butler's (also excellent, fwiw) prior work (and indeed already has a one star on Goodreads from a known review bomber who could not possibly have read this book, yet which Goodreads refuses to remove for several weeks now prior to the writing of this review). But read it for yourself, and make your own conclusions. Very much recommended.

Deep Look At American Evangelicalism Falls Just Short In Being All That It Could Have Been. Up front: I too am a former Southern Baptist Convention evangelical. My own sojourn of the last 20+ yrs has taken me from a child raised by a Deacon under the pastorage of a man through my teens who would later become a President of the Georgia Baptist Convention to a wanderer searching for a truly Christian (as the First Church would have truly understood it) community. As politics fails the Church - as Alberta documents well here - I have become ever more solid in my belief that the Church should have absolutely nothing at all to do with politics - which Alberta is less solid on here.

Structured in the wake of Alberta's father's death - a prominent megachurch pastor in Michigan - and some rather nasty political comments some Alberta had known for many years made to him in those darkest of moments, this book travels the United States - and even goes briefly abroad - examining the ways American Evangelicals have allowed the lure of politics to sway them, how some are fighting back, and what others are doing in response. It is a darkly hopeful tale of somehow, someway, potentially maybe clawing back to some semblance of historical Christianity that the American Church has long lost, and the overall narrative here is actually rather solid.

With a *few* holes. One is the complete lack of any documentation whatsoever in the ARC copy I read. Indeed, the ARC copy was so incomplete as to not even have the epilogue to the tale - which alone was an error that I nearly "will not reviewed" the book over, but I was able to obtain an Audible copy instead to at least be able to complete this review. However, the lack of documentation in the ARC was a single star deduction, as I normally expect to see around 20-30% documentation in nonfiction books in my vast experience reading nonfiction ARCs over the years. The other star deduction is the book's intense focus on Jerry Falwell Sr and his progeny - both biologically (Jerry Falwell Jr and his siblings) and ideologically (Liberty University), a focus that nearly derails the book in taking up such a seemingly large chunk of it.

The final hole, which didn't rise to the level of necessitating a star deduction but *did* rise to the level of necessitating commentary within the review, were the several times Albert used common mythologies - such as guns being the "leading cause of death of children" - without supporting documentation. (Indeed, when one checks the CDC's own data, guns are not the leading cause of death for *any* single age grouping of legal children. It is only when legal adults aged 18-19 are included - legal adults who *can and do serve in the US military* - when guns become a leading cause of death according to CDC data.) The presence of such known and easily disproven myths detracts from the reliability of the overall narrative, which is a shame, since for the most part Alberta's reporting seems to be pretty damn solid, at least from my own part of the world.

Overall, this is a truly strong and truly sobering look at the state of American Evangelicalism circa the late 2010s/ early 2020s, and a clarion call for needed change within the American Church overall. Will anything actually change? Alberta seems hopeful. I too am *hopeful*... if slightly more pessimistic on the actual realities. Filled with case study after case study after case study and interview after interview after interview, Alberta truly does a mostly strong job making his case, with the caveats noted above.

Finally, to be clear, the Audible version (and presumably the fully released text version) does include the epilogue and *hopefully* the also-missing bibliography.

Very much recommended.

'Comparative Religions' For US Politics Should Be Required Reading For Every Voter In An Election Year. The title of this review basically sums up the entire review. This truly is a well written "comparative religions" type text, except for US political thought rather than the various global religions traditions. Showing the history and development of each "map", as Blakely calls them, (but without much documentation - more on that momentarily), Blakely does a remarkably balanced job of showing each school of thought in as close to a neutral fashion as may be possible - extremists within any given school may think he didn't present "their" side good enough, or perhaps shows "their" enemies in too good of a light, but from an objective-ish position, I stand by my statement of just how neutral he really is here. And yes, I really do think this should be required reading for every US voter before really even deciding who ultimately to vote for in any given election, as this book is truly a solid primer on the various ideologies used throughout the US and their various offshoots and intersections. Truly, it will allow each individual to better understand even those they disagree vehemently with, and ultimately a voter that better understands everyone is a better informed voter, period, who ultimately would at least have the ability to make a more fully informed decision.

Indeed, the *only* problem with this book - and thus the star deduction, as it *is* something I deduct for in all instances - is the lack of documentation. Even if I were willing to slide from my 20-30% standard (and as I've mentioned in previous reviews, I am openly considering this with every new book), this book clocking in at just 12% documentation still feels a bit light for all of its claims, no matter how well balanced.

Still, again, every voter should absolutely read this book before making any electoral decisions going forward, whether that be in 2024 or for the next several years - until this book is invalidated by future changes, whenever that may be. Very much recommended.

Lots Of Grand Ideas. No Technical Errors. Plenty Readers May Not Like. This is one of those books that is filled with GRANDIOSE IDEAS it wants to communicate and build an interesting story around. And it does that. There are no glaring technical errors with anything about this book. The plot works within world, the characters are serviceable enough for the genre generally, and the GRANDIOSE IDEAS are all given at least some "screen time".

All of this noted, there are *several* issues here that individual readers may have problems with, depending on their own experiences.

The book opens with an author's note about why she doesn't have a problem with "fat" in the context of this tale + trigger warnings. Ok, there is a lot of discussion on trigger warnings at the front of books in Booklandia, with different people coming down on different sides there. Clearly, Howe has staked her position. Fair enough, but again, some readers may not like this.

Then we get into the various GRANDIOSE IDEAS as we go throughout the actual tale.

Self Acceptance. Noble idea, some may not like the execution of how it is explored.

Family Drama. While a certain family member is written almost as an antagonist... this is going to be one of those "antagonists" that at least some readers are likely going to agree with more than the main character.

"Reality" TV (and the lack of actual reality therein). This is a main driver of the plot, and for the most part works well enough. But there is a lot of social commentary here that I suspect won't hit as hard for many as perhaps Howe had hoped.

Others get more into spoiler territory, so I'll not discuss them here. But you get the idea. For at least some readers, this will absolutely be OHMYGODAMAZEBALLSAWESOMESAUCETHANKYOUFORWRITINGTHISMOSTIMPORTANTBOOKEVAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! level. I suspect that for most readers, this book will more likely fall into the "ok" - "good, but a few problems" range. And I do think that its 4.06 average across just over 500 reviews just days before publication (yes, I too read this as an ARC) is both evidence that I am right and, to my mind, roughly where its rating average is likely to pan out over time.

Recommended.

Intriguing Tale With Multiple (And Rapidly Switching) Character POVs. This is one of those tales with a lot of moving parts and a lot of different character POVs that can throw some people off. So if that is you, know up front that this is the style Ms. Laskowski has chosen to tell this particular tale in. Specifically, we have three couples - each of the surviving children of a now deceased former matron of the family + their significant others, as well as a seventh person - an unannounced and unplanned guest. (The final central character is another, planned, guest.) The tale uses the perspectives of each of the three females + the unplanned guest as our narrative device, and ultimately it tells a strong tale of family secrets, petty grudges, and everything else that makes a family so complex at times. Here, the book truly shines - and yes, it is helped by its stormy, near gothic mansion (complete with hidden passages and rooms!) setting. The prologue is particularly strong, drawing the reader in and urging them to find out what exactly happened on this eventful weekend among siblings (and their partners), and the overall mysteries are much deeper than are originally thought, adding to the depth and complexity of the tale.

Overall Ms. Laskowski did a truly great job telling this story in this particular format, even as confusing as the frequent perspective jumps can be at times - she also used them to great effect to propel the reader forward in an "I've GOT to see what happens next!" manner. Yes, after an admittedly somewhat slow start, this will eventually become one of those that you're going to want to stay up later than you probably should to finish the book.

Those looking to end 2023 with a bang would do well to pick this book up, as it releases just in time to be many peoples' final book of 2023. Very much recommended.

WOMAN LAST SEEN Began My War On Books Featuring COVID. This Book Continues It. Having read literally 394 books between WOMAN LAST SEEN and this book, I did not *even* realize this book was a sequel to that one until the very end, when I read the Author's Note. Perils of reading so much? This isn't exactly the first time this has happened to me in my reading these last few years, though I think this is (so far) the most books between sequels. Long winded way of saying, if you read these books closer together than I did, or perhaps have better memory than I do, you'll likely pick up on the fact that this is a sequel within the first chapter or two, so despite me not finding out until the end... it isn't exactly a secret, either.

All of that noted, as with Woman Last Seen, here we get an excellent mystery/ thriller sequel, one that actually manages to work within the bounds given by the original book when a sequel was never actually intended - and thus showing just how strong of a storyteller Parks is (and perhaps how good of an editor she has). If you love fairly fast paced, character driven mysteries, you're likely going to enjoy this one.

And then... the COVID. Whereas the first book dealt with COVID more as an ominous foreshadowing, being set in the days immediately prior to the global lockdowns that destroyed far more lives than the virus ever will, this book dealt head on with said lockdowns and actually incorporated them - and the slow global re-opening - into the story. Thus, while I deducted a star from Woman Last Seen because I DO NOT WANT TO READ ABOUT COVID even though it was more tangential in that book, with it being far more central and ever present in this tale, the deduction remains because even nearly four years later, I STILL DO NOT WANT TO READ ABOUT COVID. My war against such tales began with Woman Last Seen, and with Two Dead Wives it continues, along with my own real "weapon" at my disposal: the single star deduction in rating. Seriously, authors, PLEASE - just abandon that entire year or so of human history. Or at least ignore those parts of that year.

But again, other than the COVID aspects, this truly was a superb tale that truly shows how remarkable Parks is as a storyteller - I truly don't know of many that *could* have written such a book when it was never intended, and I perhaps know of even fewer who *would* write such a book when readers clamor for it.

Very much recommended.

Complex, Interwoven Thriller With Numerous Characters And Flashbacks. Hell, the one thing to knock this book on is just how sudden the flashbacks and returns can be. Other than that, this is one of those twisty, complex, interwoven tales more about the people that find themselves at a particular hostel at a particular moment than any titular "vacation" - though, as you'll come to see, every single one of them is truly on a "vacation" of sorts, so the title *does* work. I simply think the original title of "Welcome To Wherever You Are" may have actually been a more apt title for the tale.

If you want a single, simple plotline with a one or two true main characters and maybe a supporting cast... this isn't that kind of tale. If you want a tale where there are definitive answers and everything is black and white... this isn't that kind of tale. If you want an absolute mind fuck of a tale that makes you question your sense of reality... this isn't that kind of tale, either.

Instead, this truly is one of those more interesting in between tales that shows a more accurate depiction of humanity and how we're all flawed and we all have our own stories both before and after any given encounter, this simply happens to be the tales of those people who wind up being in the same Los Angeles area hostel at the same moment in time at the particular moment of the story here. If you're looking for *that* kind of tale... congratulations. You've found one of the better examples of it I've ever come across in my own reading.

Very much recommended.

And So It Ends As It Began. If you go into this book expecting a long, drawn out farewell ala The Return Of The King... 1) you don't know Jeremy Robinson very well and 2) you're going to be disappointed.

Instead, what we get from this tale is, while still a series finale, yet another typical Chess Team balls to the wall, running and gunning, always on the move either chasing or being chased action thriller with several scifi elements. In other words, everything that has made the series so amazing since its inception - when I initially scoffed when Robinson told me what he was working up, but have found supremely enjoyable since reading the very first words of the very first book, PULSE - is back in spades here. I'm not going to say anything remotely specific about the plot of this tale in this review, as I am among the very first with the honor of reading it. Just know that Robinson and Gilmour do in fact stay true to the spirit of this series and give it the ending it deserves. It has been an amazing what, 14 or so year run with this series? And while I'm sad to see it go, this really, truly was one amazing final chapter in this team's storied adventures. If you're into frenetic balls to the wall action + a few scifi creatures along the way... you're going to want to read this book. If you like more technothriller type action tales... hell, Robinson and Gilmour have you covered there too, in ways somewhat reminiscent of some Matthew Mather, Dale Brown, and Tom Clancy tales, But if you haven't read this series before... there are some pretty significant spoilers for prior books in this one, from throughout the series. So go back and start with PULSE, and be ready for one of the wildest rides of you life. For those who have already read the rest of the series, welcome home. You know what to expect here, and you have my word that Robinson and Gilmour do in fact deliver in some of the best possible ways. Very much recommended.

Solid Short Hallmarkie Christmas Read. Let's face it, as we all go into Christmas weekend, every single one of us *knows* we are *going* to need a break from the extended family at some point for at least an hour or two, right? Well, at just about 130 or so pages... this is the perfect book to snatch up this Christmas and read over that very hour or two break you're going to need anyway. It's got all the family drama and Christmas magic - and Christmas hijinks - one would expect in such a tale, all wrapped up in such a short story that it really, truly is that perfect little breather from the real world and the real family drama. And bonus, new fans of Evans will get a solid introduction to her overall style.... in which case she has several more books ready for you to grab up with those gift cards so many will be getting. ;) But seriously, this is jus another excellent tale from a truly strong storyteller. Do yourself a favor and pick it up. Very much recommended.

Solidly Silly Yet Hallmarkie Christmas RomCom. The opening of this tale is actually somewhat reminiscent of the opening of Luke Young's Seriously Messed Up - another great romcom from several years ago now - though reversed (there it was the male main character, here it is the female main character). Which admittedly set the bar quite high for me, as that particular book is one I routinely list as among the funniest I've ever read.

But y'all.... Bailey delivers here. Seriously, this is comedy gold in some of the best possible ways, while still having enough serious aspects to ground the tale and give it at least a touch of gravitas. All centered around Christmas and in particular a very specific Christmas carol, but with a unique spin on it I'd never encountered before.

If you need some laughs this holiday season, for any reason, and you don't mind staring maybe uncomfortably long at a naked dude going full frontal in the opening scene... you're probably going to like this one. Even if you *don't* like staring at naked dudes uncomfortably long... you'll probably still like this one... once the opening scene moves on from that particular moment. :) Told with a great amount of comedy but also enough heart to make Captain Planet proud, this really is one of those feel good Christmas tales with lots of holiday cheer and maybe a few holiday tears. Very much recommended.

Now THAT Is How You Do A Fucking Prologue! Seriously, I don't normally tweet out or contact the author when I'm reading a book. After *this* prologue, I immediately had to tweet out how awesome it is, particularly given the various discussions in Boolandia regarding how many readers skip prologues or don't enjoy them or whatever. I don't mind books that don't have them, but a well written one can really get a reader curious and/ or excited about the story, and this is one of the best written ones I've ever encountered.

Beyond the prologue, this is a tremendous tale, one that has been set in motion since the very beginning of this series - everything is now coming to a head, and Bennett and her team are about to be challenged like they've never been challenged before... and by the one person who terrifies Bennett more than any other.

Filled with pulse pounding action and intrigue, this is one of those mystery/ police procedural tales that really shows the true power of how great these particular types of stories can be - and yet, still, to get the full impact here, you really do need to begin at Book 1 and read through this point. Trust me, when you do you will absolutely devour this particular tale as well.

Overall a remarkably strong tale that could well serve as a series finale - or, equally, could simply serve as a trilogy conclusion and allow the series to continue on. I for one am very curious to see which direction Roberts (and possibly her publisher) will go there. Very much recommended.

Starting Over. Yes, the title of my review and the title of this book are the same, because I want to emphasize just how well Bratt titled this particular story. Yet again, we get a pulse pounding crime unfortunately based on real-world events in the South, in this particular case (as the prologue shows, so no real spoilers here) an abduction from a Walmart parking lot. And there is a lot of action in this particular case, including hiking through one park I'm very familiar with and another I've been to a few times - Amicalola State Park and Unicoi State Park, respectively, both in the North Georgia mountain region. In particular, the camping areas, trails, even the hike-inn that Bratt mentions were all part of my teens in particular, with several trips out there from my home town not very far away.

But as always with this series, this tale is about the small town and family relationships as much as it is about the crime of the book, and it is here that we truly get a sense of this series - that was supposed to end here - is actually "starting over", in all the best possible ways. We get a return to the true roots of this series, but with everyone involved in different situations than they were in at the actual beginning of the series. Being told with Bratt's usual careful yet evocative styling, this book will leave you particularly glad the series is "starting over" rather than concluding here as was originally intended. Very much recommended.

Solid Primer On The Concept Marred By Typical Academic Left Leaning Myopia. Quite simply, at roughly 38% documentation across just a 225 page or so text, this is one of the better documented nonfiction books I've come across in quite some time. Indeed, at times it seemed like there were citations on every sentence or maybe just every other sentence, they were that prevalent. So a lot of kudos on that end, and it really helps make the case of what Prof. Warshawsky is showing here in describing how food banks began in different regions around the world and what their current realities are. Through these sections, the book is truly a great resource for seeing just how widespread the idea is now and the various challenges each particular country and region faces in providing these services.

Indeed, the only real flaw here - and yes, it was big enough that it warranted the star deduction - is the typical left leaning (vs outright leftist) myopia common in Academic circles. Over and over and over again, Warshawsky blames corporations as only sponsoring these efforts in order to burnish their own public images and condemns these efforts as stymying truly productive reforms, all without truly looking to a more holistic approach to those very reforms or even to this specific issue. Instead, while so much else of the text is so well documented, that government providing these services is better than private efforts is seen more as a fait accompli never to be questioned or even examined.

So read this text, it really is quite remarkable so far as it goes. But don't let its limitations limit your own imagination. There likely are better solutions to these issues out there - but assuming any one approach will work globally probably isn't going to work, for the very reasons Warshawsky illuminates here. Very much recommended.

Second Chance / "Glimpse" Type Tale Done Right. This is one of those second chance/ "glimpse" type tales ala the late 90s/ early 2000s movie The Family Man with Nic Cage and Tea Leoni done *right*, complete with wildly alternate lives for the male and female leads in this particular tale. And done by a debut author, and set in a suburb of Toronto to boot. So hey, a lot going on here to make it its own - yes, including brief discussions of a multiverse scenario. So if you like your romances with a tinge of magical realism/ scifi-ish ideas... this one is for you. That noted, if you're among the "clean"/ "sweet" romance crowd... eh, this probably has a lot more thinking and acting on sex than you'd like, including some rather graphic terms... at least according to those types of sensibilities. Again, the actual spice level here is probably more akin to a chipotle - not actually all *that* spicy, but far more spicy than some stomachs can handle and perhaps far more spicy than some minds *want* to handle. Still, as long as you're aware of that up front (thanks to reading this review), you can make up your own mind. Ultimately, I thought this was a particularly strong effort from a debut author, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Ms. Robb is capable of in her sophomore effort. Very much recommended.

Scattered Tale Tries To Be Both RomCom And Women's Fiction. Straight up, I'm fully aware that this is one of those reviews where many will rate this book at 5* for the exact reason I'm deducting a star here (though as you'll see if you too peruse the reviews, at least some of my commentary will also mirror many of the existing 2* reviews as I write this review early in the morning on the US East Coast on release day for this book). Namely, the preachy hyper-focus on workplace discrimination and outright sexual harassment and even sexual assault... in what is ostensibly trying to be a romcom. If you approach this as a romcom - and perhaps that was my failing here, approaching it in such a way... these issues are far too heavy and completely drag the story down.

However, for those that approach this tale perhaps *wanting* the more Women's Fiction side of it, where such heavy issues may be more expected, there you'll get the heaviness the same, but also with the levity that the attempt at also being a romcom brings to the table. So the tale is still scattered, but when approached in such a manner, it likely won't feel as off-putting. Hell, it may even feel quite a bit refreshing.

And of course my other failing here that must be mentioned is my love of The Family Man, the late 90s/ early 2000s movie with Nic Cage and Tea Leoni. It is my go-to reference for "glimpse" type tales such as this, where the main character is allowed to relive some portion of their life over. And while also a somewhat serious drama itself (with quite a bit of comedy), it was nowhere near as heavy as this book was fairly often. Also having this tale set in the end of year season - as that movie was - didn't help me completely separate the two, but again, this is likely a failing of mine that perhaps some other readers may share.

Overall, the book actually does both of its scattered foci quite well... it simply fails in the combination, at least when one is expecting more of a "glimpse" based romcom. As mentioned previously, if approached from more of a Women's Fiction tale, it works rather well.

For those potentially concerned that it doesn't meet the full requirements of a "romance"... it does, actually - at least every rule I'm personally aware of. And for those concerned about spice level... this one will satisfy the "clean" crowd (while perhaps being too heavy for the "sweet" crowd, though perhaps not) in that the closest anything gets to any "action" - other than the sexual assault(s) - is heavy kissing and waking up in the same bed.

Ultimately one of those tales that will likely be at least somewhat divisive due to the dichotomies I've discussed here, it could also do quite well in certain circles and when approached from a certain direction. Recommended.

Sometimes Life Just Breaks You. If you find yourself in this place, this is the kind of book you *need* to read. It will hurt. You will cry. But maybe, just maybe, you'll find a modicum of catharsis here too.

If you haven't found yourself in this place - yet - read this too. Maybe get a better understanding of the "bitter old woman recluse" in your life. Because let's face it - we *all* either have one of these or had one of these or very likely will have one of these in our lives at some point. And to be clear, it isn't just women, as men could very easily be shown to be dealing with identical things as are shown in this book. But this particular tale happens to be a women's fiction tale focused on a woman and her relationships, and thus the description above.

Told with Greene's usual great care to characterization and description, you're both going to feel like you're there on Emerald Isle with these characters *and* you're going to feel their issues as though there were your own. Because, again, Greene shows us that no matter where we are in life, at some point nearly all of us will see ourselves in at least one of these characters and what they are going through in theirs.

And there, there is where Greene truly shows Grace ( ;) ) and hope.

Very much recommended.

Down Syndrome Kid Steals Show. First, about the title of this review - as an Autistic, I *despise* so-called "person first" language, because it doesn't actually put the person first. It claims that a person whose so-called "disability" is integral to their very personhood and way they live instead could simply discard it as easily as changing their hair color, among other easily changed things a person is described as "with". Bullshit. Such an ability permeates the person thoroughly, and directly influences how the person perceives - and thus processes and expresses their thoughts and feelings about - literally everything around them.

Thus, the Down Syndrome character himself- and the brilliant and very human way Novak shows him - is actually one of the better features of this particular tale, one that I've seen no other reviewer discuss thus far, even though this character is a major motivator for our hero of this book. Of note, other than mentioning the Down Syndrome near the time the character is first introduced, it is rarely if ever mentioned again - to the point that I actually had to go back and search the book to verify the actual description initially used for the character as I began to write this review. And this is *exactly* what one would expect in a small town where everyone knows everyone - by the time of our story here, everyone in town is already well aware of this kid and his condition, so why bother repeating it?

As to the romance itself, other than the fact that both of our leads are well drillers - presumably a rarity for a female in particular, and not exactly a profession many in suburbia and/ or the Eastern US are familiar with - ... eh, fairly standard slow burn enemies to lovers type tale, with a lot of complications due to varying family and small town dynamics. As usually happens, particularly within the enemies to lovers space. (And no, this is no Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet was teen angst gone murderous, with a remarkably high body count for such a short overall tale. Here, our leads are not exactly "old and wisened", but they're also well away from teen angst... even if they've never actually resolved some very big issues from earlier in their lives (yet).

And yes, the ending here was a bit abrupt. Did Novak realize she was at her target word/ page count and simply rush the ending, rather than fill it out a bit more completely as the story seemed to demand here? Who knows. But it absolutely felt rushed and even a bit lackadaisical. Certainly, Novak has proven with other books - including the first book in this series! - that she is capable of much better.

One final note, specifically for the "clean" / "sweet" romance crowd - yet again, likely not one for y'all. Novak isn't shy with on screen sex when it serves the purposes of the story, though this isn't one of those "damn near erotica" level books either. So for everyone, know that the spice level here is roughly along the lines of a chipotle. Fairly mild, overall - yet still far too spicy for some.

Overall, this book was one of those that had a couple of stand-out features that were done truly particularly well (Down Syndrome character + well drilling profession) and otherwise was more of a routine (yet solid, to be clear) small town enemies to lovers romance, maybe with some extra dynamics to add a touch more drama/ fill some extra pages. I'm very much looking forward ot the next book in this series.

Very much recommended.

Pulse Pounding Thriller In And Out Of The Water. This is one of those coastal murder tales where there is actually quite a bit happening both in and out of the water - and our team is right in the thick of all of it, after a diver dies underwater. With this tenth entry into the series - written loosely enough that if one doesn't mind spoilers about the team's relationships, nothing about (most) of the prior mysteries is spoiled here, meaning it is mostly ok for new fans to start here and work their way back, should they so choose - Spangler actually manages to incorporate a few things not seen in prior books in this series, including a few particular cultural touchstones that it is genuinely surprising that it took him this long to use, given the region he has chosen to set this particular series. And man, when he *does* incorporate them... he almost makes me want to drive up I-95 a few hrs and get to the Outer Banks this weekend myself. Even though I am in no way, shape, or form a diver of any sense involving diving underwater. :D

Overall another solid entry in this series, one where yet again the stakes are raised in so very many ways. Very much recommended.

I Literally Read This Book In One Sitting. Yes, the book is just over 300 pages. I said what I said. This is one of those books that just traps you in and you *need to know what will happen next*. There's enough creep/ ick factor, yes - but there is also several strong mysteries here. Including some that seem to touch on real-life issues. The twists and turns are well done, if some of them at least are somewhat expected given the overall genre and even plot to that point.

For those that prefer clear cut endings with every question definitively answered... eh, read the book for yourself... but *I* didn't get as many answers as I had questions. But maybe I missed some answers?

Overall a solid, well paced book that fits well within its genre. Very much recommended.

Quirky And Spicy. Straight up: If quirky books with a touch of magical realism/ off-the-beaten-path type vibes isn't really your thing... eh, you likely won't like this book. If spicy books with several (I wouldn't necessarily call them "frequent") on-screen sex scenes of various forms isn't your thing... this probably isn't the book for you, as it does feature them. If you're looking for a "perfect" "cowboy rides off into the sunset with his woman in the saddle behind him" type HEA... the HEA here works for this couple, but aint that type. So maybe this isn't your thing either, but in your case I'd say give it a shot anyway, as it *does* fulfill all known "requirements" (which I use loosely, as I've been known to wage war with purists on them) for the romance genre... in its own ways.

For those that are still here... this is actually a fun, off-beat, light-yet-serious tale of one woman's search for love - despite the curse from her mother - and the dude who has always been there but hasn't always been there. At around 350 pages, it isn't short, but it also isn't unnecessarily drawn out either. Sure, maybe some scenes could be cut (I know, the "clean" / "sweet" crowd wishes the sex scenes were cut, and I'm sure other readers would want others cut), but overall the tale works well with what it has and nothing actually feels *truly* out of place.

Ultimately, I had fun with this zany tale and its road-less-traveled take on love, and those looking for a romance book that isn't like seemingly literally *every other romance book out there* I think will at least enjoy that this one *does* go places many don't. Very much recommended.

This Review Is *NOT* A Paid Ad. Up front, because one of the large points Rosner makes is about just how much "influencer" peddling actually happens, let me be 100% perfectly clear: I had never heard of Rosner nor his publisher before picking up this book from NetGalley (yes, it is an advance reader copy). The title and description sounded like something that was interesting to me, so I picked it up. Period.

But that actually *does* get to the very points Rosner makes throughout this text, and he repeatedly uses real world examples both well known and very obscure to show his points. Basically, *everyone* is suspect - and you *should* do your own research. Yes, there are experts. Yes, objective truth exists. But are you actually hearing from them? Are you actually getting anything remotely close to the objective truth on the topic at hand? Rosner spends about 86% of his nearly 300 pages showing that... eh, you may not be, on either question. No matter where your "news" is coming from. At any level.

Truly a phenomenal expose on the topic, very well written and extremely informative. While Rosner is based in Canada and thus several of his examples are also based there, he also covers the situation in the US in particular quite well - and because of this, his points likely hold reasonably well at least through Western nations and *possibly* in every location on the globe (and beyond).

The star deduction is really two half stars - one half because at 14%, his bibliography is just shy of the range I normally expect to see in a book such as this based on my extensive experience reading these types of nonfiction ARCs, that range being closer to 20-30%. The other half star is due to the elitism that is so pervasive throughout the text. While actually decently balanced - while he spends an entire chapter *mostly* railing against Libertarian think tanks in Canada, he *does* also point out others of other political persuasions that are just as bad, and spends at least some actual time covering them and their faults as well, for example - even in the balance, the overall elitist disdain for so many of us just pours through his writing. And to be clear, I myself am a former political blogger - well before my book blogging days - that actually broke several local and even Statewide news items. And had more journalistic integrity than at least some of the "professionals" on those beats. (But those are ultimately stories for another time and place. ;) ) My point here being that at least this reader is not simply some fly by night *very* minor "book influencer" (as some authors have called me *with pride* - rather than disdain), and Rosner realistically should have expected that many, perhaps even most, eventual readers of this book would have some level of journalistic experience. Which makes the elitism that much harder to swallow.

Still, ultimately this truly was a very good, well written expose on just how much media manipulation is in our every day lives, from the local to the national and throughout even social media as well.

Very much recommended.

Not A Christmas Book. Admittedly, I saw "Caesar" and the release date and for some reason thought this had... anything at all to do with Christmas. To be clear, it does not. Just in case anyone else was somehow thinking it might. ;)

What we *do* get, however, is actually a rather intriguing tale in its own right, of the author's adventures in a post-collapse world to try to find the last remaining vestiges of ancient Roman roads in Italy, Greece, Turkey, and surrounding areas. We get a decent amount of history, but to be clear - this is far more travel book (and almost travel log even) than history book. We get tales of espresso and kind strangers and parking woes, and we get tales of finding obscure patches of ancient Roman roadway or bridgeworks or some such often deep in farmer's fields - and which the author only stumbled upon because he happened to stumble into a local who happened to know what he was looking for. We also get several tales of various "official" sites being closed, some of which the author was able to sneak into anyway either by outright sneaking or by some official or another looking the other way.

Indeed, this was, as I mentioned above, quite an intriguing tale for what it is - just *really* don't go in here expecting some detailed treatise on the exact engineering of ancient Roman roadways and how at least certain sections of them have managed to last all these centuries. Go in expecting a 2020s era romp through the region at hand... and you'll probably leave a lot more satisfied here.

The one star deduction comes from having next to no bibliography, despite having so many historical details and references. Instead, the bibliography is simply a "selected reading" and clocks in at less than 4% of the overall text - compared to closer to 20-30% being my expected norm based on reading hundreds of nonfiction advance review copies of books across nearly every discipline these last few years as a book blogger.

Still, I had a great time with this book and learned a lot about a subject the author is clearly passionate about. I felt I was right there with him through many of these adventures and woes, and really... what more do you actually want in a book of this type?

Very much recommended.