Ashley

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. This is a lighthearted, medium paced read.

If you have been married you understand all the stresses that come with it in itself. Often there are expectations of what you should have or what you should do on your wedding day that you don't want. I felt agitated for and at Nat just wanting her to finally speak up.

It has a diverse cast of characters you'll enjoy. Definitely add this one to your TBR!

Natalie Jenner is quickly becoming a must buy author.

Historical fiction is a new genre I have been exploring. What I liked about this story is the depiction of life after the war. The women working at Bloomsbury Books are trying to find their place in the new world. Just a few years earlier they were needed to work while men were off to war, but now they are back to where they started. Only marginally better off than before.

All of the characters in the story are well developed and I enjoyed watching their growth over the story. These women are learning more about themselves and going against what society expects of them. One is figuring out her life after losing her fiancé in the war.

This is a wonderful read and I can't wait to add it to my collection right next to The Jane Austin Society.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Disappearance of Emily is the second book in the Destiny Falls & Magic Series. This story can be read as a standalone, but I suggest reading the first to get some background on the second. For myself parts of the story would have made more sense.

The story picks up a month after Emily arrives in Destiny Falls. She is getting to know her new family, is offered a job, and getting to know her new surroundings.

Overall I enjoyed this story. It is a quick, fast paced read. The story line moves along smoothly and had well developed characters. The author does a nice job of setting it up for the next book.

Thank you Love Books Tour and Elizabeth Pantley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Talk of Tokyo was a beautifully written story. I always enjoy stories with women fighting for their rights, for their place in this world. To be seen as more than a wife and mother.  I'd like to think that someone like Suki existed in her time. Someone like her paved the way for women to live their dream. To have their own voice. These women are just as important for today. 

This book is a reminder that things are never as they seem. People may be different than we expected them to be because reputation can often be misleading. 

This is the first I have read from Heather Hallman, but it won't be the last. 

Thank you Heather Hallman and Love Books Tour for the opportunity to read and review this story. 

The Waterman follows Terry Stubbs and Jake Harvey. These men are strangers to each other and have not crossed paths, but they have the same dreams and carry around the same token. Terry obtained his from his grandfather after his passing and Jake's appeared in the back of his new company car. Neither of them know what the tokens are or why they are having these dreams. It is after Terry's mother finishes the research left behind by her father that we learn more about the tokens, the dreams, and what connects Jake and the Stubbs family.

The Waterman starts off slow, but does pick up and is worth reading. The author puts so much detail and thought into this story, but in a way that wouldn't bore or make the reader feel lost. Definitely recommend.

Thank you Robert Derry and Love Books Tour for the opportunity to read and review this story.

This is a sweet and funny story. The characters are city planners who enjoy attending open houses. They are often mistaken for a couple when they are not. But after years of being acquaintances they may just be right for each other after.

Congratulations on the author's debut novel!

This story is told in journal/diary format and takes place in 2021. Her inspiration comes from Daniel Defoe's classic, A Journal of a Plague Year. He recorded the Bubonic Plague of 1665.

The idea of diary format is interesting and different. I wish I had kept a diary to look back at our time during Covid. I remember the big points, but with time some little things will be forgotten. Every state and country had their own way of handling Covid.

The story alternates between Covid (and current events) and Marney McDonagh's time in India a few years back. Because all entries are dated 2021 the story can get confusing on present day versus India, but it is easy to catch on.

As Marney watches the effects on Covid in India in present day, she reflects on her time there while staying at the Shanthi Ashram. She spends six months there making friends and finding herself and a purpose. She learns much about the culture there and upon leaving wants to help young girls in the area who are often put out by their families. The story evolves over the course of the entries and takes over.

Her journey while in India was inspiring and could have been the story without
being a journal and including current events. The people she encounters all played a role in how she was shaped and changed during her time there.

If you are looking for your own spiritual path check out this book.

Thank you Bernadette Kane and Love Books Tour for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I enjoyed this book so much! Books from this era can be boring, but the author kept my interest the entire time.

At a masquerade ball Sorcha is approached by “Midnight Jack” asking about a letter that was passed to her. She denies it, but they share a kiss and go about their night. Later that night her family is stopped by a highway man and items are taken.

Marcus is helping his spymaster brother find a letter that reveals information about gold. He believes the woman at the masquerade ball has the letters and is helping her own cousin. Does she know anything?

The two become more acquainted when Sorcha and her family are invited to Marcus' family estate for a few weeks. From there Marcus is determined to find out more about Sorcha's cousin and his role in the spy game, but in the process falls for her.

Eventually everything comes together when Sorcha and James are taken by the spy Marcus was looking for.

I can't wait to see what happens in book 2!

Thank you Gemma Sydney and Love Books Tour for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Note: this book does mention suicide.

Would you play a game to win money? What if that game required you to reveal your dirty secrets? What if that money came from a dead man?

Arthur Du Fuss lives on a street with only six houses. He watches his neighbors from inside his house and knows their secrets. Only one has ever bothered to reach out to him. Arthur has created a popular game and with that came a fortune, but he doesn't have a family and leaves his fortune to one of the neighbors. Arthur has decided to take his own life and once he does the lawyer has instructions on how to proceed. One of them will take home his fortune, but only after they have played the game Arthur set up for them.

The neighbors come together in the lawyer's office 1) not knowing that they were all invited and 2) not knowing what to expect. They are given an out, but no one leaves. While the book mentions the game goes on for a while, the reader only gets snippets of the game. Bigger moments. But, I do believe that the game wasn't just the game. I believe Arthur set it up to go beyond that night. Like a domino effect. Within 24 hours the rest of the neighbors have taken action.

If you are looking for a twisted thriller this is it! I couldn't put it down and read it in a day. I was left thinking “wow” and “what did I just read?”.

Thank you David Palin and Love Books Tour for the opportunity to read and review Let the Game Commence.

Book of Carraig
Andrea Matthews

Trigger warnings. This book mentions rape.

Book of Carriag is the follow up to The Cross of Ciaran. While I haven't read the first book, the story included information throughout the story piecing together what readers may have missed. It can be read as a standalone.

The story focuses on Ciaran Donnelly, who is a fifth-century Celt. He is on an archaeologist dig with Caitlin, who he has formed a relationship with. On this dig the team discovers other Celts from his time, his brother and late wife, as well as artifacts. His brother comes to life as Ciaran did and together they defeat someone from their past.

The book of Carriag didn't play a crucial role in the story. The scenes mentioning Ciaran's search for the book felt short and uneventful. Even when he finds the book, more important events take over the story and the book is briefly mentioned after. I would have liked the quest for the book to be a bigger part of the story and for there to be mention of what it contained. Again, all that was brief.

This book wasn't for me personally. However, the writer did a great job with the story. The writing was good, the story had a natural flow and the characters were well developed.

Thank you Andrea Matthews and Love Books Tour for the opportunity to read and review.

Lily is passed up for a promotion and her boyfriend sees this as an opportunity for her to move with him to Singapore. He tries to talk her into a life she doesn't want.

Lily visits her aunt for her birthday, who she helped in her floral shop growing up. They come across an empty rental space in town. After going back home Lily decides to leave the city for the small town to open her own flower shop. Will it be hard? Yes. But Lily is ready to tackle the challenge and make it work.

While the story was mostly about Lily and her new life, it also focused a little on Andy and his past. I can see what the author was doing with his part, but it didn't fit the overall story the way I believe she intended it to. His story was his own and didn't tie in with Lily's. I didn't feel the connection between Andy and Lily other than being friends. Their relationship didn't have a progression you would normally read about.

The story could have been shorter, but overall it was a good story. There were a variety of characters and the author did a good job of developing them. You got a feel for the small town and all it had to offer.

This story does mention heavy subject matter. Please check for trigger warnings.

Thank you Lisa Darcy and Love Books Tour for the opportunity to read this book!

Erica Miller was accused of killing her husband twenty-five years ago, but was found not guilty. She has decided that now is the time to tell her side of the story after years of the media telling their side.

The first part of the book is from Erica's point of view. She hires Prue Carr to write her memoir. You read Erica tell her side of the story. How the media wrote nothing but lies. At first it seems simple enough, but as their relationship progresses and Prue asks questions, Erica reveals more information that may not be as favoring toward her.

The second part of the book is Prue's point of view. You read about her impressions of Erica and how she will use this opportunity to write the book she wants. Against Erica's wishes she digs deeper into the story. The conversations Erica and Prue have are different from Prue's point of view. As if Erica thought she said one thing, but Prue hears something else. It was an interesting way to engage a reader and make you think, what did Erica really do?

The last part brings about the conflict Prue faces while trying to figure out what story to write. She was hired to write Erica's side, but also feels like there is enough to the story to write her own.

I enjoyed this book and the way the author broke it into parts. The author still left mystery leaving the reader to guess what really happened.

Thank you to Love Books Tour and Charlotte Barnes for the opportunity to read The Things I Didn't Do.

One Perfect Night was short and sweet.

Gray and Cassidy meet on their last night in Hawaii and decide to spend the evening just having fun.The next morning they part ways with only the other person's first name and nothing else.

Four years later Cassidy's interior design company is in high demand. A development company reaches out to her to design hotels they have just acquired. When she meets the owner she discovers that it is Gray. There is something Cassidy has been hiding from him, but she worries how he will react.

I enjoyed this story from beginning to end. The author kept the story simple while still conveying the emotions each character is going through.

Thank you Lorane Hopkins and Love Books Tour for the opportunity to read One Perfect Night.

The pictures in the story are beautiful!

This story is a good reminder to trust the process. God gave Noah a task and he listened. While it wasn't ideal at times for the animals they tried to remain grateful. It is easy for us to think about the worst in the situation even though a brighter day is coming. God always has a plan.

After reading this story I am at a loss, but I have so much to say about this story. It is beautifully written, but hard to read. I felt sadness, hope, fear, I think every emotion reading this story.

This story follows Lim Mei Mei (Ah Mei) in the early 1930s. Without her mother's knowledge she is sold to a wealthy family to become their new mui tsai (translated little sister) after an incident with the previous one. She is to care for their daughter.

Ah Mei wonders what happened to the previous Ah Lian, but no one will discuss the situation with her. It is after an incident with Madam Number One's mui tsai that she sees how Ah Lian's story unfolded.

The story deals with heavy topics. Please check before reading. The story gives just enough detail to convey the message, but isn't graphic. The topics are sadly relevant to today.

The author states at the end of the book that this story is a work of fiction. She has included historical facts, personal family lore and history as well as research. Reading the notes at the end gave a deeper understanding of the story.

Thank you Eva Wong Nava and Love Books Tour for the opportunity to read and review this story.

am writing this review into two parts: audiobook and story.

Quest is my first audiobook and I listened to it at 1.0x. I enjoyed the narrator and while he did change his voice for the characters, I do wish there had been at least a female voice to help break it up. I am a visual reader and while listening to the story I could picture what the characters looked like and the scenery.

I enjoyed Quest and would like to read the book. There were two Quests going on throughout the story. One being that Princess Sylvalla is out finding her own quest. Her parents would rather she be the proper princess, but she very much enjoys being outdoors.

The second quest throughout the story are those trying to find Sylvalla. Some plan to return her to her parents while others are willing to help her with her mission.

Thank you A.J. Ponder and Love Books Tour for the opportunity to listen to Quest.

The illustrations are beautiful! I love the colors and the artwork.

I enjoy a good spin on Sherlock Holmes and this story did not disappoint. This graphic novel was broken up into three episodes, but the story flowed well with natural stopping points. There are a few pages separating each episode that include bits and pieces from the story, a storybook, summarizing and piecing together the story.

This is a great read for the those who enjoy a mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley for the download in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book more than i expected.

This books has:

enemies to lovers
prank wars
close proximity

Wendy's family wants to spend Christmas away this year and manages to snag the only reservation left anywhere.

Riven is staying in a cabin finishing his novel. He agrees to go home for Christmas, but a mishap brings his family to him in the cabin.

A miscommunication leaves two families sharing a cabin for a week. With ten adults and four bedrooms, Wendy and Riven are forced to share. Its only for a week, right? But an accident causes Wendy to have to stay with Riven for another 6-8 weeks.

This book had my laughing and gushing through the whole book. They are playful with one another and Riven is perfect taking care of her when she isn't at her best. They way they are with each is sweet.

I downloaded Home For Christmas from Netgalley.

Thank you to IG Oliver and Love Book Tours for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Butterfly Bee Lady and The Bee is a unique, beautifully written and illustrated children's story. Throughout the story there are lessons that children can take from such as family is what you make it. The Butterfly Bee Lady trusts a Bramley to take care of her children and those eggs see Bramley as part of their family even though he isn't the same as them. This story shows friends stepping up for one another and determination. This is worth reading with the children in your life.

The Horn's Hoax is a fast paced fantasy story filled with magic, portals and good versus evil.
A few parts of the story that could have used more detail or included more of that particular story line, but overall this was a wonderfully told story. The author has left it with a cliffhanger and I can't wait for the next installment.

Fantasy isn't my usual go to, but I was drawn to this with our boys in mind and I know they will love it!

Thank you Hector Cantu Kalifa and Love Books Tour for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Overall I enjoyed this book. The plot itself was good. However, parts felt repetitive. Details about the incident were mentioned more than needed and in way that felt forced for us to know and remember.

The book was longer than it needed to be. There felt like a huge gap in the story after the fire before anything relevant happened again.

Sunflower wasn't as central of a character as she needed to be or what I thought she should be. She came in what felt like late into the story and while she uncovered clues and help unsolved it, I felt like there could have been more.

I didn't like that Clara couldn't understand Lucas' job in Melbourne. It was easy to understand and explained well early one, but somehow she couldn't comprehend it.

I haven't read the first in the series, but I feel like there is a backstory with the characters like Clara and Adam's relationship that I don't feel like could be fully covered or covered well in the first book.

This is the first book I've read by Langley Gray and I'll be reading more! The SantaConviction was a nice cozy mystery to read this time of year. I had an idea of who the killer would be, but it's still interesting to see how the story unfolds

Marcy is staying with her cousin, Holly, and working to earn money for college. Her childhood celebrity crush, Gabriel D'Angelo, is in town and Holly finds a way for Marcy to meet him. Only when she does he is dead. And Holly gets pinned for the murder

Logan is former military and Gabe's security. Eager to find the murderer, he teams up with Marcy to find out what really happened.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I can't decide between 3 or 4 stars. Overall I enjoyed the book. I enjoyed reading about their vacations, seeing their relationship evolve and the characters. However, the vacation causing their relationship to change was disappointing.

The narrator wasn't a good choice for the book. They sound like Siri and it made it difficult to get into the book. 

It started off good, but about halfway through the story didn't keep my attention. The characters are enjoyable, but I want feeling the connection between the main character and her ex like I think the author intended. I liked that each chapter started with a flower and its meaning.