A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

THE HACIENDA Book Review

The Hacienda is one of those books that’s received a lot of buzz – and I’m happy to report that it lived up to the hype. I’ve seen a lot of bloggers/reviews comparing The Hacienda to Mexican Gothic, which was a DNF for me. So, it took me awhile to gather the courage to attempt The Hacienda. I’m not sure why people keep comparing these two novels. Maybe -- disappointingly -- it’s because they’re both set in Mexico?? Sigh. It's a...

A TRUE ACCOUNT: HANNAH MASURY’S SOJOURN AMONGST THE PYRATES, WRITTEN BY HERSELF Book Review

Don’t let the excessively long title of this book turn you off. I promise you that **deep breath**  A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself is a GREAT read. When Kaye Publicity asked me if I’d like an ARC of this Katherine Howe title, I pounced on the opportunity. I adored Howe’s witchy historical fiction novel The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, and I wasn’t passing up a chance to get my...

GREENWICH PARK Book Review

Greenwich Park isn't the best thriller I've ever read, but it's certainly not the worst.  I know, I know. Not the world's great accolade. I've read a lot of great thrillers, and while this one kept me entertained, it didn't necessarily blow me out of the water. A large reason for that is because while there are plenty of plot twists, I saw about half of them coming a mile away. It's all just kind of predictable.    What's Greenwich Park...

GAD’S HALL and THE HAUNTING OF GAD’S HALL Book Reviews

How do I even begin to review the confounding and enchanting reading experience that is Gad’s Hall and The Haunting of Gad’s Hall? First, let me reassure you that despite the book cover promising “two novels of the supernatural,” Gad’s Hall/The Haunting of Gad's Hall is the most benign ghost story I’ve ever read. Like, if you blink, you miss the scary parts. Which aren’t even that scary to begin with. Shockingly, I was okay with...

OLD COUNTRY Book Review

Old Country is one of the best horror stories I’ve read in a very long time. Tartlets, this supernatural horror novel by Matt Query and Harrison Query is AWESOME. There’s no other word for it. Old Country blew me away with its originality, insidiously creepy reveals, and excellent writing. I’ve read a lot of haunted house stories, but this tale about a young married couple living on haunted land stands out as a rare treat in the horror...

A STORM OF INFINITE BEAUTY Book Review

A Storm of Infinite Beauty begins with a bang – pretty much literally. Did you know that a massive earthquake and tsunami decimated a portion of the Alaskan coastline in the 1960s? Because I had no idea this happened until I read Julianne MacLean’s detailed and deeply researched women’s fiction novel set in Valdez, Alaska.   What’s A Storm of Infinite Beauty about?  A Storm of infinite Beauty is a dual timeline novel. There's young...

THE SPARROW SISTERS Book Review

I tried reading the second book in the Sparrow Sister series a few years ago. I only made it a few pages into Book #2 -- The Forbidden Garden -- before putting it aside. It was mainly because I just couldn't get into the story or keep the characters straight.  Now, I know why. I was supposed to read The Sparrow Sisters first.  Whoops.    What's The Sparrow Sisters about? The Sparrow Sisters by Ellen Herrick unfolds slowly. It eases you...

BEST SERVED HOT Book Review

Best Served Hot marries two of my favorite types of books: a hilarious rom-com and delicious foodie fiction. I ended up loving this funny, sweet, and sexy novel by Amanda Elliot, though it admittedly took a few chapters to get into it. This is mostly because of main character Julie. When we first meet her, she spends most of her time scheming about how to get clicks on her restaurant review blog. As a result, Julie comes across as a little...

MY MAGNOLIA SUMMER (DNF Book Review)

Unpopular opinion alert: I didn’t like My Magnolia Summer. I hate to break it to you, but this is another DNF book review. This Southern fiction novel by Victoria Benton Frank has been sweeping through the #bookstagram and BookTok feeds recently. The main reason is because it looks like the perfect summer read. Another reason might have something to do with the fact that author Frank is the daughter of famed novelist Dorothea Benton Frank....

A NOVEL OBSESSION Book Review

I bet Naomi, the main character in A Novel Obsession, has "crazy eyes." She has to have crazy eyes. Because, it sure doesn't take long for her crazy to start coming out.   What's A Novel Obsession about? I stumbled across A Novel Obsession when I decided to take a writing workshop taught by author Caitlin Barasch. The story’s premise intrigued me right away: twenty-something Naomi stalks her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend under the guise of...