The Last Commandment, which is the first book in the Austin Grant of Scotland Yard series by Scott Shepherd, has a really great premise: a serial killer running across two continents, leaving behind murder victims who correspond to The Ten Commandments. If you're a Dan Brown fan -- all about the murder mystery mixed with Christian religious themes -- I'm going to say this one is for you, even though I've never actually read a Dan Brown novel....
Calling all Janeites! I’m here to tell you that not only is The Other Bennet Sister worth your time, but that it’s one of the best Jane Austen-inspired novels I've ever read. And I’ve read a lot of them. What's The Other Bennet Sister about? The Other Bennet Sister is about Mary Bennet, who's Elizabeth Bennet's "least eligible" sister in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The Mary Bennet that author Janice Hadlow...
I was fully prepared to hate Daisy Jones & The Six. But, I ended up loving it instead.
Why I decided to read Daisy Jones & The Six I refused to read Daisy Jones and the Six during the first year it was published. Why? For starters, I don't like band biopics. They bore me with their petty dramas and creative differences and substance abuse problems. Drugs and drinking hold no allure for me. Reading...
I love discovering new authors in supernatural fiction, and The Voices falls perfectly into this genre. This story starts off like most haunted house novels -- a happy couple moves into a too-good-to-be-true lovely old house that turns out to be creepyAF. But that's where anything expected in The Voices ends. What's The Voices about? Main character Christopher composes music for a living. During some recording sessions in his new...
It took me a long time to write my book review of My Dark Vanessa. Much longer than it took me to read the book, which I drank up as quickly as I could. Author Kate Elizabeth Russell's novel is exquisite, which is an odd thing to say for a story about such a delicate topic, but it's true. The writing in My Dark Vanessa is haunting, beautiful, and lyrical from the get-go. The book pulls you right into its troubling depths. ...
I can't believe I'm saying this, but Mexican Gothic is the latest bestseller to fall into the DNF pit. Let me start off this book review by saying that I'm not only disappointed by how much I didn't enjoy this Gothic suspense -- but I'm very surprised by it. Author Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic made HUGE waves last year among bookstagrammers and book bloggers, for its book cover alone! Which is, admittedly, gorgeous. ...
Do yourself a favor and step into the enchanting novel that is The Gown. What's The Gown about? The Gown is a behind-the-scenes story that shines a spotlight on the regular ol' folks responsible for creating the grandeur of then-Princess Elizabeth II's wedding dress, as well as many of the ensembles donned by the regency and aristocrats of that time. Author Jennifer Robson's gorgeous writing draws you immediately into The Gown. It...
I'm pretty sure that Party of Two is not author Jasmine Guillory's best work. I know, I know: that's a pretty bold statement to make right off the bat. Guillory’s first book, The Wedding Date, made huge waves when it published a few years ago, but I never got around to reading it. I picked up Party of Two because it was the only Guillory title my library had on hand during COVID quarantine. Given all the fuss surrounding the author and her...
Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe is as wonderful and lovely as its book cover. Please read it. There. DONE! Book review complete. Oh, okay. I suppose I should tell you a little more about why I blazed through this utterly charming novel by Heather Webber.
What's Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe about? Anna Kate Callow unexpectedly inherits her grandmother’s adorable Blackbird Café, on the stipulation that she uproot her life and move to...
I think I want to start a Cookbook Club. I had no idea what one was until I read The Cookbook Club by Beth Harbison. Now, I'm obsessed with the idea. And that's completely due to the fact that this women's fiction-meets-foodie-fiction novel is a sheer delight. What's The Cookbook Club about? The Cookbook Club is about three women whose lives intersect when they meet up together for this unique book club group. They pick a cookbook,...
