The Year of Having Fun with Reading - Blood Red + The Grace of Wild Things

 

Goodreads:  Blood Red by Wendy Corsi Staub

Blurb:  From New York Times bestselling author Wendy Corsi Staub comes the first in a terrifying new series set in a small town with a sinister secret The razor's gleaming blade slices effortlessly through skin and tendon, and he relishes the final anguished moments of his prey. There's only one thing he prizes their long, silken strands of red hair. But these women are merely stand-ins . . . a prelude to his ultimate victim. Nestled in New York's Hudson Valley, Mundy's Landing is famous for its picturesque setting—and for a century-old string of gruesome unsolved murders. Rowan returned to her hometown years ago, fleeing a momentary mistake that could have destroyed her family. Life is good here. Peaceful. Until an anonymous gift brings Rowan's fears to life again. The town's violent history was just the beginning. Soon everyone in Mundy's Landing will know that the past cannot be forgotten or forgiven—not until every sin has been paid for, in blood.

My Thoughts:  I was expecting something light and fluffy with murders and that is not exactly what I got.  There are definitely murders but it's not the light fluffy romantic suspense that I expected but I enjoyed it.  Rowan is a happily married mother of 3 with one teenager still in the house.  The community she lives in has quite a lot of history including a historic unsolved crime that happened more than 100 years ago.  But while the current threat has roots in the past - but it is not nearly so long ago and connects to something that Rowan has inteneded to keep secret.  I did guess the who but I fully enjoyed the ride getting from beginning to reveal.  It's a bit darker and a bit slower paced than I expected but I've already ordered the next book in this series because the teaser fully caught me.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

Goodreads:  The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett

Blurb:  Grace has never been good at anything except magic—not that anyone believes her. While other children are adopted from the orphanage, nobody wants Grace. So she decides to make a home for herself by running away and offering herself as an apprentice to the witch in the nearby woods. After all, who better to teach Grace to use her magic? Surely the witch can’t be that bad.
But the witch is that bad—she steals souls for spells and gobbles up hearts. So Grace offers a deal: If she can learn all 100½ spells in the witch’s grimoire, the witch will make Grace her apprentice. But if Grace fails, the witch can take her magic. The witch agrees, and soon an unexpected bond develops between them. But the spells are much harder than Grace expected, and when a monster from the witch’s past threatens the home Grace has built, she may have to sacrifice more than her magic to save it.

Inspired by Anne of Green Gables, this is a magical story of found family, loss, and the power of a girl’s imagination.

My Thoughts:  I really loved this book.  I'm a big Anne of Green Gables fan and was a little concerned when I saw the inspired part of the blurb but this was inspired in the best possible of ways.  Grace IS Anne with her love of poetry and her sense of wonder and her desire to love and be loved.  There's also a number of little Easter eggs sprinkled about that aren't distracting if you're not an Anne fan but add an extra little bit of glitter for you if you are.  I don't want to say too much about I don't want to spoil anything but if you are a fan of found families than this is a must read.  It will probably be on my favorite books of the year list.  My Rating: Loved It! (5 Stars)