I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists. Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. This week I'm sharing 5 quick reviews for books I've read recently.
1. The Seventh Sinner by Elizabeth Peters - This is the first book in the Jacqueline Kirby series and I enjoyed it. Jacqueline is a fun character who always manages to surprise the reader. There's also an interesting cast of characters with a group of students from all of the world studying in Italy. This isn't the most memorable read but it is a lot of fun and the audio is a good one. My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)
2. Someone to Care by Mary Balogh - This is the 4th book in the Westcott series and focuses on the former Countess of Riverdale, Viola. After the death of her husband the very proper Viola discovers that her husband was in fact not her husband and her children were illegitimate. Everything she thought was real was a lie and she and her children are desperately trying to figure out their new futures. I really enjoyed that this was a bit of a second chance romance with two older characters (she is 42, he is 39) who have some life experience. While this is a romance and does focus on that there is also a lot of Viola trying to navigate her new life with her family and coming to terms with her feelings. I really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to reading more of this series. My Rating: Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)
3. The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst - I read and absolutely loved the previous book in this series so I was so excited to pick this one up and was not disappointed. This is a lovely story with lovely people and stunning sounding greenhouses. Terlu was mentioned in the first book so I was thrilled to see her getting her own story. She's such a sweet natured person and I loved her relationship with Yarrow and all the sentient plants as well as her increasing drive to save the greenhouse. This is a fairly quiet story with lots of discussions, trial and error spellcasting, and exploring the greenhouses but I never felt like the story lagged. The audio is wonderful and I highly recommend going that route if you are interested in this one. My Rating: Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)
4. The Murders of Mrs. Austin and Mrs. Beale by Jill McGown - This police procedural was published in the early 90s so there's a lack of reliance on cell phones and internet which makes for an interesting investigation. Unfortunately, I didn't love this one. The mystery is good and the connections are interesting with an interesting twist in the conclusion. Unfortunately, I really didn't like any of the characters - especially the lead investigators - and the writing style just didn't work for me. It felt so mired in details that I often missed big reveals. By the end this was probably because I really didn't care. This is the 4th in a series so it's possible I would have enjoyed it more if I knew the characters better but by the end of this book I didn't really want to know the characters better so I think I'm one and done with this series. My Rating: Just Okay (2 Stars)
5. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - I almost didn't read this one as the premise didn't appeal to me at all but then I saw some good reviews from people who have similar reading tastes so I added it to my Audio TBR jar - and then the jar told me it was time to read it. I almost DNF'd it in at around 10% as I didn't care for Nora and I just didn't see how this premise was going to work but decided to keep going with it and pretty soon after I was absolutely hooked. This is a unique premise beautifully executed with a main character who doesn't feel like anything is going right in her life. As she spends time with in the Midnight Library and with all the different versions of herself she finds herself realizing what really matters in a way that is true to her. I was surprised with how much I enjoyed this and I'm pleased to see there's a second book coming out in May. My Rating: Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)
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