Key Trilogy - Contemporary Romance Review

Key of Light by Nora Roberts  - This book starts with a mysterious invitation and 3 strangers traveling to a creepy and palatial house overlooking a small town.  We quickly learn that the 3 strangers are Malory - art gallery manager, Dana - librarian, and Zoe - hairstylist.  All 3 are of similar age and are in similar situations regarding employment status and they all very much want to own their own place.  Shortly after, mysterious and gorgeous Rowena and Pitte, enter the scene and the choice for an adventurous quest is offered.  Malory, Dana, and Zoe can choose to search for 3 keys to unlock the souls of the 3 Daughters of Glass and claim 1 million dollars if they succeed or lose a year of their lives if they fail.  If they agree to the choice they will receive $25,000 immediately.  A lot of the book is spent figuring out what is real and what is myth as well as getting to know the main characters.  The three women are shortly joined by Dana's brother Flynn and his two best friends, Jordan and Brad, who both have an unexpected connection to Rowena and Pitte and the Daughters of Glass. I enjoyed seeing the relationship between the men and watching the friendship grow between the women.  While the focus of this book is on Malory and Flynn and Malory's search for the key there is some setup for the next two romantic relationships.  This is a fun read.  Watching the characters scramble to get a handle on just what is going on and what they can believe is entertaining and kept me turning pages.  As soon as I finished this one I wanted to immediately pick up the 2nd in the trilogy!

Key of Knowledge - While I enjoyed the first book in this trilogy it was the second book that earned a place on my keeper shelf.  The first part of the quest is complete and now it's time for Dana to take center stage along with her ex-boyfriend Jordan.  There's enough unresolved issues between them to sink a ship and Dana's not so sure that she wants Jordan in her life again, much less taking part in this all important quest.  There are a lot of things that I absolutely love in this book. I loved the fact that both characters are very bookish and that this is very much a second chance romance. Both Jordan and Dana are huge readers and both have built their careers in book related fields.  Dana is a librarian with aspirations to own a bookstore and Jordan is a successful author.  There discussions about books and reading were wonderful and just feel like they were written by someone who actually reads which adds a little pocket of delight.  The quest itself was a fun read - different enough from Malory's to be entertaining but still similar enough that they all fit together.  I enjoyed seeing more of Malory and Flynn and seeing Zoe and Brad start to form a relationship.  And Moe is just awesome.  I mean I don't want to own him but I want to know the person who does!  Now I can't wait to jump into the third book which is a sign of a good trilogy!

Key of Valor - Finally we come to Zoe's journey.  Zoe is a single mother from a hard background who has worked incredibly hard to get where is today.  She's smart, talented, and not exactly sure how to accept help from anyone - especially not heir to the Vane fortune and a home improvement retail empire.  But Brad isn't a spoiled rich boy but a hard worker in his own regard.  He has a vision for what he wants professionally and as soon as he meets Zoe and her son, 9 year old Simon, he has a vision of what he was in his personal life.  This book was less about Kane, the villain, and the quest in general and more about Zoe herself.  How she got to where she is now, her feelings, her decisions, and finally what she wants.  I liked the relationship between Zoe and Brad.  He's always there for her and completely believes in her but he isn't always calm and patient.  If she pokes at him he has no problem poking back which was fun.  The relationship between Brad and Simon was very special and was a nice element of the book.  The conclusion tied up all the threads from the trilogy in a very nice way and left me smiling and maybe a little teary eyed.

This was a strong trilogy where each book really held its own.  There was no story to suffer through to get to the next one and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each couple.  This is a trilogy that I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting and would really love to check back in with the characters.  Maybe Simon can get his own story one day?  I really think Nora Roberts' books from the late 1990s and early 2000s are some of her best and this trilogy is one of my favorites.

Last Christmas in Paris - Historical Fiction Review

Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb (Amazon)

Rating: Loved it!
Source:   Blog Tour

Description:  August 1914. England is at war. As Evie Elliott watches her brother, Will, and his best friend, Thomas Harding, depart for the front, she believes—as everyone does—that it will be over by Christmas, when the trio plan to celebrate the holiday among the romantic cafes of Paris.

But as history tells us, it all happened so differently…

Evie and Thomas experience a very different war. Frustrated by life as a privileged young lady, Evie longs to play a greater part in the conflict—but how?—and as Thomas struggles with the unimaginable realities of war he also faces personal battles back home where War Office regulations on press reporting cause trouble at his father’s newspaper business. Through their letters, Evie and Thomas share their greatest hopes and fears—and grow ever fonder from afar. Can love flourish amid the horror of the First World War, or will fate intervene?

Christmas 1968. With failing health, Thomas returns to Paris—a cherished packet of letters in hand—determined to lay to rest the ghosts of his past. But one final letter is waiting for him…

Genre: Historical Fiction

Why I Picked This Book: So many reasons!  World War 1, Paris, Hazel Gaynor, the cover, a final letter!  How could I resist it?

My Impression:  This is my second book by Hazel Gaynor and I was not quite sure if this book could live up to my love of The Cottingley Secret.  With its epistolary format I just didn't see how it could be quite as magical.  But it was!  The personalities come out so strong in the letters that I felt like the letter writers were real.  I could imagine Evie sitting at Will's writing desk alternately writing the letter and looking out the window.  I could see Thomas taking a break from training or taking a a little time away from his men once they got to France to dash out a letter to Evie.  I could sense Evie's frustration and forced good cheer as well as Thomas' fatigue and desperation for a connection to home.  There are a number of other letter writers.  There is Evie's brother Will as well as the occasional family member or friend and while their voices are distinct Evie and Thomas are the characters I connected with the most.

This isn't a book that I can really go on and on about but not because I didn't love it but more because in its own way it's a quiet book.  The world is falling apart around the characters and my heart hurt for them but at the same time this isn't action oriented book.  The letters catch snapshots of fear, pain, love, and hope through the perspective of the letter writer.  I became completely immersed in the world they created and I was sad when the time came to leave. 

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Yes!  I want to read more books by either Gaynor herself or this writing team right now!

Would I Recommend this Book?  Yes!  This is a wonderful read.  If you enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society I think you'd love this one.

Splintered - YA Fantasy Review

Splintered (Splintered #1) by A.G. Howard

Rating: Very Good
Source: Library (Audio)

Description:   Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

Genre: YA - Fantasy

Why I Picked This Book: I love an Alice in Wonderland retelling and the cover is so eye catching. 

My Impression: First a disclaimer - while I have read the original Alice in Wonderland I'm not a fan.  I love the Disney movie (the original) and have enjoyed some of the recent story adaptations but I'm not devoted to the original story.

Okay, that being said - that book was absolutely bonkers!  The imagery was insane and wonderful all at the same time and I loved this particular spin on the original Alice story.  Alyssa is a good narrator for this bit of madness.  She's smart and seriously motivated to get this all figured out.  She's not at all sure of herself which did get a little annoying at times but she was definitely a realistic 17 year old (minus the talking bugs and flowers of course).

This version of Wonderland is much darker than the original (not that the book version is exactly all rainbows) and there's quite a bit of danger and more than a little sadness lurking in the shadows.  The adventures are on the nail biting side and while there is a time or two that luck is a factor it's more often than not either Alyssa figuring something out or using her training.  I loved that they also refer to the original book occasionally for clues.

There's a bit of a love triangle here which is typically something I hate but it really worked here.  There's human world Jeb who has some serious baggage and whose protective attitude towards Alyssa drove me crazy frequently.  He meant well but there were times he needed to just take a breath and step away.  I did like that he was clearly on her side and proud of her accomplishments.  On the Underworld side is manipulative deceptive Morpheous whose motives are never quite clear and no one can quite trust.  He reminded me a little bit of Jack Sparrow from The Pirates of the Caribbean movies but younger and with wings and much much smarter.

There were a few pacing issues at the beginning but when the quest got going I was pulled along and really didn't want to quit listening.  I loved how this wrapped up and am super curious to see what happens next.  I've seen some complaints on how the mental health care of Alyssa's mother is represented and it definitely feels inaccurate and primitive.  However, it isn't the focus of the book and works with both the overwrought atmosphere and as a motive Alyssa's action so I felt it worked.

Audio Note:  Rebecca Gibel does the narration and she is amazing. Her voicing for Alyssa and the rest of the characters is spot on and I loved her accents.  If you have a chance to listen to this I highly recommend it.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  I would!  I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next in this series and I want to try the new series by Howard as well.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy an Alice in Wonderland retelling I think you'd like this one.  I'm not a big Fantasy or YA reader but I really enjoyed this one.

Sugar Pine Trail - Contemporary Romance Review

Sugar Pine Trail (Haven Point) by RaeAnne Thayne (Amazon)

Rating: Very Good
Source: Publicist

Description:  Librarian Julia Winston is ready to ditch the quiet existence she's been living. She's made a list of new things to experience, but falling for Jamie Caine, her sexy military pilot neighbor, isn't one of them. Julia's looking to conquer life, not become the heartbreaker's latest conquest. But when two young brothers wind up in Julia's care for the holidays, she'll take any help she can get—even Jamie's.
Happy to step in, Jamie reveals a side of himself that's much harder to resist. Not only is he fantastic with kids, he provides the strength Julia needs to tackle her list. She knows their temporary family can't last beyond the holidays, but the closer she gets to Jamie, the more she wonders if things could be this merry and bright forever…

Genre: Romance - Contemporary

Why I Picked This Book:  RaeAnne Thayne writes my very favorite Christmas books so there was no way I could resist this one!  Especially not with that cover and a librarian as the main character.

My Impression:  RaeAnne Thayne's Christmas stories are usually the equivalent of a warm blanket, a cozy fire, and a nice steaming mug of hot chocolate.  Sugar Pine Trail did not let me down.  I loved Julia.  She's smart, she's interested, and she's feeling terribly alone this holiday season.  But she still doesn't want to get involved with her new lodger Jamie and doesn't really believe he'd be interested in anyway. 

Julia's been a side character for awhile and it was really good to see her have her own story.  She can be a little standoffish at times but I found it impossible not to like and sympathize with her.  My heart broke right along with hers as she begins to get involved with 2 boys who have taken refuge in the library. 

Jamie's a little easier to like but not quite as easy to connect to - especially at first.  He's a nice guy who at first glance has gotten through life on his looks and charm.  But there is more than meets the eye with him as well. 

I loved the family they created and I loved the growing bond between Julia and Jamie.  These are 4 characters that need it each other very much even if they don't always realize it and I found it impossible not to root for them. 

This was a wonderful heartwarming book with characters I loved which is really what I expect from an RaeAnne Thayne Christmas story and she has yet to let me down!  While this is part of a series you can jump in here without any problems as the story focuses almost entirely on Julia and Jamie.  There was a thread or two that didn't get quite as resolved as I would have liked but it in now way impacted my reading experience.  If you're looking for the perfect Christmas-y romance look no further!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I always look forward to a new RaeAnne Thayne book and she has a back list I'd really like to explore.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy romance that is more about the emotional bond than hot and steamy Thayne is an author you should not miss. 

Ten Halloween Reads that Aren't Horror

This time of year always makes me want to pull out some creepy reads or Halloween themed reads!  Here are 5 of my favorites and 5 I'm hoping to get to this year.

Five Favorites

1. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson -  This gets classified as horror quite a bit which is not really fair to the book.  It's creepy and eerie and unsettling but not horror.  That being said this isn't a book I'd want to read while home by myself.

2.  The Betrayed by Heather Graham -  it only does this take place in the town where Sleepy Hollow is based around Halloween but there's also headless corpses and lots of ghosts.  There's a little bit of romance and a big dog to take the edge off.

3.  Splintered by A.G. Howard - So this really doesn't have much to do with Halloween but it's creepy and spooky and weird so that's close enough.

4.  Witch by Barbara Michaels - I love Michaels' suspense novels and this one - complete with a ghost witch is probably the spookiest.

5.  Trick or Deceit by Shelley Freydont - A murder that takes place in the middle of a haunted house competition. It's hard to get more in the Halloween spirit than that.

Five I Want to Read:

1.  We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson -  I love Shirley Jackson but somehow I've never read this book.

2.  The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writings by Edgar Allan Poe - I recently read a book that figured the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe and had a number of references to his writings.  I've been wanting to do a big reread ever since and this is the perfect time of year.

3.  A Good Marriage by Stephen King - I've somehow never read Stephen King but this novella is tempting me.  Plus, I love the do you really know your spouse trope.

4.  Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco - it's Jack the Ripper - I can never resist a Jack the Ripoer book and I've heard good things about this one.

5.  Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman - So I'm not sure how Halloween-y this is but there's witches and an old house and I really just want to read more books by Alice Hoffman.

What books do you want to read this Halloween?  What are some of your favorite spooky reads?

Reviews from the Children's Section - The Enchanted Castle

One of my favorite genres and one that is the easiest for me to push aside is middle grade fiction. This year to make sure I get a little more children's and young adult fiction I thought I would designate the first Monday of every month Middle Grade Monday.  While a lot of my picks this year are classics I am trying to branch out a little bit and read new or at least recent releases.  This week's book is classic but one that I've never read or really new anything much about - The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit.

The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit - Jerry, Jimmy, and Cathy stumble upon a mysterious castle with a beautiful princess asleep in the garden. The princess is really Mabel, the housekeeper's niece, who is only pretending to be royalty. But when she shows them a secret room filled with treasure where they discover a magical ring, enchantment becomes a reality.

E. Nesbit is an author I'd always known about but somehow never read any of her stories.  One of the reasons I started to set aside this day for Middle Grade books is to make time for books like this one.  I loved the magic of this story with the little girl dressed up in a princess dress pretending to be a princess and where the lines of magic and reality start to blur.  The three children are good and well behaved but still pick on each other like regular siblings which added a delightful bit of realism.

However, despite all that I found this book a little slow going.  Despite it's age I didn't find it particularly dated except for the pacing of the story.  While the children are pretty much constantly landing in one adventure or another it wasn't a book that really drew me in.  I felt like I was just hovering on the surface of the text throughout the entire read which was disappointing and frankly it took a number of days to finish because I didn't find myself able to read very much at one time without getting distracted.

While there is nothing here I would worry about my kids reading this isn't really a book I'd recommend for children either.  As for me, I'll probably give Nesbit another try because her name does seem so synonymous with children's books but going in my expectations will be much lower.  Rating:  Just Okay

This Week in Reading - October 1

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

The Inn at Blue Hollow Falls by Donna Kauffman - I've really enjoyed previous books by Kauffman and I can never resist a book that takes place in an inn!  (NetGalley)

Thread the Halls by Lea Waite - This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series and even though I'm a little behind in the series I couldn't resist grabbing this one!  (NetGalley)

The Vanishing Season by Joanne Schaffhausen - I have read a serial killer book in awhile but this one looks like quite the read! (Publisher)

Murder in the Manuscript Room by Con Lehane - I have the first book in the series though I haven't read it but I couldn't resist this one!  (Publisher)

The Vineyard Victims by Ellen Crosby - There's a mysterious death and a 25 year old murder.  I had to have this one! (Publisher)

Ginger Snapped by Gail Oust - I've been wanting to read this series for ages so I had to take this one.  Just the cover has me wanting to bake gingerbread! (Publisher)

Christmas at Whisper Beach by Shelley Noble - I loved the previous book I read by Noble and I couldn't resist this Christmas novella. (Edelweiss)

Currently:

Reading:  Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb and Agatha Raisin and the Witches' Tree by M.C. Beaton

Listening:  I'm waiting for The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan but until then I've been listening to some podcasts.  My new discovery is a podcast called Reply All which has a guy from This American Life and has that kind of feel but much shorter.  I also downloaded Socks by Beverly Cleary for the road trip.  I've never really heard of this one but it's Beverly Cleary AND narrated by Neil Patrick Harris so I figure it has to be a winner.

Watching: I'm excited to see some of my favorite shows coming back on.  I really enjoyed this week's The Big Bang Theory.  Eleanor and my sister-in-law also convinced me to watch The Voice and I enjoyed the first one a lot.  

Off the Blog:

It's Disney week!  We had a bit of a catastrophe earlier this week.  On the way home from camping J noticed that one of the tires on the motor home was getting really hot (I do not camp in a tent in September.  I make sure I have access to air condition and hot water!) and it turned out something in the brake was sticking and causing more friction.  So it's not really something we can drive 12 hours in until it's repaired and motor home repairs take forever so it wasn't going to be ready before we left.  I was in hysterics since that's where we were planning on staying but I called the nice people at Disney and they got us alternative lodgings and we're good to go!   We also decided to add a day at Lego Land to the trip and the Tornado is so excited he can barely stand it.

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday:  The Winter Wedding Plan - Contemporary Romance Review
Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday -Ten Characters Who Do Go Home Again
Wednesday: Sleep Like a Baby - Mystery Review
Thursday:  A Cajun Christmas Killing - Cozy Mystery Review + Giveaway
Friday:  Friday Linkups - The Betrayed
Saturday: 52 Pins in 52 Weeks - A Few Pins I've Done Lately

What's Coming Up:

Monday: Reviews from the Children's Section - The Enchanted Castle

Tuesday: Ten Halloween Books

Wednesday:  Sugar Pine Trail - Contemporary Romance Review

Thursday:  Splintered - YA Fantasy Review

Friday: Last Christmas in Paris - Historical Fiction Review

Saturday: The Key Trilogy by Nora Roberts - Contemporary Romance Review

Have a great week and happy reading!