Friday Fives - The Five Most Recent Goodreads Giveaways I've Entered

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  Michelle over at Because Reading is Better Than Real Life   used to do a Five on Fridays that I always enjoyed and I've seen a few other variations on the theme.  As well I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd give start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.  I go through phases with the giveaways on Goodreads.  Sometimes I'm entering like it's my job and other times I go for months without even thinking about it.  I'm in an entering kind of mood and here are the most recent 5 that grabbed my attention.

1.  Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris - I was surprised to see this because it's been out for a bit.  Maybe it's about to release in paperback?  I wanted to read it when it first came out and nothing I've read about it has changed my mind.

2.  Finding Zsa Zsa: The Gabors Behind the Legend by Sam Staggs - I know nothing about this one other than who Zsa Zsa and Eva are but it sounded like it could be interesting.

3.  One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski - I feel like I've seen a review or two for this one that was good but I don't remember more than that.  The cover caught my eye and there's a mystery involving a 30 year old disappearance which I can never resist. 

4.  The Christmas Keeper by Jenn McKinlay - I love McKinlay's mysteries and enjoyed the one romance by her that I read.  This is the 2nd in a new romance series and it involves a bookstore so how could I pass that up?

5.  Ice Cold Heart by P.J. Tracy - I can't really explain this one other than I've heard of PJ Tracy and own a couple of books in this series which I've never read any of them. 

Do you enter Goodreads giveaways? 

Death in Kew Gardens - Historical Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Death in Kew Gardens (Kat Holloway Mysteries #3) by Jennifer Ashley

Rating:  Loved It!
Source: Publisher

Description:  In return for a random act of kindness, scholar Li Bai Chang presents young cook Kat Holloway with a rare and precious gift—a box of tea. Kat thinks no more of her unusual visitor until two days later when the kitchen erupts with the news that Lady Cynthia's next-door neighbor has been murdered.

Known about London as an "Old China Hand," the victim claimed to be an expert in the language and customs of China, acting as intermediary for merchants and government officials. But Sir Jacob's dealings were not what they seemed, and when the authorities accuse Mr. Li of the crime, Kat and Daniel find themselves embroiled in a world of deadly secrets that reach from the gilded homes of Mayfair to the beautiful wonder of Kew Gardens

Genre: Mystery - Historical

Why I Picked This Book:  The main reason is because I have loved the first two books in the series and couldn't wait to dive into this one but if that hadn't been the case I couldn't have resisted that cover!

My Impression:   This series is the book version of a cozy blanket and a nice cup of tea.  Things have been crazy in real life but the second I opened this book the world faded away and I was swept up into Kat's world both in the kitchen and out of it.  I loved seeing Kat, Tess, Daniel, Cynthia, and Thanos again and thoroughly enjoyed the mystery.

I thought the Chinese angle was a little unusual and really fascinating.  I can't think of the last time I've seen China discussed in a historical mystery so the information and the attitudes of the characters were both really interesting.  It also made a good excuse to pull Mr. Thanos in and some other researchers.  Thanos is one of my favorite characters and Thanos plus research is pretty much all of my favorite things in one.    The mystery was a delight with a regular increase in information and an unraveling that kept me turning pages.

As always, I loved the below stairs part of the mystery and it was interesting seeing Kat with an adversary.  The new housekeeper makes Mr. Davis look like Mr. Rogers.  While this is the third in the series you could jump in right here without any problem though you really should go back and read the first two because they're fantastic!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Of course!  I'm already counting the days until the next book comes out.

Would I Recommend this Book?  Absolutely!  Even if you aren't a regular mystery reader if you're interested in upstairs/downstairs stories or historical fiction in general I think you'll love this series!

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

Summer on Mirror Lake - Contemporary Romance Review

Goodreads: Summer on Mirror Lake (Honeymoon Harbor #3) by JoAnn Ross

Rating:  A Good Read
Source: Publisher

Description:  Summertime is the best time to lose yourself in the romance of Honeymoon Harbor…
When he lands in the emergency room after collapsing at the funeral of a colleague and friend, Wall Street hotshot Gabriel Mannion initially rejects the diagnosis of an anxiety attack. But when warned that if he doesn’t change his adrenaline-fueled, workaholic lifestyle he could end up like his friend, Gabe reluctantly returns to his hometown of Honeymoon Harbor to regroup.

As he adjusts to the sight of mountains instead of skyscrapers, Gabe discovers advantages to this small Pacific Northwest town he once couldn’t wait to escape. But it’s irresistible librarian Chelsea Prescott who, along with the two foster children she’s taken under her wing, makes slowing down seem like the best prescription ever.

Over the course of their summer romance, Gabe gets a taste of the life he might have had if he’d taken a different path. But with his return to New York City looming on the horizon, he’ll have to choose between the success he’s worked tirelessly for and a ready-made family who offers a very different, richly rewarding future…if he’ll only take the risk.

Genre:  Romance - Contemporary

Why I Picked This Book:  I've read the first two books in this series and I'm always willing to read about one of the Mannions finding their HEA whether they want to or not.

My Impression:  I do love a small town romance and this one set in the cutesy named (but there's a reason for it!) Honeymoon Harbor is becoming one of my favorites.  It's not all unicorns and rainbows.  People have their struggles, down times, and relatable worries but it never gets over-angsty or overly dark. 

Chelsea is a great character.  She's a librarian not only because she loves books but also because she loves the community of the library itself and wants it to as much of a haven for those around her as it was to her during her turbulent childhood.  She's optimistic and upbeat and tries to see the best in situations.  She has her demons and sorrows but she doesn't let those define her.

Gabe was a little harder to like.  He's spent most of his adult life not connecting to the people around him.  He's a workaholic and even a pretty big wake up call doesn't really wake him up.  He sees no real issue with the way he's living even though he's taking a doctor ordered break.  He's so focused on work and succeeding that his personality gets a bit lost and replaced with sheer intensity.  Right from the start we know he has a softer side (he's invested in several businesses around town mostly for altruistic purposes) but not only does he not want to talk about it, he really doesn't seem to want to admit to himself that it exists.

The romance is a bit of a slow burn as at the beginning of the book the Chelsea and Gabe don't know each other at all and really only have one conversation.  But that doesn't mean it was a slow read.  I loved seeing Chelsea in the library and developing her relationship with library patrons (2 in particular) as well as seeing Gabe and Chelsea get to know each other.  I think this is my favorite kind of romance as these two have very different personalities and it was so fun watching a bond develop.

While this book is a romance there is a lot of other things going on.  It's more of a segment of time in Honeymoon Harbor that just happens to focus on Chelsea and Gabe for a bit.   I really love visiting Honeymoon Harbor again but don't feel like this is a series that has to be read in order.  I think you could jump in here with no issue though I bet you'll be wanting to go dive into the previous two books as soon as you finish this one!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I noticed there were a few novellas I missed that I'm adding to my wishlist now!

Would I Recommend this Book?  I would!  If you enjoy small town romance with a real community feel and likable and sympathetic characters I think you'd love this one.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

Top Ten Tuesday - Unpopular Bookish Opinions

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun linkup hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl that's all about Top Ten lists.  Today's topic is about unpopular bookish opinions!  I'm not sure how unpopular these are but these are just a few things I've seen people object to or like that I'm a bit on the opposite side of.

1.  I like a trite or overly wrapped up ending - Is every plot tied up with a bow?  Does everything magically work out?  I'm so in for that!

2.  I liked Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee - I think this book suffered from a bad marketing campaign.  It in no way is a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird which is kind of how the book was sold.  What it is is a rejected manuscript that she used as inspiration for To Kill a Mockingbird.  It's not particularly great book but  found it interesting to see what Lee started with and I could definitely see why she focused on Scout's childhood.  The flashbacks were actually brilliant.

3.  I dislike Little Women with the hot intensity of a thousand suns - I enjoy several of Alcott's other books but I despised Little Women.  The only character I liked was Meg because she got married early in the book and left.  Also, Amy is a psychopath.

4.  A book that is going to cause me to ugly cry is a book that I will most likely skip - It seems so many people like books that bring up a lot of emotions or are really sad but I've never been a fan.  I'm an escapist reader and I like what I"m escaping to to be fun!

5.  I don't keep books - Unless it's a book I know I'm going to reread or it has some kind of sentimental value I'm either giving it away or selling it at the local used bookstore.

6.  I don't mind a broken spine - Now I don't want pages falling out but as long as the binding okay I don't mind if the spine is broken to the point I can't even read the title.

7.  It doesn't bother me if all the covers in a series don't match - I don't know why publishers change it up as so many people do collect series they love and do want them to look the same but it doesn't really bother me.

8.  I didn't mind assigned reading in school - I've seen a lot of people say that assigned reading put them off of reading classics or even off of reading at all for awhile but it never bothered me.  Not even when I was in school.  Now I didn't love everything I read - I still get twitchy when James Joyce or Dostoyevsky gets mentioned - but it didn't affect my overall opinion on reading in general or specific genres.

9.  I hate clinch covers of any kind - I love the romance genre but so often I hate their covers.  They've gotten a little better over the last ten years or so but there are so many with a couple busting out of their clothes in an impossible pose.  Now to be fair I don't know anyone who really loves those covers but enough people must because they still exist.

10. I don't take notes, highlight or collect quotes - I know so many people love quotes but for some reason they never really stick with me and I can never remember any of them.  I'm also not a big note taker or highlighter. 

Murder in the City of Liberty - Historical Fiction

Goodreads:  Murder in the City of Liberty (Van Buren and DeLuca #2) by Rachel McMillan

Rating: Just Okay
Source:  Blog Tour

Description:  Determined to make a life for herself, Regina "Reggie" Van Buren bid goodbye to fine china and the man her parents expected her to marry and escaped to Boston. What she never expected to discover was that an unknown talent for sleuthing would develop into a business partnership with the handsome, yet shy, Hamish DeLuca.
Their latest case arrives when Errol Parker, the leading base stealer in the Boston farm leagues, hires Hamish and Reggie to investigate what the Boston police shove off as a series of harmless pranks. Errol believes these are hate crimes linked to the outbreak of war in Europe, and he's afraid for his life. Hamish and Reggie quickly find themselves in the midst of an escalating series of crimes that seem to link Boston to Hamish's hometown of Toronto.

When an act of violence hits too close to home, Hamish is driven to a decision that may sever him from Reggie forever . . . even more than her engagement to wealthy architect Vaughan Vanderlaan.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Connect with Rachel

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Genre: Mystery - Historical 

Why I Picked This Book:  I've been loving historical mysteries lately and this sounded fun.

My Impression:  I'm not sure what happened here.  I mean I wanted to love it.  I've been loving historical mysteries lately and this really seemed perfect.  Unfortunately, for me, it just fell a bit flat.   I never connected to Hamish or Reggie or the mystery itself in general.  I also had a lot of difficulty keeping all the characters straight.  Now this is the second book in the series and I haven't read the first book  so a lot of my issues could stem from that so I'm trying not to judge it too harshly.

The setting is a lot of fun and I love the premise. The pairing of the former socialite, Reggie, and the shyer bookish, Hamish, has the makings for a lot of fun.  This also started off with a bit of action and the plot progressed fairly quickly but it just never really gained traction for me.  The main characters were just a bit too flat and the mystery, while interesting, felt a bit disjointed. 

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  I like the premise enough that I'll probably pick up the first book in the series to see if that will help me make sense of everything and hopefully that one will have the connection that I couldn't find with this one.

Would I Recommend this Book?  Probably not this one - especially if you haven't read the first book. 

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

This Week in Reading: June 9

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:

Nothing!  I've had a few weeks of full to the brim mailboxes so it's nice to have an empty week.

Currently:

Reading:  Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley 

Listening:  Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan but I haven't listened to much this week.

Watching:  I haven't been watching too much TV other than Hallmark movies.  There's a checklist app that has me more than a little addicted and wanting to watch more so I can check them off.

Off the Blog:

This week was a bit crazy though not too bad.  I started physical therapy for my neck and had a follow up with my doctor.  The term degenerative disc disease really freaked me out but it doesn't sound like it's going to be too much of an issue.  A lot of the pain I was having was due to the fact that all the muscles around my neck are a complete disaster but the physical therapy really seems like it will help.  Unfortunately it's 3 times a week and between that and school being out and a few other things I'm just kind of dashing from one thing to another without getting much of anything done.  

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday:  Reviews from the Children's Section - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Race Against Time
Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Favorite Cozy Mystery Series
Wednesday:  Murder, She Wrote: Murder in Red - Cozy Mystery Review
Thursday:  The Right Sort of Man - Historical Mystery Review
Friday:  Friday Fives - June Reads
Saturday:  Reading in the Month of May

What's Coming Up:

Monday:  Murder in the City of Liberty - Historical Review
Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday - Unpopular Opinions
Wednesday:  Summer on Mirror Lake - Contemporary Romance Review
Thursday: Death in Kew Gardens - Historical Mystery Review
Friday:  Friday Fives
Saturday:  TBD

Have a great week and happy reading!

Reading in the Month of May

May was a rough month for reading.  Lots of stresses and distractions though thankfully none of them particularly serious.  However, it definitely feels like my reading has taken a hit.  Here's how I did:

May's Theme: My Favorite Things

Books Finished in May: 12

My Favorite Review Read:  A toss up between The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay and Have You Luiz Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Both of these were wonderful and uplifting in just the perfect way. 

My Favorite TBR Read: The Long Way Home by Mariah Stewart

This series has been a bit inconsistent but I really enjoyed this one about the daughter of a massive hedge fund manager who turned out to be defrauding his clients.  The daughter is trying to rebuild her life while restoring an old house WHILE learning things about her mother she never knew which is pretty much lots of my favorite rolled into one.  This probably won't be on my top ten for the year but I really enjoyed it.

Book Read That Has Been On My TBR the Longest:  Blood Magick by Nora Roberts

I didn't really enjoy the first one in this series when I read it originally but I fell in love with the trilogy as a whole when I listened to the audio and got through the whole trilogy.  I thought this was a good conclusion though it was a bit repetitive. 

Biggest Disappointment:  Ghost Moon by Heather Graham

This wasn't terrible but I fully expected to love it and have loved the previous two in the trilogy and it just fell flat.  This book just had so much potential that wasn't full explored which was a bit frustrating. 

How was your May reading?