March 29, 2022 Releases

Stories I Might Regret Telling You by Martha Wainwright

3.5 stars

To be perfectly honest, I really didn't know anything about Martha Wainwright before reading this book, besides the assumption that she must be from the famous musical family but since I love a good music memoir, I picked it up quickly.  I did listen to her music throughout the reading of this memoir and it was good background.  She definitely doesn't flinch from telling about her music career, relationships or wild behavior.  Sometimes it did feel as if she was settling some scores with the stories that she told but I still appreciated her openness.  I received a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

March 15, 2022 Releases

The Perfect Other by Kyleigh Leddy

3.5 stars

The author, Kyliegh Leddy, is only in her twenties but she writes beautifully about her sister who suffered so tragically with mental illness.  Her vivacious sister started slowly exhibiting the warning signs of schizophrenia throughout her teens but quickly fell into the throes of full-blown mental illness after a head injury.  The author, who is several years younger, and her stoic mother were left to deal with an increasingly violent situation.  I found this terrifying and tragic and lovingly written.  I do think it could have been edited down as it sometimes felt overwritten and the best parts were when her sentences were clear, sparse and haunting.  I definitely see the potential in this young author and will make sure to follow her career.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

Historical Romance

How to Be a Wallflower by Eloisa James

4 stars

Cleo is in London for the season to please her grandfather but wants nothing more than to live independently and run the business she inherited from her father.  Jake is an American in London to close a business deal.  They meet in an unusual, and humorous, manner and begin a close and spicy relationship.  I like these two people and all of the side characters.  Their relationship was fun and had just enough obstacles to keep in interesting.  I did find it amusing that so much of Jake's appearance descriptions were based on his jaw...something I am having trouble visualizing.  Eloisa James is a reliable author of historical romance and I really enjoyed this one.  I received a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

The Marquess Makes His Move by Diana Quincy

4 stars

I was not really in the mood for a romance when I started this book but instead just wanted to a cozy story to sink into to escape from the real world.  I think that approach may work best for this book.  A marquess that is pretending to be a footman and a mapmaker married to a horrific man slowly fall in love.  Rose is such a great character and I adored her from the start.  Some readers may bristle at the fact that Rose is married when she and Alex meet but her husband is absolutely the worst so that helps.  I just really liked this story and it helped me escape life in 2021, which is the point of reading after all.  I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

All the Duke I Need by Caroline Linden

4 stars

I have been on a run lately with Historical Romances that tell a great story.  This is definitely one.  The plot is great and I love all the characters.  The heroine was a bit too perfect which made the romance a little treacle sweet for me but I really enjoyed this reading experience and it was just what I needed for the moment.  Received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

February 15, 2022 Releases

Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson

4 stars

Savannah is an assistant acquisitions editor at a small publishing house in Nashville, when the owner's son, Will, arrives to take a prominent position in the firm.  He is attractive but stern and while Savannah gets to know him better she has also been secretly conversing secret room of the publishing house via notes on the pages of her completed romance manuscript.  This is a romance, it is predictable, but it is also so sweet and fun.  I liked that it takes place at a publishing company and the characters are all charming and peculiar in their own way.  It is a book that I just really needed at the moment.  I received a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

The Deepest of Secrets by Kelley Armstrong

3 stars

This is the final book (I think) in the Rockton series.  I am not a huge mystery/thriller fan but I have, for the most part, enjoyed this strange series for it's eerie location and interesting characters.  This last one though is really not my favorite.  It is very convoluted and it felt like the author didn't know how to wrap the mystery up so she just fast forwarded to the end.   I do still recommend this series and I hope there is some sort of follow up in the future.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Veronica's Secret

An Impossible Impostor by Deanna Raybourn

Publication Date - February 15, 2021

4 stars

The next book in the Veronica Speedwell series has Veronica and Stoker off to a country estate to suss out the identity of a man claiming to be the long dead grandson and heir.  As Veronica deals with a mysterious person from her past, the moors are alive with bogs and mysterious ghost sightings.  This is probably not my favorite in the series.  It was a bit slow at times and is missing a great amount of the sizzling interactions between Veronica and Stoker.  That said, it had some interesting twists and the ending was enough to keep me extremely excited for the next book.  This remains one of my favorite series that is currently published. I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

February 8, 2022 Releases

With Love From London by Sarah Jio

4 stars

I wasn't sure of this book at first, especially the first third, but then I started to understand the characters better and found the entire book completely delightful.  Valentina recently found out that her husband is having an affair and that the mother who abandoned her when she was twelve recently died.  The combination of the two propels her to London to close up the quaint bookshop her mother owned in her later years.  This book is full of complicated, but lovable characters, who unite over love for each other, books and the cozy London neighborhood in which they live.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

A Molecule Away from Madness: Tales of the Hijacked Brain by Sara Manning Peskin

4 stars

This book is equal parts fascinating and terrifying.  The author is a cognitive neurologist with stories of patients that have rare neurological disorders.  Typically one small thing is off in their brain and it sends them in a direction of horrible illness and even death.  This is a really well written book and it includes a good mix of scientific information and real life anecdotes.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

The Last Grand Duchess by Bryn Turnbull

4 stars

The best historical fiction causes the reader to go down the rabbit hole of the history it explores.  This definitely happened with this book.  Centering around the Romanov family during their final years before the Russian revolution and final days before their execution, this book is so historically detailed that I now find myself reading a 600 page book about Nicholas and Alexandra Romanov.  This is a well written and interesting book.  A bit slow at times but definitely one that I recommend.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley.  

Sickening: How Big Pharma Broke American Health Care and How We Can Repair It by John Abramson

3.5 stars

Dr. John Abramson has served as a witness on cases against pharmaceutical companies and know a lot about what he is writing on.  He offers up some terrifying examples of irresponsible studies reported in prestigious medical journals and of big pharma doing whatever they can to sell their newest drugs to doctors even if it goes against the results of the studies.  It is such a frustrating state of affairs and the first half of the book does a good job laying it all out.  The second part, though, feels so repetitive and I ended up skimming more than I would like.  Regardless, this is information every American should have so that they are better able to make their own healthcare decisions.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

January 25, 2022 Releases

Violeta by Isabel Allende

4.5 stars

I always forget how good of a storyteller Isabel Allende is until I start reading one of her books.  This story follows one woman in Chile (although the country is never specifically named), Violeta, from birth until her death at age 100.  It involves two pandemics, wars, revolutions, love affairs and all the rest that encompasses a woman's life.  The writing is crisp and easy to digest but it is the story that keeps you reading way longer than intended.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.