April Wrap Up

 

I started the month with (48) unread books. Brought (1) books.  Got my owlcrate book (1) Book of the month () Got (2) book for review Won a book in a giveaway () Got books for gifts () which brought my total to (). Read () owned books. Read (1) Kindle books I own  DNF’d () So I am ending the month at books (51) unread books and hoping to get back on track with the whole read 5 physical books before I buy anymore.  I read a total of () books across () pages.

Hawkeye Vol 5: All-new Hawkeye by Jeff Lemire (library)

Dearest Josephine by Caroline George (Netgalley)

Hawkeye vol6 by Jeff Lemire (library)

Murder with a View by Diane Kelly (netgalely)

Scarlet Witch Vol 1: Witches Road by James Robinson (library)

Scarlet Witch Vol 2: World of Witchcraft by James Robinson (library)

Scarlet Witch vol 3: The Final Hex by James Robinson (library)

Hope Between the Pages by Pepper D Basham (library)

A Pho Love Story by Loan Le (audio)

Katheryn Howard, the Scandalous queen by Alison Weir (netgalley)

A Brother’s Promise by Mindy Obenhaus (library)

Moonlight Road by Robyn Carr (audio)

Forever with you by Jess Mastorakos (kindle)

Phantoms and Felonies by Lucy Ness (netgalley)

Ruth and the Night of Broken Glass: A World War II Survival Story by Emma Berne Carlson (library)

Midnight Confessions by Robyn Carr (audio)

Women in Blue by Cheryl Mullenbach (library)

The Last Bookshop in London: A Novel of World War II by Madeline Martin (netgalley)

The Huntress by Kate Quinn (library)

Blackberry Beach by Irene Hannon (netgalley)

Hawkeye: Freefall by Matthew Rosenberg (library)

Daisy and the Deadly Flu: A Story with 1918 Influenza Survival Story by Julie Gilbert (library)

A Wicked Conceit by Anna Lee Huber (library)

Unknown Threat by Lynn H Blackburn (netgalley)

Murder by Page One by Olivia Matthews (library)

Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez (netgalley)

The Black Sheep’s Salvation by Deb Kastner (library)

Hettie and the London Blitz: A World War II Survival Story by Jenni L Walsh (library)

The White Rose Resists: A Novel of the German Students Who Defied Hitler by Amanda Barratt (owned)

Back to You by Jess Mastorakos (kindle)

Talking Back to Purity Culture by Rachel Joy Welcher (library)

Black Widow Vol 2: NO More Secrets by Mark Waid (library)

The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian (library)

The Bounty by Janet Evanovich (netgalley)

Hope Harbor by Irene Hannon (audio)

Dearest Josephine by Caroline George review

Title:  Dearest Josephine

Author:  Caroline George

Ch: 29

Pg: 384

Genre: Dual time historical contemporary  

Rating: 4.5 stars

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

 

I’m normally not a fan of books told through letters and emails. But Dearest Josephine I loved and I think that was because of the dual timeline of the novel. You have Josie De Clare in the present trying to figure out life without her dad. And then Elias Roch in the past.

Josie starts to fall in love with him through his letters when she meets Oliver McLaughlin a very real man in the present.

Josie was easy to relate to. Not the whole letter thing but the trying to fugue out life after losing a parent thing. Because it’s something that I’ve dealt with and in some ways still dealing with. All in all Dearest Josephine was an enjoyable read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone. 

The Red Canary by Rachel Scott McDaniel review

Title: The Red Canary

Author:  Rachel Scott McDaniel

Ch: 38

Pg: 313

Genre: Christian Historical fiction, Christian Historical romance 

Rating: 4.5 stars

 

Vera Pembroke is a speakeasy singer a canary who has dreams beyond Pittsburg. That is until she witness a murder. Now it’s up sergeant Mick Dinelo to keep her safe.

I’m a sucker for books set in 1920s. I’ve always loved that decade. And nobody writes it better than Rachel Scott McDaniel. I loved the Pittsburg setting and the banter between Vera and Mick. The Red Canary gave me classic movie feels I would love to see this book as a movie.

First Line Fridays

 Hosted by Hoarding Books Blog

The Last Bookshop 

Chapter one 

August 1939 

London England 

 

Grace Bennett had always dreamed of someday living in london. Never Did she imagine it would become her only option, especially no on the eve of war. 

Black Canary Breaking silence by Alexandra Monir

Title: Black Canary Breaking Silence  

Author:  Alexandra Monir

Ch: 23 plus epilogue

Pg:  384

Series: DC Icons book 5

Genre:  Comic characters retelling

Rating: 4.5 stars

Publisher: Random house books for young readers

 

Black Canary Breaking Silence by Alexandra Monir is the 5th book On the DC Icons series and I have to say it’s my favorite of the series. Which surprised me as Black Canary was never on my radar as a DC character. But Dinah Lance was awesome in this one. A book that looks at Gotham in a future without Batman and heroes. A Gotham in which women are second class citizens.

But Dinah not going to be silent she’s going to fight back with the help of friends new and old. I’ve also haven’t been and Oliver Queen fan mainly because of the TV show but in this book we get the Oliver Queen we deserve along with the awesome librarian Barbara Gordon.

If this is the end of the DC Icon series then it was an awesome end.

Murder with a view by Diane Kelly review

Title:  Murder with a View

Author:  Diane Kelly

Ch: 32

Pg:  325

Series: A House Flipper Mystery

Genre:  Cozy Mystery  

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

 

Murder with a View by Diane Kelly is the third book in the House-flipper mystery. Whitney and her cousin Buck are trying to flip an old hotel into modern apartments when they discover yet another body. And the mystery in this one kept me on my toes.

And like previous books in the series I enjoyed the chapters from sawdust’s point of view Whitney’s cat.

 

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone. 

Hope Between the Pages by Pepper D Basham review

Title:  Hope Between the Pages

Author:  Pepper D
Basham

Ch: 26 

Pg:  256

Series: Doors to the Past

Genre:  Christian Contemporary romance, Christian Historical romance dual time

Rating: 5 stats

Publisher: Barbour

 

Hope Between the Pages by Pepper Basham is a dual time novel sent in both 1915 and the present Day Ashville North Carolina and the English Countryside.  Sadie's story and romance in 1915 that drew me in. But it was Clara Blackwell's story in the present day that kept me turning pages in order to find out what was going to happen next. This shocked me as I'm not huge fan of contemporary stories but for some reason I was more drawn to Clara than I was Sadie.  Maybe it was because Clara was easier to relate too. For many reasons. Both Sadie and Clara were bookworms, but like me Clara loves vintage fashion and seems to be older than her years. As well as her fear of losing her remaining parent after already losing one at a younger age. I know that fear all too well I live with it every day.  So you can say I see a kindred spirit in Clara.  I loved the English sitting more than Ashville.   

 

And while I liked both heroes,  it was Max who stole my heart. Not only have I always loved nerdy heroes in my books and movies I also can't help but falling for the scared hero as well. Blame it on my favorite childhood movie being Beauty and the Beast. But Max was indeed the perfect match for Clara.  

 

Though I didn't want the book to end and it was bittersweet to me the book ended perfectly. 

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn Review

 Title:  The Rose Code

 Author:  Kate Quinn

Ch: 85 plus prologue and epilogue

Pg:  624

Genre:  Historical fiction

Rating: 4.5 stars

Publisher: William Morrow

 

The Rose Code is my first book by Kate Quinn and I have to say it won't be my last. What drew me to The Rose Code was the fact that it was historical fiction focusing on three fictional women who it turns out were based on real women who worked at Bletchley Park. Helping to break code during WWII. A part of history in fiction  I've been fascinated with sense I read The London Restoration and I want   more.  An though The Rose Code is fiction it’s easy to imagine what  the real life people who inspired the novel went through.  In the novel Olsa Kendall, Mab Churt and Beth Finch not only have to keep secret about what they do at Bletchley park  from their families and boyfriends. They also have to keep secret what they work on in their huts from the others who work at Bletchley Park. I

 

I loved how the novel slipped between the war years and what was going on at BP to the days leading up to the royal wedding, though princess Elizabeth wedding was mentioned it didn't take away from the story of Olsa, Mab and Beth it actually added to it. Though out the course of the novel the three women grew and change despite the past that shaped them. Mab from her simple upbringing, Beth from an overbearing parent and Osla's status as a debutante, each wants to do what they can for the war to prove not only to themselves but to those around them.    Women did pretty much everything it seems for the war effort and until recently what they did at BP was a national secret.  I hope readers discover The Rose Code and the amazing fictional women in its pages inspired by even more amazing real life women who helped Britain win the war.  

Blackberry Beach by Irene Hannon review

Title:  Blackberry Beach

Author:  Irene Hannon

Ch: 28 plus epilogue

Pg: 352

Series: Hope Harbor Book 7

Genre:  Christian Contemporary

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: Revell

 

Though Blackberry Beach by Irene Hannon is the 7th book in the Hope Harbor series it can be read as a standalone.  Though I haven't read any of Irene's contemporaries  but I've loved every one of the suspense novels she's written.  And Blackberry Beach was no exception.  To me it was the perfect spring read, especially after all the heavy WWII fiction  I had been reading.  

 

I loved both the heroine Katherine Parker and the hero Zach Garrett both of whom are hiding a past as well as hurts.  Both end up in Hope Harbor for different reasons, but it might just be what both of them need.  The secondary characters didn't take away from the story they only added to it and gave it more depth. 

 

As a reader I loved the fictional small coastal  town in Oregon, and who wouldn't love a beach with blackberry bushes.  This sweet read was filled with the prefect balance, of faith, friendship and romance and I look forward to reading other books in the series. 

 

 

 

I received a complimentary copy   from the publishers. I was not required to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone. 

First Line Fridays

 Hosted by Hoarding Books Blog 

"I'm Still waiting for the day When I magically turn into an adult."

Closely Harbored Secrets by Bree Baker view

Title:  Closely Harbored Secrets

Author:  Bree Baker

Ch: 27

Pg:  339

Series: Seaside Café Mystery book 5

Genre:  cozy mystery

Rating: 4.5 stars

Publisher: Source Books

 

Closely Harbored Secrets by Bree Baker is the fifth book in the Seaside Cafe mystery series. I enjoyed being back in this small coastal North Carolina town. This one was the first book in the series that I didn’t figure out The Who done it. And like always my favorite characters are Everly’s great aunts Clara and Fran.

 

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone. 

City of Villians by Estelle Laure Review

Title:  City of Villains

Author:  Estelle Laure

Ch: 28

Pg:  240

Series: City of Villains

Genre:  retelling 

Rating: 3.5 stars

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

 

I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would as fairy tale and Disney retellings have been hit or miss for me lately. But City of Villains by Estelle Laure was a hit. I enjoyed the noir crime novel aspect of the book. Mary Elizabeth and Bella have this weird detective duo going on and I love it. I want more of those two in the next book in the series.

 

As the first book in the series it is a little slow, but that’s to be expected of a first book in a series as it sets up the world and develops the characters. And of course like most first books in a series there’s a cliff hanger, but with this being a bit of retelling and backstories as well as a slight crime novel you won’t a bit of a cliff hanger to get to come back for more.

 

This is indeed a YA novel so there is more than its fair share of teenage drama. That I didn’t care for and not just because I’m older than your typical YA reader, because I didn’t even care for teenage drama in my YA novels when I was a teen. But to me that’s the only con of the book. But I loved Mary Elizabeth and Bella enough to overlook it. Because City of Villains gave me a different take on Captain Hook’s back story. And I’m always a sucker for a new twist on Hook’s story. Since I’m still convinced that Hook was never the villain of the Peter Pan story.

 

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone. 

First Line Friday

 Hosted by Hoarding Books Blog

Chapter 1

August, 1915

Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina

“Any Story that begins with a library is bound to be an excellent tale.”

A Deadly Chapter by Essie Lang book review

Title:  A Deadly Chapter

Author:  Essie Lang

Ch: 34

Pg:  320

Series: A Castle Bookshop mystery book 3

Genre:  Cozy Mystery 

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: Crooked

 

A Deadly Chapter by Essie Lang is the third book in the A Castle Bookshop mystery series. Shelby has settled in as a bookseller in the small coastal New York town. That is if she can stop finding bodies. I have to say that this one is my favorite in the series so far because since we’ve established the setting and characters the book focuses more on the mystery and I enjoyed this one.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone. 

Murder in an Irish Bookshop by Carlene O'Connor review

Title:  Murder in an Irish Bookshop

Author:  Carlene O’Connor

Ch: 32

Pg:  258

Series: Irish Village Mystery

Genre:  Cozy Mystery

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: Kensington Publishing

 

     I’m not going to lie but the last one in the Irish Village Mystery series was a miss for me. So I started reading this one with lower expectations. However I ended up enjoying Murder in an Irish Bookshop. The 7^th book in this cozy series set in Ireland read like earlier books in the series. Siobhan sounded more like herself again. But more importantly the banter that I’ve come to love between Siobhan and Macdara was back. And even though there was a murder to solve there were plenty of laugh out loud moments though out the book.

 

     And even though I book 6^th let me down I loved this one and I look forward to what book 8 will bring us.

 

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone. 

Present Danger by Elizabeth Goddard review

Title:  Present Danger

Author:  Elizabeth Goddard

Ch: 65

Pg:  384

Series: Rocky Mountain Courage book 1

Genre:  Christian Romantic Suspense

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: Revell

 

 

     Present Danger is the first book in the Rocky Mountain Courage series by Elizabeth Goddard. Both Jack Tanner and Terra Connors have come home to Montana for different reasons both with jobs that bring them in contact with each other. Even though the two of them would rather forget their shared past. A murder that leads to both of their separate cases will force them to work together.

 

     With Present Danger I loved the fact that the suspense out weighted the romance. Nothing wrong with romance in suspense, it’s just I prefer mine lighter on the romance. But it doesn’t stop me for reading romantic suspense in which the scales are tipped in the other direction as long as the romance doesn’t completely overshadow the suspense I’m good.  And Present Danger had the right balance.

 

     This book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading. The only reason it took me two days to finish it was simply the fact that I had to put it down in order to sleep so I could go to work the next morning. And I look forward to the next one in the series.

 

 

I received a complimentary copy Present Danger from the publishers. I was not required to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

 

The Lady in Residence by Allison Pittman review

Title:  The Lady in Residence

Author:  Allison Pittman

Ch: 22 plus epilogue

Pg:  253

Series: Doors to the Past

Genre:  Dual time

Rating: 3.5 stars

Publisher: Barbour

      I’m not going to lie even after finishing Lady In Residence by Allison Pittman I don’t know how I feel about it.  It’s one of those that I am on the fence about, and that doesn’t happen often. I didn’t love it nor did I hate it. I did enjoy the dual time aspect of the novel. I am finding that I do indeed enjoy dual time I’ve always been a historical fiction reader and I’m now slowly getting into reading contemporary though it’s not my go to genre. Dual time gives me my favorite genre while edging me into contemporary.

 

     Dini Blackstone was my favorite character in the book. I loved her quirkiness as well as her love of true crime. And her determination to solve a century year old crime. I saw some of myself in her, I’m a true crime nut especially historical crime. Quin the modern hero was alright he just wasn’t a favorite.

 

     I didn’t care for the historical heroine Hedda but that’s due in part to the fact that don’t care for unreliable narrators. I’ve never liked reading from their points of view. Nor was I fond of the ghost story aspect.  But that doesn’t mean someone else won’t love it.

 

     However, I did enjoy how the author wove both stories and time periods together to get one interesting story.

April TBR

To finish: A Pho Love Story by Loan Le

          Murder by Page One by Olivia Matthews

          Hope Between the Pages by Pepper D Basham

 

TBR Jar: The White Rose Resists by Amanda Barratt

 

Kindle TBR: Through Waters Deep by Sarah Sundin

          Forever with You by Jess Mastorakos

 

Nonfiction: Faith, Farming and Family by Caitlin Henderson

 

Classic: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

 

Audio: ?

 

Library: Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare

 

 

To Review Blackberry Beach by Irene Hannon

          The Nature of a Lady by Roseanna M White