Close Up by Amanda Quick

If you’d like to know more about my love for Amanda Quick and Burning Cove, here’s a review from May 2020 for book 4 in the Burning Cove series. Enjoy!

Available Now

Book 4 of the Burning Cove series

I have a longtime relationship with the author that goes by so many names: Amanda Quick, Jayne Ann Krentz, and Jayne Castle. When I learned I was pregnant with my son, I was already off for the summer and took “resting” to a whole new level. I started at the beginning of the Jayne Ann Krentz shelf at the Library and worked my way, one to two books per day, through the Library’s entire collection. When I exhausted that section, I found her other pen names and worked my way through them. When I discovered that she did three book arcs throughout all three pen names, I had to start those over and read them as trilogies. I have an entire shelf in my private library dedicated to signed copies I ordered from Seattle bookstores. She doesn’t know it, but I love her.

I know exactly what I’m getting when I pick up one of her books and this book did not disappoint.

Close Up by Amanda Quick is the fourth installment in the Burning Cove series. Vivian Brazier is a talented photographer with dreams of becoming a famous art photographer. When her wealthy family cuts financial ties with her after walking away from a respectable and lucrative marriage proposal, Vivian is forced to take portrait appointments and crime scene photos to pay the bills. The mysterious Dagger Killer is on the loose and Vivian's crime scene photos provide insight to the local police force but also place Vivian in grave danger. When a private investigator named Nick Sundridge, and his gentle giant of a dog Rex, show up on her doorstep and declare her life is in danger, Vivian is not only shocked, but also not really surprised. With some reassurances from a police detective, Vivian and Nick work together to expose the threat against at Vivian and also, to expose the attraction between them.

I'm a longtime reader of Amanda Quick and have enjoyed all of the different story lines that are woven together to create the Arcane Society world. In Close Up, Quick provides us more clues to the range of psychical gifts found in certain people and the their connections to different members of the Society. Devoted readers of Quick, and her other pseudonyms, will not be disappointed in this high stakes adventure full of 1930's glamour, set in the highbrow world of the arts.

Interested in your own copy? You can get yours here:

More in the Burning Cove series:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title, all opinions and mistakes are my own.

Comfort Reads: The Bride Wore White by Amanda Quick

Available now

Content Notes: a list of content notes can be found at The StoryGraph

Back in the summer of 2007, I was pregnant, off for the summer, and decided to take things very easy. After losing our first pregnancy just a few months previously, I wasn’t willing to take any risks and spent that summer reading as many books as I possibly could. I finally went to our closest library only to discover that wasn’t where I was supposed to get my library card and after successfully acquiring said library card from the correct library, discovered Amanda Quick. Quick, the historical romance pen name of Jayne Ann Krentz, became my obsession that summer. I read them all. Every single title the library, and the surrounding libraries, had. I read through the trilogies that spanned time and pen names. Books set in the 1800’s written by Amanda Quick. Contemporaries written by Jayne Ann Krentz. Futuristic paranormals written by Jayne Castle. These books all contain her core story: an independent and ambitious woman saves herself from danger with the help of a handsome and grumpy man who has a complicated and tragic past. Some are incredibly dated, pretty sexist, and, with a lot of love, formulaic. But, I still love them and will continue to read them.

I have shelves of signed books and preorder swag. Whenever I find a hardcover in one of those bargain bins at Menards, seriously the best part of the store, I always buy them. Sometimes you just need a book that is going to go exactly as you know it will. No surprises, no new and exciting ideas. Just a book that brings a smile when you realize that you hit that point in the book, just like you knew you would. The books where they always say the whole name of a town or hotel every single time it’s brought up. The books where the villain always spills their guts as they’re about to harm the main characters. The books where everyone is so concerned about High Society and it’s Expectations. The books that make you chuckle every time you realize you could play a bingo card off the tropes. I love it all.

When I was prepping everything for my hysterectomy last week, I knew I would need an audiobook that I would enjoy but also not really need to pay attention to. Something that would keep me entertained but also not one that required 100% of my focus because hello, pain and pain meds are kind of known to be distracting.

So what did I pick? Wow, it’s in the title folks.

Book 7 of the Burning Cover series, The Bride Wore White, brings us the story of Prudence Ryland, aka Madame Ariadne, a psychic dream consultant who is obsessed with tea. (They all are. Every single heroine.) When a client mysteriously dies after a consultation, Prudence packs her bags and heads to Burning Cove to start a new life away from the suspicions of the tightly knit psychic community and the high society clientele they serve. There, mysterious circumstances cause her to enlist the help of Luther Pell and his investigator Jack Wingate. Together, Prudence and Jack race against time to uncover the threat against her and of course, fall madly in love with each other.

It was everything I could have hoped for! It truly was. Prudence does have real psychic powers and once in Burning Cove, goes on to get a job as a Librarian in an academic library where she quickly discovers she has a great talent in working with psychic research and materials. So of course she becomes obsessed with Jack’s manuscript on criminal profiling. Jack had a disastrous ending to his previous case which left him scarred and with horrible nightmares. With so much love, of course the psychic dream consultant falls hard for the grumpy handsome guy with nightmares! Truly, this book was exactly what I needed, when I needed it. The perfect comfort read.

If you’re interested in checking out this series, know that people from previous books show up, but you can definitely read all of them as stand-alone novels. If you haven’t read her Arcane Society novels, I highly, highly recommend them. The way the characters are woven together across time always makes for fun cameos and were an absolute nightmare to shelve at the Library.

I hope this book brings you as many smiles as it did me.

If you’d like to add this book to your shelf, you can click on the cover above or here for ordering information. I listened to my copy through Libby from my library.

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Horror Quickie: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

While you’re waiting for you Library hold for The September House to come in, check out this other creepy haunted house tale from Grady Hendrix. Originally posted in February of 2023.

Available now

CW: parental death, child harm, creepy dolls

Grady Hendrix has this knack for writing really scary books with characters that I CANNOT STAND! Like in The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, I have zero interest in the main characters’ survival and yet, truly enjoyed the story and the writing.

In How to Sell a Haunted House, Louise and her estranged brother have suffered a devastating loss; their parents have died suddenly in a car accident. Leaving her young daughter back in California with her father, Louise returns home for the funeral and to settle her parents’ estate, only to discover her coddled, unmotivated, and spoiled brother has planned a funeral and made plans that don’t align with her family’s wishes. Now Louise must get the rest of the family on her side to plan a more appropriate funeral, clean out the house, and settle all the details so she can return home to her daughter.

But the house is haunted.

It’s not a spoiler, it’s literally in the title. This book gave me nightmares. Louise and Mark’s mother was a semi-famous star on the Christian puppet theater scene. Yep. The house is full of puppets and dolls. Very, very creepy puppets and dolls. Just when you think this story can’t get any wilder and more bonkers, Hendrix takes it to another level and you can’t be mad about it because you’re totally invested in seeing how the story ends.

It’s a wild, creepy, surreal experience and I enjoyed every single page.

If you’d like a copy for yourself, you can find ordering information here or click on the cover above.

This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

The September House by Carissa Orlando

Available now

Content notes can be found at The StoryGraph

From the Publisher:

When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee. 
Margaret is not most people. 
Margaret is staying. It’s her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September is just around the corner, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.

This book! I listened to it on audio and was instantly hooked. It’s so refreshing to have a middle aged female main character who is so interesting and intelligent and refuses to be made into a victim. Margaret is such an absolute force of calm, reasoned thinking that it’s almost disconcerting how easily she adjusts to the quirks of her dream home. Now, I fully understand that her devastating and painful past has shaped her into the woman she is, but she really comes across as a woman who knows herself and her ability to handle any situation. Literally, any situation.

The writing in this novel is absolutely incredible. I was instantly invested in the characters, especially the mystery of the house and it’s “pranksters” in just the first few chapters. Margaret narrates our tale of horror and supernatural suspense and do so in the most casual and light hearted way. The narrator, Kimberly Farr, was perfect as the voice of Margaret. My husband caught the last two hours of the book while we completed some home projects and stopped several times to comment how flippant Margaret seemed to be about actual horrors happening before her eyes.

Evenly paced with a balanced mix of plot and character development, flashbacks to Margaret’s early years of marriage and raising her daughter provide a very heartbreaking, but important insight to her ability to always be a survivor. And the way she has fallen in love with the house! I felt that on a visceral level.

I absolutely loved this book. I listened to all 13.5 hours over just two days because I couldn’t put it down. If you’d like to add this incredible novel to your shelf, you can click on the cover above or here for ordering information.

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu

While you wait for Bethany Baptiste’s The Poisons We Drink to come in May, check out this magical adventure also set in an alternate reality where magic is real and once again, the fate of the world rests in the hands of a teenager. This was originally posted in July 2021.

Available Now

I am a sucker for any book with “library” in the title. Add in “the dead” and I’m instantly intrigued. It’s science. 

Set in a complex and strange near future, The Library of the Dead, is a genre-bending mix of fantasy, post-apocalyptic dystopia and mystery. With all that it has going on, it would be easy to stray off course, but Huchu keeps the story tight and the characters never stray from the world’s rules that have been crafted for them. 

After losing their home, Ropa, along with her sister and grandmother move into their caravan and are barely making ends meet. With her grandmother’s ailing eyesight and her sister still being quite young, it’s up to Ropa to make enough money relaying messages from the dead to the families they left behind. It’s also up to Ropa to run all errands, maintain the caravan, and protect her family. Needless to say, Ropa has a lot of responsibility and it is really, really starting to wear on her. But, Ropa is also incredibly smart and loyal and does all she can to protect her grandmother and sister from the stress. 

When a deceased mother begs for Ropa to find her missing son, Ropa is more than hesitant to take on a non-paying job. But as mysterious occurrences around town begin to point to a larger child abduction operation, Ropa quickly realizes that if she doesn’t help the children, no one will. It’s through her investigation that Ropa discovers her best friend Jomo has begun to work at a private and prestigious Library. When she convinces him to sneak her in so she can utilize the Library for her investigation, the two are quickly caught and Ropa has somehow defied a death sentence to become a member of the mysterious Library. Upon meeting Priya, a powerful healer who herself is confined to a magical wheelchair, Ropa finds a fast and loyal friend. But as much as Ropa would love to lose herself in the immense collection of occult knowledge found within the Library, she has bills to pay and missing children to find. 

Ropa’s sharp instincts and keen intellect save her from one near death experience after another. I was immediately drawn to her no-nonsense attitude and fierce love for her family and friends. Ropa’s world is similar to our own, full of economic disparity and power imbalances. Even the magical power and knowledge is reserved for those with wealth and connections. Ropa has no problem with pointing out the unfairness of it all and it’s her lack of refinement, and amazing courage,  that let her get by with calling out the members of the Library for their unwillingness to help her find the missing children. But Ropa does find a few allies within the Library and I really hope that books are written in this world so we can find out more about the Library’s history and I would love to see how much change Ropa could bring as she gets older and more powerful in her magical ability. 

I thoroughly enjoyed The Library of the Dead and if you are interested in adding this wonderful adventure to your shelves, you can find ordering information here:

This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste

Available May 7, 2024

CW can be found here on The StoryGraph

Look at this gorgeous cover!

From the Publisher:

In a country divided between humans and witchers, Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer making illegal love potions to support her family.

Love potions is a dangerous business. Brewing has painful, debilitating side effects, and getting caught means death or a prison sentence. But what Venus is most afraid of is the dark, sentient magic within her.

Then an enemy's iron bullet kills her mother, Venus's life implodes. Keeping her reckless little sister Janus safe is now her responsibility. When the powerful Grand Witcher, the ruthless head of her coven, offers Venus the chance to punish her mother's killer, she has to pay a steep price for revenge. The cost? Brew poisonous potions to enslave D.C.'s most influential politicians.

As Venus crawls deeper into the corrupt underbelly of her city, the line between magic and power blurs, and it's hard to tell who to trust…Herself included.

Reader Friends, this book is incredible. No lie, I started this book months ago and was just a few pages in when I knew I had to put it down because this is such an amazing and special book that I wanted to be sure I was giving it the attention it deserved. I finally had a couple of days to really sit down and immerse myself in this emotional, heartbreaking, and powerful novel. If you are one of those readers who immediately disregards YA, this book will change your mind on the genre.

Baptiste crafted an alternate world that uses magic to explore themes of racism, classism, sexuality and generational trauma. Venus, still so young but straddled with such responsibility, literally puts her body and life in danger to support her family by brewing love potions. Her younger sister, Janus, wants to follow in her father’s footsteps and lead a revolution to guarantee the rights and freedom of witches, but her youthful overconfidence often puts both sisters in danger, adding to Venus’s stress and sense of responsibility. Adding to that tension is the fraught relationship both girls have with their mother. A mother who is more often terse, controlling, and detached when dealing with her two daughters. This complicated relationship drives much of the story and really packs an emotional punch.

The magical system is well developed and very interesting. I really enjoyed the lore of the brewers and their importance in history. There was just information given to keep the reader invested in the story without being too cumbersome with overly detailed rules. The magic was expertly woven into the story and always felt integral, not at all like it was used for convenience or to fill plot holes.

This is definitely a well paced, emotionally charged, and thought provoking book that will stay with you long after the last page. If you’d like to add it to your shelf, you can click on the cover above or here for ordering information.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Did you love What is Love? by Jen Comfort? Check out this book next! Originally posted in May of 2023.

Available now

CW: Discussions of pregnancy loss, divorce, gaslighting, severe illness, depression, and anxiety. This is all covered, and more, in the Author’s Note at the beginning of the book. I listened to this book on audio and this is what I remember from that section, apologies for anything missed.

This is a perfect book! It’s absolutely, hands down, 100% perfect! And contemporary romance is far from my favorite genre! It’s technically book 2 in the Part of Your World series, book 1 is on my nightstand waiting for me to read it, but you can easily read it as a stand-alone novel.

From the Publisher:

Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.

And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.

This book is sweet, hilarious, cringey in a good way, and incredibly romantic. After making a horrible first impression at his new job, Jacob and Bri exchange funny, snarky, and sometimes ridiculous letters to each other for weeks. Through those letters, and lunches in a supply closet, the two fall head over heels for each other, but they are both such dumbies that they let all of their, very valid, past experiences and insecurities get in the way and instead of jumping into bed, they start a beautiful and supportive friendship. Jacob has severe social anxiety and Bri immeadiately gets him. She understands what he needs to feel comfortable and secure when going to new places and meeting new people. Bri does all of this without making a big deal about it. She just does it. I found it so sweet.

Their banter is sharp, witty, and highly entertaining. Bri loves to ask ridiculously specific questions and you could feel how much fun the two were having. All of the supporting characters are fabulous and there are some real #friendshipgoals going on.

I listened to the audiobook version and the narrators, Kyla Garcia and Zachary Webber, gave a fabulous performance. If it’s available to you, I highly recommend it.

I truly loved this book. If you would like to add it your shelf, you can click on the cover at the top or here for ordering information. I listened to it through my Library’s Axis360 app so if you’re a Library user, put that hold in now. I had to wait a few weeks for it to become available.

This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

What is Love? by Jen Comfort

Releases April 1, 2024

Available now for Amazon Prime Readers

From the Publisher:

Head and heart collide in a story of polar-opposite rivals that’s anything but trivial in this game show romance from Midnight Duet author Jen Comfort.

Answer: From the Latin word for crossroads, this is knowledge so common as to be obscure, the pursuit of which engages millions daily. Question: What is trivia?

Trivia is the magic in the mundane, the connection in the commonplace, and Maxine Hart’s second-favorite pastime. A self-proclaimed Brooklyn street rat and a high school dropout, Maxine has never been a fan of formal education, but thanks to her ADHD “superpowers,” she’s a glutton for knowledge—and a good fight. And when Maxine enters the trivia game show Answers!, her brilliance, coupled with her penchant for big bets, devastates her competition. Even record-holding, 76-time-winner Teddy Ferguson.

Or was it their kiss the night before they faced off that threw the buttoned-up professor off his game?

Now, Maxine and Teddy cross paths again in a high-stakes tournament against all-time Answers! winners, including undefeated champion Hercules McKnight. With nothing in common but an insatiable appetite for knowledge and a desire to win, Maxine offers Teddy a deal: combine their strengths to shore up their weaknesses. She’ll push his tolerance for risk and improve his buzzer speed, if he’ll find creative ways to fill in the gaps in her education.

Except neither one of them foresaw just how scintillating learning could be…

Reader Friends, I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of this book several months ago from the author and the way I INHALED this book! This is a book that will definitely keep you up past your bedtime because you are going to become obsessed with these two hot nerds. It’s very fast paced, emotionally charged, and incredibly hot. Comfort has a way of writing incredibly real and relatable characters that you immediately become invested in their happiness, and rooting for them while also wanting to shake some sense into them. I spent the whole book in complete awe of Maxine’s ability to exude confidence and fearlessness in public and also wanting to wrap her up in a big hug when her ADHD became to overwhelming for her. Maxine’s outgoing and self-assured personality was an excellent match for our buttoned-up, quiet professor Teddy, who she won against on their favorite quiz show Answers! The way she pushes his buttons is absolutely delicious and the way this man attunes himself to her moods and needs is magical.

Friends, he does The Thing with his glasses. Yeah, that thing.

If you love contemporary romances with a big dose of humor, hot nerds, positive mental health rep, and watching the sleazy gross guy get his due, you’re going to love this one. Definitely check out Comfort’s other books, Midnight Duet and The Astronaut and the Star. I loved them both and they’re also super funny and super steamy contemporary romances.

If you’d like to add this amazing book to your shelf, you can preorder it by clicking on the cover above, or read for free if you’re a Prime member by clicking here. Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Recursion by Blake Crouch

Interested in a book similar to Flux by Jinwoo Chong? Then I highly recommend picking up this gem, Recursion by Blake Crouch. This was originally posted in June of 2019.

This was fantastic!  Absolutely amazing! More exclamation points please!

If you enjoyed Dark Matter or the Wayward Pines trilogy, definitely pick this one up.  By the way, since no one asked, the Wayward Pines books lead to me binging Twin Peaks last summer and that show was so incredibly odd and I never quite knew what was going on.  

Anyways.  

Recursion is the story of what happens when brilliance meets desperation.  Searching for a way to help stop the dementia that is slowly stealing her mother, Helena creates a device that will change the history of medicine.  What was meant to be a way to preserve a person’s precious memories turns into a potential weapon that could have devastating effects.

Barry, depressed and steal grieving for his daughter a decade after her death, is investigating a woman’s suicide after he is unable to talk her down from the ledge.  Plagued with FMS, False Memory Syndrome, the woman is devastated by the memories of a loving husband and son. But she was never married and has never been a mom so how does she know about this other life?  Why does it feel so real? With more and more FMS cases coming to light, Barry gets swept up in a mystery so profound it’s capable of destroying the world.

This is one of the fabulous sci-fi books that are better when you know nothing about it.  I went into this not knowing the plot, only the author. The characters are great, the science went way over my head, and the story moved very quickly.  There are so many twists and turns and explosive events that it just got better and better the further you read. Fast paced, gripping, and emotional, Recursion is an incredible story of strength and perseverance.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title.  All opinions are my own. This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Flux by Jinwoo Chong

Available now

CW: an extensive list can be found at The StoryGraph

From the Publisher:

Four days before Christmas, 8-year-old Bo loses his mother in a tragic accident, 28-year-old Brandon loses his job after a hostile takeover of his big-media employer, and 48-year-old Blue, a key witness in a criminal trial against an infamous now-defunct tech startup, struggles to reconnect with his family.

So begins Jinwoo Chong’s dazzling, time-bending debut that blends elements of neo-noir and speculative fiction as the lives of Bo, Brandon, and Blue begin to intersect, uncovering a vast network of secrets and an experimental technology that threatens to upend life itself. Intertwined with them is the saga of an iconic ’80s detective show, Raider, whose star actor has imploded spectacularly after revelations of long-term, concealed abuse.

I had the pleasure of spending a few days this winter doing nothing more than listening to audiobooks and putting together jigsaw puzzles. One of my favorite books from that time is this one. It’s one of those books that I absolutely loved and also have a really hard time describing why and what was even going on. It’s a highly emotional, compelling, and character driven story that explores grief, trauma, and regret. The way the storylines of our three main characters weave together is both extraordinary and heartbreaking and is slowly revealed over the course of the book so be prepared for a bit of a slow burn that is well worth the wait. Chong has an interesting take on time, space, and the science of reality and I honestly didn’t understand much of it but it was fascinating to listen to. The way the storylines of our three main characters weave together is both extraordinary and heartbreaking and is slowly revealed over the course of the book so be prepared for a bit of a slow burn.

I listened to the audio version of this book and David Lee Huynh gave an excellent performance so if you have that option, I highly recommend the experience.

If you’d like to add this incredible story to your shelf, you can click on the cover above or here for ordering information. You may have noticed, or not it’s cool, that I’ve started to use The StoryGraph for content warnings. As I understand it, the majority of the warnings are provided by readers but many books also have content provided by the author. This way, I know I’m not missing something that may impact someone’s reading experience. It’s also my new favorite way to track my books and they provide you with all sorts of fancy and colorful graphics that breakdown your books by genre, length, format, and many other topics.

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Available Now

Interested in a book similar to The London Séance Society? Look no further than one of Sarah Penner’s other books that I love! This was previously posted in March of 2021.

In a secret apothecary shop, Nella spends her days providing simple cures for her neighbors as a cover for her more secret services. The women in the area know who to come to for help with abusive and oppressive husbands, and Nella saves those services only for women. When a young woman seeks help for her mistress, Nella’s apothecary services are put in danger. 

In the present day, Caroline finds herself in London celebrating her tenth wedding anniversary alone. On a whim, she joins a mudlarking group combing the banks of the Thames and discovers a unique apothecary bottle. As her historian instincts kick in, Sarah finds herself lost in the research of the bottle’s origins, she discovers the truth behind the bottle and the truth about herself. 

Lushly told through alternating timelines, The Lost Apothecary is a beautiful blend of history, mystery, and the dark secrets of women and medicine. Caroline’s journey of self discovery blended beautifully with the dark tale of Nella’s apothecary. The Lost Apothecary also highlights the value of female friendships. Nella rescues Eliza from the gaze of her employer through an apprenticeship at the apothecary and Caroline strikes up a friendship with the Librarian who helps her research the bottle’s origins and reignite her spark for history and academia. Through those friendships, the women find the strength they need to make life-altering decisions for themselves. 

Combining the history of London with the history of Nella’s apothecary, Penner provides a gripping story of women’s survival. Whether it be an abusive marriage, a brutish employer, or a cheating and manipulative spouse, all three women survive and learn to grow within their own new realities.  

I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves history, a good mystery, and tales of found family and deep friendship.  Nella’s story was really interesting and while I know she was helping commit murder, it was very easy to find sympathy for all involved. Except the men. They really should have been nicer. Caroline’s story running parallel to Nella’s did feel a little too on the nose at times, but overall, her marriage difficulties were easy to relate too. Nothing had ever really gone Caroline’s way and all of her major life decisions were to help her family or husband. Her husband was a major jerk and I was so proud of her every time she stood up for herself and did something she wanted to do. Overall, this was a very interesting blend of genres and I really liked it. Also, isn’t that most gorgeous cover? I love the color choices and since I have a new office to decorate, this cover is starting to spark some inspiration.

If you want to add this book to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title, all opinions and mistakes are my own. 

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

The London Séance Society: A Novel by Sarah Penner

Available now

CW: a comprehensive list can be found on The StoryGraph

From the Publisher:

1873. At an abandoned château on the outskirts of Paris, a dark séance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them, she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike.

Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister’s death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult. When Vaudeline is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder, Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. With shared determination, the women find companionship that perhaps borders on something more. And as they team up with the powerful men of London’s exclusive Séance Society to solve the mystery, they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime, but perhaps entangled in one themselves…

Reader Friends, this book is absolutely captivating! It’s lushly written with interesting and engaging characters and the setting is well developed and richly described. Penner does a great job of keeping you guessing with both the mystery behind Evie’s death and an even broader mystery that encompasses nearly everyone in the story. It truly has a little bit of everything: a mystery, a love story, betrayal, the supernatural, and some good ol’ female rage. It’s a book that I wanted to make time to read and I still find myself, weeks later, thinking about the characters.

Once again, this is a Book of the Month pick that I held on to for way too long; although I’ve come to consider these my “Break in Case of Emergency” books. This was from Mach of 2023 and since I enjoyed The Lost Apothecary so much, I knew it was going to be a good one.

If you’d like to add this gorgeous book to your shelf, you can click on the cover above for more ordering information. If you’re interested in Book of the Month, that I use my own real money on, you can use my referral link to get a great deal for yourself, and a free book for me. As always, check your local library for these gems and recommend the title if they don’t carry it.

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox

Available now

Here’s a list of CW from The StoryGraph.

From the Publisher:

With the stroke of a pen, twenty-three-year-old Ivy Radcliffe becomes Lady Hayworth, owner of a sprawling estate on the Yorkshire moors. Ivy has never heard of Blackwood Abbey, or of the ancient bloodline from which she’s descended. With nothing to keep her in London since losing her brother in the Great War, she warily makes her way to her new home.

The abbey is foreboding, the servants reserved and suspicious. But there is a treasure waiting behind locked doors: a magnificent library. Despite cryptic warnings from the staff, Ivy feels irresistibly drawn to its dusty shelves, where familiar works mingle with strange, esoteric texts. And she senses something else in the library too, a presence that seems to have a will of its own.  

Rumors swirl in the village about the abbey’s previous owners, about ghosts and curses, and an enigmatic manuscript at the center of it all. And as events grow more sinister, it will be up to Ivy to uncover the library’s mysteries in order to reclaim her own story—before it vanishes forever.

Reader Friends, this book contains a secret family, a secret library, a secret society, and a magical secret! It’s just secrets on secrets on secrets! I’m a sucker for a gothic romance and one that contains a hidden library with magical powers? Instantly hooked. I listened to this one on audio and the things I did to make sure I could keep listening…my floors were so clean and my house has never been so free of dust.

Fox does an excellent job of crafting one of the most sympathetic and enraging characters I’ve read. Ivy, young, alone, and living in poverty, is like a fish out of water in her new home. She wants nothing more than to spend her days in the hidden library cataloging and reading every book she can reach, but her household staff do everything in their powers to keep her away from her precious books. Unsure of how to truly conduct herself, Ivy is torn between asserting her place of power in the home and her easy-going, non-confrontational nature. At every point that I wanted to shake Ivy for acting so naive and trusting, the author not so gently reminds the reader of the era in which Ivy lives and her lack of agency as a young, single woman. Nearly every character felt like they had their hands tied in some way when it came to protecting Ivy, which was both infuriating and begrudgingly made sense with the story.

I really enjoyed how much Ivy was completely enthralled by her new home and it’s secrets. A former abbey, Ivy’s new home is incredibly large and she is constantly getting lost in newly discovered halls and rooms and there are even hidden passageways! She is hopelessly in love with her Library and immediately wants to share her new-found literary wealth with the rest of the village. It’s pretty hard to get too mad at a character who finds herself newly titled and her first thought is to start a Bookmobile!

For such a charming and magical story, this book is actually quite dark and disturbing. There is some serious gaslighting that goes on and Ivy is placed in some seriously dangerous situations by people who are supposed to care for her so definitely take care when reading this one.

If you want to add this enchanting tale to your library, you can click on the cover above or here for ordering information. I borrowed the audiobook version from my local Library using the Libby app so don’t forget to check if your Library already bought it for you.

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Weyward by Emilia Hart

Available now

CW: Here’s a list provided by The StoryGraph. Please check before reading.

From the Publisher:

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great-aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she suspects that her great-aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.
1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. When Altha was a girl, her mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence of witchcraft is laid out against Altha, she knows it will take all her powers to maintain her freedom.
1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.
Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an astonishing debut, and an enthralling novel of female resilience.

This book is absolutely captivating! Beautifully written with lush descriptions, this book broke my heart over and over again-but in a good way, promise. If you enjoy books that combine female rage with a healthy dose of female empowerment, this book should be on your TBR. Hart effortlessly wove together the lives of three incredible women into a compelling and enthralling story of love, revenge, and resilience. The incredible descriptions of Weyward Cottage and it’s gardens were absolutely enchanting and I loved how books were an integral part of Kate’s story. Her love of them, her aunt Violet’s gorgeous collection of science based books and books by women authors, and how a bookstore became so important to her own story. You can tell the author has a deep love and appreciation for books and that love shone on the page.

Weyward, with it’s gorgeous cover and lush writing, is actually a pretty dark and haunting story of tragedy and trauma. But underneath that darkness is a great deal of hope and love. This book has an extraordinary ending that stayed with me for weeks after reading. It’s a powerful and enthralling story and once again, I can’t believe this another debut author! I don’t know what Emilia Hart has planned next, but I can’t wait to read it.

This book was my March 2023 Book of the Month pick and yep, I waited way too long to read it. If you’re interested in BOTM, you can use my referral link to get your first book for $5. Full disclosure: I get a free book when you use my link. I spend my own real money on BOTM and have really enjoyed the wide selection of books and authors and the ease of skipping a month if you’re not into any of the titles.

If you would like to add this enchanting novel to your shelf, you can click on the cover above for ordering information. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Affiliate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Sign Here by Claudia Lux

Available now

CW: Click here for a comprehensive list available on The StoryGraph

This book is another “Why Did I Wait So Long To Read” Book of the Month pick. You would think that a book set on the fifth floor of Hell would be an immediate read for me and you would be correct. But like many people, I sometimes like to save a book that I know is perfect because it’s my favorite way to get out of a reading slump. And yes, this book did just that.

Peyote Trip works in the Deals Department on the fifth floor of Hell. Surrounded by pens that don’t work, annoying coworkers, endless paperwork, and Jagermeister as the only alcohol available, it’s actually a pretty good job. Peyote is set to land his first Complete Set, a major accomplishment in his line of work. While we follow Peyote on his quest to complete this goal, we are introduced to the Harrison family, the family that will give Peyote his first Complete Set. Silas and Lily Harrison are high school sweethearts who are raising their two children, Mickey and Sean. When the Harrison’s go on their annual summer vacation at the family’s vacation home, they bring along Mickey’s new best friend Ruth.

No one was prepared for Ruth.

Like so many young, wealthy families, things aren’t always picture perfect. Secrets and lies, both on Earth and in Hell, threaten to tear everyone apart and upend their lives.

I absolutely adore this book! I love quirky books with interesting settings and characters who are…pretty awful. And these characters are pretty darn awful. Considering Peyote is working in Hell, we can only assume he made some questionable choices in life. I’m not judging, apparently someone else did that for us…but he actually seems like a nice guy. I thought it was quite interesting how kind and helpful he was to Calamity even though he was residing in the literally the worst place ever. I really enjoyed all of the quirks of Hell and the wonky things that went on there. Pens never work, radios only play your most hated genres of music, and the only drink sold in bars is Jagermeister and Peyote just rolled with it all. Meanwhile on Earth, the Harrison family is harboring all sorts of awful secrets. Told from multiple POVs, this fast paced story really kept me guessing and there were a few twists I did not see coming.
I found this book to be darkly humorous, imaginative and wildly entertaining. This was an incredible debut and I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next.

If you’d like to add this amazing novel to your shelf, you can click on the cover above for ordering information. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen

Available now

This book is utterly enchanting! This was my most recent pick from Book of the Month and it was perfect to read during the winter holidays-but don’t wait until next Christmas to read it! Grab it now if you’re looking for a snow filled world full of magic, mystery, and danger.

Twin sisters Natasha and Clara were cursed by their godfather on the day of their christening. Clara, declared Light and Natasha, Dark. Clara grows up the golden child, full of life, charm, and beauty. Natasha, shadowed by her sister, grows up plain, studious, and ignored. Together, the girls grow up wealthy thanks to the deep pockets of their godfather Drosselmeyer who funds their parents ostentatious lifestyle and social climbing.

On the night of their 17th birthday, their godfather Drosselmeyer comes to the annual gaudy and drunken family Christmas Eve party with gifts for his goddaughters. For Natasha, a garish and terrifying clown doll the size of a man, capable of moving on its own. For Clara, a small nutcracker that appeared both incredibly cheap and magical. More shockingly, Drosselmeyer was there to announce the engagement of Clara to Conrad, a young man from a prominent family and Natasha’s not-so-secret secret lover. Later that night, furious, heart broken and bereft, Natasha finds herself swept away to a magical land alongside her sister. But the two don’t remain together for long. When Clara is taken away by the now lifelike nutcracker in a horse drawn carriage, Natasha finds herself alone in a magical candy-filled world seemingly made from Clara’s dreams.

What follows is a dark and deadly adventure through the lands of the Sugar Plum Fairy. An adventure that leads Natasha on a twisted mission of revenge and retaliation.

This book is incredibly dark. Please don’t go into this Nutcracker retelling expecting anything light or fluffy. Even the scenes through the magical candy filled lands are very disturbing. I can’t even look at a gingerbread man the same way. It’s full of dangerous magic, violence, deception, greed, and borderline child abuse. The characters are not likeable, not even remotely likeable. But the world building is very well done and finely detailed and I found the story incredibly compelling. And that cover! Stunning. If you’re in the mood for some serious sibling rivalry, absolutely atrocious family members, wicked wealthy people, and dark magical lands, this is definitely a good pick for you!

I bought my book through Book of the Month and if you use my referral link, you get your first book for $5 and I get a free one! Or, pick this up from your local Library or bookstore. You can also find ordering information by clicking on the book cover above.

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Theodore

In April, we lost our little pug Dory and that loss left a giant hole in our hearts. She worked at the Library with me every day, visiting patrons and delighting the kids in the youth department. She was full of life and personality and while she loved nearly everyone, she definitely had her favorites. She was also my husband’s Pretty Little Princess and was hands down his favorite dog.

In October, we met this guy:

Theo at his first shawnee national forest vacation

Theodore was only 4 months old when we brought him home. All my plans for my newly relaxed schedule went completely out the window. I left my job at the Library to help balance my time raising our growing cattle herd and becoming the world’s Best Unpaid Intern at our partner’s farm with The Kid’s increasingly busy activity schedule, but instead it really became a full time job of teaching a curious little puppy not to chase the cows and horses.

So, between a new puppy, prepping a house for sale, a busy kid, and the holidays, I have had approximately 4 minutes to do something besides work. But, things are slowly starting to slow back down. For once, we don’t have an active renovation project (for at least a month) and the puppy is nearly potty trained so I should be able to get back on track with posting more book recs and my rambling reviews.

In 2024, I want to keep up my reading goal of not having any reading goals. I don’t want the pressure of finishing a certain number of books and I can never stick with any system of tracking everything I read. But, I would like to read through more of my own collection and focus on borrowing from the Library instead of focusing on new releases and advanced copies. If I’ve learned anything from my short time working in a Library, it’s that there more books published in a day than anyone could ever read in a lifetime and trying to stay current is an impossible task. My new Library has a much broader selection of audio and ebooks, as well as a huge physical collection, and I’ve been cranking through nearly a book a day on audio while many of my favorite podcasts were on holiday hiatus and I have loved many of them. So, be prepared for more regular posts (puppy willing) and I hope we all have a wonderful reading year.