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ladyherenya · 3 years

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As the month went on, my choices became more and more obviously comfort-reading-ish.

Reread: Pretty Face by Lucy Parker.

Total: thirteen novels (includes four audiobooks and one reread).

Cover thoughts: Unintentional colour scheme – blue to orange to purple. The Grandest Bookshop in the World is lovely (and would have caught my attention even if the artist hadn’t posted about it on Tumblr) and This Side of Murder made me want to read the book. A Song Unheard sets off my “unconvincing violinist” radar (I don’t know why), and I’m disappointed the cover for One True Pairing doesn’t match Level Up.

Still reading: The Rose Code by Kate Quinn and Castle Charming by Tansy Raynor Roberts.

Next up: Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley.

My full reviews are on Dreamwidth and LibraryThing.

The Verity Kent mysteries by Anna Lee Huber: Historical murder mysteries, set in 1919.

This Side of Murder: Verity Kent, a young war widow, is invited to a houseparty on an island off the coast of England. It would be exactly the sort of romantic mystery I like, except I expect more from such stories: stronger prose, a more vivid sense of place and/or more nuanced characterisation. But this was was arguably successful on its own terms – likeable and entertaining. I don’t really think I should blame it for not delivering exactly what I wanted. 3 ★

Treacherous is the Night: I knew this wasn’t going to be what I wanted but I was curious about how something in Verity’s personal life developed in the aftermath of the previous book. I can’t say I paid much attention to the actual mystery. I’d read the sequels if there weren’t so many other books I wanted to read more. 2½ ★

The Grandest Bookshop in the World by Amelia Mellor: Children’s historical fantasy, set in Melbourne in 1893.

This is a mix of things I love – Melbourne! a bookshop! eccentric family! sibling dynamics! teamwork! riddles! – and of things I find disquieting. Creepiness is not a deal-breaker for me, and I can’t pinpoint why the sinister figure making deals with children, memory loss and destruction of beloved spaces made me feel so uneasy here. 3 ★

The Somerset Tsunami by Emma Carroll (narrated by Katherine Press): Children’s historical, set in Somerset in the early 1600s.

I think Carroll is an excellent storyteller and this story is no exception. However, it involves two things I don’t particularly enjoy reading about in historical fiction: a natural disaster and a witch trial! 3 ★

Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas: Historical murder mystery, set in Victorian London. Fifth in the Lady Sherlock series, following on from The Art of Theft.

After Inspector Treadles is accused of murder, Charlotte Holmes sets out to uncover the truth. This mystery was very satisfying – tense, atmospheric and intelligent, and the investigation feels both urgent and personal. Thomas is insightful about the issues and constraints faced by a variety of women in Victorian London, and I enjoyed piecing together an increasing understanding of the characters connected to the murder, especially Treadles’ wife Alice, who has recently inherited a business. 3½ ★ *

The Shadows Over England trilogy by Roseanna M. White (narrated by Liz Pearce): Romantic historical mysteries set in 1914 during WWI. Christian fiction. Standalone sequels to A Name Unknown.

A Song Unheard: Willa is sent to Wales to steal a cipher from the Belgium violinist. I rolled my eyes at a few things, but once I decided to just accept that Willa is a musical genius, I loved Willa’s and Lukas’ passion for music and enjoyed their banter and flirting, and I liked the chapters about Lukas’ teenage sister, Margot, who is back in Brussels. 3½ ★

An Hour Unspent: Barclay, ordered to discover if a clockmaker’s latest development is relevant to the war effort, befriends the clockmaker’s suffragette daughter. One of my favourite things about this trilogy has been Barclay’s large and loving found-family; I enjoyed spending more time with them. The romance was sweet, too. 3 ★

Nomad by R.J. Anderson: YA-ish fantasy, faeries and shapeshifters. Sequel to Swift.

When I read Swift in 2013, I was left feeling unsatisfied because this hadn’t been published yet and I wanted more of Ivy’s story. Well, here is more, but I really should have reread Swift first. Reading this was like picking up a book halfway through – and that’s just not the way to properly appreciate a story. 3 ★

Fandom Hearts by Cathy Yardley: Contemporary fandom-y romance, set near Seattle.

Level Up: Tessa needs help from her roommate Adam and colleagues to build a successful computer game in time for a fan contest. Initially the mid-2010s fandom references struck me as dated (not quite old enough to be ‘vintage’!) but then I settled into the story. More cute romances with fandom references, please.

One True Pairing: Mystics actor Jake hides from a mob of fangirls in the cafe where Hailey works. Jake’s in town for a fan convention, and Hailey soon concludes they would both benefit from a different sort of con: fake dating! A different side of fandom to Level Up, but enjoyable in its own way.

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin (narrated by Lara Sawalha): Contemporary Pride and Prejudice retelling about Muslims in Canada.

Yet another retelling, but it definitely – and deftly – justifies its existence. I thought it was lovely. Because it just draws on bits and pieces of Pride and Prejudice, I couldn’t predict how lots of things would unfold, and there was room in the story to explore Ayesha’s poetry and her relationship with her grandparents, and Khalid’s dealings with his Islamaphobic boss. 4 ★

Love at First by Kate Clayborn: Contemporary romance, set in Chicago.

Nora and Will have both inherited apartments in the same building, and Nora enlists help from neighbours to convince Will that he can’t turn his apartment into a short-term rental. I love Clayborn’s writing and I enjoyed reading this, but I didn’t like it as much as her other books. I’m not sure why… Personal preference? 3 ★

#Herenya reviews books

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sophiarose1816 · 6 years

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #35 and COYER Update #1

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

What Did I Read This Last Week?

Mr. Darcy’s Christmas Calendar by Jane Odiwe

Time Travel romance, holiday, Austenesque

It was sweet and charming, a little fluffy, but still engaging.

Caught in Time by Julie McElwain, Narrated by Lucy Rayner

#3 Kendra Donovan

Time Travel Romantic Suspense

I think I’m adjusting to Kendra’s issues and it helps that she’s acknowledging them and starting to work past them. The case was a good gritty one. Narrated and I are still not compatible.

The Hollow of Fear by Sherry Thomas

#3 Lady Sherlock

Historical Suspense

Still riveted to this superb gender-bender take on Sherlock Holmes in the latest twisting adventure that has Ash suspected of killing his wife and Charlotte on the hunt for the dangerous person out to frame him.

Fortune Favors the Witch by Ani Gonzalez

#2 Main Street Witches

Paranormal Cozy Mystery

A fortune teller and the town sheriff must figure out who is behind the Ponzi scheme that has already taken a life. Binging on all things A.G. continues to be a delicious treat.

Dark Clouds Over Nuala by Harriet Steel, Narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davis

#2 Inspector DeSliva

Historical Mystery

Shanti and Jane are still a lovely interracial couple and I enjoy these cozy mysteries set in 1930′s Ceylon. Davies is a fabulous narrator.

Christmas Light by Jolyse Barnett

#2 Christmas in New York

Contemporary Romance, Holidays

This was a DNF. I hated the heroine from the start and only made it through chapter two. She was a mean girl in high school and she’s a mean girl ten years later. She rips the head off a waitress for no reason other than she’s nervous around the hero and she is mean to the hero like she was back in high school. She recognizes it and then tells herself that it was his own fault because he didn’t get it that when she moved to the cool lunch table and started tarting herself up that she was done being friends with geeks. Ugh! Spare me your excuses and woman up now that you’re not an insecure teen in high school.

Some Like It Witchy by Ani Gonzalez

#3 Main Street Witches

Paranormal Cozy Mystery

Fiona is a fire witch and she falls for the Fire and Rescue chief. *snort* I love the humor in these. They must solve a murder that implicates Fiona and others in the town during a Beltane festival. Favorite book of the series so far.

Someone to Watch Over Me by Lisa Kleypas, Narrated by Anna Parker-Naples

#1 Bow Street Runners

Historical Romance

My first Kleypas. It was great. A revenge plot for the hero and amnesia for the heroine who was attacked and nearly killed. A suspense that is mostly a slow-burn yet very spicy romance, too. Loved it!

A Very Merry Witchmas by Ani Gonzalez

#4 Main Street Witches

Paranormal Cozy Mystery

This one wrapped up the series, but also introduces the next series that will also be set in the Banshee Creek world. Good and engaging, but not my favorite because I was sad about the end. Cookie baking contest and a murdering ghost for Kat, Fiona, and Luanne with newcomer, Claire. Oh yes, the binge plays on and I’ll be reaching for the new series.

WHAT AM I READING NOW?

Rise & Shine, Benedict Stone by Phaedra Patrick

General Fiction

Mr. Darcy’s Enchantment by Abigail Reynolds

Fantasy Romance, Austenesque

WHAT WILL I READ NEXT?

Strawberry Hill by Catherine Anderson

#5 Mystic Creek

Contemporary Romance

On December 1st, COYER Winter started up and I got off to a good start. My goal is thirty books by the end of COYER in the first week of March.

After this first week, I have finished 10 books that count for the challenge:

1. Here Comes the Witch by Ani Gonzalez

2. Mr. Darcy’s Christmas Calendar by Jane Odiwe

3. Caught in Time by Julie McElwain

4. The Hollow of Fear by Sherry Thomas

5. Darkness Over Nuala by Harriet Steel

6. One Night With the Golden Goddess by Ani Gonzalez

7. Mister Darcy’s Dogs by Barbara Silkstone

8. Mister Darcy’s Secret by Barbara Silkstone

9. Some Like It Witchy by Ani Gonzalez

10. Someone to Watch Over Me by Lisa Kleypas

I have visited a few of the other COYER reviews and kept up with the FB group events which is part of my goals as well.

This week, I started the Get Ahead with 2019 ARCs for the first of the Readathons. My goal is to finish 3 ARCs released in 2019 to help get me through my dwindling stack of this year’s review commitments.

Wish me well as I wish the other challengers well!

#WhatAmIReadingNow COYER ReadingChallenge AniGonzalez #AbigailReynolds LisaKleypas JulieMcElwain LucyRayner harrietSteel matthewlloyddavies BarbaraSilkstone JolyseBarnett SherryThomas J #JaneOdiwe

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ladyherenya · 5 years

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Books read in September

I fell down a couple of rabbit holes -- that’s my metaphor of choice for when I ignore my TBR list and get distracted reading other things, usually in a search for comfort reading.

Also, I clicked the wrong thing in the Kindle app at 1am and now I have a free trial of Kindle Unlimited so I decided I might as well make use of it.

Favourite cover: A Conspiracy in Belgravia.

Reread: Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, Penric’s Mission and Mira’s Last Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold and Exit Strategy by Martha Wells.

Still reading: The Princess Who Flew with Dragons by Stephanie Burgis.

Next up: Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks.

(Longer reviews and ratings are on LibraryThing. And also Dreamwidth.)

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang: Khai hasn’t found a girlfriend, so his mother arranges for a young woman from Vietnam to come to California for the summer, to see if she and Khai will suit each other. This is romance, a genre which doesn’t always share my narrative priorities -- some things are resolved too neatly, and I’d have liked more of Esme’s relationship with her daughter and of her adult education classes -- but I enjoyed reading this, so I’m not complaining. I liked how Hoang portrays Khai’s autism. He has a greater capacity for love than he realises, he just needs support to understand his feelings.

Secrets of a Sun King by Emma Carroll (narrated by Victoria Fox): I read this because I love the narrator and really liked Carroll’s Letters From the Lighthouse. This book is set post-WWI, and involves friendship, family secrets and the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Lil’s grandfather is in hospital and she becomes convinced that his recovery depends upon her solving the mystery surrounding the package sent to him by a famous and now-deceased Egyptologist. I predicted the twists, but I can see how this would strongly appeal to children who want a blend of history, adventure and mystery with a hint of fantasy. (Where was this when I was twelve?)

The Spirit Ring by Lois McMaster Bujold: Fantasy set in Renaissance Italy. Fiametta, daughter of a master mage and goldsmith, witnesses a violent coup. She flees -- and meets Thur, a guardsmen’s younger brother coming to Montefolgia for an apprenticeship. This was published in 1992, after Bujold had published several Vorkosigan books and won a few Hugos, so I wasn’t expecting it to feel so, well, rough by comparison. That said, bits of it still shine! The plot makes every detail count, the final confrontation is memorable and I liked the characters. And it’s interesting to consider this as a precursor to Bujold’s World of the Five Gods.

A Royal Pain by Meg Mulry: This turned up when I was searching Overdrive for something else (Goodness knows why, none of my search words are its title or description). It sounded like it might be entertaining, maybe a bit like The Princess Diaries. It isn’t, at least not enough for me. Two-thirds through I decided to abandon it -- and then a bit later I decided I might as well skim read to the end and see how everything turned out. I don’t feel qualified to say anything insightful, I just wandered in here by mistake...

The Enchanted April (1922) by Elizabeth von Armin (narrated by Nadia May): Four women respond to a newspaper advertisement and rent a house in Italy for the month of April. This is delightfully funny and observant, with idyllic descriptions of spring in Italy. I liked the friendships which develop between four very different women, and the way they are challenged -- or inspired -- to reconsider their opinions about others. The ending is, unsurprisingly, very tidy and conventional. (Not many options for happy endings a 1920s novelist could easily give to unhappily married women.) Reading nothing but sunshine and fairytale endings would become unsatisfying, no matter how wonderful the prose, but sometimes it’s just want one wants.

The “Lady Sherlock” series by Sherry Thomas:

A Conspiracy in Belgravia: Disgraced Charlotte Holmes has found a home with the widowed Mrs Watson and an income under the persona of “Sherlock Holmes”. Her latest case sounds simple but is complicated by connections to the wife of Charlotte’s closest friend and Charlotte’s half-brother. Meanwhile, Charlotte has a marriage proposal to consider, ciphers to crack, and a murder victim to identify. I like the way certain qualities of Doyle’s characters are assigned to different characters -- so Charlotte’s sister Livia is writing stories about Sherlock, and Mrs Watson’s niece has medical training. I enjoyed reading this and immediately embarked on the next book.

The Hollow of Fear: I could not put this book down -- the stakes are so high and personal! But in the end I didn’t find this a wholly satisfying mystery because much of the tension is the result of Charlotte concealing a lot about her suspicions and plans. It’s fun watching Charlotte in disguise, and I don’t mind some misdirection, nor Charlotte keeping thoughts to herself. That fits with her character. But the extent of it felt contrived. Disappointment aside, I liked the journey, thought one of the twists was handled with particular deftness, and I am eager to read the sequel.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn (narrated by Saskia Maarlveld): A long, complex, powerful three-stranded story about war and its aftermath. In Boston in 1946, Jordan, a teenager passionate about photography, is suspicious of her new stepmother. In Germany in 1950, war correspondent Ian now hunts war criminals. And in Siberia before the war, Nina becomes a pilot. From the beginning, this was interesting, with tense scenes. But I wasn’t strongly invested, and I was unsure of the narrative’s structure. As the story continued, I discovered that it is richer and more nuanced because of its structure -- and that I was becoming very attached to these characters. Surprisingly so.

The “Dear Professor” series by Penny Reid

Kissing Galileo: The description made me curious, so I looked at the sample chapters... and, unexpectedly, was convinced I should read this book. Because it’s smart and funny! And I liked how the characters deal with an awkward and potentially very problematic situation. (Emily works as a lingerie model, and when her professor visits the store, he doesn’t recognise her.) I really enjoyed the progression of their relationship -- how obviously they like each other’s company and care about each other, how they have an intellectual connection that goes hand-in-hand physical attraction, how they learn to understand each other better.

Kissing Tolstoy: The first book is about Emily’s friend Anna, who signs up for a Russian literature class, unaware that the professor is someone she accidentally had an almost-date with. This is a shorter than Kissing Galileo, nearly novella-length, and because I read them back-to-back, suffered somewhat in comparison -- it’s less complex, and features a professor who doesn’t deal quite so well with being attracted to one of his students. I wasn’t so convinced their relationship was a good idea. But there’s some entertaining awkwardness and people being opinionated about Russian literature. I liked Anna’s nerdy interests and her friendship with Emily.

Marriage of Inconvenience by Penny Reid: I was curious what else Reid has written and sometimes I like fake relationships stories. This book makes a convoluted set-up feel plausible. I liked how Kat and Dan’s relationship developed, I liked the ratio of romance to plot, and I liked how involved and supportive all their friends were. But my enjoyment ebbed as I read, which is probably a reflection on what I want from this sort of story rather than on this book’s merits. I don’t find the corporate city setting very interesting or appealing.

Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid: I enjoy stories where characters are passionate about their interests. In this, one of the characters is a vet but his job had no real presence in the story. What a waste.

A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley: Sara accepts a job decoding a ciphered diary from 1732. The diary is written by Mary, a half-Scottish woman raised in France, who agrees to disguise an Englishman by pretending to be his sister. I like how these two stories sit together. There’s a gentleness to Sara’s, as she discovers things she likes, including the sensory delights of winter in France and people who accept her. In contrast, Mary’s is full of danger, deception and the discomfort of travel. But there’s also subtle, common threads running throughout: life-changing choices and trusting people. I liked so many things in this book.

Echo in Onyx by Sharon Shinn: Brianna becomes the maid for the governor’s daughter, who has three “echoes”. When one of Marguerite's echoes is killed defending Marguerite, Brianna disguises herself as the echo so that they can conceal the incident. The concept of echoes is unusual and Shinn has clearly given careful thought to how they would affect society and daily life for those who have them, as well as reasons for their existence. I wasn’t surprised by the final twists, because I know how Shinn usually deals with injustice, but parts were still quite tense. And I liked Brianna’s attitude -- so sunny and resourceful and loyal.

A House of Rage and Sorrow by Sangu Mandanna: I really liked A Spark of White Fire so I was surprised by my reaction to this sequel. Halfway through, I was pushing myself to stay focused and just wanted to cross it off the list. So I left it there. I don’t know if there was something in the pacing or the first book’s ending which stopped me from caring -- or if I just wasn’t in the mood to read about rage and sorrow and things going to hell in a handbasket. I might try again one day. I did like the first one.

#Herenya reviews books #Lois McMaster Bujold #Sherry Thomas #Sharon Shinn #Susanna Kearsley #Helen Hoang #Kate Quinn #Emma Carroll #Penny Reid #Sangu Mandanna #Elizabeth von Armin

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