Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Title: Home Before Dark

Author: Riley Sager

Publisher: Dutton 2020

Genre: Horror

Pages: 400

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf Project

What was it like? Living in that house.
Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism.

Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father's book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father's death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.

I’m always here for a spooky house story and this one delivered! We get the perfect setting in Baneberry Hall, a mysterious past, and some truly creepy characters. Right away the spooky atmosphere pervades every page. We are thrown into the mystery of what happened 25 years ago (and even further back) at Baneberry Hall. We’re left with Maggie to try to understand what is real, lies, and potential supernatural. I found myself not wanting to read this at night in the dark. Sager perfectly creates a sense of unease that bleeds through the pages into real life. I rushed through the last 30 pages desperately needing to know what happened to Maggie. Such a great spooky book!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora

Title: Conjure Women

Author: Afia Atakora

Publisher: 

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library; Monthly Theme - June

Conjure Women is a sweeping story that brings the world of the South before and after the Civil War vividly to life. Spanning eras and generations, it tells of the lives of three unforgettable women: Miss May Belle, a wise healing woman; her precocious and observant daughter Rue, who is reluctant to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a midwife; and their master’s daughter Varina. The secrets and bonds among these women and their community come to a head at the beginning of a war and at the birth of an accursed child, who sets the townspeople alight with fear and a spreading superstition that threatens their newly won, tenuous freedom.

A very atmospheric look at three women in the mid 1800s. I was captivated by the dreamy descriptions of life in the south. May Belle and Rue were amazing and interesting women. I definitely wanted to see where their lives went. At times, the book was very difficult to read, depicting horrific situations and occurrences. Important, but definitely hard to read. Ultimately, I was bored with Varina’s story and would rather have had those sections reworked to focus on May Belle and Rue instead. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to feel about Varina. Those hesitations kept me from rating this with 5 stars.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

Title: Exit Strategy (Murderbot Diaries #4)

Author: Martha Wells

Publisher: Tor.com 2018

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 176

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook

Murderbot wasn’t programmed to care. So, its decision to help the only human who ever showed it respect must be a system glitch, right?
Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah—its former owner (protector? friend?)—submit evidence that could prevent GrayCris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit.
But who’s going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue?
And what will become of it when it’s caught?

Oh what a ride! I wish that I had planned my week better so I could have read this in one sitting. Unfortunately I had to break it up into two reading sessions. We get the return of some previous characters and learn more about what GrayCris has been doing. Murderbot’s narration has continued to entertain me on every page. I love the little asides and commentary on human life. My favorite part was definitely the reboot process. Fascinating to watch Murderbot understand who they are. I must read the next one (a full length novel!) soon.

Murderbot Diaries:

• #1 All Systems Red

• #2 Artificial Condition

• #3 Rogue Protocol

• #4 Exit Strategy

• #5 Network Effect

• #6 Fugitive Telemetry

Next up on the TBR pile:

Once & Future Vol. 1

Title: Once & Future Vol. 1

Author: Kieron Gillen, Tamra Bonvillain, Dan Mora

Publisher: Boom Studios 2020

Genre: Comics

Pages: 160

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

When a group of Nationalists use an ancient artifact to bring a villain from Arthurian myth back from the dead, retired monster hunter Bridgette McGuire pulls her unsuspecting grandson Duncan, a museum curator, into a world of magic and mysticism to defeat a legendary threat. Now the two must navigate the complicated history of the McGuire family, all while combating the deadly secrets of England’s past that threaten its very future.

Finally picked this one up and oh my goodness, it was a good one. I’m always up for a reimagining of classic stories and myths. This one takes the King Arthur myth and turns it on its head. The reader is thrown completely into the story with Duncan and left to figure put what exactly is going on. I loved encountering the various characters and attempting to understand their place in the larger story. I will be waiting on pins and needles for the next volume.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Title: Get a Life, Chloe Brown (Brown Sisters #1)

Author: Talia Hibbert

Publisher: Avon 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 387

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family’s mansion. The next items?

• Enjoy a drunken night out.

• Ride a motorcycle.

• Go camping.

• Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.

• Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.

• And... do something bad.

But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Our book club selection for July. It was a nice, light, and fluffy contemporary romance that was an enjoyable read for a few days. I liked Chloe, but Red was my favorite character in the book. He had such great comebacks and wit. I loved it. The romance was fun and steamy at all the correct points. I wouldn’t call it my favorite romance of the last few years, but this was a good one. I’m interested in reading the sequel.

Brown Sisters

• #1 Get a Life, Chloe Brown

• #2 Take a Hint, Dani Brown

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe

Title: The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs

Author: Katherine Howe

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. 2019

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 338

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library; GR Random June

Connie Goodwin is an expert on America’s fractured past with witchcraft. A young, tenure-track professor in Boston, she’s earned career success by studying the history of magic in colonial America—especially women’s home recipes and medicines—and by exposing society's threats against women fluent in those skills. But beyond her studies, Connie harbors a secret: She is the direct descendant of a woman tried as a witch in Salem, an ancestor whose abilities were far more magical than the historical record shows.

When a hint from her mother and clues from her research lead Connie to the shocking realization that her partner’s life is in danger, she must race to solve the mystery behind a hundreds’-years-long deadly curse.

This volume continues Connie story and her discovery of her ancestors. I enjoyed the book, but felt like the modern sections dragged a bit. I wanted to speed up the storyline for those chapters. I also got annoyed with Connie on multiple occasions for not telling people the truth. The historical chapters were much more interesting. I almost wanted a whole book of just those chapters. I would have loved to read about each of the women through history. Very well researched book featuring stories and characters from early America.

The Physick Book

• #1 The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

• #2 The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs

Next up on the TBR pile:

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

Title: Rogue Protocol (Murderbot Diaries #3)

Author: Martha Wells

Publisher: Tor.com 2018

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 150

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook

Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas?

Sci-fi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is back on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris Corporation is floundering, and more importantly, authorities are beginning to ask more questions about where Dr. Mensah's SecUnit is.

And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good.

Oh Yes! This series just keeps getting better and better. I sped through this volume enjoying every quip from Murderbot and every action sequence. There’s not a deep plot to this one, but we do get more information on the larger conspiracy afoot. Plus we get to see Murderbot interact with another group of humans and bots in an attempt to figure out their identity. So good! I’ll be quickly picking up the next novella.

Murderbot Diaries:

• #1 All Systems Red

• #2 Artificial Condition

• #3 Rogue Protocol

• #4 Exit Strategy

• #5 Network Effect

• #6 Fugitive Telemetry

Next up on the TBR pile:

I'd Give Anything by Marisa de los Santos

Title: I’d Give Anything

Author: Marisa de los Santos

Publisher: William Morrow 2020

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 272

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; MMD 2020

Ginny Beale is eighteen, irreverent, funny, and brave, with a brother she adores and a circle of friends for whom she would do anything. Because of one terrible night, she loses them all—and her adventurous spirit—seemingly forever. While the town cheers on the high school football team, someone sets the school’s auditorium ablaze. Ginny’s best friend Gray Marsden’s father, a fire fighter, dies in the blaze.

While many in the town believe a notoriously troubled local teen set the fire, Ginny makes a shattering discovery that casts blame on the person she trusts most in the world. Ginny tells no one, but the secret isolates her, looming between her and her friends and ruining their friendship.

Over the next two decades, Ginny puts aside her wanderlust and her dreams. Moving back to her hometown, she distances herself from the past and from nearly everyone in it. She marries a quiet man, raises their daughter, Avery, and cares for her tyrannical, ailing mother, Adela. But when Ginny’s husband, Harris, becomes embroiled in a scandal, Ginny’s carefully controlled life crumbles, and, just when she believes she is regaining her bearings, the secret she’s kept for twenty years emerges and threatens to destroy her hopes for the future.

With the help of fifteen-year-old Avery and of friends both old and new, Ginny must summon the courage to confront old lies and hard truths and to free herself and the people she loves from the mistakes and regrets that have burdened them for so long.

This one was a dud for me. I never really engaged with the characters or the storyline. Something about both felt very immature to me. As for the characters, I kept thinking that adult Ginny was much much younger than she actually was. And Avery sometimes acted 12 and sometimes acted 20. I couldn’t get a good feel for any of them. Harris completely annoyed the crap out of me and I was mad at Ginny for not being more upset by his betrayal. And then we get to the big mystery of the fire. I just didn’t really care. I guessed the secret that Ginny was keeping from about when they revealed the fire. the second twist I didn’t see coming, but I didn’t even really care about it. Overall I was left with a big MEH feeling. Not my type of book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

Title: Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diaries #2)

Author: Martha Wells

Publisher: Tor.com 2018

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 149

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook

It has a dark past—one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot”. But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more.
Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue.
What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks…

I’m again loving the Muderbot’s narration of space adventures. We get a bit more of the overreaching storyline, but mainly focus on an encounter with a collective and a devious company agent. I can’t wait to see what happens next. I hope we get more ART in future books and more of Murderbot attempting to pass for human. Very entertaining!

Murderbot Diaries:

• #1 All Systems Red

• #2 Artificial Condition

• #3 Rogue Protocol

• #4 Exit Strategy

• #5 Network Effect

• #6 Fugitive Telemetry

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Paris Hours by Alex George

Title: The Paris Hours

Author: Alex George

Publisher: Flatiron Books 2020

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 258

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf Project; Monthly Theme - June

Paris between the wars teems with artists, writers, and musicians, a glittering crucible of genius. But amidst the dazzling creativity of the city’s most famous citizens, four regular people are each searching for something they’ve lost.

Camille was the maid of Marcel Proust, and she has a secret: when she was asked to burn her employer’s notebooks, she saved one for herself. Now she is desperate to find it before her betrayal is revealed. Souren, an Armenian refugee, performs puppet shows for children that are nothing like the fairy tales they expect. Lovesick artist Guillaume is down on his luck and running from a debt he cannot repay—but when Gertrude Stein walks into his studio, he wonders if this is the day everything could change. And Jean-Paul is a journalist who tells other people’s stories, because his own is too painful to tell. When the quartet’s paths finally cross in an unforgettable climax, each discovers if they will find what they are looking for.

This book really snuck up on me. I made it about 50 pages in and was enjoying the book, but not desperately wanting to finish it. And then we learned even more about our quartet of main characters and I couldn’t put it down. I had to see how their individual searches played out. I had to understand just what kept them going. I demanded to know more about each of their pasts. And we get all of those things in bits and pieces spread out over the novel. By page 125, I could not put the book back down; I had to finish it. This slim novel really packs an emotional punch that I didn’t see coming but thoroughly enjoyed. Each of the main characters (and many of the secondary characters including all the famous ones) leapt off the page. They were as real as you or me. George manages to layer so much characterization and complexities into very short chapters, snippets really. By the end of the novel, I felt like I had head each of their life stories, when the actual action takes place over the course of one day. Breathtaking!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Title: Red, White and Royal Blue

Author: Casey McQuiston

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 425

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook

What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?
When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.

Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through? Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn't always diplomatic.

This was an utter delight! I loved every single page of this book. I’m always up for a good but realistic romance, and thankfully this one delivers. Alex is such a great main character, full of sash and bravery. I was rooting for him right off the bat. I couldn’t wait to see how he would change and grow throughout the novel. Thankfully we dive in pretty much right away. I loved seeing him re-meet Henry and then fall into a wedding cake. From there on out, I couldn’t read fast enough. I had to see them finally get together and realize their feelings. My one complain about the novel: I want to live in that political world, not our own. I even got a bit choked up during the election night chapters. I just really wish 2016 had turned out differently.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

Title: The Friend Zone (The Friend Zone #1)

Author: Abby Jimenez

Publisher: Forever 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 384

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook

Kristen Peterson doesn't do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don't get her. She's also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.
Planning her best friend's wedding is bittersweet for Kristen -- especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He's funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he'd be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it's harder and harder to keep him at arm's length.

CW: Infertility, death

I read this one as I friend warned me not to read Jimenez’s newer book (The Happily Ever After Playlist) before reading this one for spoilers. I didn’t realize it was a series. Thank goodness I didn’t read the summary of the number two before reading this book. Spoilers abound!

As for this volume, I was disappointed. The first and second halves of this one feel like different books. The tone becomes very serious in the second half and I was not prepared for the switch. The cover deluded me into thinking this was a lighthearted romance story. Nope! There are serious events and issues in this book. I was not prepared at all. And the two biggest themes (infertility and death) could really mess with a person who was not prepared to encounter those in the book. Beyond the tone, I was not on board with Kristen as a main character. She was very immature and selfish throughout most fo the book. I just wanted someone to knock some sense into her at many moments. And the way she treated Josh was so not fair. It was very bad behavior indeed. (I even felt sorry for Tyler who didn’t seem like a terrible guy, just different than Kristen wanted.) One last gripe: the big event in the second half of the book really felt like a device to get Kristen and Josh together. It’s devastating to at least one other character, but most of it gets brushed over so we can see Kristen and Josh get their HEA. Not a book for me.

The Friend Zone

• #1 The Friend Zone

• #2 The Happily Ever After Playlist

• #3 Life’s Too Short

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreaker #2)

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 456

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library; Monthly Theme - June

Find the heir, win the crown.
The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.

Win the crown, save the kingdom.
Grey may be the heir, but he doesn't want anyone to know his secret. On the run since he destroyed Lilith, he has no desire to challenge Rhen--until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother's violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?

The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.

I fell hard for A Curse So Dark and Lonely. I picked it as one of my three best books for last month. I eagerly got the sequel from the library. I sped through it and came out the other side being utterly disappointed. This is not the same series or story or characters. I couldn’t understand the huge shift from one to two. It’s not character growth, if anything, we get characters going backward. And we are treated to basically no Harper or Rhen in this volume. I was just beyond disappointed. And why is Rhen now complete trash? Grey lied to him and then thinks that he can claim the morale high ground. I just… no. I was not a fan. Lia Mara is a decent character, but she seems to be the counterpoint to Grey and that’s it. I would have liked more from her. And do not get me started on the very last chapter with Rhen. Utter rage! I imagine that I will pick up book three because I want to see how this one ends, but I’m not going to jump on it.

Cursebreaker Series

• #1 A Curse So Dark and Lonely

• #2 A Heart So Fierce and Broken

• #3 A Vow So Bold and Deadly

Next up on the TBR pile:

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

Title: Ask Again, Yes

Author: Mary Beth Keane

Publisher: Schribner 2019

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 390

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library; MMD 2012-2019

Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, rookie cops in the NYPD, live next door to each other outside the city. What happens behind closed doors in both houses—the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne, sets the stage for the explosive events to come.

Ask Again, Yes is a deeply affecting exploration of the lifelong friendship and love that blossoms between Kate Gleeson and Peter Stanhope, born six months apart. One shocking night their loyalties are divided, and their bond will be tested again and again over the next 40 years. Luminous, heartbreaking, and redemptive, Ask Again, Yes reveals the way childhood memories change when viewed from the distance of adulthood—villains lose their menace and those who appeared innocent seem less so. Kate and Peter’s love story, while haunted by echoes from the past, is marked by tenderness, generosity, and grace.

For the record, I can see why people love this book. I enjoyed Keane’s writing and the transitions between sentences and paragraphs. She is a talented writer. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of the depressing family drama stories. The story did not grab me at any time. I wasn’t clamoring to pick the book back up after putting it down. It took me almost two weeks read this books. Ridiculously slow for my usual time for completion of 2-3 days. Everything moved so slowly in the book, except for the large time jumps. The characters are all realistic, and yet, I wasn’t connecting to any one of those characters. I just wasn’t a fan of anyone in the novel. The disconnect combined with slow writing and a very dark tone left me not really enjoying this book at all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Bibliophile by Jane Mount

Title: Bibliophile

Author: Jane Mount

Publisher: Chronicle Books 2018

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 224

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

Searching for perfect book lovers gifts? Rejoice! Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany, is a love letter to all things bookish. Author Jane Mount brings literary people, places, and things to life through her signature and vibrant illustrations. It's a must have for every book collection, and makes a wonderful literary gift for book lovers, writers, and more.

Such a fun collection of lists and pretty pictures. This was a nice afternoon’s worth of diving into my love of books. A lovely pick-me-up for the week. And I added a ton of my books to my out-of-control TBR list!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

Title: The Authenticity Project

Author: Clare Pooley

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books 2020

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 368

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook

Julian Jessop, an eccentric, lonely artist and septuagenarian believes that most people aren't really honest with each other. But what if they were? And so he writes--in a plain, green journal--the truth about his own life and leaves it in his local café. It's run by the incredibly tidy and efficient Monica, who furtively adds her own entry and leaves the book in the wine bar across the street. Before long, the others who find the green notebook add the truths about their own deepest selves--and soon find each other In Real Life at Monica's Café.

I did not really enjoy this book. I was sucked in by the premise and the back of the book blurb. Unfortunately, I don’t think the storyline or the characters live up to the promise. The storyline was fairly predictable. I wasn’t surprised by the bad decisions and silly interactions with the characters. I wanted to really dive into the characters, but they were often just stereotypes. And Julian, who should have been the most interesting one, was left unwraps most of the time. The only bits we saw were decidedly fake and unappealing. I just couldn’t with him and it spiraled out to the other characters.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

Title: Bringing Down the Duke (A League of Extraordinary Women #1)

Author: Evie Dunmore

Publisher: Berkley 2019

Genre: Romancec

Pages: 364

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf Project

England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women's suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain's politics at the Queen's command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can't deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for.

Sebastian is appalled to find a suffragist squad has infiltrated his ducal home, but the real threat is his impossible feelings for green-eyed beauty Annabelle. He is looking for a wife of equal standing to secure the legacy he has worked so hard to rebuild, not an outspoken commoner who could never be his duchess. But he wouldn't be the greatest strategist of the Kingdom if he couldn't claim this alluring bluestocking without the promise of a ring...or could he?

Locked in a battle with rising passion and a will matching her own, Annabelle will learn just what it takes to topple a duke....

I love a good historical romance and I definitely love one where the heroine has spunk! I definitely needed this book this week. I dove right in and only came up for air a few times. I couldn’t wait to see what happened between Annabelle and Sebastian. I couldn’t wait to see how Annabelle dealt with Oxford and the suffrage movement. I couldn’t wait to see what happened with Peregrin and many of the side characters. This was a delightful romance romp filled with conflict and good sexual tension. I loved every page of it! Will be on the lookout for the next book in the series featuring Lucie and Lord Ballantine.

A League of Extraordinary Women

• #1 Bringing Down the Duke

• #2 A Rogue of One’s Own

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Library of Legends by Janie Chang

Title: The Library of Legends

Author: Janie Chang

Publisher: William Morrow 2020

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf Project

China, 1937: When Japanese bombs begin falling on the city of Nanking, nineteen-year-old Hu Lian and her classmates at Minghua University are ordered to flee. Lian and a convoy of more than a hundred students, faculty, and staff must walk a thousand miles to the safety of China’s western provinces, a journey marred by hunger, cold, and the constant threat of aerial attack. And it is not just the student refugees who are at risk: Lian and her classmates have been entrusted with a priceless treasure, a 500-year-old collection of myths and folklore known as the Library of Legends.

Her family’s past has made Lian wary of forming attachments, but the students’ common duty to safeguard the Library of Legends forms unexpected bonds. Lian finds friendship and a cautious romance with the handsome and wealthy Liu Shaoming. But after one classmate is murdered and another arrested, Lian realizes she must escape from the convoy before a family secret puts her in danger. Accompanied by Shao and the enigmatic maidservant Sparrow, Lian makes her way to Shanghai, hoping to reunite with her mother.

On the journey, Lian learns of the connection between her two companions and a tale from the Library of Legends, The Willow Star and the Prince. Learning Shao and Sparrow’s true identities compels Lian to confront her feelings for Shao. But there are broader consequences too, for as the ancient books travel across China, they awaken immortals and guardian spirits to embark on an exodus of their own, one that changes the country’s fate forever.

This was such a good book club selection. I was hesitant to read another WWII book, but the setting in China dealing with a slighter different conflict was a nice change. I am fairly ignorant about the Second Sino-Japanese War and this book gave me some insight into the conflict. I loved how the book moved back and forth across China as the characters made the journey to safety and then to family. Lian and Shao are interesting characters and interesting motivations. I loved the mostly fictional Library of Legends. I love the inclusion of the legends themselves and the glimpses that we saw of the mythical creatures and gods. Chang skillfully weaves the fantastical elements into a very down-to-Earth story of families. My only issue was the book was the very rushed last 30 pages. Everything wrapped up too quickly for my tastes. I would have liked a bit different pacing for the second half.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

Title: The City We Became (The Great Cities #!)

Author: N.K. Jemisin

Publisher: Orbit 2020

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 449

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; MMD 2020

In Manhattan, a young grad student gets off the train and realizes he doesn't remember who he is, where he's from, or even his own name. But he can sense the beating heart of the city, see its history, and feel its power.
In the Bronx, a Lenape gallery director discovers strange graffiti scattered throughout the city, so beautiful and powerful it's as if the paint is literally calling to her.
In Brooklyn, a politician and mother finds she can hear the songs of her city, pulsing to the beat of her Louboutin heels.
And they're not the only ones.

Jemisin has officially landed on my must-read author list. I have enjoyed everything that I have read by her so far and I have more to read. The start of these series came from an intriguing short story about cities being born. She takes the idea and expands the story in an epic multiverse. I loved how Jemisin weaves real-world characters with otherworldly characters and supernatural horrors. Jemisin really takes inspiration from a variety of sources and it shows. I loved how she connects personalities to each of the New York City boroughs. It all makes sense. I kept having ah-ha moments in every chapter! I cannot wait to see where this story goes next.

Next up on the TBR pile:

When Women Ruled the World by Kara Cooney

Title: When Women Ruled the World

Author: Kara Cooney

Publisher: National Geographic 2020

Genre: History

Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

Female rulers are a rare phenomenon--but thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt, women reigned supreme. Regularly, repeatedly, and with impunity, queens like Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, and Cleopatra controlled the totalitarian state as power-brokers and rulers. But throughout human history, women in positions of power were more often used as political pawns in male-dominated societies. Why did ancient Egypt provide women this kind of access to the highest political office? What was it about these women that allowed them to transcend patriarchal obstacles? What did Egypt gain from its liberal reliance on female leadership, and could today's world learn from its example?

In this captivating narrative, celebrated Egyptologist Kara Cooney delivers a fascinating tale of female power, exploring the reasons why it has seldom been allowed through the ages--and why we should care.

An extremely dense yet ultimately fascinating and informative look at six queens of ancient Egypt. I knew some about Nefertiti and a lot about Cleopatra, but the four other queens were new to be. I loved how Cooney weaves in general history and culture about ancient Egypt and with what we know about these specific six women.

Next up on the TBR pile: