Funny Story by Emily Henry

Title: Funny Story

Author: Emily Henry

Publisher: Berkley 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 400

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Set in a city (state) starting with “M”; She Reads Romance - Fake Dating

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.
 
Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.
 
Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?
 
But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

The newest romance from Emily Henry has jumped to my second favorite Emily Henry book. It didn’t beat Book Lovers to the top spot, but I absolutely loved this one. Right away we get a fake dating trope and a sunshine and grumpy (sorta) trope. I fell for Miles almost immediately although I had no idea who he and Daphne were going to work as a couple. Thankfully this book includes so much more than just the romance element. Henry always allows us to dive into her characters and learn their backstories. We get to see how their pasts have shaped their present. We get to see growth and change on the page. All while infusing the characters with so much romantic longing. I will say it again: Emily Henry is forever on my auto-read list. She just writes smart, grown-up, contemporary romances.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall

Title: A Letter to the Luminous Deep (The Sunken Archive #1)

Author: Sylvie Cathrall

Publisher: Orbit 2024

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 432

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; 52 Book Club - Title “L”

A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.

Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.'s home, and she and Henerey vanish.

A year later, E.'s sister Sophy, and Henerey's brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery, piecing together the letters, sketches and field notes left behind—and learn what their siblings’ disappearance might mean for life as they know it.

I absolutely loved and disliked this book… let me explain. I absolutely adored the lush atmospheric tone to this book. We get a lot of mentions of the environment. Hearing E and Henerey discuss their environments was amazing. I loved the slow burn of the mystery. We know something happened and they didn’t just die, but exactly what happened? I loved unraveling the mystery along with Sophy and Vyerin. The epistolary structure was a delight. Overall I really really enjoyed this book. And then we get to the ending and I was highly annoyed. This book ends very abruptly with a big cliffhanger. I was not expecting that at all and it really threw me off. Now I have to wait who knows how long until the author completes the next in the series. I am sad about that aspect. Otherwise this is definitely my kind of book.

The Sunken Archive

• #1 A Letter to the Luminous Deep

• #2 TBD

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Kraken's Sacrifice by Katee Robert

Title: The Kraken’s Sacrifice (A Deal with a Demon #2)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Trinkets & Tales 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 175

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Begins with a “K”; She Reads Romance - Audiobook

Spice Rating: 6

Catalina only made her deal with the demon because she had nowhere else to go. The world has kicked her every chance it got, so she’s all too happy to leave the realm she knows behind. What’s the worst that could happen?

She doesn’t anticipate being auctioned away to a kraken.

Thane is cold and distant…but he’s not unkind. Isolated as they are, Catalina finds herself seeking his company again and again. And when she finally agrees to uphold her portion of the bargain?

That’s when things get really interesting.

But she only gave the demon seven years, and when the time is up, she’ll have no choice but to leave behind the kraken who’s stolen her heart and return to the world that doesn’t want her.

While I absolutely adore the Dark Olympus series, I find that this series it just not my favorite at all. I was intrigued by the set up and loved meeting Azaziel in The Court of the Vampire Queen. I wanted to see how these broken women found their place and happiness. And while I love the women, I have yet to actually enjoy the male characters. Even with chapters from their points of view, we don’t really get a good connection to them. Thane spent the entire time whining about losing his husband years ago. Dude, please stop. I imagine that I will keep reading the series, but I doubt that it will be a favorite of mine.

A Deal with a Demon

• #1 The Dragon’s Bride

• #2 The Kraken’s Sacrifice

• #3 The Gargoyle’s Captive

• #4 The Succubus’s Prize

• #5 The Demon’s Bargain

Next up on the TBR pile:

To Desire a Devil by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: To Desire a Devil (Legend of the Four Soldiers #4)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Vision 2009

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 385

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; 52 Book Club - Published by Hachette (Vision is an imprint)

Spice Rating: 5

NOTHING IS MORE INTOXICATING
Reynaud St. Aubyn has spent the last seven years in hellish captivity. Now half mad with fever he bursts into his ancestral home and demands his due. Can this wild-looking man truly be the last earl's heir, thought murdered by Indians years ago?

OR DANGEROUS
Beatrice Corning, the niece of the present earl, is a proper English miss. But she has a secret: No real man has ever excited her more than the handsome youth in the portrait in her uncle's home. Suddenly, that very man is here, in the flesh-and luring her into his bed.

THAN SURRENDERING TO A DEVIL.
Only Beatrice can see past Reynaud's savagery to the noble man inside. For his part, Reynaud is drawn to this lovely lady, even as he is suspicious of her loyalty to her uncle. But can Beatrice's love tame a man who will stop at nothing to regain his title-even if it means sacrificing her innocence?

Finally we reach the conclusion of the Legend of the Four Soldiers. We get to see the return of Reynaud and his fight to regain his title. I was hoping for a beautiful romance. It falls a little short of that. I could never truly buy the romance between Reynaud and Beatrice. I never really got to see a meeting of two people in a partnership. I did really love all the appearances of the other characters and the conclusion of the mystery of the traitor. I loved seeing Beatrice find a place with the other wives. And seeing the men rekindle their friendships. Overall a really enjoyable historical romance.

Legend of the Four Soldiers

• #1 To Taste Temptation

• #2 To Seduce a Sinner

• #3 To Beguile a Beast

• #4 To Desire a Devil

Next up on the TBR pile:

Unmasking Autism by Devon Price

Title: Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity

Author: Devon Price

Publisher: Harmony 2022

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 304

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Reader

For every visibly Autistic person you meet, there are countless “masked” Autistic people who pass as neurotypical. Masking is a common coping mechanism in which Autistic people hide their identifiably Autistic traits in order to fit in with societal norms, adopting a superficial personality at the expense of their mental health. This can include suppressing harmless stims, papering over communication challenges by presenting as unassuming and mild-mannered, and forcing themselves into situations that cause severe anxiety, all so they aren’t seen as needy or “odd.”
 
In Unmasking Autism, Dr. Devon Price shares his personal experience with masking and blends history, social science research, prescriptions, and personal profiles to tell a story of neurodivergence that has thus far been dominated by those on the outside looking in. For Dr. Price and many others, Autism is a deep source of uniqueness and beauty. Unfortunately, living in a neurotypical world means it can also be a source of incredible alienation and pain. Most masked Autistic individuals struggle for decades before discovering who they truly are. They are also more likely to be marginalized in terms of race, gender, sexual orientation, class, and other factors, which contributes to their suffering and invisibility. Dr. Price lays the groundwork for unmasking and offers exercises that encourage self-expression.

It’s time to honor the needs, diversity, and unique strengths of Autistic people so that they no longer have to mask—and it’s time for greater public acceptance and accommodation of difference. In embracing neurodiversity, we can all reap the rewards of nonconformity and learn to live authentically, Autistic and neurotypical people alike.

A recommendation from a friend who has been finding this book life changing. I was most intrigued to see how this book could help me understand my autistic friends. Right away, I was pulled into the many insights and learned so much in just the first chapters. I feel like this is one of those books that I should reread in a year or so. I feel like I will find many more insights and new information as I reread. While this book was written for autistic people, it was very illuminating to me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

To Beguile a Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: To Beguile a Beast (Legend of the Four Soldiers #3)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Forever 2009

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages:333

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project

Spice Rating: 5

CAN A WOUNDED BEAST . . .

Reclusive Sir Alistair Munroe has hidden in his castle ever since returning from the Colonies, scarred inside and out. But when a mysterious beauty arrives at his door, the passions he's kept suppressed for years begin to awaken.

TRUST A BEAUTY WITH A PAST . . .

Running from past mistakes has taken legendary beauty Helen Fitzwilliam from the luxury of the ton to a crumbling Scottish castle . . . and a job as a housekeeper. Yet Helen is determined to start a new life and she won't let dust-or a beast of a man-scare her away.

TO TAME HIS MOST SECRET DESIRES?

Beneath Helen's beautiful favßade, Alistair finds a courageous and sensual woman. A woman who doesn't back away from his surliness-or his scars. But just as he begins to believe in true love, Helen's secret past threatens to tear them apart. Now both Beast and Beauty must fight for the one thing neither believed they could ever find-a happy ever after.

Ever since the start of this series, I had wanted a book focused on Alistair. Thankfully this volume focused on his romance. I do love a dark and broody hero in my romances, and Alistair was just the ticket. We get to see a women out of options fall into a precarious position and find her strength. We get to see a man scarred (not just physically), and yet find his happiness. Hoyt really loves winding together a larger mystery with a swoon romance. I really do enjoy her series.

Legend of the Four Soldiers

• #1 To Taste Temptation

• #2 To Seduce a Sinner

• #3 To Beguile a Beast

• #4 To Desire a Devil

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman

Title: The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (Dungeon Crawler Carl #6)

Author: Matt Dinniman

Publisher: Dandy House 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 694

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

A pantheon of forgotten gods. An old grudge between a talk show host, an heiress, and the man they shattered along the way. A rapidly deteriorating AI system. An inconvenient tiara upon the head of a friend.

It is bedlam on the eighth floor.

As management reels from the unexpected conclusion of the seventh level, the surviving crawlers stumble onto the eighth and find themselves scattered. It’s a map based on Earth’s final days before the collapse, where ethereal, intangible ghosts of humanity go about their lives, oblivious of the impending doom. Living amongst these ghosts are monsters based in Earth lore. “Legendary” creatures tied to the geographical location they inhabit.

Each team of crawlers is given a task: find and capture six of these beasts. The captured monsters will be turned into cards. Cards that can be summoned into battle again and again. The stronger, the deadlier, the better.

At the end of the floor, the bad guys will also have decks, and they will have some of the most powerful cards available. So it’s crucial to assemble the toughest squad possible.

But, like always, there is a catch. There’s always a catch.

As Carl and Donut know all too well, just because someone is captured, it doesn’t mean they have been tamed.

Her name is Shi Maria. She’s easily the most powerful monster in their area. If they want to survive, they must capture her. But she is no ordinary beast. She’s intelligent. She was once married to a god, a god who is now missing. Her special attack is known to drive one insane. They call her the Bedlam Bride.

“Beware, beware. Beware the Eye of the Bedlam Bride”

Holy cow! I knew this one was going to knock me back and it certainly did. We see Carl, Donut, and all our favorite crawlers navigate the very puzzle laden 8th floor. After the events at the end of the last floor, I was hoping for a bit of a quiet moment. No such luck. We jump into this floor and don’t stop until the end. My favorite part is always the crazy plans that Carl comes up with. This book highlighted some of his crazier plans. Loved it so much! I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Dungeon Crawler Carl

• #1 Dungeon Crawler Carl

• #2 Carl’s Doomsday Scenario

• #3 The Dungeon' Anarchist’s Cookbook

• #4 The Gate of the Feral Gods

• #5 The Butcher’s Masquerade

• #6 The Eye of the Bedlam Bride

Next up on the TBR pile:

To Seduce a Sinner by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: To Seduce a Sinner (Legend of the Four Soldiers #2)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Forever 2008

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 359

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project

Spice Rating: 5

THE ONE THING HE CANNOT REVEAL

For years, Melisande Fleming has loved Lord Vale from afar . . . watching him seduce a succession of lovers, and once catching a glimpse of heartbreaking depths beneath his roguish veneer. When he's jilted on his wedding day, she boldly offers to be his.

TO THE ONE WOMAN HE MOST DESIRES

Vale gladly weds Melisande, if only to produce an heir. But he's pleasantly surprised: A shy and proper Lady by day, she's a wanton at night, giving him her body-though not her heart.

IS HIS DEEPEST NEED . . .

Determined to learn her secrets, this sinner starts to woo his seductive new wife-while hiding the nightmares from his soldiering days in the Colonies that still haunt him. Yet when a deadly betrayal from the past threatens to tear them apart, Lord Vale must bare his soul to the woman he married . . . or risk losing her forever.

I actually enjoyed this volume much more than the first one in the series. I think I really latched onto Melisandre and her entire plan for life. While being hesitant in many areas of her life, she makes a plan and started to initiate it. We see her pursue her dreams and her husband in equal fashion. I loved seeing a much more confident heroine to balance out our rake hero. While I wasn’t very excited about Jasper in the first book, he really shines here. While not every action is laudable, by the end of the book we really understand him and his actions. There’s a great romance at the heart of this book. But we also get more pieces to the mystery of what happened at Spinner’s Falls. I’m still very into this series and wanting to learn more. I’m extra excited to read Helen and Allistair’s story in the next book.

Legend of the Four Soldiers

• #1 To Taste Temptation

• #2 To Seduce a Sinner

• #3 To Beguile a Beast

• #4 To Desire a Devil

Next up on the TBR pile:

Witnerset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham

Title: Winterset Hollow

Author: Jonathan Edward Durham

Publisher: Credo House 2021

Genre: Horror

Pages: 274

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: In Case You Missed It - 2021; Library Love

Everyone has wanted their favorite book to be real, if only for a moment. Everyone has wished to meet their favorite characters, if only for a day. But be careful in that wish, for even a history laid in ink can be repaid in flesh and blood, and reality is far deadlier than fiction . . . especially on Addington Isle.

Winterset Hollow follows a group of friends to the place that inspired their favorite book—a timeless tale about a tribe of animals preparing for their yearly end-of-summer festival. But after a series of shocking discoveries, they find that much of what the world believes to be fiction is actually fact, and that the truth behind their beloved story is darker and more dangerous than they ever imagined. It’s Barley Day . . . and you’re invited to the hunt.

Winterset Hollow is as thrilling as it is terrifying and as smart as it is surprising. A uniquely original story filled with properly unexpected twists and turns, Winterset Hollow delivers complex, indelible characters and pulse- pounding action as it storms toward an unforgettable climax that will leave you reeling. How do you celebrate Barley Day? You run, friend. You run.

Someone (I truly cannot remember who now) said that this was one of the scariest books that they have ever read. Of course, I had to pick this one up and read it immediately. While the book doesn’t live up to the hype, I still enjoyed this horror novel. I got a lot of reminders of The Magicians and Narnia with a splash of The Wind in the Willows and Watership Down. Once the second part started, I knew exactly what was going to happen in the storyline, but I was still interested in reading the rest of the novel. We follow our main trio as they explore a childhood inspiration from a favorite book. Of course, things are not all that they seem. We know that things are much more dire and dangerous than should be. Once the story truly gets going, it doesn’t let up until the end. Fascinating look at the nature of humanity and conquest. A solid horror book to pick up.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Takeover by TL Swan

Title: The Takeover (Miles High Club #2)

Author: TL Swan

Publisher: Montlake 2020

Genre: Romance

Pages: 450

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Cute Nicknames; Lifetime - Characters in Their 30s

Spice Rating: 5

I first met Tristan Miles at a meeting where he was trying to take over my late husband’s company. He was powerful, arrogant, and infuriatingly gorgeous, and I hated him with every cell in my body. In the shock of the century, he called me three days later and asked me on a date. I would rather die than date a man like him—though I do have to admit it was good for the ego. Turning him down was the highlight of my year. Six months later, he was the guest speaker at a conference I attended in France. Still arrogant and infuriating—but this time, surprisingly charming and witty. When he looked at me, I got butterflies. But I can’t go there. He’s just a player in a hot suit, and I’m just a widow with three unruly sons. I just need this conference to be over. Because everybody knows that Tristan Miles always gets what he wants…and what he wants is me.

Somehow I keep falling back into the contemporary romance genre as my comfort reads. I get pulled into the drama and the intrigue but end up being able to just put it to the side when I’m done. For this one, I wasn’t a fan of the first book in the series, but this one was much better. I really really loved Tristan. He’s so incredibly great. And while I know that Claire had her issues, I couldn’t understand most of her life. I did want her to gain a bit more confidence when it came to tackling her children. Thankfully Tristan was the perfect compliment to her brand of chaos. I think that I’m back into this series.

Miles High Club

• #1 The Stopover

• #2 The Takeover

• #3 The Casanova

• #4 The Do-Over

• #5 Miles Ever After

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler

Title: The Tusks of Extinction

Author: Ray Nayler

Publisher: Tordotcom 2024

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 101

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Women in STEM; Library Love

Moscow has resurrected the mammoth. But someone must teach them how to be mammoths, or they are doomed to die out again.

Dr. Damira Khismatullina, an expert in elephant behavior, was brutally murdered trying to defend the world's last elephants from the brutal ivory trade. Now, her digitized consciousness has been downloaded into the mind of a mammoth.

As the herd's new matriarch, can Damira help fend off poachers long enough for the species to take hold? Or will her own ghosts, and Moscow's real reason for bringing the mammoth back, doom them to a new extinction?

"We come from our own pasts. We rise up out of our memories, and once there are enough of those memories to stand upon, we move forward with their support beneath us, drawn toward the future they allow us to conceive. We are continually shaped by our past, and we continually reshape it.” pg. 80

A beautiful heart wrenching story of loss and identity. We get the human side of the story featuring an activist desperately trying to save the elephants and a young man desperately trying to save himself. And we get the mammoth story about learning to survive in a new world and time. I absolutely love how Nayler takes an issue and illustrates it through science fictions settings. We get fantastical premises, but at the heart of his story is a struggle that everyone can relate to. So many times I was stopped by the beautiful prose and stunning revelations. I found myself rooting for the mammoths and humanity throughout the story. It’s short, very short, but it packs a punch. Nayler is most definitely going on my must read author list.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Three Eight One by Aliya Whiteley

Title: Three Eight One

Author: Aliya Whiteley

Publisher: Solaris 2024

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 269

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Has futuristic technology; Clock

In January 2314, Rowena Savalas – a curator of the vast archive of the twenty-first century’s primitive internet – stumbles upon a story posted in the summer of 2024. She’s quickly drawn into the mystery of the text: Is it autobiography, fantasy or fraud? What’s the significance of the recurring number 381?

In the story, the protagonist Fairly walks the Horned Road – a quest undertaken by youngsters in her village when they come of age. She is followed by the “breathing man,” a looming presence, dogging her heels every step of the way. Everything she was taught about her world is overturned.

Following Fairly’s quest, Rowena comes to question her own choices, and a predictable life of curation becomes one of exploration, adventure and love. As both women’s stories draw to a close, she realises it doesn’t matter whether the story is true or not: as with the quest itself, it’s the journey that matters.

A bit of a random find at the library. Someone had recommended it for people who were interested in strange speculative fiction with a focus on storytelling. Of course I grabbed it off the new release shelf. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to the premise. I was very interested in the story within the story. I wanted to tease out the meaning of Fairly’s story alongside Rowena. As the story starts spiraling, it felt like it just started to get more and more confused instead of revealing. By the end of the book, I didn’t have any revelations or insights into the nature of humans. Not my favorite.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Title: The Frozen River

Author: Ariel Lawhon

Publisher: Doubleday 2023

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 432

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Character-Driven Novel; Lifetime - Character in Their 50s

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Loved loved loved this reimagining of Martha Ballard’s story. (After reading, you must read the author’s note where she details the places she took liberties and changed history.) I often don’t love when authors take a real story and change things to make an exciting book. In Lawhon’s case, I always buy her story. She stays true to the real life characters and their imagined motivations. I completely bought this story. In looking at the story itself, we get a fascinating look at the intricacies of life in early America along with gender politics and business. I loved seeing Martha navigate her world with precision but also passion. I loved seeing her support the women of her village while holding various people accountable for their bad deeds. I felt her heartbreak at misfortunes and bad actions. I felt her joy. Lawhon is most definitely one of my go to writers.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave

Title: Everyone Brave is Forgiven

Author: Chris Cleave

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 2016

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 418

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Decades - 1940s; In Case You Missed It - 2016

London, 1939. The day war is declared, Mary North leaves finishing school unfinished, goes straight to the War Office, and signs up. Tom Shaw decides to ignore the war—until he learns his roommate Alistair Heath has unexpectedly enlisted. Then the conflict can no longer be avoided. Young, bright, and brave, Mary is certain she’d be a marvelous spy. When she is—bewilderingly—made a teacher, she finds herself defying prejudice to protect the children her country would rather forget. Tom, meanwhile, finds that he will do anything for Mary.

And when Mary and Alistair meet, it is love, as well as war, that will test them in ways they could not have imagined, entangling three lives in violence and passion, friendship, and deception, inexorably shaping their hopes and dreams. The three are drawn into a tragic love triangle and—as war escalates and bombs begin falling—further into a grim world of survival and desperation.

Set in London during the years of 1939–1942, when citizens had slim hope of survival, much less victory; and on the strategic island of Malta, which was daily devastated by the Axis barrage, Everyone Brave is Forgiven features little-known history and a perfect wartime love story inspired by the real-life love letters between Chris Cleave’s grandparents. This dazzling novel dares us to understand that, against the great theater of world events, it is the intimate losses, the small battles, the daily human triumphs that change us most.

A book club selection this month. I was pulled in by the summary. It’s been awhile since I have read a good World War II novel and I had hoped that this would be it. Unfortunately, this one really missed the mark. As a point of mark, the writing style is just not that good. It’s weird and choppy with terrible dialogue. There’s an attempt at witty dialogue and sentence construction, but it just becomes much too clever and silly at times. Even when he storyline is focused on very serious events and consequences, the writing style continues. And then we turn tot he characters. I could never understand why Mary was so desirable. It was complete milquetoast to me. Tom was even worse. It was the blandest of the bland. At least Alistair had a bit of personality and metal to him. But it wasn’t enough to actually redeem the book for me. Not the book for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Empty Smiles by Katherine Arden

Title: Empty Smiles (Small Spaces #4)

Author: Katherine Arden

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2022

Genre: MG Horror

Pages: 208

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Includes a Personal Phobia (can you guess?); Library Love

It’s been three months since Ollie made a daring deal with the smiling man to save those she loved, and then vanished without a trace. The smiling man promised Coco, Brian and Phil, that they’d have a chance to save her, but as time goes by, they begin to worry that the smiling man has lied to them and Ollie is gone forever. But then a terrified and rambling boy who went missing at a nearby traveling carnival appears with a message for the trio from the mysterious man who took him: Play if you dare.

Game on! The smiling man has finally made his move. Now it’s Coco, Brian, and Phil’s turn to make theirs. And they know just where to start. The traveling carnival is coming to Evansburg.

Meanwhile, Ollie is trapped in the world behind the mist, learning the horrifying secrets of the smiling man's carnival, and trying everything to help her friends find her. Brian, Coco and Phil will risk everything to rescue Ollie—but they all soon realize this game is much more dangerous than the ones before. This time the smiling man is playing for keeps.

And the end of this fun and spooky series! I have really enjoyed the fun creepy bits here and there and this one really amped up the spook factor. I was all for the carnival setting and the return of the smiling man. Plus we get some very creepy minions. The mystery of how Olivia and friends can ge3t out of the situation was extra fun. The storyline kept moving and progressing quickly just how I liked. My biggest problem was how quickly the ending happened. We don’t get to see Brian and Coco get through the carnival to save Olivia. They just show up and everything happens super quickly. I wanted to see more. sStill, it was a great ending to the series.

Small Spaces

• #1 Small Spaces

• #2 Dead Voices

• #3 Dark Waters

• #4 Empty Smiles

Next up on the TBR pile:

To Taste Temptation by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: To Taste Temptation (Legend of the Four Soldiers #1)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Forever 2008

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 362

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project

Spice Rating:

EVEN THE MOST REFINED LADY

Lady Emeline Gordon is the model of sophistication in London's elite social circles, always fashionable and flawlessly appropriate. As such, she is the perfect chaperone for Rebecca, the young sister of a successful Boston businessman and former Colonial soldier.

CRAVES AN UNTAMED MAN

Samuel Hartley may be wealthy, but his manners are as uncivilized as the American wilderness he was raised in. Who wears moccasins to a grand ball? His arrogant disregard for propriety infuriates Emeline, even as his boldness excites her.

TO RELEASE HER PASSION . . .

But beneath Samuel's rakish manner, he is haunted by tragedy. He has come to London to settle a score, not to fall in love. And as desperately as Emeline longs to feel this shameless man's hands upon her, to taste those same lips he uses to tease her, she must restrain herself. She is not free. But some things are beyond a lady's control . . .

I really really enjoyed Hoyt’s Maiden Lane series and was hoping that this one would also be a winner. And for the most part, I really enjoyed this book. Emeline and Samuel have great banter. I loved seeing how Samuel slide into Emeline’s life and reawakened her to joy and romance. The thing that I really appreciate about Hoyt’s books is the inclusion of a mystery or an action plot that keeps the book moving. In this one, we get an intriguing past mystery of betrayal that led to tragic consequences. I would have liked Samuel to be a bit more open about his actual intents, but he got there in the end. My biggest complaint is actually the sex scenes. Some of theme were just a little too awkward and full of dominance that I’m not really into. Still, I own most of the rest of this series and will be reading more soon.

Legend of the Four Soldiers

• #1 To Taste Temptation

• #2 To Seduce a Sinner

• #3 To Beguile a Beast

• #4 To Desire a Devil

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lore Olympus Vol. 5 by Rachel Smythe

Title: Lore Olympus Volume 5

Author: Rachel Smythe

Publisher: Del Rey 2023

Genre: Fantasy Comic

Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

“You want to know about The Bringer of Death.”
 
It is Persephone’s birthday, and she receives the ultimate gift: Hades confesses his desire for her, leading to their first kiss. But that doesn’t necessarily make things easier for the goddess of spring, who is still in over her head in gossip-driven Olympus. Persephone feels intense guilt over the official breakup between Hades and Minthe, she is struggling to find her footing in her fast-paced job, and—worst of all—the shades of her past are slowly coming to light.
 
After an unexpected encounter with Apollo, Persephone flees into the depths of the Underworld. Concerned for her safety and determined to find her, Hades must team up with Artemis, Eros, and Hera, but they’re working against a ticking clock. Zeus knows about the bloody secret in Persephone’s past, and now the furious king of the gods will stop at nothing to bring her to justice.
 
This edition of Smythe’s original Eisner Award–winning webcomic Lore Olympus features exclusive behind-the-scenes content and brings the Greek pantheon into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.

I still really love this series, but it’s hitting a bit of a low point I think. The will-they-won’t-they portion is feeling a bit tired. And I’m not very happy with just how naive Persephone is. Her keeping secrets is starting to annoy me. I really want to see where this story goes, but things better get moving a bit in the next volume.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

Title: A Tale Dark & Grimm (A Tale Dark & Grimm #1)

Author: Adam Gidwitz

Publisher: Dutton Books 2010

Genre: MG Fantasy Horror

Pages: 256

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairy Tales; 52 Book Club - Author Self-Insert

In this mischievous and utterly original debut, Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales. As readers follow the siblings through a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind (and beyond) the bread crumbs, edible houses, and outwitted witches.

Fairy tales have never been more irreverent or subversive as Hansel and Gretel learn to take charge of their destinies and become the clever architects of their own happily ever after.

A lovely horrifying spin on the Hansel and Gretel stories. I love how Gidwitz mixes up the classic stories into one large narrative. With every story, the situation becomes even more horrifying and my love for this book grew. But I think my favorite story was the story were Hansel tricked the devil. The narrative voice with the author inserts was an added bonus to the book. I will most definitely have to continue reading the series.

A Tale Dark & Grimm

• #1 A Tale Dark & Grimm

• #2 In a Glass Grimmly

• #3 The Grimm Conclusion

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Title: The Housemaid (The Housemaid #1)

Author: Freida McFadden

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing 2022

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 325

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Lifetime - Character in 20s; Library Love

“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…

Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of…

I’ll admit that I was hesitant about this book club selection. I usually find thrillers to be very trite and predictable. For the first section, I thought this book as going to be the predictable crazy wife trope. And then a shift happens. I bumped up my star rating to a 3 during the second portion of the book. And then we get to the last two chapters and I was completely sold on the book. I don’t want to spoil the story, but it ended in such a way that I was pumping my fists and yelling “yes!” I cannot wait to discuss this book at book club in a few weeks. And I might just read the second book in the series.

The Housemaid

• #1 The Housemaid

• #2 The Housemaid’s Secret

• #3 The Housemaid is Watching

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

Title: The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

Author: Andrew Joseph White

Publisher: Peachtree Teen 2023

Genre: YA Horror

Pages: 387

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Picked without reading the blurb; Library Love

Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all.

London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old trans, autistic Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife.

After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with Veil sickness—a mysterious disease sending violet-eyed women into madness—and shipped away to Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanitorium. When the ghosts of missing students start begging Silas for help, he decides to reach into Braxton’s innards and expose its guts to the world—so long as the school doesn’t break him first.

Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph White’s much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity.

Be forewarned, this book is full of horror and gore. It is not for for the feint of heart, but it’s such a great story about a person finding their self. We are immediately thrown into Silas’s confusing world full of expectations and horrors. We follow along as he attempts to carve his own path in the world only to butt up against societal expectations. The story really gets going when we transition to the Braxton school. From there, the mystery starts to unravel. The plot was fast moving and truly horrifying. I was very involved in the story and figuring out what happened to the girls at the school. My favorite parts with the scenes with Daphne. I loved see Silas and Daphne slowly find their partnership. Apparently, I’ve really been on an identity finding books kick lately.

Next up on the TBR pile: