Sanctum by Madeleine Roux

Title: Sanctum (Asylum #2)

Author: Madeleine Roux

Publisher: HarperCollins 2015

Genre: YA Horror

Pages: 368

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; Unread Shelf Project Reading Challenge - Backlist title; Winter TBR

Dan, Abby, and Jordan remain traumatized by the summer they shared in the Brookline asylum. Much as they'd love to move on, many questions remain, and someone is determined to keep the terror alive, sending the teens photos of an old-timey carnival, with no note and no name. Forsaking their plan never to go back, the teens return to New Hampshire College under the guise of a weekend for prospective students, and there they realize that the carnival from the photos is not only real, it's here on campus, apparently for the first time in many years.

Sneaking away from sample classes and college parties, Dan and his friends lead a tour of their own—one through the abandoned houses and hidden places of a surrounding town. Camford is hiding a terrible past, and the truth behind Dan's connection to the asylum's evil warden is more terrifying than Dan ever imagined.

And with this book, I am officially DNFing the rest of the Asylum series. The first book I enjoyed. It was a YA Horror book with an intriguing setting, plotline, and characters. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Well it turns out, almost the exact same things. Our three friends show back up at Brookline after receiving vaguely sinister messages in the mail. Instead of talking about things and attempting to get ahead of the mystery, Abby and Jordan spend half the book not believing Dan (seeing ghosts, hearing voices, etc) and Dan spends most of the book trying to figure out if his friends are actually his friends. that’s what we did in the first book. At this point in the series, I wanted to see a lot more character growth. The lack of growth and unity among the friends distracted me enough that I couldn’t really get into the actual mystery. By the end of the book, I realized that I have no desire to find out what happens to the characters. Three books taken off my UnRead Shelf.

Asylum:

• #0.5 Escape from Asylum

• #1 Asylum

• #1.5 The Scarlets

• #2 Sanctum

• #2.5 The Bone Artists

• #3 Catacomb

• #3.5 The Warden

Next Up on the TBR Pile:

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

Title: One to Watch

Author: Kate Stayman-London

Publisher: Dial Press 2020

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 432

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; Winter TBR

Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers—and a massively broken heart. Like the rest of America, Bea indulges in her weekly obsession: the hit reality show Main Squeeze. The fantasy dates! The kiss-off rejections! The surprising amount of guys named Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?

Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition—under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She’s in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That’s it.

But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. She’s in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Internet culture wars, sexy suitors, and an opportunity (or two, or five) to find messy, real-life love in the midst of a made-for-TV fairy tale. In this joyful, wickedly observant debut, Bea has to decide whether it might just be worth trusting these men—and herself—for a chance to live happily ever after.

Overall a very enjoyable contemporary romance. It wasn’t a very surprising story, but I did enjoy following Bea and her journey to romance. I didn’t even get annoyed by our constant reminders of Bea’s size. Usually it was done in very kind way or in a more empowering way. Very cute story with a decent amount of heart.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Title: Piranesi

Author: Susanna Clarke

Publisher: Bloomsbury 2020

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 243

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Winter TBR

Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.

There is one other person in the house―a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

Oh my oh my oh my… I might have liked this one even more than Clarke’s early novel, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Clarke knows how to create a world that sucks you right in and doesn’t let you leave, even after you finish the book. It took me about 10 tries to get past the first line as it’s just so strange and interesting. That sounds terrible, but I mean it in the best way possible. Clarke just dumps the reader in and we’re left to puzzle out what is going on. Samesies with Piranesi. Apparently we are all in the same boat stuck in the house attempting to unravel all the mysteries. I loved all the random references Clarke wove through the statues and occurrences in the house. I was pulled along until the very end, even after the mystery was resolved. Extra point, I love how Clarke doesn’t feel the need to completely tie up all the strings before ending the book. Overall, this was such a beautiful book. It might even end up on my year-end Top 10 list.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

Title: Leave the World Behind

Author: Rumaan Alam

Publisher: Ecco 2020

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 256

Rating: 1/5 stars - Hated it

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Unread Shelf RC - Book with High Expectations

Amanda and Clay head out to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a vacation: a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter, and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they’ve rented for the week. But a late-night knock on the door breaks the spell. Ruth and G. H. are an older couple—it’s their house, and they’ve arrived in a panic. They bring the news that a sudden blackout has swept the city. But in this rural area—with the TV and internet now down, and no cell phone service—it’s hard to know what to believe.

Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple—and vice versa? What happened back in New York? Is the vacation home, isolated from civilization, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one other? 

I completely despised this book. I cannot decide if Alam wanted the reader to just feel like he was talking down to them the entire time or he really meant it. Right from the get-to, the reader is put into an uncomfortable position and doesn’t get to relax. Okay, I get that stylistically. But then I read through the entire story and fail to find any message or reason to read it. There is absolutely no hope to be found in the storyline or the characters. All of this had definitely dropped down the ratings. I’m okay reading bleak books, but this one just fell down a deep hole and didn’t come back up. Was this book supposed to be a mirror to the worst of human behaviors? If so, congratulations, you accomplished the task, but do I want to read it? Nope. I don’t. Combine all this with the oddly sexual descriptions throughout the book and I was completely done with it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Invisible of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab

Title: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Author: V.E. Schwab

Publisher: Tor Books 2020

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 448

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever―and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

This was a beautiful, haunting, thought-provoking book. I didn’t want the story to end. I was sucked into the basic premise of the book and then grew to really love Addie and Henry and even Luc. I loved the first part of the book as we follow Addie in the, somewhat, present time and in her past. I loved following her along her travels and growth. And then Henry enters the picture. I loved him as an addition to Addie’s life, but wasn’t sure about the narration from his point of view. It took me a bit to settle into his story. When I did, I fell for Henry also. It surprised me that I grew to love Luc so much over the course of the story. Overall, I loved every part of this book. I am definitely keeping it on my shelf. And it’s going on my Top 10 of the year list!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Title: Gods of Jade and Shadow

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publisher: Del Rey

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 384

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; Monthly Theme - May

The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own. 

Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.

In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld.

I absolutely loved Moreno-Garcia’s latest work, Mexican Gothic, and was extra excited that Girly Book Club chose this one for September’s book. It’s a very different book, but still such an amazingly told story. This is a fantasy/fairy tale-esque journey. Casiopea immediately grabbed hold of my heart and didn’t let go. I wanted to see everything good happen to here but knew that there would be danger along the path. Thankfully she was a protector/guide of sorts with a Mayan god of death. I loved seeing how they both changed and grew while on the journey. And the last setting in the underworld was a perfect way to conclude the journey. I loved learning more about Mayan stories and myths as well as more modern Mexican culture. Highly recommend.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Title: Mexican Gothic

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publisher: Del Rey 2020

Genre: Horror

Pages: 320

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.   
 
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
 
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness. 
 
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

Our book club selection and this was just what I needed this week. I dove into this book wondering if everything was in Noemi’s head or if weird things were really happening. The tension built and built and built over the course of the book. I just wanted to keep reading until I got to the end. The was incredibly creepy. I love how much the house became a character in the book. I could see every inch of High Place, all of the creepy darkness and moldy walls. The characters are appropriately sinister. Of course we know that Virgil is a bad guy from the first chapter. But I loved how much was kept hidden until right towards the very end. And Uncle Howard! Goodness he was beyond creepy. The ending was incredibly satisfying. I will definitely have to revisit this one someday.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: Notorious Pleasures (Maiden Lane #2)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Grand Central 2011

Genre: Romance

Pages: 371

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf Project; Perpetual - NPR Romance

Their lives were perfect . . .
Lady Hero Batten, the beautiful sister of the Duke of Wakefield, has everything a woman could want, including the perfect fiance. True, the Marquis of Mandeville is a trifle dull and has no sense of humor, but that doesn't bother Hero. Until she meets his notorious brother . . .

Until they met each other.
Griffin Remmington, Lord Reading, is far from perfect - and he likes it that way. How he spends his days is a mystery, but all of London knows he engages in the worst sorts of drunken revelry at night. Hero takes an instant dislike to him, and Griffin thinks that Hero, with her charities and faultless manners, is much too impeccable for society, let alone his brother. Yet their near-constant battle of wits soon sparks desire - desire that causes their carefully constructed worlds to come tumbling down. As Hero's wedding nears, and Griffin's enemies lay plans to end their dreams forever, can two imperfect people find perfect true love?

Not quite as satisfying as the first book in the series, but I still really enjoyed it. I loved the overall story and mostly loved Hero. My biggest problem with the novel was the sex scenes. They were a bit problematic with Griffin basically forcing himself on Hero. I just couldn’t get past those scenes to absolutely love the book.

Maiden Lane

• #1 Wicked Intentions

• #2 Notorious Pleasures

• #3 Scandalous Desires

• #4 Thief of Shadows

• #5 Lord of Darkness

• #6 Duke of Midnight

• #7 Darling Beast

• #8 Dearest Rogue

• #9 Sweetest Scoundrel

• #10 Duke of Sin

• #10.5 Once Upon a Moonlit Night

• #10.7 Once Upon a Christmas Eve

• #11 Duke of Pleasure

• #12 Duke of Desire

• #12.5 Once Upon a Maiden Lane

Next up on the TBR pile:

The End of October by Lawrence Wright

Title: The End of October

Author: Lawrence Wright

Publisher: Knopf 2020

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 400

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; Modern Mrs. Darcy 2020

At an internment camp in Indonesia, forty-seven people are pronounced dead with acute hemorrhagic fever. When Henry Parsons--microbiologist, epidemiologist--travels there on behalf of the World Health Organization to investigate, what he finds will soon have staggering repercussions across the globe: an infected man is on his way to join the millions of worshippers in the annual Hajj to Mecca. Now, Henry joins forces with a Saudi prince and doctor in an attempt to quarantine the entire host of pilgrims in the holy city . . . A Russian émigré, a woman who has risen to deputy director of U.S. Homeland Security, scrambles to mount a response to what may be an act of biowarfare . . . Already-fraying global relations begin to snap, one by one, in the face of a pandemic . . . Henry's wife, Jill, and their children face diminishing odds of survival in Atlanta . . . And the disease slashes across the United States, dismantling institutions--scientific, religious, governmental--and decimating the population. As packed with suspense as it is with the fascinating history of viral diseases, Lawrence Wright has given us a full-tilt, electrifying, one-of-a-kind thriller.

I was so excited when this popped up on BOTM and the Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Read Guide. I am always up for a good infectious disease book (fiction or nonfiction) and heard this one was a great ride a la Michael Crichton. This is akin to one of the bad Michael Crichton novels. Bad, flat characters that act completely off type many times. Too many convoluted storylines instead of one straight narrative. Lots of teaching the read about pandemics and viruses and politics and foreign relations and lots of other random things. This book was a complete slog and left me wanting to throw it at the wall. Boring and complicated with no likable anything.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: Wicked Intentions (Maiden Lane #1)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Grand Central 2010

Genre: Romance

Pages: 401

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf Project; Perpetual - NPR Romance

A MAN CONTROLLED BY HIS DESIRES . . .

Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand-she's spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk . . .

A WOMAN HAUNTED BY HER PAST . . .

Caire makes a simple offer-in return for Temperance's help navigating the perilous alleys of St. Giles, he will introduce her to London's high society so that she can find a benefactor for the home. But Temperance may not be the innocent she seems, and what begins as cold calculation soon falls prey to a passion that neither can control-one that may well destroy them both.

A BARGAIN NEITHER COULD REFUSE

I absolutely devoured this one! I was looking to start a new romance series, and noticed that I had the first two Maiden Lane books just sitting on my shelf. I picked it up and didn’t stop. I fell head over heels for Lazarus and Temperance. I immediately wanted to know so much about each of the characters. I was intrigued by the murder mystery and hoped that things would resolve themselves. Beyond the murder, I needed to see Temperance and Lazarus realize their feelings for one another. This book had just right moments of tension and sexual frustration. I was here for everything. I cannot wait to read the next one in the series.

Maiden Lane

• #1 Wicked Intentions

• #2 Notorious Pleasures

• #3 Scandalous Desires

• #4 Thief of Shadows

• #5 Lord of Darkness

• #6 Duke of Midnight

• #7 Darling Beast

• #8 Dearest Rogue

• #9 Sweetest Scoundrel

• #10 Duke of Sin

• #10.5 Once Upon a Moonlit Night

• #10.7 Once Upon a Christmas Eve

• #11 Duke of Pleasure

• #12 Duke of Desire

• #12.5 Once Upon a Maiden Lane

Next up on the TBR pile:

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Title: Across the Universe (Across the Universe #1)

Author: Beth Revis

Publisher: Razorbill 2011

Genre: YA Scifi

Pages: 416

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Monthly Theme

Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the spaceship Godspeed. She has left her boyfriend, friends--and planet--behind to join her parents as a member of Project Ark Ship. Amy and her parents believe they will wake on a new planet, Centauri-Earth, three hundred years in the future. But fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing, cryo chamber 42 is mysteriously unplugged, and Amy is violently woken from her frozen slumber.

Someone tried to murder her.

Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where nothing makes sense. Godspeed's 2,312 passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader. And Elder, Eldest's rebellious teenage heir, is both fascinated with Amy and eager to discover whether he has what it takes to lead.

Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she put her faith in a boy who has never seen life outside the ship's cold metal walls? All Amy knows is that she and Elder must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again.

CW: Sexual Assault

I just read a muddle of a science fiction, romance, murder mystery and it was not good at all. I was intrigued by the premise and I usually love a generation ship story. But this one was a mess and I was not impressed at all. Breaking it down with bullet points:

• Too many genres in one book! Seriously, just pick a few…

• Sloppy writing. At times, I had to reread paragraphs because the writing was confusing. I had a lot of trouble “seeing” the action and setting easily.

• Boring characters. We know virtually nothing about Amy other than she misses her “daddy” and Earth boyfriend and likes to run. Okay… and? Elder is a wet blanket most of the time, a milquetoast person. I got really nothing from him. The most interesting characters were other inhabitants of the Ward, but we spend little time with them.

• So many predictable twists. I called the murderer a mile away. Revealing who unplugged Amy was silly and made me really hate that character even more. Of course the ship is delayed. They are always delayed (or off course). So so predictable.

• That attempted rape came out of nowhere, was way too graphic, and also sensual. Just no!

I could probably keep ranting, but I’d rather go read something good. Needless to say, I will not be continuing this series.

Across the Universe

• #1 Across the Universe

• #2 A Million Suns

• #3 Shades of Earth

Next up on the TBR pile:

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

Title: Nothing to See Here

Author: Kevin Wilson

Publisher: Ecco 2019

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 272

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; MMD 2020

Lillian and Madison were unlikely roommates and yet inseparable friends at their elite boarding school. But then Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal and they’ve barely spoken since. Until now, when Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help.

Madison’s twin stepkids are moving in with her family and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: the twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way. Lillian is convinced Madison is pulling her leg, but it’s the truth.

Thinking of her dead-end life at home, the life that has consistently disappointed her, Lillian figures she has nothing to lose. Over the course of one humid, demanding summer, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other—and stay cool—while also staying out of the way of Madison’s buttoned-up politician husband. Surprised by her own ingenuity yet unused to the intense feelings of protectiveness she feels for them, Lillian ultimately begins to accept that she needs these strange children as much as they need her—urgently and fiercely. Couldn’t this be the start of the amazing life she’d always hoped for?

Such a strange little book, but I absolute adored this one. Many of the summaries that I saw led with the children’s affliction making the book focused on the fantasy aspects instead of the real focus. This book is really about the search for identity and family and a sense of belonging. From page one, I was rooting for Lillian and the twins to find their places in the world. Even days later, I’m still thinking about the question of “What makes a family?”

Next up on the TBR pile:

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:

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:

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:

Asylum by Madeleine Roux

Title: Asylum (Asylum #1)

Author: Madeleine Roux

Publisher: HarperCollins 2013

Genre: YA Horror

Pages: 321

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - 365; UnRead Shelf Project

For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, the New Hampshire College Prep program is the chance of a lifetime. Except that when Dan arrives, he finds that the usual summer housing has been closed, forcing students to stay in the crumbling Brookline Dorm—formerly a psychiatric hospital. As Dan and his new friends Abby and Jordan start exploring Brookline's twisty halls and hidden basement, they uncover disturbing secrets about what really went on here . . . secrets that link Dan and his friends to the asylum's dark past. Because Brookline was no ordinary mental hospital, and there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

That was a quick and enjoyable read. I sped through this creepy young adult horror book in just a few hours. I love a good asylum-based horror novel and this one really did hit the spot. We get some likable characters to follow as they uncover secrets about Brookline and about themselves. The plot is a slow build. We don’t get a ton of action until the last 100 pages, but the tension builds consistently through the first 2/3 of the book. I really fell into the creepy setting and kept want the characters to revisit the basement. Enjoyable read for this week. I will definitely be continuing to read the series.

Asylum:

• #0.5 Escape from Asylum

• #1 Asylum

• #1.5 The Scarlets

• #2 Sanctum

• #2.5 The Bone Artists

• #3 Catacomb

• #3.5 The Warden

Next up on the TBR pile:

Whisper of Scandal by Nicola Cornick

Title: Whisper of Scandal (Scandalous Women of the Ton #1)

Author: Nicola Cornick

Publisher: HQN 2010

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 368

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf

Lady Joanna Ware has no desire to wed again but that doesn't stop the flurry of suitors knocking on her door. Desperate to thwart another proposal, Joanna brazenly kisses Arctic explorer Alex, Lord Grant. Unable to deny the blazing attraction that flares, Joanna knows she's just set the gossip mill turning.

After suffering countless infidelities during her marriage, she's accustomed to scandal. But nothing prepares her for the shocking news that her deceased husband has bequeathed his illegitimate child to her and his friend Alex. As rumors run rampant in the ton, Joanna and Alex travel to the Arctic to claim the orphan. Battling blizzards, dangerous wildlife and a treacherous plot, Alex must protect Joanna, but not before he wickedly seduces her….

Ultimately this was such a disappointment. I was intrigued by the plot and wanted a fun steamy romance. Instead, we get two characters that hate each other right until the last 15 pages or so. Other than sexual chemistry, they were completely ill-suited to one another. I wanted to see more actual connection between the characters. All of the side characters were either boring or incredibly irritating. I just came away from this book with lots of meh feelings. In reading the plot summaries for the rest of the books in the series, I think I will be abandoning this series all together.

Scandalous Women of the Ton

• #1 Whisper of Scandal

• #2 One Wicked Sin

• #3 Mistress by Midnight

• #4 Notorious

• #5 Desired

• #6 Forbidden

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Undoing of a Lady by Nicola Cornick

Title: The Undoing of a Lady (Brides of Fortune #3)

Author: Nicola Cornick

Publisher: HQN 2009

Genre: Regency Romance

Pages: 384

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf

Courting scandal since girlhood, free-spirited Lady Elizabeth Scarlet vows there is just one way to save her childhood friend from a loveless marriage: to kidnap him! But Nathaniel is furious. So angry that he challenges her to take their assignation to its natural conclusion and seduce him.

When her inexperienced attempt flares into intense passion, Lizzie is ruined…and hopelessly, unexpectedly, in love with Nathaniel, the Earl of Waterhouse. Now the wild and willful Lizzie must convince Nat that they are a perfect match—in every way.

I really really wanted to like this one. I thought we would get another fun couple, but instead we get an entirely too obtuse hero and an annoying heroine. I did not like Lizzie and Nat at all. They were a terrible couple. The steamy scenes were kind of awkward and felt voyeuristic in a bad way. I wasn’t excited about how the overall mystery played out. And don’t get me started on Flora and Lowell. Not a great ending to a sometimes enjoyable romance series.

Brides of Fortune

• #0.5 The Secrets of a Courtesan

• #1 The Confessions of a Duchess

• #2 The Scandals of an Innocent

• #3 The Undoing of a Lady

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Scandals of an Innocent by Nicola Cornick

Title: The Scandals of an Innocent (Brides of Fortune #2)

Author: Nicola Cornick

Publisher: HQN 2009

Genre: Regency Romance

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf

Miss Alice Lister feels anything but respectable. Bad enough that she is a maid-turned-heiress. Now the insufferably attractive Lord Miles Vickery is certain he can gain her fortune by blackmailing her into marriage—even though it was his deceitful charm that broke her heart once before. But she's positive the terms of her inheritance will prove an impossible task. After all, what rake could be completely honest for three long months?

For his part, Miles finds his newfound frankness invaluable in entangling Alice in positions deliciously unbecoming of a lady. Of course, he doesn't yet know that he's falling hopelessly in love with this formidable innocent…or that he will soon go to impossible lengths to prove himself hers forever….

Another fun Regency Romance for the week. I enjoyed Miles and Alice much more than I did the previous couples in the series. Alice has so much grit and resolve, it’s hard not to like here. And Miles is a great version of the rake who reforms. I enjoyed their back and forth sparring. I enjoyed their arguments. I enjoyed their romance. As always, I wish that the ending spent a bit more time on the resolution, but that’s a reoccurring complaint of mine.

Brides of Fortune

• #0.5 The Secrets of a Courtesan

• #1 The Confessions of a Duchess

• #2 The Scandals of an Innocent

• #3 The Undoing of a Lady

Next up on the TBR pile: