Month: August 2018

REVIEW: Rules of the Ruff by Heidi Lang

REVIEW: Rules of the Ruff by Heidi Lang

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Amulet Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Jessie is spending the summer with her aunt and uncle and cousin “Ann-Marie.” Ann-Marie used to be just Ann and she was fun to hang out with back then. But when she became friends with Loralee, she wanted to be called Ann-Marie instead. She never sticks up for Jessie when Loralee is hateful, cruel or manipulative. Ann-Marie usually doesn’t pay attention to Jessie unless Loralee stands her up.

So Jessie decides to find her own summer fun by pestering her grumpy neighbor, Wes, to let her join his dog-walking business. Wes agrees to take Jessie along only if she learns the Rules of the Ruff – his rules for working with dogs.

Jessie learns a lot about the dogs – and about Wes – through their partnership. When a rival dog walker moves in on Wes’ business, Jessie is incensed. When she hears that the rival doesn’t even love the dogs like Wes does, that it’s just a job to her, Jessie decides to serve up a little vengeance and get Wes’ clients back. But things quickly turn ugly and the Rules of the Ruff might not be enough to set things right again.

Review

This was a cute story with characters that produced some strong emotions in me. Loralee is horrible. She’s a typical, hateful middle grade bully/mean girl, and she’s just awful. Monique, the rival dog walker, really ticked me off, too, with her cavalier attitude about putting Wes out of business. Max and Ann’s inability to stand up to Loralee at times was infuriating. The author did a great job developing characters that incited strong feelings.

I loved Jessie’s persistence and self-acceptance. She never tried to be something she wasn’t. And she makes some really selfless choices in the book that were both painful to read and also inspiring.

On one level, this is a dog story but even more than that it’s a relationship story.  Jessie’s relationships with each of the characters tell the reader so much about Jessie and about the people around her. The Rules of the Ruff come in handy with people, not just with dogs. Hand this to your favorite dog lover and be prepared for him or her to really connect with these characters, too.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

BOOK NEWS: August 14, 2018

BOOK NEWS: August 14, 2018

Posted on by Jaymie

School districts around here are up and running. These are the days when I look forward to losing myself in a good book as a reward for getting all the things done throughout the day. Here are some new books releasing this week:

Books for Kids

Loretta’s Gift – A little girl wants to find the perfect gift for her new cousin. This looks sweet.
The Sloth that Slowed Us Down – A busy, hurry-scurry family takes in a sloth as a pet who shows them how to slow down. This sounds fantastic!
Bear Country: Bearly a Misadventure – Book 6 in the hilarious Chicken Squad early chapter book series. This time, the mystery-solving chicks are looking for their missing caretaker. I love this funny series.
Bigfoot Goes Back in Time – Where’s Waldo with Big Foot. A fun new activity book, perfect for long car rides.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Finding Esme – A girl finds dinosaur bones on the family farm. This sounds terrific!
Finding Langston – After the death of his mom, a boy and his father move to Chicago as part of the Great Migration (1946). There the boy discovers a library that welcomes everyone and the poet who inspired his mother so much she named her son after him. This sounds lovely.
(Illustrated Percy Jackson) The Lightning Thief – The Harry Potter books have done it and now it is Percy Jackson’s turn. I can’t wait to see what this looks like in person.
Mystery in the Mansion – Book 1 in the Case Closed choose-your-own-adventure mystery series. This is a format I loved as a kid and it still captures kids’ imaginations! I’m looking forward to trying this one.
Ocean Renegades: Journey through the Paleozoic Era – Book 2 in the Earth Before Us series about a kid who travels in time to see what the Earth was like before humans were around.
Rules of the Ruff – A girl in need of a summer diversion begs a local dog walker to take her on as his assistant. He agrees but only if she learns the Rules of Ruff. I’ll be reviewing this one tomorrow.
So Done – After a summer apart, two friends find their interests and priorities changing. I’m curious to see what sets this book apart from others with a similar premise.
Winter War (August 15) – The Prince Warriors series continues. I have not read these yet, but they are on my wish list. There aren’t a lot of middle grade books being published by Christian publishers.
Worth a Thousand Words – A girl used to hiding behind her camera to find lost things is recruited by the class clown to help him find his dad. This is at the top of my list for this week!
Fresh Ink – A new anthology of short stories for teens
The Looking Glass – A missing older sister and a mysterious list in a book send a teen off to see if she can find her sister. This sounds fascinating.
Our Stories, Our Voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female in America – A new addition to the growing collection of social justice action books for teens.

Books for Adults

Pinnacle City: A Superhero Noir – A former supervillain minion and a newly minted Pinnacle City Guardian team up to address a case no one else wants. I love superhero stories, but this promises to be a different twist on the usual fare. And I love the idea of that! I’ll be checking this one out! (Trade paperback)
100 Days of Real Food on a Budget – I enjoyed the original 100 Days of Real Food and I’m eager to take a look at this one that keeps those general principles but helps families eat right without breaking the bank.
Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow: Quick Recipes for Hangry Athletes – No thank you on the “Run Fast” part, but I am all about the “cook fast.”

REVIEW: Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart

REVIEW: Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Serina has trained all her life it seems to be a Grace. The Superior of Viridia has chosen three women of beauty and refinement to be his Graces every three years for ages. And now it is his oldest son, Malachi, the Heir’s turn.

Nomi is wild where her sister is meek. Their culture holds little value for women. They aren’t allowed to go to school or learn to read. They have no real choices in their own lives. And Nomi hates it. How could Serina choose the empty, shallow life of a Grace? Nomi has a duty to her family to be Serina’s handmaiden, but she doesn’t have to like it or do it without complaint.

Things with the Heir don’t go at all like Serina expected. One heated exchange in a hallway with Nomi and he chooses HER to be one of his Graces. Serina is relegated to handmaiden status. And if that’s not bad enough, Nomi is keeping a secret that could get their whole family in trouble. But Serina is caught and blamed instead.

Now Nomi is alone at the palace, unsure of who she can trust and desperate for any scrap of news about what happened to her sister. And Serina has been given a punishment usually reserved for the worst female offenders – prison on the volcanic island Mount Ruin.

Review

This was excellent! Initially I wanted more world building and character development up front. The rules for the world were unclear, and the action starts immediately. But I only felt off kilter for a couple chapters before everything was clear. And once I hit that point I couldn’t put the book down until I was finished.

The characters are great. I was furious with Nomi whose own carelessness and rebellious nature ruined her sister’s life. But the evolution of Serina through her trials was fantastic.

The story was riveting – the fight for survival, the alliances and betrayals, the secret source of the misogynistic culture of Viridia. And the action runs clear up to the final page with no happily-ever-after in sight. I loved it!

I saw one of the twists coming only because it’s been done before in another series I read. But the author really did a great job setting it up. Readers who have read that other series might recognize the set up, too. But others will be delightfully caught off guard. I have no complaints for this – just praise. This is fantastic. I’ll be counting down the days until the sequel! (Violence)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: To Catch a Witch by Heather Blake

REVIEW: To Catch a Witch by Heather Blake

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

It’s February in the Enchanted Village and that means the annual obstacle course race, the Wicked Mad Dash. Darcy has been part of the planning team along with Abby Stillwell, the assistant manager of Balefire Sports. The proceeds of this year’s race will go to the medical expenses for the daughter of Balefire’s owners.

Unfortunately, the race is off to a rough start with a bout of temporary food poisoning and a prank with the portapotties thanks to a local dabbling in dark magic. In fact, Darcy’s sister, Harper, is so sick she can’t even make it to the race.

Abby was part of the food poisoning trick, too, but by race time she is feeling like herself again and goes to warm up for the race. When she never comes back for the start – or end – of the race, people start to get concerned. When her body is found, Darcy has her hands full.

Abby was a Vitacrafter – a Crafter who could read the energy of people around her. That means the Elder wants Darcy to investigate her murder. But Harper’s situation is bigger than a food poisoning prank. And Darcy’s trying to figure out if she can truly trust a new friend whose mother hates Darcy’s whole family. Also Abby had raised some questions about her bosses at Balefire. Darcy has a lot of digging to do to get the full scoop on what’s happening around the Enchanted Village.

Review

This is book eight in the Wishcraft paranormal mystery series. I’ve been a fan of this one from the beginning. Over time it’s moved from mostly light wishing magic to some stronger, darker witchcraft pieces in the more recent books. It’s still pretty light, but some readers who do not want to read about the occult may find this series isn’t a good fit for them.

The mystery in this one was great – lots of interesting twists and wrinkles come up as Darcy investigates. We also get some new Crafting types in this book. I don’t remember Vitacrafters in earlier books or Terracrafters, Vincicrafters or Emoticrafters. It’s fun to see the world expand a little, although it might just be to tie the new characters for this book into the world.

My favorite parts of this book were the series-spanning pieces – Darcy’s family and friends, Harper’s situation, and the battle for the Eldership of the Enchanted Village. These are characters I really like (well, except for Dorothy – she is truly appalling), and I care about what happens to them. The author does a terrific job of balancing these relationship and community pieces while keeping the mystery central to the book. I’ve become picky about that with my cozies lately.

If you love paranormal stories and cozy mysteries, consider trying this series which mashes up the two nicely. The magical world is fun and creative, and the characters are people I would eagerly have as friends. I’m looking forward to seeing where the series goes in book nine.

Rating” ♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: Awesome! by Craig Shuttlewood

BONUS REVIEW: Awesome! by Craig Shuttlewood

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic ARC/review copy of this book from Netgalley and Capstone in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Marvin the moose saves the day and becomes a woodland hero. And his best friend, Woody the beaver, helps Marvin highlight his new status. But soon Woody is feeling  jealous and left out. And his attempts to get attention might get him a different sort of attention than what he was aiming for.

Review

I enjoyed the illustrations in this one. This is exactly the sort of art I enjoy and the kind that would grab my attention as I walked past the book on a shelf.  And the story is a classic dilemma. I think this would be great for use at home or at school to start conversations with kids about jealousy, feeling left out, and healthy vs unhealthy ways to  get recognition or to stand out in the crowd.

Rating: ♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Selkie of San Francisco by Todd Calgi Gallicano

REVIEW: The Selkie of San Francisco by Todd Calgi Gallicano

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a copy of the finished book from the author and the publisher, Delacorte Books for Young Readers, for review purposes. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

It’s been while since Sam’s first adventure with the Department of Mythical Wildlife, and he’s itching for another case. His bodyguard/Guardian Tashi is by his side and his decoy, Nuks, is ready for action. The call comes in from Dr. Vance Vantana that a mythical creature – a selkie – appeared at Fisherman’s Wharf and then again at a fashion show with up and coming model, Pearl Eklund.

Everyone knows Pearl’s story. She was found after a boat accident that killed her parents. Her rescuer became her adoptive father, and she couldn’t be more well known.

Sam, Tashi, and Dr. Vantana need to get close to Pearl in the hopes that the selkie will try to find her again. But the selkie doesn’t want to hurt Pearl. He seems to think she is someone crucial to the continued existence of humanity and relative peace between the selkies and the merpeople.

Sam has his new case! But maybe he should be more careful what he wishes for.

Review

I enjoyed Sam’s first story when I read it, but my memory for it was pretty fuzzy when I started this one. Once the action kicked in with the selkie, though, I was in the swing of things and didn’t put the book down until I was done. This sequel was so good!

I love Sam. He’s bright and resourceful. He has great insights about people and situations. The rest of the team is great, but Sam is my favorite. There are tons of mythical creatures in this one – from lots of different cultures. Mythology and Rick Riordan fans should definitely try this series.

One unusual feature to this for me is the ever-changing point of view characters. It’s not often that adults get to be POV characters in middle grade novels. But it works here as the adults are the only ones with some pieces of the puzzle in the book.

The case takes the team all over the world, The book is long, but it’s not filler. Each step gave them pieces of either the selkie story or the Sam story at the center of the book – finding his father.

There are some emotional moments in this one. I’m grateful for the epilogue which redeems some of it and gives us a title for book 3 with hints for where the story is headed.

Thanks again to the author, Todd Calgi Gallicano, for arranging for a review copy for me!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BOOK NEWS: August 7, 2018

BOOK NEWS: August 7, 2018

Posted on by Jaymie

Happy August! Around here, August means back to school, so we are enjoying our last couple days of summer break before kicking back into our school routine. For me, that still includes books! I can’t read as much during the school year as I do during the summer, but there are tons of books for me to look forward to to kick this school year off right!

Books for Kids

Attack of the 50-foot Fluffy – A little girl and her stuffed bunny try to deal with a day when everything goes wrong. I have seen a few pages of this and it looks outstanding! I can’t wait to read the entire thing. If the humor and story live up to the sample pages, this will be a must buy.
Hurricane in Texas (Magic Tree House) – The latest transitional chapter book from the Magic Tree House series. This is numbered as book 30, although I know there was already a book 30 when she wrote the Merlin Missions. So maybe they have restarted the counting and set those stories off to the side. But if your kid is a fan of this series, you won’t want to miss the latest book!
The Princess and the Absolutely Not a Princess – A new transitional chapter book series about a princess and a not-a-princess who struggle to get along in their third grade class. I’ll be reviewing this one in a couple weeks.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

The Dollar Kids – A kid looking for a fresh start after the shooting death of his friend finds a town selling homes for $1. But the homes are in pretty rough shape and the community is less than welcoming. Maybe they’ve traded one set of problems for another. I am looking forward to reading this one!
The Girl with the Dragon Heart (Aug 9) – Book 2 in the Tales from the Chocolate Heart series. A girl with a gift for storytelling (and a dragon as a best friend) is asked to spy on the fairy royal family, but she has reasons of her own for not trusting them. I have both books in this series on my TBR list!
Out of the Bottle (GN) – Book 5 in the DC Super Hero Girls graphic novel series which focuses on Harley Quinn. I’m looking forward to reviewing this one later this fall!
Royal Crown – Book 4 in the From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess series by Meg Cabot. I loved the first couple books in this series about Princess Mia’s younger half sister. This time Princess Olivia is looking forward to Mia’s coronation, but her cousins are plotting to take the throne.
Wish Upon a Sleepover – A girl looking to fit in with the popular crowd ends up with her DO NOT invite list coming to her sleepover. I am so looking forward to reading this one! I enjoy the author’s work so much. I’ll be reviewing this one later this fall.
Eleanor Roosevelt, Fighter for Justice: Her Impact on the Civil Rights Movement, the White House, and the World  – New nonfiction for middle grade readers about First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. I am fascinated by the Roosevelt family and am looking forward to reading this one.
Fearless Faith – A devotional for girls from author Melanie Shankle. Includes fun activities and places to make notes. This looks delightful. I can’t wait to see it in person.
Who Was Selena? AND Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen? – The latest from the Who Was series.
#MurderTrending – Dystopian novel for teens about a world where criminal executions are broadcast live online. The premise of this is fascinating, so this is at the top of my list for this week.
Catwoman: Soulstealer – Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn have teamed up to cause problems for Gotham while Batman is away. This one is also at the top of my TBR list for the week.
The Forest Queen – A female Robin Hood story. A young woman frustrated by her brother’s mistreatment of the locals around their estate runs away to the woods to join others who want to right wrongs and look out for the folks in need. Sounds great!
Heretics Anonymous – An atheist is the newest student at a strict Catholic school where he meets up with the other outcasts – the girl who wants to be a priest, the pagan, and the boy who is Jewish and gay – who want to challenge the hypocrisy in their school. This appeals to my oppositional streak, so I have already requested this one from the library.
The Last Best Story – Two teens who may have missed their opportunity for romance together get one last chance. This sounds AWESOME! I’ve requested this one, too.
Nine – In an alternate universe humans have nine lives. Each new life is a mental and physical upgrade and the government incentivizes death to control overpopulation. One teen who is reluctant to burn through his lives discovers some flaws in the system. What a fascinating premise! This is on the list (The list is LONG.)
The Other Side of Lost – A girl who confesses the lies in her online existence and suffers the backlash goes on a hike of the John Muir Trail (Sierra Nevada Mountain Range) in search of herself. Sounds great.
Smothered – A story told in text messages, journal entries, etc. of a college graduate who has to move home while she finds a job and the mom who wants her to stay. Yep, that’s my third library request of the week.
These Rebel Waves – Two lands at war – one ruled by magic and the other by religion. Three  key figures trying to ferret out the truth from the lies that will determine the future for both countries. This sounds like the sort of story that I love. This is on the list, too.  (I wonder if Amazon has a limit on how many items you can have in one wish list….)
Girls Resist: A Guide to Activism, Leadership and Starting a Revolution – A social justice and activism manual geared to teens.

Books for Adults

Alternate Routes – Alternate worlds, phantom freeways, and a former secret service agent being hunted for a secret he learned while on the job. You’ll just have to go to Goodreads for the full description because it is too intricate to summarize in a sentence or two. But this sounds just weird enough to be something I will enjoy. This is on my list. (*Hardcover)
Fletch – Looks like this is a reissue of the first book of the Fletch mystery series. Yes, the Chevy Chase movie, Fletch. I am eager to read this one and see how it measures up to the movie. (*Trade Paperback)
Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding – Book 12 in the Royal Spyness mystery series. I thoroughly enjoyed the first few books in this series back when they first came out, but I haven’t been able to keep up with it. If you love historical mysteries, you should try this series. This particular story sounds so terrific, I might have to jump back into this series. (*Hardcover)
The Hope Jar – First in a new Prayer Jars series from Wanda Brunstetter. A young woman assumes the identity of a long lost Amish girl, but when the lies grow out of control she doesn’t know how to get out of them without hurting the family she has grown to love. This sounds delightful! (*Trade Paperback)
Our House – A woman comes home to find strangers moving into her house. She and her estranged husband had been taking turns living in the home with their children, but now he and the children are gone. I have this one on hold already at the library – I’m not sure I am going to be able to juggle all of my requests and holds if I’m not careful. There are just too many books out this week that I want to read! (*Hardcover)
Prisoner in the Castle – Book 8 in the Maggie Hope mystery series. I loved the first book and have the rest on my TBR shelves. In this one, Maggie is in prison because she knows too many secrets. When the prisoners around her start dropping dead, Maggie knows she needs to find out what is truly going on before she is next. (*Hardcover)
To Catch a Witch – Book  8 in the Wishcraft mystery series. A friend of Darcy’s is killed the morning of the annual Wicked Mad Dash and Darcy must investigate. I’ll be reviewing this one later this week. (*Hardcover)
Toucan Keep a Secret – Book 23 in the Meg Langslow series. I adore this series, and the latest book was a treat. Meg discovers a body in the church crypt while she is helping look after things for their priest who is on maternity leave. I’ll be reviewing this one later this month. (*Hardcover)
Eat at Home Tonight: 101 Simple Busy-Family Recipes for your Slow-Cooker, Sheet Pan, Insta Pot and More – I am all about simple meals for our family! (*Paperback)
The Eternal Current: How a Practice-Based Faith Can Save Us from Drowning – Husband of author Shauna Niequist, Aaron Niequist, brings this book about spiritual practices. Fans of his wife should give this one a look. (*Hardcover at a Trade paperback price)
The Great Grilled Cheese Book: Grown-Up Recipes for a Childhood Classic – The title says it all! (*Hardcover at a Trade paperback price)
In the Name of the Father: Family, Football and the Manning Dynasty – A biography of the football family of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning (*Hardcover)
The Legend of Me: An Epic Do-It-Yourself Autobiography – A guided journal for recording the details of your life.(*Hardcover at a Trade paperback price)
Unshakable Hope: Building Our Lives on the Promises of God – The latest from Max Lucado looks at twelve of God’s promises. There is also a study guide and a prayer book for the series. (*Hardcover)

 

*I’ve noticed that publishers have shifted some of their new mystery series to Trade paperback (full size paperback with a sale price around $15 or $16) or hardcover (with a sale price around $25) instead of Mass Market paperback which runs around $8. When I think of it, I’ll try to note the format so readers can plan their book budgets – and trips to the library – accordingly.

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Summer Reading Wrap Up

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Summer Reading Wrap Up

Posted on by Jaymie

Back in June I posted my Summer Reading plan for 2018. Today I want to give a brief update.

Family Reading Challenge

By the end of July, my husband was the only one of the three of us to finish the six assigned books. I am so proud of him! My son has almost finished three and I have finished two. We plan to keep pushing forward to get those done by Fall Break (October).

#BookaDay

This is the only challenge I completed this summer. My goal was to read 61 books in 61 days. I finished 69. This includes 20 picture books which really help on days when I don’t have a lot of time to read a longer book.

Some of my favorites from this summer are:

  • Head On by John Scalzi (adult science fiction – sequel to Lock In which is also awesome)
  • We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins  (picture book)
  • A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman   (adult historic mystery)
  • Annie’s Life in Lists by  Kristin Mahoney (middle grade contemporary with a fantastic format!)
  • The Pros of Cons by Alison Cherry and Lindsay Ribar and Michelle Shusterman  (YA contemporary)
  • Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson (YA contemporary – this was literally stunning)
  • Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart (YA dystopian)

Hopefully I’ll be able to post reviews of a lot of these soon!

TBR Shelf

Instead of cleaning off the TBR shelf, I ADDED more to it! So obviously a big fail here, too!

 

While I only achieved one of my three reading goals for the summer break, I did a lot of great reading and really enjoyed myself. I had a ton of reviews I committed to do this summer which drove a lot of my reading decisions. Interestingly enough, only one of the summer favorites I listed above was a book I read for a publisher (Grace and Fury). I think that says a lot about the power of reading choice, even for adults.

Did you read anything amazing this summer?

 

REVIEW: So Glad to Meet You by Lisa Super

REVIEW: So Glad to Meet You by Lisa Super

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Diversion Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

After Emily’s suicide with her boyfriend Jason, her family has not fared well. Her mom went back to work and threw herself into trying to protect other families from  her experience. Her dad lost himself in alcohol. And her sister Daphne tries to tiptoe through her life without her big sister while her parents barely acknowledge she exists.

Jason’s family took a different path, idealizing everything about him after his death. It drives his younger brother Oliver crazy. They try to have Oliver do the exact opposite of what Jason did, hoping that will be enough to keep him from the same fate.

Daphne stumbles onto a bucket list Emily and Jason created. It dredges up questions and memories and feelings no one else really understands. Except maybe Oliver. They’ve never met, but Daphne gathers her courage to track him down. Nothing can bring Emily and Jason back, but maybe if Oliver and Daphne work on the list together they can find some of the things they have lost.

Review

This is a story of two families still reeling from a loss that happened seven years ago. And the two teens are living in the shadow of that loss, full of questions for which there are no good answers.

My heart broke for Oliver and Daphne. They are getting ready to graduate from high school and head off to college, but this loss still hangs over them along with questions of their own mental health (Daphne) and complicated rituals for relationships (Oliver) showing how this loss still impacts them. Oliver’s relationship strategies seem especially unhealthy to me. They complicate his relationships with the women around him in ways that seems especially unfair to the women.

It was hard to “enjoy” this one. While I understood and empathized with the characters, this is a sad story. There are no great revelations to find out about Emily and Jason. And no quick fixes for the troubled families.

I prefer my entertainment a little lighter than this. I think this will be a better fit for readers who enjoy stories with somewhat “tortured” characters trying to find their way through tragedy. (Mature content including suicide and sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥

REVIEW: Confessions of a Red Herring by Dana Dratch

REVIEW: Confessions of a Red Herring by Dana Dratch

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Alexandra Vlodnochek gave up her job as a reporter to pursue a higher paying job at the Coleman and Walters PR firm. No one told her that the new job included expectations that she would take a client up to a hotel room. She thought her loud refusal might get her fired. But she didn’t expect it would get her accused of murder.

Now Alex is trying to clear her name using her investigative reporting skills. But her former coworkers have drunk the Kool-aid and are sharing the company lies with the press. Someone has stolen her identity and is trying to ruin her financially. The one boss who isn’t dead has backed her into a corner where her chances of finding another job that doesn’t involve cleaning toilets are slim. And if that’s not enough to juggle, Alex’s baby brother moves in with his fiancée (who seems to be running a shady business out of Alex’ house) and their un-housebroken puppy. Alex is out of money and out of patience with the hatchet job her former employer is trying to pull on her. She won’t let her entire life be destroyed without a fight.

Review

The sheer volume of things piling onto Alex was overwhelming. It was almost painful to read one more disaster, one more lie, one more manipulation, one more attack on her character.

But Alex was never facing all of that alone. Her family really steps up to help her out in their own unique ways. I really enjoyed the whole cast in this book. Some of the characters are mainly “off stage,” but still bring interesting tidbits to the story. I cannot wait for more books to get to know some of these other characters better.

The mystery wasn’t a big surprise. But I thoroughly enjoyed watching Alex work things out. There were some fantastic, triumphant moments for her that I loved! There were some “sideline scenes” where Alex was trying to earn some money to stay afloat that were enjoyable, even though they had little to nothing to do with solving the murder. Sometimes such things can be aggravating and distracting, but this time they were fun scenes that helped cut some of the tension of the larger story.

This is a fun, sassy story with great characters. I will absolutely keep up with this series in the future! (Some language.)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½