Month: October 2019

REVIEW: Slay by Brittney Morris

REVIEW: Slay by Brittney Morris

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Kiera Johnson may seem like a typical teen – high school senior, math tutor, gamer. But she’s also the creator of the video game SLAY. After a lifetime of experiences of being in the minority, including being one of four Black kids at her high school, Kiera wanted a place where she didn’t feel like an outsider. So she built the game.

She doesn’t want anyone to know she is the developer. She’s always on her guard, hiding the game from her family and friends. If he knew, her boyfriend would probably dissect SLAY to see if it is authentic enough, and that’s only if he could get past the idea that gaming is a distraction to keep Blacks from achieving all they can in the world. Her sister would probably antagonize everyone in the game with her questions and opinions about every little thing. In a way, even in the world she created to celebrate Blackness, Kiera can’t just be completely herself when it comes to SLAY.

Then a kid is killed over something that happened in the game. The whole world learns about SLAY. Kiera, as her character Emerald, is under fire as the developer for creating this “violent” place with “gangs” and other misconceptions from outsiders, both White and Black. Reporters are debating the “racist” nature of SLAY because only Blacks are invited to join. And Kiera’s being harassed inside her own game by a new player who wants to tear down everything she has built. How does a 17-year-old high school student stand up under a firestorm like this?

Review

“All I ever wanted to do was escape into this magical world where for once I don’t have to act a certain way because I’m Black, and where I don’t have to answer certain questions because I’m the Black authority in the room, and where if I do something that’s not stereotypically Black, I’m different…. I think I love SLAY so much because we’re a mutually empathetic collective. As we duel, as we chat, there’s an understanding that ‘your Black is not my Black,’ and ‘your weird is not my weird,’ and ‘your beautiful is not my beautiful,’ and that’s okay.” pg 108-109, e-book

Oh my goodness, I loved this book!! I decided to share these quotes because I thought only Kiera’s words would do when talking about why she built SLAY and what it meant to her. I adored Kiera. And I felt her longing for a place where being Black was celebrated and not debated, where she could shed the tightly controlled facade she maintained in ALL her face-to-face relationships. My favorite thread of this whole book is this idea of finding (or in Kiera’s case, creating) and defending a space where you can be yourself. And I think that became extra special because I loved Kiera and wanted that space to be safe for her.

The gaming pieces of this are cool! Nothing too technical for a non-coder or non-gamer like me. I loved how the uninitiated adults discovered the richness of Black history Kiera built into the game. The dueling style was also fantastic. I have no clue if a dueling-style VR game exists now, but I enjoyed the fictional game play. But really, the game is just a vehicle for telling a richer, deeper story.

While tragic, the murder that pulls SLAY into the public eye isn’t the main story either. Kiera wrestles with her responsibility as the game developer, but ultimately those questions take a back seat to the racial and discrimination questions that are more central to the story.

The obvious question at the center of Slay is is it racist for Black gamers to have their own game, their own forum, where White folks aren’t allowed? And I was happy to see there weren’t any easy answers offered to this question. Readers will have to wrestle with that on their own. But there were just as many hard, nuanced questions about the Black community from within their own ranks. And that was part of the magic of this book for me. It showed me questions I couldn’t possibly know to ask as a white person. And it let me learn and question and wrestle as I read. And I loved every minute of it. This was engrossing and engaging and something I won’t soon forget! (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++

BONUS REVIEW: How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason

BONUS REVIEW: How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

As a baby, Rory had a naming ceremony. And, as in the long ago history of her people, the fairies arrived to bestow their gifts and blessings – kindness, beauty, harp-playing, and the ability to “know the truth when she hears it” as well as the ability to see her way out of trouble. Odd gifts for a princess in some cases, but oh, so handy for Rory’s future.

For several years, that naming ceremony was one of the more interesting stories about Rory. She was a feisty, strong-willed princess, still too young for much responsibility in the kingdom. She did occasionally hang out with visiting royalty, though, especially kids like Prince Ivar.

The Prince’s visit is where everything changed. His father was killed by one of his own servants during the visit to Rory’s world, and Rory’s father was gravely injured in the incident. It set their world on the course to war. Rory’s father dies, and her mother delivers their second child – a son – who suddenly displaces Rory as the one to inherit the throne thanks to antiquated rules of inheritance. This leaves Rory to be married off when it becomes politically useful. When that times arrives, and Rory is sent to her betrothed’s world, the political secrets and royal maneuvering kicks up to a whole new level!

Review

This is a very long book. At times, it is wordy and overly self-aware. That threatened to derail my reading and enjoyment of this. The nature of the story – the world building, character development, and the time span from Rory’s birth to the end – is part of the issue. There’s a lot to cover! I’m not sure you could split the story in any good way that would make sense. So readers need to push through. When you can get into the rhythm and style of the narrator, and can move through the first section of the book which handles most of the set up (pretty much the whole summary above), then the story picks up cohesiveness and a good pace through to the end. (FYI, this is not a “multiverse” in the sense of multiple timelines or versions of the same characters.)

Once Rory gets to Urse to wait for her impending marriage, it was easier for me to hang onto the story, and I quite enjoyed it. There’s still a good bit of character development to come for Rory and a couple of the other characters who are in the whole novel. At 16, with her magic and fairy gifts and her training, Rory becomes a fantastic, fascinating character in act 2 and beyond. I especially enjoyed Rory and her relationship with her primary guards.

There’s a good deal of suspense in the second and third acts of the story. The Regent for the “Free Worlds” is a formidable adversary. And to him, Rory is a tool – a means to an end. She has to be smart, plan five steps ahead, and use her gifts to camouflage her intentions. I really enjoyed watching her work!  Fantasy and science fiction fans – settle in for a long story. Relax through the set up and then enjoy the great conclusion!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Can't Judge a Book by Its Murder by Amy Lillard

REVIEW: Can’t Judge a Book by Its Murder by Amy Lillard

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Arlo Stanley, book store owner, was getting ready for Sugar Springs’ Tenth Annual All-School Class Reunion. This year they were expecting a lot of visitors because they had a big name guest of honor coming. Wally Harrison had grown up in Silver Springs. He became a writer, and he had recently been at the top of the bestsellers lists. Unfortunately, as Arlo is making her way into work before the big weekend, Wally is lying dead on the sidewalk in front of her store.

Wally was scheduled to do a big signing at the shop. Arlo knew Wally from high school, as did her business partner, Chloe. In fact, Chloe and Wally had a child together, although Wally had signed his rights away before the baby was even born. Neither Chloe, nor Arlo, can see Wally as the type to throw himself from a building, but suicide is the prevailing theory.

Until the coroner’s report comes in. All signs point to murder. The logical suspects would be Wally’s wife or his mistress/assistant, but Chloe and Wally had met that morning to talk about their son. Chloe didn’t want Wally in the boy’s life. And thanks to a hefty inheritance, Chloe is the number one suspect for the murder.

Review

This was fun! I loved the characters. Arlo is great, and her loyalty to Chloe made her even more likable. The elderly ladies in the shop’s book group were a hoot! They were one of my favorite parts of the book. While I generally don’t enjoy love triangles, I am curious to see what happens between Arlo, Mads and Sam as this series goes on, especially as these characters have a history and are now back in the same town for the first time since high school.

The mystery was terrific. The clues stacked against Chloe were no joke. There were a few other suspects to explore, but really only 2 were explored in any depth. I’m curious to see how the mystery in book 2 will play out when the author is doing less “world building,” and has even more page space to dig into a mystery and a group of suspects.

Cozy fans should check this out. It’s a great story with likable characters and a small-town setting. I will definitely be checking out any further books in the Main Street Book Club Mystery series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BONUS REVIEW: Black Canary: Ignite by Meg Cabot

BONUS REVIEW: Black Canary: Ignite by Meg Cabot

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Thirteen-year-old Dinah Lance has big plans for her life. They start with winning the Battle of the Bands with her best friends Kat and Vee. Then she’s going to join the Gotham City Junior Police Academy and make a difference in her city by stopping bad guys, just like her dad.

But Detective Lance is the first roadblock to her plans. He doesn’t want Dinah anywhere near criminals or danger.

Then there are all these weird accidents at school. Dinah always seems to be around when they happen like when the trophy case broke or the backboard shattered. Her principal is itching to hang the blame on Dinah and kick her out of school. And there’s also a creepy caped figure stalking around and causing trouble for Dinah and her family.

Could Vee be right? Could Dinah have special powers that are causing these accidents? Would powers make her dad trust her to help fight crime? Or would they make him more likely pack her off to her grandmother’s to keep her “safe?”

Review

This was so fun! It’s a pretty simple middle school story. There are background characters like Batgirl and the Joker who anchor this in the Gotham/DC Universe. But the focus here is on Dinah, her family, and a villain named Bonfire who has it out for Dinah’s mom. Most of the story takes place at Dinah’s home and school, which also helps keep the story simple.

The origin story for Dinah is pretty simple, too. Weird things happen, and Dinah learns she’s responsible. She’s eventually told that her powers come from her mother. She gets some training to control them, and then her parents try to send her away for safety. When Bonfire makes a move, Dinah has to decide if she is ready to be the Black Canary and stay and fight for her friends and her family.

Graphic novel fans will love the art in this and will be able to jump into Dinah’s story without any trouble. As superhero stories go, this is pretty light fare as it is setting up whatever DC might choose to do with the character in the future.

This is a great new graphic novel from the folks at DC, and I can’t wait to see what they do next. DC Zoom graciously provided some photos from the interior of the book, and I chose three of my favorite moments – check these out!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Titans by Kate O'Hearn

REVIEW: Titans by Kate O’Hearn

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

After the destruction of Olympus, the Titans and the Olympians are sharing the world of Titan. It’s tricky – plenty of the Titans remember their imprisonment in Tartarus. But they are working at getting along.

A big part of the cooperative effort is the school – Arcadia. The hope is that the young Titans and Olympians will learn to get along and lead the way for everyone else. It’s the only way for their world to survive.

Astraea, a Titan, and her best friend Zephyr, a flying horse, are supposed to be at Arcadia for the first day of school. But nothing goes right. Astraea has heard rumors of humans on Titan – something dangerous and forbidden. So she sneaks away from the first day festivities in order to spy and then gets caught. And then she ends up in a fight with some bullying centaurs and gets detention. Her parents are going to be SO ticked!

But they aren’t. Her parents don’t seem to care about all the trouble at school – or that she stayed out way past her curfew. And her mom’s weird behavior is only one of several signs that something is really wrong on Titan. Astraea is determined to hide and protect the human boy she finds on Titan, but as more weird things happen, she’s not sure who she can even trust on her planet any more.

Review

This is the first book in a long time to get me excited about mythology again! I didn’t read the whole Pegasus series by this author, but what I did read I enjoyed. There are references to that series here, but I was able to follow the action even though I haven’t read it all. (Since that series is complete, and contains some big, meaty books, it would be great for readers to go back to while waiting for the sequel to this one.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Astraea and her friends are great heroes. They are smart, and they learn to use their combined strengths to deal with the issues they discover on Titan. And these are no small problems!

The story is terrific – tons of action, interesting creatures, and a great mystery to dig into. Riordan fans and fans of this author’s other series will not be disappointed with this one.

A major cliffhanger at the end will leave readers shouting, “NO!” And the book 2 teaser in the back promises a lot more peril for our heroes. The problems discovered in this book will not be solved quickly or easily. Book 2, The Missing, will release in the summer of 2020.

If you are a fan of mythology tales and/or action novels, don’t miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BOOK NEWS: October 29, 2019

BOOK NEWS: October 29, 2019

Posted on by Jaymie

It’s the final week of October – Happy Halloween this Thursday, and happy release day tomorrow. Here are some of the books out this week.

Books for Kids

Chapter Two Is Missing! – A narrator discovers that chapter two of his book is missing. This looks fantastic!
The Muppet Christmas Carol – An illustrated book of The Muppet Christmas Carol movie. The illustrations look great!
Play It! Christmas Songs, Level 1 – Play Christmas songs on your piano or keyboard!

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

 

Black Canary Ignite (Graphic Novel) – From Meg Cabot. Dinah Lance is focused on the band she is building with her friends and solving crime like her dad through the Junior Police Academy. But when someone threatens her friends and family it will send Dinah on a search through her mother’s things for secrets and answers. Looking forward to this one!
Super Sons: The Foxglove Mission – Book 2 in the Super Sons series about the sons of Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne and their friend Candace. After the events of book one, the kids are on their own without the super parents to help them out, including Lois Lane who is suffering the effects of a mysterious virus.
Tangled in Time 2: The Burning Queen – Book 2 in this middle grade time travel series. After serving Princess Elizabeth of sixteenth-century England, Rose is going to be stuck serving Princess Mary after her coronation unless she returns home to our time. But she finds our time no less daunting as she befriends a young immigrant facing both mean girls at school as well as the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Full Disclosure – An HIV-positive teen is just trying to live her life when someone threatens to take her secret public if she doesn’t back off from the guy she’s started dating.
Ironheart: Riri Williams (Graphic Novel) – A graphic novel about the teen successor to Iron Man.
A River of Royal Blood – A princess with a heritage of magic that in the past lead to massacre prepares to fight her older sister for the right to sit on the throne and rule their people. But an assassin shows the teen there are others besides her sister who want her dead.

 

Books for Adults

Apple Cider Slaying (Mass Market Paperback) – First in a new series. While trying to save the family business with a Christmas at the Orchard event, someone finds a body, and Granny is the number one suspect. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Blue Moon (Hardcover) – Book 24 in the Jack Reacher series. Reacher’s effort to help someone in need turns around and bites him, leaving him in the middle of a turf war.
The Bookworm Crush (Trade Paperback) – A spinoff of The Replacement Crush. A shy bookworm has the chance to interview her favorite author. And to build her confidence she hires a coach, the local surfing celebrity and her big crush.
Can’t Judge a Book by Its Murder (Mass Market Paperback) – First in the new Main Street Book Club Mystery series. The guest of honor at a major book signing event at Arlo’s book store is found murdered, and the elderly ladies from the store book club decide to investigate. I’ll be reviewing this later this week.
A Catered New Year’s Eve (Hardcover) – Book 15 in the Mystery with Recipes series. An estranged family member asks the sisters to cater a New Year’s Eve event where she is going to read from an old diary and try to expose a killer.
Christmas in Silver Springs (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 6 in the Silver Springs series. A woman and her daughters flee to Silver Springs when her rock star husband dumps her. A local with a rocky past would love  a chance to see if something could develop between them, but he’s afraid of what she will do if she finds out about his past.
The Christmas Keeper (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 2 in the Happily Ever After series. A woman looking for revenge on the boss who got her fired isn’t in the mood for Christmas and isn’t paying attention to the rancher who would love nothing more than to romance her into staying in North Carolina. This one is a must read for me – I loved the first book in the series!
Christmas Sweets (Trade Paperback) – Three Christmas stories from popular authors. Includes The Twelve Desserts of Christmas, Nightmare on Elf Street, and The Christmas Thief. All three have been previously released in other collections.
Coached to Death (Hardcover) – First in a new series. After a painful divorce and selling off her marketing firm, Cat Cooper is trying to start over as a life coach, but a nasty neighbor wants to bully her out of town. When the neighbor ends up dead, Cat is suspected of the murder.
Hounds of the Basket Stitch (Hardcover) – Book 3 in the Black Sheep & Co. Mystery series. When the Black Sheep Knitters try to help out a pair of sisters who live on the edge of town with some simple knitting lessons, they are drawn even further into their lives when one is attacked and the other is found unconscious in a fire.
Murder Can Mess Up Your Masterpiece (Mass Market Paperback) – First in the new Haunted Craft Fair Mystery series. When a customer returns a painting saying it’s haunted, the artist discovers she has psychic abilities that are being reflected in her art. Could her paranormal skills help her find out who killed the manager of the craft fair?
Murder Cuts the Mustard (Hardcover) – Book 3 in the Beryl and Edwina Mystery series. Edwina’s elderly gardener is accused of murdering his brother-in-law, but by the state of her garden, she and Beryl doubt he would have the energy or gumption to murder anyone.
Nogged Off (e-book) – Previously published in a collection called Egg Nog Murder. Julia invites a down-on-her-luck acquaintance home for the holidays and then finds the woman’s ex in the back of their rental truck – dead.
Shot Through the Hearth (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 7 in the Fixer Upper Mystery series. A retired tech billionaire trying to launch a humanitarian foundation is accused of murder when his former business partner is found dead.
Silent Knit, Deadly Knit (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 4 in the Knit & Nibble Mystery series. Pamela is sleuthing again when a local craft store owner is found dead.
A Snowy Little Christmas (Mass Market Paperback) – Collection of three holiday stories. From what I can tell, these have not previously been published elsewhere.
Star Trek: The Q Conflict (Paperback Graphic Novel) – The crews of the four main Star Trek series encounter each other in an effort to halt a dispute that threatens the entire galaxy. I can not WAIT to read this one! Collects comics 1-6.
Stamped Out! (e-book) – First in a new Mail Carrier Cozy series. A widowed mail carrier starts sleuthing when her best friend – a local property developer – is accused of murder. This is available right now for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.
Three Widows and a Corpse (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 3 in the Food Blogger Mystery series. When Hope stumbles across a body during the annual town scavenger hunt, not one, not two, but THREE women see the body and exclaim that their husband is dead. I haven’t read the earlier books in this series, but that premise could get me to jump in mid-series to check this one out.
‘Tis the Season Murder (Trade Paperback) – Collection of two previously published Lucy Stone books, New Year’s Eve Murder and Christmas Carol Murder.
A Very Mummy Holiday (e-book) – A Tourist Trap mystery. On a Thanksgiving trip, Jill and Greg and their friends discover a body and a whole slew of trouble.
Batman: The Definitive History of the Dark Knight in Comics, Film and Beyond – A 400-page collection of the history of Batman, including full-color illustrations.

REVIEW: Conceal, Don't Feel by Jen Calonita

REVIEW: Conceal, Don’t Feel by Jen Calonita

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Elsa is the 18-year-old princess of Arendelle, and she is being trained to someday take over the running of the kingdom. As an only child, there were no other kids in the castle to play with when she was growing up. She’s lonely, focused always on her studies and the work of the kingdom.

Anna is the 15-year-old adopted daughter of the village baker in Harmon, a small town up the mountain from Arendelle. She’s an energetic, talkative girl who makes amazing snowman cookies. And she longs to head to the city for an adventure. When her mom’s best friend, Freya, comes to visit every couple of months, she tells Anna about the city. At her last visit, she said it might be time for Anna to visit Arendelle and meet Freya’s husband and 18-year-old daughter.

After Elsa’s parents die in an accident, she discovers magic hidden in her hands that is leaking out because of her grief. She’s been trying to control it for a few years, but in a moment of panic before her coronation, her life and kingdom are changed forever. And while Elsa’s world is icing up and falling apart, Anna can’t help feeling like someone in Arendelle desperately needs her help.

Review

This is book 7 in the Twisted Tale series, but it’s the first one I have finished. The story is maybe 75-80% the original Frozen movie. But one moment in the story, one thread of the tale, is changed. That leads to a small set of changes in how and where the girls are raised. That in turn changes how Kristoff, Olaf, and Prince Hans figure into the story.

I enjoyed this version of the story. I’m not sure it fundamentally changes anything. The twist doesn’t have any impact on Hans or Kristoff of course, so their characters are consistent with the movie. I don’t feel like I walked away from this book with new insights into the characters or Elsa’s magic. Frankly, I think the movie is stronger in the ways it addresses the emotions of the conflict – Elsa’s trapped feelings, her struggle for control, Anna’s desperation to help her sister, etc. This may present a stronger case than the movie for how essential Anna is to Elsa and to her control of her magic.

Fans of Frozen may enjoy spending time with the characters again or debating the merits of each version of Elsa’s story – I did. But readers looking for NEW content about Elsa and Anna, or new dimensions to their relationship might be disappointed. It seems like the folks at Disney didn’t give the author a lot of wiggle room to change the movie plot in any significant way. Readers might instead find something new to enjoy in some of the Frozen II books that released earlier this month.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: Owl Be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews

BONUS REVIEW: Owl Be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

This year, Meg Langslow and her family may be spending their Christmas trapped at the Caerphilly Inn thanks to an unexpected blizzard. Meg was there to help her grandfather with the Owl Fest conference. No one planned to get snowed in. But the weather isn’t the only problem.

In a crowd of professionals, you can usually count on finding a few out of control egos. And the owl conference is no exception. Dr. Frogmore is an arrogant and unpleasant man with a vocal low opinion of women in biology. He’s known in academic circles as a man who has no interest in women or other minorities in his department at Buckthorn College. And his sycophantic minion Dr. Czerny is quickly becoming runner up to Dr. Frogmore in Meg’s fictional conference award, the Most Annoying Conference Participant.

It’s no surprise to anyone when Dr. Frogmore’s death looks like foul play – hardly anyone liked the man. But the Caerphilly police chief can’t get to the Inn to investigate due to the snow storm. Meg’s dad is there to perform the tasks of the medical examiner, and the crime scene tech is there as well. But he can only do so much with an inn full of people and limited resources. At least they have Meg on site because her track record for tracking down killers is top notch!

Review

This is book 26 in Donna Andrews‘ series, and it’s a terrific mystery! I enjoyed this holiday story. The owl angle was fun – there were punny Christmas carols and interesting ecological debates. The mystery was more that satisfying with some nice twists. I was able to figure out half of the solution, but I enjoyed discovering there was more going on than I suspected.

One of the things I love about this series is the setting and the cast of characters in Caerphilly. Because of the snowed in conditions, this book didn’t have a lot of those features. I missed them, but the great mystery made up for it.

Fans of the Meg Langslow series should be sure to catch this one. It’s snowy and fun – perfect for this time of year!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: Mistaken Reality by Traci Hunter Abramson

BONUS REVIEW: Mistaken Reality by Traci Hunter Abramson

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Hadley had been looking forward to dinner out with her boyfriend, Spencer. But the evening didn’t go at all how she planned.

First it was dinner with Spencer’s boss and a couple work associates. Not very romantic. Then Spencer had gotten all weird. One minute he’s going on about how he wants to spend the rest of his life with Hadley. The next he says he never wants kids and if she disagrees, they should just break up right now. Hadley keeps asking herself, “What just happened?!”

As Hadley stands in the ladies room wiping off her dripping mascara, trying to figure out what to do next, the fire alarm goes off in the restaurant. Then a man barges into the bathroom and says they are evacuating the building. Before his statement really even registers for Hadley, he scoops her up and hustles her out of the building.

Just before it explodes.

FBI agent JD Byers has no idea who planted the bomb, why it was there, or how Hadley fits into his case, but he’s determined to keep her safe while they find answers to all of their questions.

Review

I didn’t realize the Mormon Church had their own publishing group until I stumbled across this book. This came up in my regular research, and I was so intrigued by the premise, I had to track it down to read.  I am so glad I did! This was highly suspenseful and engaging.

It took me a little while to catch on to the different characters in the side stories – the ones aside from Hadley, JD, JD’s partner Noah, and Noah’s wife, Kelsey. I was also distracted by the undercover mission in Abolstan. I had a hard time focusing on the early chapters that focused on that mission, but as the connections between the various threads became more clear, I became more and more engaged.

The mystery and suspense in this is excellent. Once the story was really clipping along, I didn’t put it down until the end.

While this is published by the Mormon Church, there aren’t a ton of faith references in the story – several references to prayer, a special blessing is performed in a scene, and there are references to missions work. I had an awareness of the faith pieces, but they were not a major factor to the story. If you are a fan of suspense stories, check out this author. Her books routinely receive strong reviews.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren

REVIEW: Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

When Tate was 18, she and her grandmother left their small town behind for a couple weeks and flew to London. While she was there, Tate met Sam who was there with his grandfather. Every evening, Tate and Sam would hang out in the hotel garden, talking. After a few nights, Tate shared her biggest secret.

Tate’s parents had been actors in LA. Her father was especially well known. When her mother had had enough of his infidelity, they left town. It was national news – Ian Bishop’s wife and daughter “disappeared.” Where did they go? What were they doing now? Tate kept the news mostly to herself and never pursued a relationship with her father. Her mom and grandmother told her to never tell another person.

As Tate and Sam spent more time together in London they grew closer. Their friendship became more and more romantic, and their relationship turned physical. Then suddenly, one morning, Sam was gone. In his place were crowds of reporters who suddenly knew her true identity. And all the secrets she shared with Sam were in every tabloid and newspaper.

Fourteen years later, as Tate is getting read to star in her seventh feature film, the first she is making with her father, Sam unexpectedly comes back into her life.

Review

I enjoyed this. I was surprised – and pleased – with how much time was devoted to the first part of the story. Expecting something much shorter, I found the extended focus really gave me a lot of time to get to know the characters. The London betrayal had a bigger emotional punch because I was invested in both characters.

I would have loved to know more of what Tate did in the 14 year gap, but I was happy with how the authors conveyed an older, more mature Tate. The reunion was obviously coming, but Tate’s shock was perfect. I was drawn into all the emotions Tate was working through on the set of the movie – with Sam, with her father, with her acting career, with the character she was playing, etc. Not only does she have the anger and hurt from Sam’s betrayal and the shock of his appearance, but she is also self-conscious about her career. Is she ready for this kind of role? And her relationship with her father is easily as complex as the one with Sam. All of these pieces kept me turning pages.

This is a solid romance with fascinating characters in an interesting situation. If you are a fan of contemporary romance or the authors’ other work, be sure to check this one out. (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥½