Month: October 2022

REVIEW: The Most Magnificent Idea by Ashley Spires

REVIEW: The Most Magnificent Idea by Ashley Spires

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary and Review

What happens when a girl whose brain is an idea machine suddenly finds herself with no ideas at all?

This was as lovely as I hoped it would be. I ADORED the first book, The Most Magnificent Thing (♥♥♥♥♥). I think creatives will be able to identify with the journey of this character. First she had a great idea but struggles to create something that exactly reflects her vision. This time, she has no ideas at all – a complete emptiness where there’s usually more than she could use.

This would be a great read aloud for any classroom, but especially for creative subjects and clubs where kids can be encouraged to not give up when ideas are slow to come. The illustrations here are darling as always. You cannot go wrong with a book from Ashley Spires!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Something in the Heir by Suzanne Enoch

REVIEW: Something in the Heir by Suzanne Enoch

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Theirs was a marriage of convenience. Emmeline offered to help William with his career in exchange for a whirlwind wedding to ensure she got to keep the family home. As the first to wed, she was guaranteed the house in the short term. To keep it, she needed to bear a child.

When that didn’t happen, Emmeline fed her family a series of… stories… about their son, Malcolm and daughter Flora, expecting (hoping) no one would ever find out the truth.

But now the family patriarch has called everyone to gather for his birthday. So Emmaline and Will need two children. Immediately. Preferably ones who know how to behave properly in society.

They have to settle for George and Rose, two orphans they take in on a “trial” basis. Once the family makes an appearance at the big birthday celebration, they should be off the hook forever more.

Review

This was an interesting story. Predictable in a lot of ways. There are no real surprises with this, except maybe the sheer number of lies the family resorts to over the course of the book. And the story is not really a romance in my opinion.

While William and Emmeline do discover a spark while they deal with her deception and their attempt to keep the house, most of it is conveyed in glances and internal observations for the two characters. It’s only a tiny piece of the larger story.

The salvation of this for me was how likable the children are – and Will and Emmie, too. And I especially enjoyed how the household staff responded to the situation.

If you like stories with endearing children and a ton of hijinks, you should definitely pick this up. If you are looking for a romance, this one may be a disappointment. Lower your expectations and focus on the family story instead, and you might get a kick out of this one.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

BOOK NEWS: October 4, 2022

BOOK NEWS: October 4, 2022

Posted on by Jaymie

We’re back! I am feeling refreshed and ready to dive back in to regular blog content, starting with some of the books releasing this week! Let’s take a look.

 

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Bhai For Now – Twins separated at birth meet up at school and decide to swap places to get to know the parent they’ve missed out on all their lives. This sounds fantastic! I love The Parent Trap.
How to Heal a Gryphon – When her older brother is kidnapped by witches while her parents are away, Giada has to find a way to rescue him.
In Myrtle Peril (Older Middle Grade) – Book 4 in the Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery series. Myrtle’s latest case has her father in the cross hairs. Hospitalized in the middle of a case himself, Myrtle’s father witnesses a murder. Now Myrtle has to solve it before her father becomes another victim. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series, and I can’t wait to read this new story.
Sisterhood of Sleuths – When a box of vintage Nancy Drew mysteries is left at her mom’s thrift shop, Maizy discovers a picture in the box of her grandmother as a girl, along with two other young women. When her grandmother insists the photo is NOT of her, Maizy starts investigating. Yes, please! I love middle grade mysteries, and this one sounds fantastic.
By the Time You Read This I’ll Be Gone (Murder She Wrote) – First in a new series for teens. When Beatrice Fletcher’s best friend goes missing, she decides to solve the mystery herself just like her great-aunt Jessica, the mystery writer. I’d give this a shot just to see how it’s put together – sounds interesting!
The Christmas Clash – A new holiday romance from Suzanne Park. The children of rival restaurant owners team up to try to save the mall where they work in order to save both businesses.
Prince of Song & Sea – First in a new series of books focused on the princes in Disney’s classic tales. Have you ever wondered what Eric’s story was before he encountered the Little Mermaid? Now is your chance to find out!
Scions – A prequel to the Starcrossed trilogy. A daughter of Zeus and a son of Apollo are drawn together into a cycle of destruction that has already engulfed their ancestors.

Books for Adults

All I Want for Christmas (Trade Paperback) – When two singers on a TV competition make sparks on duet week, the powers that be insist on them keeping up the ruse that they are a couple in real life. Unfortunately, they can’t stand each other!
A Cat Café Christmas (Trade Paperback) – A veterinarian has to set aside her reservations and trust the marketing guru who wants to help her save her cat café.
Extra Witchy (Trade Paperback) – Book 3 in the Fix-It Witches series. Leanne decides to run for city council, but it looks like she needs the right husband if she wants to launch a successful political career. But Trevor hardly seems like the right choice considering his long list of failures. I have book one for this series on my TBR.
Out of Love (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in The Switch. When a farmer and a businessman discover they are twins, they decide to switch lives (Strictly Business). But when the farmer tries posing as the businessman, he discovers a plot to take down his brother’s company. I have this series on my TBR list, too.
Station Eternity (Trade Paperback) – First in the Midsolar Murders series. An amateur detective has fled Earth for an alien space station where she thinks she can avoid the murder cases that seemed to find her on Earth. But once she’s on the space station, visitors start dying. I can’t wait to dig into this one! It sounds right up my alley – scifi AND mystery!
When Life Gives You Vampires (Trade Paperback) – When a simple date leaves her with vampire fangs, Lily has to team up with Tristan to save them both. I already bought this one – I am fascinated by some of the personal aspects of this story.
You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Boy Meets Boy series. Spoiled Matthew Prince discovers the limits of his parents’ good will when his latest PR disaster means they ship him off to stay with his grandparents for the holidays. He agrees to help coordinate a charity gala in the hopes of an “early parole” from his exile. This sounds delightful – and Hallmark movie-ish!
The God Shot: 100 Snapshots of God’s Character in Scripture (Nonfiction) – A 100-day devotional focused on passages from the New Testament that reveal God’s character.