Month: October 2024

BOOK NEWS: October 15, 2024

BOOK NEWS: October 15, 2024

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the books releasing this week!

Books for Kids

Disaster Squad: Hurricane Rescue – Book2 in the Disaster Squad series from Branches about a family that responds to natural disasters.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

I Survived: The Black Death, 1348 – Book 24 in this excellent middle grade historical series about kids surviving epic disasters.
Inferno’s Heir – One of the first books published by Bindery Books, a new publisher with a unique model, bringing in influencers to create Patreon-style accounts to publish books from new writers. In this YA release, an orphaned princess, fleeing her half-brother’s assassination attempts, joins the rebels trying to destroy the monarchy for good. This sounds amazing!

Books for Adults

Catch and Keep (Trade Paperback) – The latest from Erin Hahn. A woman walks away from her life, ready to stop letting things happen to her and instead to make her own life – back in northern Wisconsin where an old friend might become more. This sounds lovely.
House of Frank (Trade Paperback) – Another Bindery release. A grieving, powerless witch starts working at Ash Gardens with a mythical beast named Frank, trying to keep her magic-less state a secret from her coworkers. I have heard so many good things about this!
How My Neighbor Stole Christmas (Trade Paperback) – A holiday grump tries to fake some Christmas cheer – along with a fake relationship with his nemesis – in the town holiday contest.
The More the Terrier (Hardcover) – Book 30 in the Andy Carpenter series. Andy takes on the case of a college student accused of murdering his professor.
Rockin’ Around the Chickadee (Hardcover) – Book 36 in the Meg Langslow series. Meg and her friends and family are working on a Presumed Innocent conference during the holidays when someone is killed.
Strange Beasts (Trade Paperback) – Another Bindery release. The daughter of Dracula’s killer teams up with the daughter of Moriarty to investigate a mysterious monster prowling Paris on a killing spree.
Star Wars: Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss (Hardcover) – Jedi Master Mace Windu goes on a quest to fulfill Qui-Gon Jinn’s final request.
The Treasure Hunters Club (Hardcover) – Three strangers are drawn to Maple Bay where a long-unsolved mystery is waiting for them.
We Three Kings (ebook) – The head of an IT department is hanging out with her three close friends for the holidays when her boss tells her that she’s going to have to cut one of them from her team.
God Has a Name: What you believe about God will shape who you become (Hardcover, nonfiction) – An updated hardcover edition of the original book. An exploration of Exodus 34:6-8.
The State of Pauline Studies: A Survey of Recent Research (nonfiction) – A collection of recent research about the parts of the Bible attributed to Paul. This is a follow up to The State of New Testament Studies. There will be an Old Testament version coming out later this year. I’ll be reviewing this later this week.

REVIEW: Mothman's Happy Cryptid Halloween by Andrew Shaffer

REVIEW: Mothman’s Happy Cryptid Halloween by Andrew Shaffer

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and 8th Circle in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

When Halloween gets rained out and everyone decides it’s “the Official Worstest Halloween Ever (in the Whole Entire Universe)”® Mothman and his cryptid friends make a plan to save Halloween.

This follow up to Mothman’s Merry Cryptid Christmas is a fun, quirky story with great artwork. I loved Mothman and Bigfoot especially – Mothman’s costume is a hoot! While the plan to save the day goes awry, there’s still a happy ending, thanks to gracious townspeople and a day off school. The backmatter includes a hilarious cryptid guide.

The next book will be Mothman’s Very Cryptid Valentine, which looks adorable!

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: My Rogue to Ruin by Erica Ridley

REVIEW: My Rogue to Ruin by Erica Ridley

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Black sheep of the family, Adrian sneaks back into town hoping to avoid his father, the Marquess, and his brother, the Earl. But he hopes to reconnect to the beloved sister he had to leave behind 7 years ago. Instead of rebuilding their relationship, though, Adrian stumbles into a trap – and becomes a counterfeiter against his will, working for a crook he had swindled. His options are to forge the currency or else he’ll meet a slow and painful end.

Marjorie is probably the quietest of the Wynchesters. An artist’s soul with some hearing loss, it can be easer for her to withdraw from crowds to her studio.  But someone is passing counterfeit currency to the neediest of people, leaving them in even worse circumstances. Marjorie’s philosophy is that art is meant to IMPROVE lives, not ruin them. So she vows to find the forger.

Review

This was my first foray into the Wild Wynchesters series – and I’m sorry I waited so long. This found-family is delightful, and I’m going to have to go back and read all of the previous books. I’ll also be diving into book 5, Hot Earl Summer, which released earlier this fall.

Adrian and Marjorie’s story was stressful at times. They were trapped by a villain, and there seemed to be no way out. But the clever and connected Wynchseters are determined to find a way.

I enjoyed the romantic storyline for the two leads. Each was searching for significance and acceptance, and they found it with each other first and then with an extended family. Quite satisfying!

Fans of the series will want to watch Marjorie shine in her featured story. Obviously, like me you can start here. But I think the creative and clever Wynchesters will have you hunting down the earlier books as well. (Some language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

BOOK NEWS: October 8, 2024

BOOK NEWS: October 8, 2024

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the books releasing this week.

Books for Kids

Zoey and Sassafras: Gnomes and Sneezes – Book 10 in the adorable Zoey and Sassafras series. Zoey encounters an illness she might not be able to cure for some new friends.

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults

The Bletchley Riddle (Older Middle Grade) – Siblings living at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII’s British Codebreakers, try to help the war effort while also looking into the disappearance of their mother.

Books for Adults

 

Bloodguard (Hardcover) – A gladiator plotting revenge meets a princess who says she can give him everything he wants.
Court of Talons (ebook) – (First in a new Fang & Fire series) – The family blacksheep bonds with her beloved younger brother’s monster when her brother is killed before the Tournament of Gold. Since they don’t let women fight, she assumes her brother’s identity and enters the Tournament. Yes, please!
The Holiday Honeymoon Switch (Trade Paperback) – Best friends who even look alike decide to trade holiday plans – Ivy goes on Holly’s ruined nonrefundable honeymoon while Holly goes to Ivy’s rented cabin. Yes, please!
My Kind of Trouble (Hardcover) – A gender-swapped The Music Man. A California con-woman launches her plan to take down the man who ruined her father and her family with a music festival con, but her plans didn’t account for the autistic librarian she has to use for part of the con. Yes, please! So many great stories coming out this week!
The Night Woods (Hardcover) – Book 6 in the fantastic Mercy Carr series. A very pregnant Mercy and her dog Elvis have to prove that a friend is innocent of murder.
The Nightmare Before Kissmas (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – First in a new Royals and Romance series starring Holiday royalty. The heir of Christmas is supposed to be marrying the princess of Easter – his best friend, Iris (his brothers secret crush) – not making out with mysterious men behind seedy bars. But the mysterious man turns out to be the prince of Halloween – and he’s shown up to challenge for Iris’s hand. Yes, please – again!
The Wedding Witch (Trade Paperback) – Graves Glen, book 3. Bowen and Tamsyn are transported 50 years into the past to a holiday party and must find their way back to the present.
I Want to Trust You, But I Don’t: Moving Forward When You’re Skeptical of Others, Afraid of What God Will Allow, and Doubtful of Your Own Discernment (Hardcover) – From Lysa TerKeurst. What to do with the lingering distrust that comes after a betrayal.
Not Sure Who Needs to Hear This, But… (Hardcover, Nonfiction) – A beautiful collection from We the Urban.

 

REVIEW: Griselda Snook's Spectacular Books by Barry Timms

REVIEW: Griselda Snook’s Spectacular Books by Barry Timms

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary and Review

Henry helps a bookstore owner on opening day and discovers a “just right” book for himself.

This is a book about the joys of books and bookstores set in a Halloween-ish town. Everyone is friendly, and in the end, the whole town is seen reading. The artwork is lovely – even better in the print version than it was in the electronic! The illustrations will draw kids in to look closely at the book and pour over every picture for the little details. This is would be a good addition to home libraries as well as other collections where you want books with a seasonal feel that are not scary or spooky.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

REVIEW: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

REVIEW: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Maggie Chase has had a rough road in life, from the loss of her parents when she was in college to the betrayal by her husband and their subsequent divorce. And that last one pushed her so far down to the point where she rarely leaves the house. Her editor had to cajole her to take this mysterious Christmas trip that is supposed to “change her life.”

But Ethan Wyatt ruined everything. While Maggie is the queen of the cozy mystery, Wyatt writes thrillers – “leather jacket books.” And he is all ego and confidence – and annoyance. He can’t even get her name right after all these years, repeatedly calling her “Marcie.”

The two of them find themselves in the middle of a real-life mystery when world famous author, Eleanor Ashley, their Christmas host, goes missing from a locked room of her mansion in the middle of a snowstorm.

Review

Sometimes you start a new book and everything clicks. The characters are intriguing. The banter makes you laugh out loud. And you feel like you can’t contain the feeling – the potential that this could be a new favorite. You feel a pressure in your chest. Not the weight of anxiety or dread pressing down but the hope – the delight – bubbling up, trying to press out from inside. This was one such book for me.

From the very beginning I felt GIDDY reading this. The main characters had personal stories I couldn’t wait to uncover. Their cutting remarks were funny, not vicious. The potential and chemistry between Maggie and Ethan CRACKLED. Then there was the writing/publishing/mystery angle, which is always a great hook for me. And finally it was a snowed in whodunit which I also adore. If I could design a perfect book for me, this is an A+ set up, checking all the boxes.

I have been an Ally Carter fan since I discovered the Gallagher Girls series. Her older middle grade (10-14) mysteries in the Winterborne series are OUTSTANDING. Her first adult romance, The Blonde Identity, had mixed reviews, and while I could understand some of the criticism, it worked for me

But THIS is everything I have ever loved about her work all rolled into one. My all-time favorite Ally Carter book – and likely one of my favorite books read in 2024. Do NOT miss this! (Language, gaslighting)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++*

♥♥♥♥♥+++ = Best of the best!