Reviews, Etc.

REVIEW: The Dream of You by Jo Saxton

REVIEW: The Dream of You by Jo Saxton

Posted on by Jaymie

[I recently discovered some unpublished reviews I wrote several years ago. I’m posting these now as they were originally written.]

Summary and Review

When the storms of life come – as they always do – it’s important to know who and whose you are. Be anchored in your identity in Christ.

Jo Saxton has experienced plenty of ups and downs in life. Through them all, she knows God has been walking beside her. She shares her personal story in this book – from her early years in foster care to her move to the US and the ups and downs of her life in ministry. She also shares Bible stories about Ruth and Naomi, Ezekiel, David and Goliath, and others to illustrate basic principles of identity.

This book was a delight from start to finish. Jo Saxton first came to my attention through If Gathering (several years ago). Every time I hear her, she speaks directly to my heart and my circumstances. This book was no different. Many of the chapters start with a letter. It was my favorite feature. The letters are personable and tender. The writing style of the whole book is that way. I felt like I was reading a letter from a friend – someone who’s been there before, someone who wants to help.

Identity is one of my favorite themes in books – fiction or nonfiction. And this is one of the best I’ve ready. [I received an ARC of this book when I registered for the 2018 If Gathering conference in my local area.]

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

BOOK NEWS: March 11, 2025

BOOK NEWS: March 11, 2025

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the books releasing this week.

Books for Kids

Moving Day – A Victorian home is moved to a different part of town while the community watches.
No Huddles for Heloise – Heloise has a problem – penguins huddle for protection and warmth, but Heloise NEEDS her personal space.
Zero! The Number that Almost Wasn’t – A picture book of the history of zero.

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults

The Griffin’s Boy – A princess helps a griffin trainer who doesn’t want to be separated from his friend. But when animals start going missing from the king’s menagerie, could the trainer be the culprit?
Last Chance Academy: A Study in Secrets – First in a new series. Meg is sent to a boarding school following the death of her mother. While it seems like just another strict school at first, Meg and her friends start to discover the school’s secrets.
Serge & Roscoe – A veteran counting down the days to retirement and a rookie are teamed up to help with Search and Rescue during out-of-control wildfires.
History Smashers: Earth Day and the Environment – The latest in this series by Kate Messner.

Books for Adults

All the Other Mothers Hate Me (Hardcover) – When her son’s bully goes missing after a school trip and her son becomes the prime suspect, a party girl has to get her act together for her son’s sake.
A Drizzle of Magic (e-book) – First in the new Pobyd Perfections Bakery cozy fantasy series, a spin off from The Weary Dragon Inn series. Magical creatures in a seaside town are being threatened even though the end of the recent war was supposed to mean they were finally able to use magic openly.
Fan Service (Trade Paperback) – When a down and out actor seems to have turned into a werewolf, he reaches out to the woman who has made it her life’s work to catalog his old werewolf detective series. Even if she hates him, she’s the only person who might be able to help him figure out what is going on. This sounds amazing!
The Four Queens of Crime (Hardcover) – A new female detective asks the four Queens of Crime – Christie, Sayers, Marsh, and Allingham – to help her solve a real life murder. Yes, please!
Go Luck Yourself (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – Book 2 in the Royals and Romance series following The Nightmare Before Kissmas (♥♥♥½). The “spare” prince of Christmas investigates a theft of joy that seems to have come from St. Patrick’s Day. I love the world building in this holiday royalty series – it’s such a clever idea.
Hard to Get (Trade Paperback) – Book 3 in the Big Love from Galway series. Small town math teacher meets a sexy singer who might help him change his “vanilla” self-perception.
Story of My Life (Trade Paperback) – Something new from Lucy Score!!! First in the Story Lake series. A writer long past her last chance deadline buys a house in a small town on a whim and finds some things she never expected. This too will be a drop everything and read sort of book.
The Usual Family Mayhem (Trade Paperback) – From the author of Moorewood Family Rules. In an effort to save her job, a woman pitches her grandmother’s bakery as an investment opportunity, but her grandmother wants no part of it. Kasey thinks she’s keeping secrets  – and she’s afraid they have something to do with the mysterious deaths around town of abusive men. Sounds like Pies Before Guys, and I am here for it.

 

 

REVIEW: Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World by Tui T. Sutherland

REVIEW: Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World by Tui T. Sutherland

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary and Review

A gorgeous compilation of dragon facts and stories from the various tribes of dragons from the long-running Wings of Fire series!

Each section includes full color art with descriptions of the tribe’s dragons. Then readers get to enjoy scrolls, stories, and letters gathered from members of the tribe to help Starflight create a resource that cuts through the secrets and lies that in the past led to distrust, war, death, and destruction.

This is probably a better resource for series fans rather than for newbies. Spoilers from the various books are included throughout the guide. I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting the tribes and stories. In the end, this made me want to go back and re-read the whole series again. If you have a Wings of Fire fan in your life, they will LOVE this guide. And if the fans you know happen to be students in your classroom, then your classroom library needs this resource guide.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would re-read.

REVIEW: Fangs for Nothing by Steffanie Holmes

REVIEW: Fangs for Nothing by Steffanie Holmes

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Winnie has a new gig helping someone who needs a professional organizer. And the timing is perfect, getting her out of London and away from her mom and the memories of Patrick… and Claire.

Alaric’s butler has hired the organizer to help him prepare for a ball his mother insists on holding in his home. The problem is that the organizer is a human. And Alaric is a vampire.

Winnie’s job might be too much for one woman to handle in three weeks. But she’s joining a local book club – The Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book Coven – and they have a murder to solve. And that’s a nice distraction from her childhood trauma, from her ex-fiancé and ex-best friend who are in town, and from the completely inappropriate feelings she is developing for her client.

But instead of distracting her from her boss, she ends up faking a romantic relationship with him – at first to fool Winnie’s ex and then to fool Alaric’s mother – who has shown up with a woman she expects him to marry.

Review

So fun! I immediately fell in love with this – the characters, the world building, the romance, and the mystery. And the story is LONG – I felt like I really got to dig deep with this. And when I finished the ARC, I immediately bought my own copy and pre-ordered the sequel, A Grave Mistake. Together the books kick off the author’s Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book Coven series, which is a spinoff of an earlier Nevermore Bookshop Mystery series. I haven’t read that series, but plan to try it out. [Sadly for readers, book two has been postponed and pre-orders have been canceled. Happily for the author, she has secured a publishing deal! So book one is being re-released and book two will come out later this year. I guess I will have to re-read Fangs for Nothing while I wait!]

The mystery here – humans drained of blood by a rogue vampire – takes a back seat to the romance, and I was okay with that.  (Pieces of the mystery will carry over into book 2.) The romance between two broken people dealing with past trauma was the central focus, and I adored it so much I was a little sad to discover that Winnie and Alaric won’t be the POV characters for the sequel – but only a little sad because the premise for book 2 is fantastic!

I don’t generally love vampire stories – and I definitely don’t seek them out. But this, while also spicier than my usual read, really worked for me. The world building is well done and clever, and the pacing is terrific. I have an aversion to the word “smut,” so I didn’t love it’s use in the book, but it was a small price to pay for the overall experience of this fantastic story. This was the first book in a LONG time that trumped my other hobbies and chores and bedtime and kept me reading any chance I could find until I finished.

Paranormal romance and fantasy fans as well as vampire fans should definitely pick this up.  This checks a few of the same boxes as my 2024 find, the Riley Thorne series – the paranormal aspects (vampire here, psychic there) in a romance/mystery combo story. This is quite a bit darker than Riley as well as being more serious and more spicy. But I loved it all the same! (Language, sex. Trigger warning: Hoarding, nightmares, obsessive-compulsive behaviors)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ – Outstanding!

BOOK NEWS: March 4, 2025

BOOK NEWS: March 4, 2025

Posted on by Jaymie

Happy March! February kept a relentless pace for me in my non-book life, so I’m hoping that March is more gentle all the way around. Here are some of the books releasing this week.

Books for Kids

 

Will the Pigeon Graduate? – A graduation book starring the Pigeon!
Next Year in the White House – The story of President Obama’s first Seder held at the White House.
Mad Scientist Mom: Saved By the Smell – First in a new chapter book series from Jarrett Lerner about a boy with a Mad Scientist Mom.
Pablo and Splash: Frozen in Time – Graphic novel chapter book starring two time-traveling penguins.

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults

Princess Swap: Snow White and the Dragon – Snow White and Sleeping Beauty swap stories in this second book in the Princess Swap series, the only middle grade book on the list this week.
I Am Made of Death – Desperate for money, Thomas takes a job as an interpreter for an heiress who is voluntarily mute after a childhood trauma. Now, Vivienne’s voice is deadly to anyone who hears her, and she is desperate to get her life back. This sounds spooky!
Oathbound – Book 3 in the Legendborn Cycle.
Our Infinite Fates – Remembering all of her past lives and how they have ended – murdered before her 18th birthday – a young woman looks for a way to break the cycle of love and loss she’s trapped in.
Take a Chance on Me – A young woman fleeing a viral video heads to London to stay with her father despite their conflicted relationship, and while there she finds love.
While We’re Young – Can a senior skip day in Philly repair a friendship for three teens who used to be besties?

Books for Adults

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave (Hardcover) – Book 5 in the Finlay Donovan series. Finlay’s awful neighbor is moving in when her home is off limits as a crime scene – which is handy when Finlay and Vero need to get close to her to find answers in their latest brush with murder. I need to get caught up on this great series!
Glory Daze (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Glory Broussard Mystery series. Glory has no interest in getting caught up in another murder, especially one that involves her ex and the woman who ruined her marriage. But her daughter asks her to find out what she can about what happened to her father.
Promise Me Sunshine (Trade Paperback) – A young woman struggling after the death of her best friend encounters one person who sees through her mask of “fine” and offers to help her with her “live again” list.
Something Cheeky (Trade Paperback) – Zoe has a chance to see the musical she helped create in college finally come to life.
Tea You at the Altar (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – Book 3 in the Tomes &Tea series. Lesbian pirates are seven days away from their wedding when roadblocks threaten to ruin their HEA.
Welcome to the Honey B&B (Trade Paperback) – A woman and her teenager move home to care for her ailing father and try to turn the family’s old farm house into a B&B to help with money.

REVIEW: The Wondrous World of Violet Barnaby by Jenny Lundquist

REVIEW: The Wondrous World of Violet Barnaby by Jenny Lundquist

Posted on by Jaymie

[I recently discovered some unpublished reviews I wrote several years ago. I’m posting these now as they were originally written.]

Summary

The Charm Girls (from The Charming Life of Izzy Malone) are back, finishing up their month of grounding. (Things in the last book got a bit out of hand!) Aunt Mildred has challenges for the girls to undertake as their club continues.

Violet’s life has taken a humongous turn in that month. Her dad has remarried which means they are moving in with her new step-mom and her kids. Violet’s mom has been gone for a year and a half, and now everything is changing again.

Violet’s trying. She really is. Her mom always said if you can’t say something nice, say nothing at all. So rather than spew her frustration over all she’s had to give up, she keeps it all inside. She’s not even sure she can tell the Charm Girls how she really feels. They complain about their moms, but at least they still have them.

When Violet finds a final letter from her mom, with a Christmas To Do list, she decides to try to make this Christmas a little better by focusing on her mom’s list. But with everything going on at the new house, the Christmas To Do list might not be enough.

Review

This was a delight. I loved spending time with the Charm Girls again. And I adored Violet’s story. Violet is my kind of kid – an only child, a word nerd, and I could identify with her grief. Her struggles with her loss and the huge changes to her family were completely realistic. Violet tries to manage these major life changes on her own. That’s hard to do for an adult, much less for a middle schooler. I love the coping mechanisms she learns – writing letters, and sharing the burdens with friends and family.

I hope there will be more Charm Girl books in the future. The entire community is a delight. And I’d like more stories so I can see how Violet and her new family are doing as they continue to negotiate their new life together. I can’t recommend this series highly enough. Both books are an absolute treat!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would re-read.

REVIEW: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

REVIEW: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Violet has been preparing her whole life to attend Basgiath War College as a scribe, just like her father. But following his death, her mother, General Sorrengail, decides she must join the Riders Quadrant instead – the most ruthless and deadly path at Basgiath.

The cadets who survive the initiation and early training have the chance to bond with a dragon which means developing a magical gift and riding that dragon into battle. But there are fewer and fewer dragons willing to bond with humans. So the competition is fierce. Violet has never been physically strong or healthy, so she’s already at a significant disadvantage. And on top of that, there are others at Basgiath who want to kill her.

Review

Yes, I know. This book pubbed almost 2 years ago, and was almost immediately a huge hit. But my copy sat on my TBR bookcase for ages. I don’t always love books with a lot of hype, so I was reluctant to take my chances with it. Then book 3 released to great fanfare, and it felt like time.

This absolutely lived up to the hype! I was sold from the start, and never wanted to put the book down.

This felt comfortable and familiar from the start – I’ve read this sort of book before. The heroine who isn’t supposed to be special, who has to overcome all sorts of trials to prove herself – both to others and herself. The bad boy love interest. All familiar. And all ABSOLUTELY my jam. By the time I got to the dragon portion of the story, I had already ordered the next two books so I could get completely caught up with the series. It’s so fun to finally understand all the memes!

If you love these sorts of stories as much as I do, be sure to give this one a try if you haven’t already! (Language, violence, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

BOOK NEWS: February 25, 2025

BOOK NEWS: February 25, 2025

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the books releasing this week.

Books for Kids

The Cookie Vote – A new book in the Mr. TIffin’s Classroom series. (The Dinosaur Expert is my favorite  of the books I’ve read.) Mr. Tiffin’s class is going to the state capital, and the kids want to learn about how a bill becomes a law by making their own bill to choose a “state cookie.”
What Is the Bible? – A picture book about the Bible from Rachel Held Evans and Matthew Paul Turner.

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults

Tear This Down – A new book from Barbara Dee. When a student discovers her town’s namesake had some problematic beliefs about women, she decides the man’s statue in town should be replaced with one of a local suffragette.

Books for Adults

Big Name Fan (Hardcover, LGBTQ+) – First in the TV Detectives series. Two actresses who played TV detectives get the chance to solve a real-life murder. This sounds terrific!
Book Boyfriend (Trade Paperback) – A woman spends her time at a con for her favorite series with her work nemesis who thinks he can find love if he takes some tips from her favorite book boyfriends from the series.
Famous Last Words (Hardcover) – A literary agent at the end of her maternity leave, about to return to work, wakes up to a nightmare when she gets news that her husband has become a terrorist, a gunman holding people hostage.
Greenteeth (Trade Paperback) – A lake monster and a witch team up against forces of evil in this new cozy fantasy novel.
Not Quite by the Book (March 1 release) – Something new from Julie Anne Lindsey. A young woman, disappointed with her life’s trajectory, tries life as a recluse,  renting a house away from her family and her life where she can be alone.
Something Like Fate (Trade Paperback, March 1) – A woman from a family of women who have the power to have visions of “The One” finally has her vision, but reality – and her feelings for her best friend – might get in the way of her HEA.
Star Wars: Reign of the Empire – The Mask of Fear (Hardcover) – First in a new Star Wars series. These are the stories of the three architects of the Rebellion – Mon Mothma, Saw Gerrera, and Bail Organa – in the earliest days of the Empire.
Swordheart (Hardcover re-release of a previously-published story) – A woman who inherits her uncle’s estate finds an enchanted sword – and the warrior attached to it who is bound to protect whoever wields it. This sounds delightful! Another cozy fantasy on today’s list.
Three Bags Full (Trade Paperback) – First in  a new Sheep Detective series. A flock of sheep become amateur detectives when they try to discover who killed their shepherd.
Unlikely Story (Trade Paperback, March 1) – A therapist who is also secretly an advice columnist has fallen in love with someone she’s never met.

REVIEW: The Not-So-Boring Letters of Private Nobody by Matthew Landis

REVIEW: The Not-So-Boring Letters of Private Nobody by Matthew Landis

Posted on by Jaymie

[I recently discovered some unpublished reviews I wrote several years ago. I’m posting these now as they were originally written.]

Summary

Oliver is a major history nerd – and proud of it. He loves all things Civil War.  He reads Civil War books and even does battle reenactments. His room is decorated with flags and other memorabilia he has found online. When his history teacher announces a Civil War project, Oliver is thrilled.

He’s less thrilled about the details of the project. First, he has to have a partner. And his teacher puts Oliver with Ella, an unkempt girl who seems to be failing all of her classes. Second, they have to research Private Raymond Stone – a guy no one’s heard of. It’s bad enough to Ollie that he has to work with a partner he doesn’t want. But he doesn’t even get to focus on one of the generals or battles he already loves.

Everything about this project is going to challenge Oliver – challenge his concept of friendship, his understanding of history and the Civil War, and his understanding of himself.

Review

Outstanding! I absolutely adored this book! It’s smart and informative and SO funny! The premise is excellent. There are some great history lessons worked in around an engaging story with great characters. The three kids at the center of the story are fantastic. Ella is maybe the most complex, but Ollie and Kevin have some fun depth and interesting stories. Mr. Carrow, the history teacher, is a hoot! He’s my favorite kind of teacher – he knows his material, he’s committed to keeping his students engaged with creative lessons, and he’s funny. The English teacher plays an excellent role in the story, too.

Family is another fascinating theme in this book. Ella’s family is the obvious one that first comes to mind – distracted parents, perfect older sibling, and Ella feels invisible. Ollie’s family, by contrast, is committed to helping Ollie and his sister pursue their own interests. And there are hints at other interesting families throughout the book.

The Civil War sections of the story are fascinating. The author is a history teacher, and he does a great job of making the information accessible and interesting to readers.

This book is the full package – terrific story, characters you care about, and lots of laughs and heart!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

REVIEW: Funny Story by Emily Henry

REVIEW: Funny Story by Emily Henry

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

When Daphne’s fiancé, Peter, calls off their wedding, she’s blindsided. He had always insisted his best friend, Petra, was just a platonic friend. But now they are together – and Daphne’s alone.

Petra’s fiancé, Miles, invites Daphne to move into the extra bedroom now that Petra is with Peter. They can lick their wounds and try to put their lives back together.

When Petra and Peter announce their upcoming wedding, Miles and Daphne both RSVP in a drunken haze. But when Peter calls, patronizing and dismissive, Daphne puts on a brave front and tells him Miles will be her plus 1 as they’re now a couple. Now, she just has to clue Miles in on their fake relationship.

Review

This is my first Emily Henry in awhile, and I enjoyed it. It took me a few chapters to get into it, and I even thought about DNFing. But then every year end favorites list I saw on social media included this book. I had to give it another try.

Once I was in a better reading space, I completely fell for Daphne and Miles both. I loved the fake relationship – and then the not-quite-fake relationship that grew between them.

And that fun romance would have been enough. But several of the female characters, including Daphne, had these great moments of personal growth or insight that seemed to jump off the page. These paragraphs were the icing on the cake of this story.

Henry fans should definitely pick this one up. Romance fans, especially those who like fake relationship stories, should not miss this. The painful lies and subterfuge you sometimes get in a fake relationship book are not present here, to my great relief. (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.