Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Goodreads book description:

Finlay Donovan is―once again―struggling to finish her next novel and keep her head above water as a single mother of two. On the bright side, she has her live-in nanny and confidant Vero to rely on, and the only dead body she's dealt with lately is that of her daughter's pet goldfish.

On the not-so-bright side, someone out there wants her ex-husband, Steven, out of the picture. Permanently. Whatever else Steven may be, he's a good father, but saving him will send her down a rabbit hole of hit-women disguised as soccer moms, and a little bit more involvement with the Russian mob than she'd like.

Meanwhile, Vero's keeping secrets, and Detective Nick Anthony seems determined to get back into her life. He may be a hot cop, but Finlay's first priority is preventing her family from sleeping with the fishes... and if that means bending a few laws then so be it.

With her next book's deadline looming and an ex-husband to keep alive, Finlay is quickly coming to the end of her rope. She can only hope there isn't a noose at the end of it...

My Review:

So my review of the first book was only a three star too, but I said I liked the series premise and then I would read the second book, so here I am.  I still don’t care for Finley Donovan herself, she’s really whiny and pathetic for a lead character to me. So any of the parts that talk about what a mess her life is drive me up the wall. But once you get to the actual mystery part it’s good. I also really like Vero.

I really started to enjoy this book at about 50%…then things got rolling and Finn focused on solving the mystery rather than her life. I did not see FedUp being who they were, bit it was a fun twist at the end.  I’m also going to end up reading the next one because she left it on a cliff hanger…sigh…I just hope it focuses more on the mystery and less on Finn’s life choices.

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*

Castles in their Bones (Castles in their Bones #1) by Laura Sebastian (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Goodreads book description:
New trilogy from the NYT Bestselling author of Ash Princess
The plot: overthrow a kingdom. The goal: world domination. The plan: marriage.
Trained for from birth in espionage and seduction, the triplet princesses of Bessemia must travel to three distant lands to marry three princes and enact their Queen mother's plan to rule from sea to sea. But when they arrive, each sister discovers her task is not so simple, and their mother's motives may not be what they seem.

My Review:

I loved and hated the sisters.  I loved Sophronia, Beatriz I went back and forth on, and Daphne I hated more than I liked.  I admit I sometimes have a little bit of a problem keeping where everybody was straight, but I think that was more me and my frazzled mom brain than the book. I loved how twisty and devious the sisters and the storyline was.  I found my self becoming really attached to each sister, even Daphne.  I will not give spoilers, but the ending left me shocked and so so sad. I am praying for a plot twist at the beginning of the book too like there’s no tomorrow, the ending could not be the ending. And I cannot wait to read the next one in the series. At first I was going to give this 4 stars, but then I kept waking up in the night to think about the ending, and I had to change it to a 5 star read.

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*

The One Hundred Years of Lenin and Margot (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Goodreads book description:
Life is short - no one knows that better than 17 year-old Lenni Petterssen. On the Terminal ward, the nurses are offering their condolences already, but Lenni still has plenty of living to do.

For a start, she has questions about her fate she needs answers to, and stories yet to uncover.

When she meets 83-year-old Margot, a fellow patient in purple pyjamas offering new friendship and enviable artistic skills, Lenni's life begins to soar in ways she'd never imagined.

As their bond deepens, a world of stories opens up: of wartime love and loss, of misunderstanding and reconciliation, of courage, kindness and joy.

Stories that have led them to the end of their days.

My Review:

I started off trying to do this as a buddy read, but I didn’t finish it in time for the discussion. This was a really good book, but it’s heavy. Even though I knew the ending, I still cried the entire last three chapters. It makes you feel all the feels, and you really come to love the characters and wish for a miracle. But I think that’s part of the magic of this book, is the expected outcome happens but you love the characters anyways.

The New Spring by Robert Jordan (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Goodreads book description:

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the shadow. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time. .

From America's premier fantasy writer---#1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Crossroads of Twilight ---comes New Spring: The Novel For three days battle has raged in the snow around the great city of Tar Valon. In the city, a Foretelling of the future is uttered. On the slopes of Dragonmount, the immense mountain that looms over the city, is born an infant prophesied to change the world. That child must be found before the forces of the Shadow have an opportunity to kill him. Moiraine Damodred, a young Accepted soon to be raised to Aes Sedai, and Lan Mandragoran, a soldier fighting in the battle, are set on paths that will bind their lives together. But those paths are filled with complications and dangers, for Moiraine, of the Royal House of Cairhien, whose king has just died, and Lan, considered the uncrowned king of a nation long dead, find their lives threatened by the plots of those seeking power. "New Spring," the novella first published in Legends, related some of these events, in compressed form; New Spring: The Novel tells the whole story.

My Review:

This was a re-read for me, except I listened to it instead of reading it. This is a prequel from the series, and it really gets you attached to Moraine and Lan. Also because it was written after some the other books, it really lessen the groundwork for the plot twists that are later in the story.  I feel like it was solid Jordan raining, and the characters are ones I already knew and loved. I did lay a little bit of world building, but that may have also been because I already had the world built from the other books.

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Goodreads book description:
So begins The Christie Affair, told from the point of view of Miss Nan O'Dea, a fictional character but based on someone real. In 1925, she infiltrated the wealthy, rarified world of author Agatha Christie and her husband, Archie. A world of London townhomes, country houses, shooting parties, and tennis matches. Nan O'Dea became Archie's mistress, luring him away from his devoted wife. In every way, she became a part of their world--first, both Christies. Then, just Archie. 
The question is, why?
And what did it have to do with the mysterious eleven days that Agatha Christie went missing?
The answer takes you back time, to Ireland, to a young girl in love, to a time before The Great War. To a star-crossed couple who were destined to be together--until war and pandemic and shameful secrets tore them apart. 
What makes a woman desperate enough to destroy another woman's marriage? 
What makes someone vengeful enough to hatch a plot years in the making?
What drives someone to murder?
These questions and more are explored in Nina de Gramont's brilliant, unforgettable, lush, and powerful novel.

My Review:
This is told from the perspective of Archie Christie’s mistress Nan O’Dea.  It makes for an interesting storyline.  Nan is an unapologetic home wrecker, and you want to hate her. Yet I don’t, I wouldn’t say I like her, but I don’t hate her either.  I thought this book was about a disappearance, or even about a love triangle.  And on the surface it is, but when you look deeper, it is actually shinning a light on women’s reproductive rights.  The true story is telling of the loss inflicted on women in the early 20th Century, when their bodies were not their own.  And how when there was an unexpected and socially unacceptable pregnancy, what a woman faced and the unexpected ways it could change her life. 

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*

The Night Burns Bright by Ross Barkan (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Goodreads book description:
In this coming-of-age thriller, a twelve-year-old boy’s spark of courage to question the harmonious wooded commune he calls home may burn down more than just his own illusions.
Lucien has everything he needs: a loving mama, a library full of books, and House of Earth, a private school nestled safely in the woods of upstate New York. It’s where Lucien is taught the importance of living in harmony with nature and building a peaceful and sustainable future. But when his youthful curiosity draws him into town and to Gabrielle, a public-school student living a life wholly different from his own, Lucien’s inquisitiveness about life beyond the commune and questions regarding the events of 9/11 threaten to unbalance everything he thought he knew.
Slowly, things begin to change at House of Earth. The outside world is off limits. Security measures tighten. New rules are put in place, and anyone who violates them is asked to leave and never spoken of again.
As forbidden questions pile up, Lucien’s willingness to obey weakens. Continuing to meet Gabrielle in secret only reinforces his gnawing fear that something about his world is terribly wrong. Unable to remain silent any longer, Lucien will soon discover that looking for answers at House of Earth may be the most dangerous rule he can break. 

My Review:
This is a very different perspective, the experience of a cult from a young child’s point of view.  Lucien’s Mom joined the House of Earth when he was 6.  Lucien is now 12 and doesn’t know any other way of life. This reminds me of Room, where we get a tragic story from a child’s eye.   The early writing is that of a naive child, as Lucien ages and becomes aware of the situation the narrative becomes more  cohesive. 

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*

The Perfect Home by Kevin Lynch (⭐️ )

Goodreads book description:

It’s a beautiful place to live. Or die.

June is very happy in her home. It’s where she raised her two kids – now college age – and every room is filled with memories, some beautiful, some painful. She loves the garden she has worked so hard to create. She likes her neighbours in this pleasant, leafy suburb.

But lately, something has changed.

There’s the new guy across the street. He seems rough, possibly criminal. And he’s been taking a definite interest in June’s rebellious daughter, Cathy.

And there’s June’s son, Sam. He’s always been open and friendly but recently he’s been sullen and secretive.

Even more disturbing, June’s cheating ex-husband suddenly seems to be everywhere. It’s almost as if he’s stalking her.

Then, when someone she knows is murdered, June begins to understand that all these different things are connected. And as she investigates further, she realises that she herself is in terrible danger.

Because someone out there wants June gone. Permanently. (less)

My Review:

I did not enjoy this book.  The characters were flat, and drove me crazy.  I know they made stupid decisions to drive “the story” forward, but it didn’t endear them to me.  At times I wanted to scream over the obtuseness of the characters. I felt it was a slow read, and I just couldn’t connect. I didn’t feel that it was twisting or innovative, it felt very run of the mill.  Not cute enough to be a cozy, and not hard enough to be called a thriller.   And to say I hated the ending is an understatement, the resolution with Cathy and Steve made me angrier than all the other poor decisions combined.  I’m not saying I wouldn’t give this author another chance, the writing style and voice were fine.  It was the story content I couldn’t connect to.

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*