Review: The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen

The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This bounces between present day and the 60's when 4 women took place in a groundbreaking experiment for the time.  In the present the only surviving woman from the experiment hires a caretaker in the wake of her husband's passing, but her home and life experience is still stuck in 1964.  She doesn't talk to her neighbors or know about cell phones or the internet.  When Riley comes to work for Betty she isn't sure what to think of this lovely woman who seems quite capable of taking care of herself but doesn't know any current events, but makes a mean martini.

As Riley gets to know Betty, she learns about her time at Marquis University where she and 3 friends were part of an experiment to measure physic abilities.  As the women showed more promise, Dr. Trimble the head of the experiment kept pushing their abilities, which not only stressed the women physically and mentally but their relationships with their husbands.  Not much is known about the experiments, but Riley is determined to find something or someone for Betty to connect with.  As she pushes forward with her research, she finds that someone may be trying to recreate some of Dr. Trible's more horrible experiments which may have caused dire consequences for 3 of Betty's best friends.

I thought this was very interesting.   I know studies on abilities like Betty's have been done, perhaps not exactly like those done in the book.  There is no denying that sometimes you get a feeling or some people have better intuition about things.  I thought the concept was intriguing and the characters were easy to connect with, I also love a good conspiracy.  This was a bit different than the other books I've read from the author as it wasn't a straight up domestic thriller and I liked that deviation.  You weren't sure who was a good guy and who was a bad guy until the end.

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Review: Immortal Game by Allison Saft

Immortal Game by Allison Saft
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was an interesting tale about a teenage chess prodigy, who's entire life has been consumed by playing chess to get her sister back from the Fae King.  Shea's older sister is married to the king, and Shea has been under the impression that he "took" her even though she said she wanted to go with him.  Now a chess grandmaster at 18, the King is hosting a tournament where the winner  will be granted a boon, and Shea intends to ask for her sister back.  The stakes are high for all of the players but for Shea, she has dedicated her entire life to beating King Midir and getting her sister back.

I found it hard to connect with the main character and the love interest.  I didn't feel the chemistry between them unless they were discussing chess, I didn't really feel the romantic spark between them.  I'm also not a big chess player, I've tried learning but I can't see the board more than one move ahead, so while it was a unique element to use as the basis for the high stake competition.  I'm not sure if the strategies and moves are real or pure fiction but I appreciated the effort and research the author had to have done to make it realistic.  The plot overall fell short for me.  I liked the lore aspects and the different challenges, but the fantasy elements and mystery elements weren't to my taste and everything wrapped up to easily and neatly at the end.

Overall I think there are going to be people who really love this book, and while I found it just OK, I think there are others who are going to love the slower pace and the unique world the author has built for the tournament.  

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Review: Twilight Tides by Samantha Young

Twilight Tides by Samantha Young
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided and ARC of this book via the author, all opinions are my own.

This does read as a standalone but I do highly recommend reading the series in order as it will give some context and background to the other characters in the book and several events that happened in those books that are mentioned in this novel.  The author always does a great job giving a nice recap of what happened so you don't feel lost or like you missed something, but the series is great and I feel like you will have a much richer reading experience if you start at the beginning.

This installment follows London and Murray, who we've met in the previous 2 books.  London is a chef and Tierney's best friend from New York, and Murray is a successful local fisherman.  London left the US to escape an abusive relationship.  She's now working as the chef at Tierney's bed and breakfast.  Naturally she is working through her trauma and figuring things out as she moves on, but when her ex won't leave her alone and her visa renewal is being threatened it makes things much harder for her.  Murray's life situation while different isn't much better.  His ex-wife is making his life hell and she is putting him through a terrible custody battle making things difficult for their daughter.  Murray suspects that his beloved 14 year old may be neglected and possibly in danger by his ex's lifestyle but he needs proof and the legal system is slow.  A marriage of convenience may not be "legal" but it would help out both London and Murray, it also helps that they have both been attracted to one another from the day they met.  Neither one of them is looking for a relationship, especially since their previous ones ended so badly, but they can't deny that there is something between them.

As they spend more time together, Murray and London learn that they have lots of things in common but they have a hard time talking to one another initially.  Through their love of music they find common ground and a way to break the ice.  They both have precarious situations to deal with that become much easier to bear when they lean on one another.  This only makes things heat up more between them.  Determined to protect each other and the ones they love, London has to deal with her ex harassing her and Murray has to deal with a crime family trying to infiltrate his business.  Things heat up not only in the bedroom but on the shores of their island community.

I really loved getting to know London, Murray, and the rest of the group.  They have both been through alot, and we get to see them both be vulnerable for the sake of Murray's daughter Kelly and for each other as they learn to trust one another.  I appreciated that while they were attracted to each other there was a bit of a get to know you period before they acted on anything.  There is a good bit of discussion about domestic abuse and verbal abuse, so take care of yourself if that is a trigger.  I also appreciated that there was good communication between several different characters in the book.  Overall, I really enjoyed London and Murray's story and I can't wait for the next one!

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Review: The AI-Driven Leader: Harnessing AI to Make Faster, Smarter Decisions

The AI-Driven Leader: Harnessing AI to Make Faster, Smarter Decisions by Geoff Woods
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This is geared more toward C-suite and executive leadership and how to get your company to adopt AI, but I still found some interesting takeaways.

We are starting to adopt AI at work, but not everyone has a full license to use the tools yet.  The author addresses how to get your teams excited about adopting AI.  We are all excited to use the tools, however we are limited in capability by the license issue and by the data it has access to because of the type of work we do.  The author addresses these types of issues which made me think a bit differently about how I can use the tool in my day to day.  He also addresses better ways to use AI and how to learn how to use it to start getting the returns you want.  It works better if you start asking it the right types of questions using it as a thought partner but you have to know how to harness it.

Overall, this gave me some ideas on how to think about using AI tools in the future.  While I'm not in an executive position, I can still use the framework Woods lays out to use in some of the work I do.

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Review: Wisdom Corner: A Novel by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

Wisdom Corner: A Novel by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I didn't realize this was a follow up to Winter Counts, but I'm so glad I picked this up. I wouldn't necessarily call it a sequel, because it reads as a complete standalone.  But both books follow the same main character as he attempts to solve a crime on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.

In Winter Counts Virgil Wounded Horse was more of an enforcer who took the law into his own hands when the Native Police and the FBI ignore the crime on the reservation or take too long to investigate.  Vigilantes like Virgil mete out justice as needed when someone steps out of line or wrongs his tribe.  In Wisdom Corner, Virgil has given up the enforcer life, but it hasn't quite let him go.  He is trying to do honest work, be a good role model, and help the tribe where he can.  When his mentor is found murdered he is determined to find out what happened and his former lifestyle and skill will come in handy.  His girlfriend, who doesn't love the enforcer lifestyle is always supportive of him, but she is running for the tribal council and is stressed as the election nears.  Virgil may not be better at enforcing than he is at detective work but he slowly gathers all of the pieces and puts everything together.

This was a great read.  It hits on the social commentary aspect of Native American culture and treatment historically and in today's society.  It also speaks to the Native boarding schools that tore families apart in the United States and Canada giving a historical and educational element to the book as well as educating the reader on the rampant drug and alcohol problems within Native society today.  The author does a wonderful job of weaving all of the elements of the story together in a seamless way while taking you on a thriller journey to find out  who is at the center of the crime.  I was immersed in the story, location, and connected to the characters.  While I enjoyed the fictional plot I also learned real things from this book as well, it is rare that an author can keep you entertained while teaching you something at the same time.  

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Review: Letters from the Last Apothecary by Bita Behzadi

Letters from the Last Apothecary by Bita Behzadi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was delightfully cozy.  The letters back and forth between Ms. Davis and Mr. Clarke definitely reminded me of Divine Rivals.  Our main characters begin writing letters to each other under pen names when Josephine Pinova can't find a book at the magical library as she studies for entrance into the Institute of Magic.  Aufidius Reid happens to have the book Josie is looking for as he too is studying for entrance into the Institute, and they begin exchanging letters about their studies and experiments with magic.  They fall for each other through their letters, but when they meet it is not the meet cute you would expect.  Reid works at one of the last magical apothecaries where Josie happens to be shopping.  Her knowledge is exceptional as is her customer service, and he finds her infuriating.  Little does he know she is the sweet, kind, helpful Ms. Davis whom he has been writing to for months.  Josie and Reid must work together to save the shop from closing both financially and from the external dangers that threaten the shop.  If only they could work together like Ms. Davis and Mr. Clarke do on paper.

I can't wait for more books in this series!  I loved Josie and Reid.  You go in knowing who their pen names are and that they don't know each other's real identities.  You also know that it is only a matter of time before they figure it out.  I didn't expect the murder mystery aspect of the book to play such a prominent part, but it worked well as a plotline as Josie and Reid were figuring out their relationship.  I look forward to seeing what happens next in this world whether it be with Josie and Reid or different characters.  I love a good cozy fantasy, and this had a nice blend of other genres to keep the reader interested and the pacing was good as well!

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Review: The Gilded City of Dreams: A Novel by Luanne G. Smith

The Gilded City of Dreams: A Novel by Luanne G. Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This is the second book in the Golden Age of Magic series, and while I do think you could get away with reading this as a standalone, I do think readers would benefit from reading book 1 first.  The first book sets up things in this book and the Fée Gardienne aka Fairy Godmothers that main characters Celeste and Anaïs are members is explained.  I think parts of this would be confusing if you haven't read the first book.

Celesete and Anaïs have found themselves in NYC on their way to Paris to return the elder staff to the new head of their order.  The staff is stolen shortly after their arrival in the busy city and the pair is split up when their ideas on how to get it back differ.  Celeste finds herself in the center of yet another magical mystery using her magical abilities and new acquaintances to help not only find the staff but Anaïs  as well.  Anaïs on the other hand has her own ideas as to how to get the staff back from the darker side of the city's magic users.  

I really enjoyed this audiobook.  I loved the first book, and while Celeste does maintain a level of innocence and naivety in this she shows a level of confidence and capability that was missing in the previous installment.  Now that she has proven herself she has really come into her magic and abilities.  She is much more sure of herself.  Anaïs being the much older mentor, is very confident almost to a fault, and always has a plan for every situation.  I enjoyed watching these two women work together and separately to find the staff and figure out what was going on.  I also liked that while there was a romance element to the book, it wasn't the main focus.  

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