Review: A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen

A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however in an effort to clear it from my TBR I ended up listening to the audiobook from my library.  As always all opinions are my own.

This was a cute sci-fi romance.  This follows Marina and Carter as they get stuck in a 4 day time loop, and try to figure out how undo their predicament.  Carter is a maintenance tech at a particle accelerator, and Marina is a neuroscientist taking part in a memory project at the same facility.  Every Monday they have to relive the same events, but as their groundhog days repeat they begin to break out of their shells and being sharing their lives with one another as they try to solve their time loop problem.  Carter has an eidetic memory, but one day all of that changes and he begins forgetting key parts of their time together just as they are about to make a breakthrough into the time loop solution.  Marina may not have a photographic memory, but she is pretty smart and she is willing to do whatever it takes to save the people she loves.

I really enjoyed getting to know Carter and Marina.  This was really cute and alot of fun.  While there is some great science going on when it comes to time loops, the multiverse, and time travel, I didn't feel it was too overwhelming.  Even Marina would poke fun when the science was getting to complex because that wasn't here area.  This had great emotional scenes and good humor to balance out the science content.  I also appreciated that Carter was a foodie and didn't take himself too seriously, which was a nice compliment to Marina's more serious, academic personality.  They balanced each out out nicely.  The romance is very light and not a major plotline in the book, so if you were looking for a full on romance you are going to be disappointed, especially given the title of the book.  This is more of a sci-fi story with a sprinkle of romance.  The book is very clean though, the couple only kisses twice.  So if you are looking for something on the clean side with very little romance this is a good one to pick up.  

I do feel a bit underwhelmed by the open ending, otherwise I really enjoyed the book.  I prefer more closed endings with things spelled out but that is a personal preference.

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Review: The Best Medicine by Krysta Dearson

The Best Medicine by Krysta Dearson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

I'm going to be honest it took me a while to warm up to Polly, but by the end I was 100% on team Polly  Her upbringing by a controlling single father who expected perfection at all times played a huge part in that.  Polly was expected present the right image and to earn the affection of her father she had to be perfect at all times.  She is deemed a failure because her marriage didn't work out, despite being a pediatrician with two kids.  It took her almost the entire book to come out of her shell and start advocating for herself.  With some help from her handsome and kind nanny Jace, her best friend Leah, and her book club, she learns to ask for help when she needs it, have fun with her kids, and speak up and fight for what she believes in and those she loves.  Jace on the other hand is a bit of a drifter.  He works odd jobs, helps his parents, and volunteers with the drama program, but he doesn't have a traditional career like his siblings.  He is exactly what Polly needs.

Through a series of unfortunate events and a comedy of errors, Polly hires Jace to be her live in nanny.  He is amazing with her kids, and nice to look at too.  Polly doesn't expect to be attracted to her much younger nanny, and while she is happy to keep company with her spicy romance novels and audiobooks, the more time she spends with Jace the harder it is to ignore the chemistry between them.  The more he is around the easier it is for her to relax and have fun again especially when she sees the kind gestures he makes to help her kids thrive and help with some of her daily burdens around the house.  Jace and Polly not only had great chemistry they developed a really great friendship as well, which was nice to see.  They both had great character development both together and individually.

This is a little on the long side in my opinion, however it does tackle some great topics like mental health, school accommodations for students with disabilities and mental health needs, relationships both romantic and familial, and more.  Overall this is a solid debut and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.  

This is the 5th book in The Teacher's Lounge series, however it reads as a complete standalone.  It does feature characters from the other books in the series, but it is not necessary to read those before reading this.  Polly and Jace's story stands on it's own as do all of the bools in the Pennyverse.

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Review: The Man Made of Smoke: A Novel by Alex North

The Man Made of Smoke: A Novel by Alex North
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley and Celadon books and Macmillan Audio respectively.  As always all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this thriller.  This follows a few different characters all with ties to a serial killer.  Dan's life was touched by the killer when he was a young boy, and while he wasn't a victim a brief run in with the man and one of his victims has left deep scars.  Now as as an adult, Dan has devoted his career as a prison therapist to uncovering the motivations of criminals and why they do the things they do.  Dan's father John is a retired police officer, who has stumbled upon what appears to be a copy cat of the Pied Piper's crimes from all those years ago.  While he didn't interact with the man then, he is determined to find out how the crimes of today are connected and why they seem so familiar to that old case.  When he disappears in what looks like a suicide, Dan returns to his hometown to deal with the aftermath.  He uncovers clues his father left for him and begins retracing his father's steps in the investigation he was working on.  This forces Dan to revisit feelings from his childhood from that fateful day and evaluate his relationship with his father.

I really enjoyed this.  The multiple POVs and timelines really worked well to tell the story as this thriller unravels.  The author keeps you guessing with complex relationships and an atmospheric read.  The pacing starts out slow and ramps up as the book progresses, I found it hard to put down.  From Dan's point of view we retrace his dad's investigation and disappearance.  From John's point of view we investigate current day crimes but in each case we learn different information.  We learn more and more about the motivations of the killer as the story progresses, but not much is given away until the time is right.  

Overall I really enjoyed this thriller and feel like I want to read it again to see what I missed the first time through.  I mainly listened to the audiobook, and listened to it in about 24 hours.  I had to find out what happened and couldn't stop listening

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Review: Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N. Holdberg

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N. Holmberg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however I have purchased an ebook and audio version since publication.  As always all opinions are my own.

This was a really fun cozy fantasy.  It is set in the late 1800's in New England, were some have magic while other's do not.  Merritt is a successful author working on his next book when he is surprised to find he has inherited an estate in Rhode Island.  It is a surprise because he has been estranged from his family for several years.  The home he has inherited has been empty for quite sometime but upon arrival it is in pristine condition.  Merritt would be happy to call it home until the house decides to take his things and not let him leave.  Enter Hulda Larkin, a professional housekeeper from the Institute for the Keeping of Enchanted Rooms.  She is well trained to deal with homes like Whimbrel House, and has been sent to aid Merritt in determining how to tame his new abode and make them learn to live in harmony.  Together they discover the source of the home's magic and learn it's quirks.

While learning what Whimbrel House is all about, there is a more sinister force lurking outside of the house that wants to take the spells and powers of the magic users.  Hulda has had a run in with this man before but he is supposed to be either dead or in prison.  As she and Merritt research the house and it's past inhabitants to sort out all of it's intricacies it becomes apparent that there is more going on than they first suspected.  Not only must they protect the house, but themselves from the madman that wants to siphon all the magic that lives on the island.

I really loved this!  This crosses several genres while remaining cozy at the same time.  It has a bit of a fantasy mystery vibe with a sweet romance in a historical setting.  It was really fun and I enjoyed the antics the house played while getting to know all of the characters.  The side characters were a nice addition to the storyline as well as the main characters.  I mainly listened to the audiobook and it was nice to have multiple narrators for Hulda, Merritt, and Silas so you know which person and which part of the story you were in.  This is a series I'll be continuing on with in the near future for sure.

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Review: Tequila Wars: José Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico by Ted Genoways

Tequila Wars: José Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico by Ted Genoways
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

I had no idea tequila had such a sordid history.  I  love a well made margarita or tequila cocktail, but I had no idea that the families that made tequila a staple in my liquor cabinet had such a political and violent history.   This follows José Cuervo and the Cuervo family as they struggle to maintain ownership of their land on which the agave is grown and distilleries that produce the tequila.  At the same time other families are growing and distilling tequila and trying to usurp one another as best in brand.  

I expected this to be more about the growing of agave and the process of making tequila, but this is more about the history of the Tequila Valley and the Cuervo family.  There is some information about the making and distillation process but that is not the focus, this is more of a biography of Cuervo's life and family and it is packed with information.  Who knew tequila had so many political ties?  I had no idea that José Cuervo was such an influential force not only in the tequila business but in the political sphere as well.  

This was such a well researched book and provided an insight into facts and historical figures that I've heard about in the past but didn't know much about.  I don't even know if I knew José Cuervo was a real person only the name of a popular brand until listening to this book.  If you are interested in history, specifically Mexican history this is a really interesting tale with a little bit of history on tequila as well.  I enjoy learning new things especially the history of food and drink, and this was a great and engaging non-fiction book.

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Review: Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind by Nate Bargatze

Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind by Nate Bargatze
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC via Netgally, all opinions are my own.

Nate Bargatze is one of my favorite comics.  I love that he practices clean comedy, and his almost deadpan delivery style really speaks to me.  I also find him really relatable in the way he tells stories about his life and family.  His George Washington skit on SNL about the weights and measures is one of the funniest things I've ever seen, no matter how many times my husband and I watch it we are in tears laughing.  

I've never had the pleasure of seeing him live, so this is probably the closest I'll get in the near future but this book had me cracking up.  I've seen several of his specials and this brings alot of material I've not heard before or expands on material he's used in shows.  I'm a big audiobook listener so this wasn't the most words, and I was able to listen to it in a day while doing chores around the house this weekend.  I loved getting to know Nate and his family just like I would in one of his specials but in an expanded way.  If you are a fan of his comedic style this biography is filled with his comedic delivery with tales of his community, parents, siblings, friends and wife that you wouldn't normally hear in one of his shows.   

I really enjoyed this and look forward to the day I can see Nate live in person.  The final audiobook has a PDF with pictures that he describes, but they weren't available with the audio arc.  I will be checking out the book once it publishes so I can get the full effect.

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Review: Nun the Wiser: A Grumpy Sunshine Romantic Comedy

Nun the Wiser: A Grumpy Sunshine Romantic Comedy by Smartypants Romance
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author and Smartypants romance, all opinion are my own.

This is the 2nd book in the Bad Habit Book Club Series, however it can be read as a standalone in a companion series with interrelated characters.  If you have read book 1 you will remember Matilda, but if you are starting here, Matilda is a member of a book club which is really a support group for  3 former nuns and an ex-priest.  Matilda has some baggage when it comes to relationships from her childhood, but she always takes on the role of protective big sister.  Now that the book club girls are finding their own way outside of the convent, she is afraid the will slip away like the other important people in her life have.  Enter Kimo Kapono, a sweet, laid back, it will all work out Hawaiian who is in town working with Matilda's law firm to get custody of his niece and nephew.

Kimo and Matilda have chemistry from the first time they meet, and through happenstance they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when kidnappers take them to get at Kimo. 

 This allows them to spend some quality time together.  Matilda doesn't really do serious relationships, because people always end up letting her down.  Kimo isn't interesting in a fling. Kimo secretly has money but he is everyone's best friend and hasn't let his sudden wealth go to his head.  This puts Matilda and Kimo at an impasse as they are both highly attracted to one another and can't stay away from each other.  He continues to soften her hardened exterior with his humor and love of life and his family.  She implores him to take things a bit more seriously with her love of rules and fairness especially when it comes to his safety and the safety of his loved ones.

I really loved getting to know Matilda and Kimo.  They were the perfect compliment to one another.  She really needed someone to be there for her, while she was taking on the world and taking care of everyone else.  Kimo's laid back attitude was such a nice compliment to her more rigid, I can take on the world attitude.  She hasn't had much experience with relationships where someone doesn't want something from her, and she has alot to learn when it comes to letting people in.  Kimo is patient  On the other hand, Matilda was the one lending a sensible ear to Kimo in times of his custody case and when it came to taking his own safety seriously.  I loved the support Helen and Nina, our former nuns and book club members give to Matilda to only to cement that the family she has chosen is there for her no matter what.  

I can't wait to see what happens with our book club in the next installment!

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