Review: If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both a print and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the narrators.  The dual narration worked really well here, as the book alternated between Pen and Neil's points of view and I thought both narrators did a great job telling their story and capturing the emotions as they move from enemies to writing partners to something more,

This was a fun enemies to lovers, romcom with a paranormal twist.  Pen and Neil are both horror writers.  Neil is well known, but Penelope takes issue with some of the stereotypes he uses in his books.  When they are on a panel together she loses her temper and calls him out and throws a book at his head sending both of their careers into a tailspin.  Fast forward to Scotland several months later, when their mutual friend invites them both to a writing retreat to mend fences and get everyone out out their writing funk.  The four friends are to spend a week in a haunted castle in remote Scotland to get some inspiration for their books.  The forces proximity in the spooky setting make Neil and Pen face some truths about each other and their writing in a long overdue conversation.  Once that is out of the way they realize there is more to the castle and the stories the locals tell about it.  Not only do they begin exploring the castle for ghosts and mysterious entities, they also start exploring their feelings for each other leading to a fun and steamy time.

This was a really fun book.  The banter between the characters was funny but balanced out with some very real conversations about the publishing industry as a BIPOC writer.  The characters had good chemistry and once things heat up between them things have a nice amount of spice.  The plot was engaging, and while I didn't find it scary it was spooky.  The author did keep me guessing as to whether or not the castle was truly haunted or if it was a hoax until the end, I was pleasantly surprised by the resolution.

Overall this was a really fun read and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

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Review: The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

This was such a wonderful adventure.  This is perfect for middle grade and YA readers, but as an adult I thoroughly enjoyed it.  This follows brother and sister Jakob and Lizzie, who find themselves at the secretive Bletchley Park during WWII.  Jakob is 19 and as a math student has been recruited to the code breaking division at the park.  Lizzie and Jakob's mother worked for British Embassy, and disappeared while on assignment.  Their grandmother who lives in Ohio has sent for Lizzie to move to  Cleveland, as Lizzie is only 14.  Lizzie is a firecracker and is determined to prove that their mother is still alive and thwarts all attempts to move to America.  She tracks down her brother and gets her own job at Bletchley.  The Secrets Act prevents the siblings from talking too much about their work and what is really going on.  When strange messages show up at their boarding house and an inspector is trying to suggest that their mother was a spy for the wrong side things, the siblings must use their unique talents for puzzles to solve the mystery of their mother's work.  

This was so entertaining!  I've read other fictional books about Bletchley and this is another great one and perfect for readers of all ages.  I loved Lizzie and her determination and Jakob's struggle to keep his sister safe while also trying to do his job.  I was so invested in the characters and their quest to find their mother as well as break the Enigma code.  It is crazy to think that while Jakob and Lizzie are fictional characters young, brilliant minds such as theirs were breaking codes and deciphering messages during that time.  I also love how the authors worked non-fiction elements into the story.  I hope to see this author duo write more in the future, this was such a wonderful read!

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Review: Write or Wrong: A Slow Burn Celebrity Romance by Heidi Hutchinson

Write or Wrong: A Slow Burn Celebrity Romance by Heidi Hutchinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

I absolutely loved this!  

This is the 9th book in the Common Threads series, however you can read it as a complete standalone.  All of the books in the series are standalones, but each of the books written by the same author are companions with characters mentioned in previous books.  The ones by Heidi Hutchinson are all centered around the music industry and are some of my favorites of the Smartypants offerings, I highly recommend all of them.

This book follows Zara and Asa, who we have met as a side characters in previous books.  Zara is a well known artist, but after a huge PR debacle she has decided to take a break.  She finds comfort in music and writing new songs.  Asa on the other hand has sworn off music after his band broke up and never really made it.  Music is a balm to both of their souls and through that connection they find a friendship and a much deeper connection.  They both have some issues and some baggage to work through, but through music and their developing friendship they are able to work through their feelings.  They both have such a great support system in in place to give sound advice when needed.  They also had great conversations, I love good communication between couples in a book!

This has great character development and wonderful main and side characters.  I was immediately invested in Asa and Zara's story and felt the chemistry between the two of them.  They take their time getting to know one another before jumping into anything and don't let drama get in their way.  This had just the right amount of spice and the pacing was perfect!  I loved this book and didn't want to put it down!  

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Review: The Butcher Game by Alaina Urquart

The Butcher Game by Alaina Urquhart
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

This picks up after the first book ends, with Wren dealing with the traumatic events she experienced.  She is taking a break from her duties as a medical examiner, which was a huge part of the first book.  I  enjoyed the first book with the exception of the abrupt cliffhanger ending.  It was suspenseful and I was I was invested in the plot.  I often found myself feeling bored and able to predict what was going to happen.  Jeremy and Wren's stories felt disconnected in this installment whereas in the first book they were more connected.  I still don't feel like I was able to get to know any of the characters and get invested in any of them.  I was looking for more character development.

I found the ending to be lackluster, and again it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.  I was left feeling as if the solution was anti-climactic and far to easy and convenient.  The ending left me feeling as if there was another book coming with a new villain for Wren to focus on.  I'm not sure if there is another book planned, but given there were 2 years between this book and the prior book, I don't think I'll be rushing to pick it up.  I really wanted to like this series, but it just didn't work for me.

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Review: Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik

Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This was a lovely collection of short stories some previously published elsewhere and a peek at something new.  Most of the stories are tied to to her other novels.  I haven't read all of Novik's works previously but I didn't find it necessary to follow along with any of these stories.  I found each one captivating.  They vary in length and a perfect for when you don't want to tackle something 300+ pages and only want to sit with something for a short amount of time.  The subject matter varies widely from the Scholomance, the world of Spinning Silver, and a few stories set in the world of Temeraire, the magic and fantasy is delightful.  I can't wait to read more from the new world of Abandon, while one of the longer stories and it sets the stage for the Novik's upcoming novel.  I am hooked and can't wait for more, it was one of my favorite stories from the collection.  

All of the stories had wonderful, rich settings and great characters.  Novik is quickly becoming a favorite author as I'm slowly catching up on her backlog.  I highly recommend this for fans of her work or those wanting to see what her work is all about.  This is a great introduction and a great companion for new and old fans alike.  

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Review: A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

The audiobook narrator was great and really brought Xishi's story to life.  Her story is an emotional one filled with sacrifice, forbidden love, espionage, and loss.  The narrator does a wonderful job with the various characters and really brings the emotions forward when appropriate and masks them as Xishi would according to her training to carry out her mission.

I'm not familiar with the Legend of Xishi or the Four Beauties of China, but you bet I'll be looking into them after reading this.  For me a good author inspires me to look more into what inspired the writing, and this certainly did.  Our main character Xishi is very beautiful, and she has been selected to infiltrate the enemy kingdom and seduce their king and bring down the kingdom from the inside.  She enters training to be his dedicated concubine and her goal is to pass information back to her people.  She is all to happy to join the cause to avenge the brutal murder of her younger sister.  As she spends time in the enemy court she learns much, but she never expected to gain the kings true affection and get to know him as a person.

This was a beautifully told story.  It is filled with emotional moments as Xishi navigates the dangers and politics of the enemy palace and the enemy kings moods.  She must carefully craft her every movement and everything she says to ensure she is portraying the loyal, faithful concubine while maintaining her double agent role.  Everywhere she turns someone is plotting and she must be careful to not let something slip.  She suffers great losses and must never let any emotions show.  

This is my first book by Ann Liang, but it certainly won't be my last.  It was such a wonderful book an it has such a beautiful cover.  I highly recommend it if you enjoy historical fiction that feels a bit like a fairy tale.  

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Review: Ex Marks the Spot by Hazel James

Ex Marks the Spot by Hazel James
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.

This was so fun. I'm not a big reality TV show watcher, but I can see myself watching something like the Amazing Race or in this case Xtreme Quest where teams fly all over the world to solve puzzles and compete in challenges to get to their next clue. The first team across the finish line during the final leg wins a huge prize. Our main characters are not only a team, but they are exes with unresolved feelings from their bad breakup 6 years ago. Hartley and Court went to the same college, and the theme for this season is college teams. Each team went to the same college and while most of the teams are friends or knew each other, some are strangers. Court didn't know Hartley was going to be his partner, but they both need the prize money and it is about time they come clean about what really happened when they broke up.

As our main characters run all over the world, we get to experience some really cool places and get to know so pretty interesting characters. The other contestants aside all made for great side characters to support the storyline. Not only are the puzzles and challenges interesting and action packed, they force our characters to interact and finally talk about what happened and clear the air. It is clear from the beginning that they still care about each other, even when they didn't like each other making for a really fun second chance romance.

I really loved this. The characters went to some places I've always wanted to go, so I got to live vicariously through them for a little while during their adventure. Their chemistry was good and things get pretty spicy once Hartley and Court figure out that they still have something special between them. This is a great addition to the Teacher's Lounge series, but it is a complete standalone and can be read without having read the prior books in the series.

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