Tag: NetGalley

What I Read: Oct. 24-30

Aimeeeliz

Come As You Are by Jess K Hardy: This romcom is perfect for people who love cozy winter settings, forced proximity, a male lead who has overcome a difficult past, mature main characters and lovable (truly!) side characters. Oh, and there’s a villain who definitely gets what’s coming to them. The vibes are 90s grunge (but set in present day), the perfect blend of mixtapes and flannel. Thank you to the author for the NetGalley ARC!

Don’t Hex and Drive (Stay a Spell #2) by Juliette Cross: Overall, I enjoyed this even more than the first book. Isadora and Devraj were absolutely fabulous characters and I loved the mystery they worked to solve (alongside Jules and Ruben, who are likely going to be my favorite couple of the entire series – their book is out today!) I’ll be picking up book three in November (and there’s a collection of short stories perfect for the holidays so I won’t waste time getting to that, either!)

Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton: I preordered this MONTHS ago and it’s definitely worth the read. Felton discusses his interesting life in a series of stories – most are funny but some are incredibly emotional (and surprisingly dark). Absolutely essential reading for HP fans, especially if you’re around the same age as the actors and grew up with the series.

Isn’t it Bromantic? (Bromance Book Club #4) by Lyssa Kay Adams: I went in thinking that this was going to be my favorite book of the series (who doesn’t love The Russian?) but unfortunately it didn’t fully meet my expectations. I did enjoy Vlad and Elena’s journey and their story is really sweet, but it just wasn’t quite as good as the other books, in my opinion. However, I felt like this was really setting us up for Colton’s book, which comes out this week (and it’s Christmas-themed, so absolutely perfect for this time of year!)

REVIEW – A Brush with Love by Mazey Eddings

Aimeeeliz

Reluctant romance readers (hi, yes, I am one of you). You have to give A Brush with Love a shot. Or at least remember the name Mazey Eddings – you’re going to be seeing her books all over the place soon.

A Brush with Love is smart and sweet and hilarious. The balance between each element in the story is flawless – Eddings will have you saying “awww” one moment and cracking up the next.

Harper is a dental student working towards a residency in oral surgery. She’s SMART. She’s DRIVEN. She’s…AWKWARD (sometimes). She’s dealing with some trauma and grief from her childhood and she tends to keep everyone at arm’s length. Dan is a first-year dental student, reluctantly trying to live up to a legacy left by his (complicated and not-so-nice) father.

After a meet-cute that’s more like a meet-funny or a meet-omg! Harper and Dan become fast friends and, although their story itself is something of a slow burn, they develop feelings for each other very quickly but it never feels insta-lovey or forced.

The good? A Brush with Love is heartfelt and emotional without being sappy. It’s sweet without being too sugary (come on, that would be bad for your teeth! …I’ll see myself out). Harper and Dan are lovable, Harper’s friends are a GODDAMN DELIGHT. Harper deals with some very real anxiety that is so accurately portrayed on the page, I sometimes forgot that I was reading fiction.

The bad? Most of you are going to have to wait until 2022 to read this. But I have a solution for you: preorder this delightful piece of romcom goodness. It’s basically like sending a gift to your future self.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the NetGalley ARC!

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – A Game of Cones by Abby Collette

Aimeeeliz

After A Deadly Inside Scoop was one of my favorite cozy mysteries of 2020 (trust me, I read a lot of cozies!) I was so excited to be back in Chagrin Falls with Win and her family. A Game of Cones did NOT disappoint. When a developer comes to town with news of a potential mall being built, someone in the community takes quick action and the developer ends up dead that night.

One of Win’s friends (visiting from NYC) stumbles across the body and becomes suspect number one. Even though she tries to keep her distance, Win can’t help but get tangled up in the murder investigation and comes face to face with a cold-blooded killer. And we still get the family dynamic and charming ice cream shop setting that we grew to love in book one.

Any cozy mystery set in Ohio is automatically of interest to me, and I can’t wait to see what book three has in store!

Thank you Berkley for the NetGalley ARC!

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – Fatal Fried Rice by Vivien Chien

Aimeeeliz

I recommend the Noodle Shop Mystery series to pretty much anyone looking to start reading cozy mysteries. The funny part? Fatal Fried Rice is only the second book i’ve read in this series (I know, I KNOW! I’m working on it!)

Vivien Chien writes such delightful, fun stories. Her characters feel realistic and Lana is a main character you love to root for (and want to be best friends with!)

The mystery in Fatal Fried Rice kept me guessing and, as always, the cover gave me an intense craving for some good Chinese food. If you’re a cozy mystery fan, or if you want to try the genre, you can’t go wrong with these books.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – Murder With a View by Diane Kelly

Aimeeeliz

I have a tendency to jump in to cozy mystery series in the middle, and this is no exception. Murder With a View is the third book in the House-Flipper mysteries, but the first one i’ve read. And it’s ADORABLE.

The most notable thing about this book (and, I assume, the series as a whole) is the characters. The characters are lovely and hilarious and you can’t help but cheer for them every step of the way. Sawdust the cat is a delight. Although I wasn’t ALWAYS on board with the short chapters from his purr-spective, I found myself appreciating them more towards the end of the book.

This mystery had me stumped for the majority of the book, and the inevitable “showdown” between our main character, Whitney, and the murderer was pretty thrilling (and also a little terrifying!)

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the NetGalley ARC!

REVIEW – The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Aimeeeliz

I have some questions for Kristin Hannah. Does she enjoy making readers cry? Does she enjoy crying? Does she cry when she writes her books? Because this is NOT the first time she’s made me cry, and i’m sure it won’t be the last.

The Four Winds is just stunning. Even if you’re not typically into historical fiction, i’d highly recommend this book. In an industry that’s oversaturated with WWII stories (but hey, I love those too!) it’s so nice to read historical fiction set during a different time. The Four Winds starts in the early 1920s, where we meet Elsa. Elsa suffered an illness as a teen, and her family has treated her like glass ever since (and boy, are they RUDE AF to her! It’s so frustrating).

We spend a brief amount of time there before moving forward into 1934. Elsa lives on her in-laws’ farm with her small family. She has changed a LOT and definitely for the better. She’s strong and capable, but she’s also dealing with some pre-teen drama from her daughter and a prolonged drought that’s proving to be catastrophic for the farm (and the farm animals…oh, my heart). On top of that, we’re also right in the middle of the Great Depression which is, well, upsetting to say the least.

After a series of unfortunate events (SERIOUSLY) Elsa packs up her kids and heads west to California, where things are supposed to be better. But…they’re not. I’m sure you could figure that out for yourself. What happens from there is brutally, dismally sad. This book will break your heart. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Also, read the Author’s Note at the end – it’s amazing.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the NetGalley ARC.

REVIEW – The Last Tiara by MJ Rose

Aimeeeliz

I’m always excited to put a historical fiction novel onto my tbr, especially if it deals with an era or region that i’m not really familiar with. The Last Tiara is told in dual timelines – Isobelle is living in 1940s NYC and looking for answers after her mother’s death one year prior. She finds a tiara (minus the jewels) hidden in the wall of her mother’s bedroom and works to uncover the history of piece. We also get Sofiya’s perspective from Russia in 1915 – she begins working as a nurse and through a series of events (and after a period of years) ends up fleeing Bolshevik Russia.

This is my second MJ Rose book and she does a great job of setting up strong, independent female characters. If you’re a historical fiction fan, you’ll want to add this to your tbr!

Thank you Get Red PR for the NetGalley ARC.

REVIEW – Deep State by Chris Hauty

Aimeeeliz

I don’t typically read political thrillers, but I couldn’t ignore the reviews for this one. Deep State follows Hayley Chill, an Army veteran who has moved to DC and landed an internship in the White House. Hayley quickly uncovers a plot to assassinate the newly elected POTUS, and this discovery leads her down a dangerous path.

I’m echoing a lot of reviewers, but I will say that this book would probably be better as a movie – but that does not make it an unenjoyable read. A screen adaptation of this would undoubtedly be a blockbuster action movie perfect for summer (picture it: a cool theater, a heart-pounding movie, a giant tub of popcorn and some overpriced candy. Damn you, COVID!)

The twist is really the draw here, and it’s worth it. I’m excited to read the next book in the series now that Hauty has laid a great foundation for what’s sure to be a fun sequel.

Thank you Atria Books for the NetGalley ARC of Deep State!

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – Finished Off in Fondant by Rosemarie Ross

Aimeeeliz

Finished Off in Fondant is the second book in the Courtney Archer Mystery Series, which I am really enjoying!

Inspired by everyone’s favorite, cozy baking competition (you know the one!), this series follows Courtney Archer, known as The Farmer’s Daughter (except her parents were definitely not farmers…) We open book two as Courtney comes clean about her background to a live audience during a taping of her show.

She’s also getting ready to start filming season two of The American Baking Battle. The first season was overshadowed by the murder of one of the contestants, but the odds of a murder happening twice during the filming of the same show are low, right? ….right? Unfortunately, a body shows up in the suite of one of the show’s co-hosts, and Courtney can’t help but get involved with yet another murder investigation.

I’m excited to see where the series goes…the supporting characters are a lot of fun, and there’s a potential love triangle in the works (I have my favorite guy but we shall see what actually happens!)

Thank you Kensington Books for the NetGalley ARC!

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – Meet Isabel Puddles by M.V. Byrne

Aimeeeliz

Meet Isabel Puddles was a little bit of a bumpy ride, but I did end up enjoying it. Isabel is a very interesting and well-developed character – it’s hard not to love her. Isabel is a widow “of a certain age” who has her hand in pretty much every aspect of her small town in northern-ish Michigan.

This is definitely a cozy mystery, but it does read a bit more like a contemporary mystery – it’s a bit more in-depth and lacks that “cutesy” factor that’s so common in cozies (not a bad thing, just not a sugary sweet kind of novel).

There’s a lot of extra fluff in this book and Isabel will often go off on tangents talking about stories from decades past, or giving more background into the lives of minor characters. These tangents definitely give you a feel of small-town Michigan (if you aren’t already familiar with it) but they can be long-winded and tedious at times.

That all being said, I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series, and I can’t wait to see what sort of trouble Isabel gets herself into!

Thank you Kensington Books for the ARC.