The Fever by Megan Abbott ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

I've often mentioned that when I first started out reviewing that I had trouble saying no to review requests and have a number of books I never got around to. Another area that I struggled with early on was organizing my review copies, particularly on Netgalley. I have a number of e-galleys that archived before I downloaded them. The Fever by Megan Abbott is a book I requested way back in 2014 but didn't get to read. I saw that my digital library had a copy so I thought I would read it now.

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Sue's 2020 Reading Results and 2021 Plans

by Susan Roberts

Most of us are happy to say good-bye to 2020 and look forward to positive changes in 2021 that will help put us back on the path to normalcy.  I did take time to look back at my 2020 results and here are the results:

Out of Hounds by Rita Mae Brown ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Rita Mae Brown's foxhunting cozy mystery series "Sister" Jane isn't one I actively seek out but when I see a book in the series I usually pick it up. I enjoy the mystery and the characters are growing on me after a couple of books. Though Out of Hounds is the 13 book in the series, I still don't feel compelled to go back and read the other books in the series.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"She was starting to think that maybe she belonged in this terrible, beautiful place, with its convict-built mansions, its dense bush and strange animals. The eucalyptus with their half-shed bark and woolly foliage, the orange lichen that spread like molten lava across the rocks.  Here she was, rooted to the earth.  Her branches reaching toward the sky, the rings inside as dense as bone.  She felt ancient as if she'd lived forever, but she was only nineteen years old.  The rest of her life in front of her like a ribbon unfurling."  (p 343)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for a full review.

3 Books From 2020 That You Might Have Missed

by Susan Roberts

I always enjoy women's fiction and here are reviews of three books that I read in 2020.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

Marvel's Black Panther: Sins of the King by Ira Madison III et al ~ a Review

by MK French

T’Challa strives to be a good and worthy King of Wakanda, as well as a global citizen, Avenger, and brother. He does his best to do this in spite of traditionalists pushing back at home, and his instincts are put to the test when the undead rise and overtake Wakanda. He then relies on his late father for help in restoring the country.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Grounds for Murder by Tara Lush ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

In Tara Lush's debut cozy mystery Grounds for Murder journalist turned coffee shop owner Lana Lewis investigates a murder after her ex-employee is found dead in the alley.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Until We Are Lost by Leslie Archer ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl at the Border comes a haunting thriller about one woman’s journey into the painful truths threatening to destroy her.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Fictional Forecasting of Advances in Technologies by guest @graybasnight

by Gray Basnight

For reasons I cannot fully explain, my two run-for-your-life novels are set several years in the foreseeable future.  This afforded the opportunity to add a minimal touch of science fiction, even though I’m not a sci-fi writer.  The fact is, forecasting the near future is a lot of fun, especially when it adds to the suspense and adventure of the story.

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Through the Waters and the Wild by Greg Fields ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"I was hungry, seeing myself starving for want of something I could not define. I sought it constantly, sought it at every turn, searched every face I met for hints of it, looked everywhere I could conceive. I lost time trying to slake this unquenchable thirst, trying to satisfy an endlessly burning hunger. But in the end, I knew precisely what I had been after all along. It is the folly of the young, part of their particular curse, to be so unaware, to be blind as well as hungry. To be in exile from themselves and not know they are away."

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Aftershock by Judy Melinek and TJ Mitchell ~ a Review

by MK French

Dr. Jessie Teska is the medical examiner on call when a body is found at a construction site. She discovers it's a homicide staged as an accident, and she has to track down the killer. An earthquake rattles the city, leaving an innocent man framed for the murder. Now Jessie has to race to find the truth before it gets buried.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

If you are looking for a good crime novel full of suspense but isn't a police procedural, then I highly recommend Lisa Gardner's Before She Disappeared. 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

End of the Year Reviews

by Susan Roberts

Today I'm posting my last reviews of 2020.  There are reviews of one women's fiction, one cozy mystery, one memoir, one romance, one book of short stories, and one family fiction about brothers. I hope that this gives you a few new books to add to your list for 2021.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

4 Middle Grades Fantasy Novels to Entertain Your Kids

by MK French

This past year with its virtual learning and stay-at-home order, you may be struggling to find things to keep them entertained. These 4 books will transport your kids to a different world and they can be a fun family read as well.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books are provided for an honest review.

Emma Rous's New Mystery THE PERFECT GUESTS is Full of Suprises

by Donna Huber

I felt like a needed something different to read after reading a lot of cozy mysteries and WWII fiction. I tought The Perfect Guests would be the perfect choice as it is different than what I've been reading but in a genre that I enjoy (and haven't read much of recently). It looked like it would be a good mystery that could get dark and twisty. I'm happy to say that it was indeed a great palate cleanser.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Leslie Brody Pens New Biography of Harriet the Spy author Louise Fitzhugh

by MK French

Louise Fitzhugh published Harriet the Spy in 1964, creating an antiheroine that was unsentimental yet endearing. This was based largely on her own experiences, as she left segregated Memphis for New York City, spent time in lesbian bars of Greenwich Village, and made friends with the avant-garde writers of the day. At the time of publication, Harriet was seen as “nasty” by critics because she didn’t conform to expectations, even if the children reading the book loved her. Louise was told to hide who she really was in order to further her career. Sometimes You Have to Lie seeks to tell Louise’s genuine story.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Sequels: Malorie and Ready Player Two

by Alison DeLuca

Bird Box was one of my favorite books a few years ago. I love taut thrillers with a simple premise that take readers to new places, and Josh Malerman really delivered.  So when an unexpected sequel showed up, for me it was a no-brainer: Malorie (the sequel) went straight into my Kindle. 

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Will a Game of Cat & Mouse End in a Happily Ever After in Megan Crane's SPECIAL OPS SEDUCTION?

by MK French

Bethan Wilcox is a new addition to the Alaska Force team, making Jonas Crow remember his military past. Pretending to be a couple, they not only have to face secrets from the Army Rangers but the attraction building between them.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

A New Romantic WWII Tale from Anita Abriel - LANA'S WAR

by Donna Huber

After reading Anita Abriel's The Light After the War (read my review) last year, I was really looking forward to what she had planned for her next historical fiction story. When I saw Lana's War at Netgalley, I was quick to request it. The writing is wonderful and I loved the characters, which I expected.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

6 New Fantasy Novels to Read This Month

by MK French

You know that I love a good fantasy novel, and this month there are several great stories coming out. I don't want you to miss any of them so I've highlighted 5 fantasy books that will come out later this month and 1 that you can pick up today. I hope you enjoy them, too.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

A Cheery Picture Book to Brighten the Holidays: ALWAYS TOGETHER AT CHRISTMAS

by Donna Huber

Due to delivery delays, I just received a copy of the new children's picture book Always Together at Christmas written by Sara Sargent and illustrated by Mark Chambers. 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

4 New Graphic Novels from DC Comics

MK French

Graphic novels have been a great place to experiment with media, storyline ideas, and things that are hard to translate into film or novels. Some of these books have rebooted characters, or play up visual storytelling that would be incredibly difficult to do in a novel. Today, I have 4 graphic novels from DC Comics that have either recently published or are coming out this month.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

Read this Light and Fun Romance: THE AMISH BAKER'S RIVAL by Marie E. Bast

by Susan Roberts

"Mary would probably enter the competition.  But if either of them won, they could capture a lot of town and tourist business. As a result, it could possibly drive the other out of business...He liked her, and he would truly hate never seeing her again." (p19)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Start the Year Right with a Great New Read from Julia Kelly

by Donna Huber

Are you looking for your first 5-star read of the year? Then you need to pick up Julia Kelly's new novel The Last Garden in England. It was so good that I wish there was more or that I had read it slower.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Fans of the Mandalorian & Cowboy Bebop will love PERSEPHONE STATION by Stina Leicht

by MK French

Persephone Station hovers over a backwater planet that's largely forgotten, but the Serrano-Orlov Corporation knows secrets exist there that they want to exploit. Rosie owns Monk's Bar, a place where mercenaries can go for a drink or to be hired. They hire Angel, a former marine and the head of a wayward group that tends to do the right thing. This job pits them all against the corporation, but it's a fight Angel's willing to have.

Amazon affiliated links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

2 Mysteries for the Long Winter Nights

by MK French

What better way to pass a long winter night than with a good mystery? Settle in with a warm blanket and these books.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

End of the Year Historical Fiction Reading

by Susan Roberts

Historical Fiction is one of my 'go-to' genres when I want to ignore my day to day life.  The way 2020 has gone, I've read a lot of historical fiction so that I can visit other time periods instead of stressing out over what is going on in the world.  Here are reviews of my last six historical fiction novels of 2020.  Two of the books take place during WWII, three take place in the late 40s and one is a book about the 1960s.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review. 

4 New & Notable Titles in Young Adult Fiction

by MK French

There are some really great young adult fiction coming out this month (I've also included one that came out last month in case you missed it). Whether you are a teen or an older adult, you will find these stories entertaining and often thought-provoking. 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan is Back in Marc Cameron's SHADOW OF THE DRAGON

by Donna Huber

When I finished college I no longer knew what I liked to read. What I had read as a young adult in high school no longer held my interest and the only reading I did in college was classics and academic reading. So I browsed the bookshelves in my parents' house and I came across Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series. I had seen the movies - The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Executive Orders - so I picked up Cardinal in the Kremlin and fell in love with Cold War-era espionage. I read every book I could find and eagerly awaited new books in the series. 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.