Book Reviews

  • The Inmate
    It’s been a very long time since I have picked up a book and finished it in a 3-hour sitting, but that is exactly what I did with The Inmate. Readers follow the first-person, present tenseContinue reading “The Inmate”
  • The Lost Apothecary
    Admittedly, the back of this book was a bit misleading. I was honestly expecting a bit more intrigue and darker mood to the story, but I still enjoyed the overall execution. Written in a dual timelineContinue reading “The Lost Apothecary”
  • The Beast Within
    Genre: Fiction, Fairy TaleRating: TV-PG 14 (death, love, darker themes) Villain backstories are a somewhat new demand in the entertainment world, especially for Disney villains that we have all grown up loving to hate. The BeastContinue reading “The Beast Within”
  • Murder by Degrees
    I wanted to love this book. It seemed like the perfect story for the mood I’ve been in lately – a murder mystery set in the late 1800s in Philadelphia. While standing in the bookstore, IContinue reading “Murder by Degrees”
  • Fourth Wing
    by Rebecca Yarros – 3.5/5 Stars – Violet Sorrengail has no choice but to enter the most dangerous school available where students are taught to fly dragons, or die trying.
  • Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen
    4/5 Stars – by Alison Weir – A fictionalized telling of Katherine of Aragon’s life as the first of Henry VIII’s wives.
  • The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
    3.5/5 Stars – by Stuart Turton – Eight days, eight points of view, one protagonist to solve a murder.
  • A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
    by Holly Jackson – 4/5 Stars – 17-year-old Pip chooses an interesting subject for her school project – a deep dive into a murder-suicide that occurred in her small town 5 years prior. Convinced that Andie Bell was not murdered by her suicidal boyfriend, Sal Singh, Pip teams up with Sal’s brother, Ravi, to uncover the truth.
  • Killers of a Certain Age
    by Deanna Raybourn – 2.5/5 Stars – Four retirement-age assassins are finally getting out of the business, but are quickly pulled back in when they discover there is a price on their heads set by their employer.
  • The Alice Network
    by Kate Quinn – 5/5 Stars – Charlie St. Claire enlists the aid of drunken ex-WWI spy Eve Gardiner to track down what happened to her cousin, Rose, during WWII.
  • A Deadly Gilded Free Fall
    by Cecelia Tichi – 4.5/5 Stars – The DeVere’s are back to solving crime when Roddy’s future business partner reveals he is under investigation for the suspicious death of his wife.
  • The Night Shift
    by Alex Finlay – 4/5 Stars – Y2K: only one survives a brutal attack on the employees of a Blockbuster in a small town. 15 years later: only one survives a brutal attack on the employees of an ice cream shop in the same small town. Ella and Jesse, the lone survivors of the attacks, forge a bond and work with FBI Agent Sarah Keller to discover who is responsible.
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
    5/5 Stars – by Roald Dahl – Willy Wonka hosts 5 lucky finders of golden tickets at his chocolate factory for a day.
  • Heaven
    by V.C. Andrews – 3.5/5 stars – Luke Casteel struggles to afford his family of 5 children. Between the boozing and fraternizing, he concocts a plan that will forever alter Heaven’s life, along with her 4 siblings.
  • The Song of Achilles
    Wow. Just…wow. This book had jumped out to me several times at various book stores before I finally convinced myself to take a copy home with me. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect to findContinue reading “The Song of Achilles”
  • Deadly Décisions
    by Kathy Reichs – 4/5 Stars – Dr. Temperance Brennan finds herself in the middle of a biker gang war when she uncovers partial remains of a young girl on gang-owned property.
  • Death at Greenway
    by Lori Rader-Day – 3/5 Stars – Evacuees from London during WWII deal with life during the war while struggling to understand murders and mysterious deaths happening around town.
  • Jurassic Park
    by Michael Crichton – 5/5 Stars – Ancient DNA. Dinosaurs. A man with a terribly naïve vision. What could possibly go wrong?
  • A Most Efficient Murder
    by Anthony Slayton – 4/5 Stars – Family secrets surface during the investigation of the murder of a mysterious woman during Lord Unsworth’s party.
  • The Case of the Carnaby Castle Curse
    by PJ Fitzsimmons – 4/5 Stars – Witty amateur detective Anty Boisjoly sets out to assist a friend uncover if the death of a family member was murder…or an ancient curse.

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  • My Plain Jane
    by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows – 5/5 Stars – Charlotte Brontë assists Mr. Blackwood in recruiting her friend, Jane Eyre, to the Society responsible for relocating ghosts. Unfortunately, Jane is in love with Mr. Rochester, a nefarious individual with a sketchy past.
  • As Old As Time
    by Liz Braswell – 3.5/5 Stars – Disney’s Beauty and the Beast with a dark and haunting twist.
  • First Born
    by Will Dean – 5/5 Stars – Mollie Raven travels to NYC to apprehend her twin sister’s murderer.
  • BFG
    by Roald Dahl – 5/5 Stars – Sophie is kidnapped by the BFG and embarks on an adventure to rescue him from eating snozzcumbers!
  • Enemy Lines
    by Vanessa Lind – 5/5 stars – Hattie continues her line of work as a Union spy during the Civil War, this time working to uncover nefarious doctor Luke Blackstone’s whereabouts.
  • The Alcoholic Mercenary
    by Phil Hughes – 4/5 stars – Nicolo Di Cuma starts life fresh from the military as a mercenary for the Italian mafia in order to protect his brother from their wrath.
  • A Fatal Gilded High Note
    A Fatal Gilded High Note – by Cecelia Tichi – 3.5/5 Stars – Roddy and Val DeVere search for the killer of Coal King Leon Rankin, who was murdered during the opera in the box next to the DeVere’s.
  • The Duke and I
    by Julia Quinn – 3/5 Stars – Daphne Bridgerton is looking for a husband, but lacks suitors. The newly arrived Duke has a plethora of suitors, but doesn’t want a wife. The two scheme together to aid their causes and avoid societal shame.
  • When Ghosts Come Home
    by Wiley Cash – 2.75/5 Stars – Murder and a plane crash, all in one night. Racial tensions are high as Sheriff Barnes works to solve the mystery behind a local man’s murder at the site of a plane crash.
  • The Courier’s Wife
    by Vanessa Lind – 5/5 Stars – Hattie Logan uncovers a plot against the Union that involves her estranged Confederate-supporting parents.
  • The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
    by C.S. Lewis – 4/5 stars – The Pevensie children stumble upon a magic wardrobe that leads to the world of Narnia.
  • Tuck Everlasting
    by Natalie Babbitt – 4/5 Stars – Winnie Foster discovers the Tuck family, who have lived an unusual life after drinking from a stream that provides eternal life.
  • Poison for Breakfast
    by Lemony Snicket – 4/5 Stars – Philosophical musings of life provided by a narrator after receiving a note that he had eaten poison for breakfast.
  • Ordeal by Innocence
    by Agatha Christie – 3.5/5 Stars – Dr. Calgary provides an alibi for Jacko Argyle, 2 years after he is imprisoned for the murder of his adoptive mother. Jacko is now dead, and the family realizes someone in the house is the real murderer.
  • The Princess Bride
    by William Goldman – 4/5 Stars – Girl and boy fall in love. Boy leaves girl on personal quest. Girl believes boy dead and agrees to a loveless marriage. Girl is kidnapped and subsequently rescued by boy and two of her original kidnappers.
  • The Santa Suit
    by Mary Kay Andrews – DNF – Ivy Perkins finds a Santa suit containing a letter from a little girl asking for the safe return of her father from the war. Perkins makes a personal mission out of discovering what the fate of the father was.
  • Midnight Sun
    by Stephanie Meyer – 3.5/5 Stars – Twilight from Edward’s view
  • The Titan’s Curse
    by Rick Riordan – 4/5 Stars – Percy, Grover, Thalia and two of Artemis’s Hunters embark on a quest to rescue Artemis and Annabeth from a mysterious General. As the friends follow various leads across the country, the ominous prophecy provided by the Oracle quickly comes to pass.
  • The Magician’s Nephew
    by C.S. Lewis – 4/5 Stars – Polly and Digory embark on an adventure to several different worlds, thanks to Digory’s cruel Uncle Andrew, in an effort to rid their world of an evil inadvertently drawn to it.
  • Fit to be French Fried
    by Celia Kinsey – 3.5/5 Stars – Food truck owner Felicia tracks down the culprit who committed a surprise attack on one of her regular customers.
  • The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream
    by Dean Jobb – 4/5 Stars – The true story of the life and crimes of Dr. Thomas Neill Cream, a prolific serial killer outlived only by the mysterious nature of Jack the Ripper. Dr. Cream was suspected of poisoning at least 10 people across Canada, the US, and England during the late 1800s.
  • Blind Tiger
    by Sandra Brown – 4/5 Stars – Laurel Plummer is newly widowed and adjusting to life as a single mother, with the help of her newly-acquainted father-in-law. She meets Thatcher Hutton, a veteran, ranch-hand, and sharp-shooter on his way into town. The day Hutton arrives to town, the pregnant wife of the town’s doctor mysteriously disappears. During the investigation into her disappearance, Hutton and the town sheriff uncover a deadly dispute between the local bootleggers – who include Plummer and her father-in-law.
  • The Diary of Anne Frank
    by Anne Frank – 5/5 Stars – “I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I’ve never met. I want to go on living even after my death!” – Anne Frank
  • The Lightning Thief
    by Rick Riordan – 4/5 Stars – Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, embarks on a quest to recover Zeus’s stolen lightning bolt
  • Beauty and the Beast
    by Vivienne Savage – 3.5/5 Stars – Unique retelling of Beauty and the Beast (Disney-version). Anastasia is a strong-willed princess who chooses to live with a dragon named Alistair when her father attempts to marry her to an awful prince.
  • Clanlands: Whisky, Warfare, and a Scottish Adventure Like No Other
    by Sam Hueghan and Graham McTavish – 5/5 Stars – Follow Sam and Graham on their road trip around Scotland in this humorous, informative, diary-entry-style book.
  • Dark and Shallow Lies
    by Ginny Myers Sain – 4/5 Stars – Grey’s best friend, Elora, has mysteriously disappeared. Joined by Elora’s brother, Grey tries to find out what happened to Elora before it’s too late.
  • Johnie Irish
    by T.N. Jones – 4/5 Stars – Page turner that tells the story of wrongly-convicted-but-the-world-doesn’t-believe-him ex-con Bayer Thompson.
  • Dior or Die
    by Laura E. Akers – 3/5 Stars – Davia Glenn is a secret operative for the U.S. military and is the only woman on an all-male team. When her wealthy aunt dies and leaves her fortune to Davia, her inheritance comes with a slew of odd requirements in order for Davia to retain use of the money, all of which require her to leave her team.
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses
    by Sarah J. Maas – 4/5 Stars – Feyre lives in a world where the only thing separating humans from various magical beings is a wall. Through a series of events, Feyre ends up living with a faerie beyond the wall, believing herself to be stuck there forever.
  • Gilded
    by Marissa Meyer – 3.5 to 4/5 Stars – A unique, darker and macabre spin on the story of Rumpelstiltskin.
  • Crossings
    I actually finished this book several months ago, but have been debating on how to write this review. This was by far my favorite book that I read during 2021. It is one of those booksContinue reading “Crossings”
  • The Fiery Cross
    Boy, was this book a beast. The Fiery Cross is the 5th book in the Outlander series, and if you haven’t read the previous 4 books, DO NOT READ THIS YET. Gabaldon’s writing is incredible. SheContinue reading “The Fiery Cross”
  • Ready Player Two
    If you follow me on goodreads, you’ll notice that I gave this a 4/5 on there. After having about a week to ruminate on the ending of the book, I’ve dropped my rating down half aContinue reading “Ready Player Two”
  • The Wicked Widow
    Wow. Just…wow. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book through a goodreads giveaway. This is the third book in The Wicked City series by Williams. I will start with this – ifContinue reading “The Wicked Widow”
  • Skeletons in the Attic: A Marketville Mystery
    Skeletons in the Attic follows the storyline of Callie’s investigation into her past after her father passes away suddenly and leaves a note telling Callie that her mother was murdered when Callie was a child. TheContinue reading “Skeletons in the Attic: A Marketville Mystery”
  • To Have or to Hoax
    “He knew that she knew. Or rather, he knew that she knew that he knew. It was enough to give any man a headache, truly.” To Have and to Hoax is predictably loveable and entertaining. TheContinue reading “To Have or to Hoax”
  • The Wicked Redhead
    This is the second installment in the Wicked City series by Williams. I’ve read that the majority of her books are written to be in series but you don’t have to read the series to understandContinue reading “The Wicked Redhead”
  • The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
    Wow. When I first opened this book, I couldn’t figure out how this pathetic, woe-is-me, weak, yet slightly likeable character ever turned in to the horrid, evil, awful President Snow in the original Hunger Games trilogy.Continue reading “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”
  • The Wicked City
    Yes. That’s right. This book received a 3.75/5 stars. This was the first book I’ve ever read by Beatriz Willaims, but certainly not the last. I enjoyed her style of writing, which was descriptive, but notContinue reading “The Wicked City”
  • The Secret, Book & Scone Society
    ADVANCE APOLOGIES FOR THE LONG RANT POST- Lots to unpack…if you don’t want to read the full review, scroll to the last paragraph to see why I gave this 2 stars! I so badly wanted toContinue reading “The Secret, Book & Scone Society”
  • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
     This book has intrigued me for the past several years. I’ve never gotten around to actually adding it to my “want to read” list, since I had never really bothered to learn too much about it.Continue reading “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
  • Ready Player One
    When I saw the movie “Ready Player One”, I had no idea it was based on a book. I enjoyed the movie and it’s in my “would watch again” pile. When the book came across myContinue reading “Ready Player One”
  • Peter Pan
    Forget what Disney told you about the story of Peter Pan – the differences between this book and the movie are astounding. I picked this up curious to read the story behind the movie I hadContinue reading “Peter Pan”

My Scoring Process

5 Stars – I will 100% read this book again. It is now a staple on my bookshelf and I will talk about it nonstop to whoever will listen. When I wasn’t reading this book, all I wanted to do was read this book.

4 Stars – There’s a 60% chance I will read it again and a 100% chance I will recommend this book to or buy it as a gift for friends and family. I spent any free time I had reading this book.

3 Stars – Likely won’t read this book again, and it won’t survive the next shelf cleanout. There was nothing outlandishly wrong with it, but nothing outstanding about it either.

2 Stars – Definitely won’t read again. This is top of the donate pile. I read the whole thing, but it was more of a chore than fun.

1 Star – Donated yesterday. I hated this book, and couldn’t even get past the first 50 – 100 pages.

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