Catherine Ryan Howard - Rewind

PLAY
Andrew, the manager of Shanamore Holiday Cottages, watches his only guest via a hidden camera in her room. One night the unthinkable happens: a shadowy figure emerges onscreen, kills her and destroys the camera. But who is the murderer? How did they know about the camera? And how will Andrew live with himself?
PAUSE
Natalie wishes she'd stayed at home as soon as she arrives in the wintry isolation of Shanamore. There's something creepy about the manager. She wants to leave, but she can't - not until she's found what she's looking for...
REWIND
This is an explosive story about a murder caught on camera. You've already missed the start. To get the full picture you must rewind the tape and play it through to the end, no matter how shocking...

Comment: Last year I've read a book by this author which I enjoyed, even though it wasn't perfection for me. Still, I was curious enough to try another and now, finally, I did.

Natalie is a successful instagramer and her life seems to be what everyone always envisions but the truth is that Natalie is somewhat tired of keeping up the happy persona. One day, she finds out a strange receipt of a stay under her husband's name, of a place neither have been to, and she decides to investigate, thinking the worst. From then on, only terrible things happen, and as the police and a reporter start investigating what might have happened, new secrets start to unravel, and details which seemed meaningless, and people who seemed harmless,turn out to be key in finding out certain things. What is going on at the cottage where Natalie went to learn how the receipt came to be? Who is there that might have been aiming to hurt her?

Now that I have finished a second book by this author, I can say I have an idea of her style and my conclusion about this novel is the same I had in regards to the other one I had read. The plot is ingenious, the writing is competent, but there is a little something missing when it comes to how the reveal of the big twist was done.

The story is told in an interesting way: we have chapters from the POV of several characters, namely Natalie, Andrew the receptionist at the cottages she is staying at, Jennifer the receptionist at another hotel, Audrey the reporter, Seanie the young police officer and if I'm missing someone I cannot remember now. Some of these characters don't know each other, so part of the story is told in the past (rewind), in what happened when Audrey investigates (fast forward) and in apparently isolated moments (play and pause). This method made it exciting, yes, but there were times I was a little confused about what was happening because, for instance, the rewind scenes were both told by Andrew and Natalie's POVs, and things didn't always match.

In spite of this, it was easy to keep turning the pages, since something new is always being added, and the tension of finding out what might come next was well achieved. The little things related to the characters' possible secrets and why they do certain things are given at believable intervals and I had many doubts for a long time. Of course, there comes a time where something more substantial needs to be said, and once some clues come in, the big picture becomes a bit obvious.

I mean, the hows and who become obvious but the why took longer for me to understand. It's not that I'm a reader that guesses things quickly, but the way this is told, for some things to make sense, means a few details start to become evident. For instance, Natalie checks the cottages because the fears her husband had an affair, and the whole set up was quite clever, but we are never really told if he is guilty or not. And if not, why did Natalie receive the receipt suggesting he was? This was done well, but as soon as the reader accepts the possibility he might not have had an affair, a lot of things make perfect sense.

All the characters have secrets, some more dangerous and/or disgusting than others, but the psychological state of mind of each were quite provocative. Even Audrey the reporter, who seems to be doing only an aftermath work is hiding insecurities and some impulsiveness that makes the reader momentarily doubt her skills or motifs. Some of the others are even more complex, which makes the exercise of following them even more interesting.

To me, the flaw, let's call it that, in the plot was about this. As soon as a certain idea takes root, all the pieces fit, and I cannot understand why it isn't obvious sooner, but from the moment I assumed the husband didn't have an affair, everything became easier and the big reveal at the end was not truly surprising because I already had imagined that scenario. But, evidently, perhaps my assumption might not be correct. Nevertheless, it was still rewarding to see the culprit being caught and the explanations given by reporter Audrey. The end also provided information on some red herrings which sometimes worked, sometimes were too glaring.

I will certainly read more by this author because while a few things aren't as seamlessly added as they could, the overall effect is still quite worthwhile.

Grade: 8/10

Evie Woods - The Lost Bookshop

‘The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’
On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found…
For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.
But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.

Comment: This is another buddy read choice and my friend and I have picked this one because it would be about books, of course, and we do like the "books about books" theme.

In this story we follow three main characters as their personal stories connect through the same element, a bookshop in Ireland. In 1920s, Opaline is a daring young woman who doesn't want to conform to the expectations on her role, and she runs from her brother, who aims to marry her off to someone she doesn't know. Her dream is to work with books and she goes to Paris to pursue her dream, which leads her to live through many adventures and worries, as her brother pursues her. In the present, Martha and Henry meet by chance and see themselves in constant contact from then on, for Henry is looking for Opaline's bookshop, which should be next door to the house where Martha works at as a housekeeper, but which doesn't seem to exist. What happened, why is the building simply not where it should? What is Martha hiding? What happened to Opaline?

On paper, this story had everything to make it a great one, secrets and weird things, daring characters and hints at romance, magical realism elements... books and stuff about books, it did seem like this had to be a successful book to me, but the truth is that the writing style didn't win me over.

The story is told alternatively by three characters, Opaline in the 1920s and Martha and Henry in the present. All share their POVs in first person, and sometimes this annoyed me to no end, although this isn't a romance - which is where first person, badly done, really gets on my nerves -  because the writing felt very simplistic and without enough depth to sustain the type of plot and what the characters go through. All face some sort of difficulty in their lives, and there are traumatic situations they must deal with as well, which I think weren't really developed and almost glossed over.

Opaline is certainly the most interesting character, she lives at a time women still have no real rights and she dreams of working, of doing something that makes her happy and that is book related. I could empathize with her very easily and root for her being successful, but the way she simply leaves to a foreign place and things work out with only mild worries at first felt very childish written. Surely the author could add more urgency and layers to all this.

Martha and Henry are living in the contemporary years and their meeting is quite simple but apparently develops into seriousness very quickly. However, both have to deal with current relationships (Martha has run from her abusive husband, and Henry has a girlfriend in England) before something happens, but their connection is immediate. I mean, I did struggle with this element because, again, the writing made this seem very juvenile and now the result of thoughtful adult emotions, as I imagined it should, considering their personal stories, which we learn of as the story moves on.

My main issue has to be the fact the voices/personalities of these three all seem the same! The author wrote them in first person but apart from the details related to each, I'd not differentiate them. It's really a pity how such a promising story, with so many elements that could enrich the storytelling felt short if the writing isn't as polished. I mean, nothing is badly done, only not masterful nor smooth. Plus, since most situations are presented in a slightly superficial way, of course the emotional connection failed for me as well.

There are some magical realism elements here and there, sometimes so random that I wonder why bothering with them, and to be honest, some things still don't make sense to me. In the meantime, I have even looked at questions readers asked on GR about the book, I've read some reviews hoping to understand one detail or two but my conclusion is that when it was handy, the magical realism element was there, to add a certain vibe, when it didn't seem important, it wasn't there.

Opaline and Martha have complicated challenges for their role as women when there are men in their lives who seemingly have all the power. I think this theme offered interesting food for thought elements and I did like that they have what we could say were relatively traditional HEAs, but what they go through was only alluded at, not really developed. This is a pity, considering the author decided to include those themes. Perhaps less intense elements would have been a better choice.

I did like the book conversations, the book references, the characters sometimes talk abut this title or that, and Opaline's bookshop and her look for deals seemed intriguing and something I'd like to know more of. The bookshop and how it is there and then it isn't also offered interesting ideas, so not everything is bad, certainly, but I feel this book could have been so much better.

Grade: 6/10

Debora Geary - A Nomadic Witch

Spring brings a traveler to Nova Scotia - a tiny babe who will turn Marcus's life upside down and reincarnate the horrifying events of his past.
Can Marcus find his way through the pain to love and healing? And can the witching community finally learn to keep their astral travelers safe?
A Nomadic Witch is book four of the top-rated A Modern Witch series. Light contemporary fantasy with a good dose of humor, a little romance, and characters you won't want to leave.

Comment: This is the 4th book in the Modern Witch series, which follows a family/community of witches as they go on with their lives and share things with one another.

In this story, Marcus becomes the protagonist because although he has a reputation for being lonely and unfriendly, he is still part of the family and everyone loves him anyway. He is completely surprised, though, when a baby is left on his doorstep and everyone starts acting as if he should take care of the child. Baby Morgan seems to be a "gift" sent by his deceased brother Evan, who died when he was only a child, but how did this come to be? And when it seems Morgan is also an astral voyager like even was, which was why he died, Marcus is even more worried he can't be the right person to help Morgan... but can he resist her?

As I've said before, I've loved the first book because the mix of cozy elements and a heroine who was new to the witch world and a secondary romance that felt both magical and destined were perfectly done, for my taste. Even though I could see the "issues" about the novel's execution, the combination of all those things felt practically perfect for me. The second and third ones, however, weren't as dazzling nor addictive, but the familiarity with the characters compensated.

Now, this fourth book is centered on Marcus, someone who has the fame of being an introvert and sometimes even rude, and I was curious to see him finally dealing with the guilt he has carried since his brother died, although it wasn't his fault. The baby element was interesting,provided some cute and funny scenes, but I kind of wish the author had also inserted a romance here. Not that he needed a woman to take care of the baby of course, lots of family around to help, but I assumed him being the focus would include romance too.

Well, I feel a little sad and disappointed this these sequels haven't given me the same feeling I had with the first book. That one somehow worked out so perfectly.... now, the community is there, the sense of help, family, caring, all those cozy and sweet emotions are as greatly used as before but the little things, the surprising new things heroine Lauren had to face in book #1 just don't exist anymore, and now all the characters seem too much alike, think the same things and there is no novelty in how they react to surprises and challenges. Everyone is perfect. 

I didn't mind this before, true, because in the first book that perfection still included relatable feelings, but now I'm struggling to enjoy the repetitiveness. Perhaps, if this story also included a romance Marcus didn't expect, would make things more interesting, more vibrant. I can understand the focus on his personal healing and in helping a baby and all that, but this story was, for the most part, a little too boring. I do feel bad saying this, because I still like the idea of such close people/family, but... in terms of plot, after 3 books, perhaps this 4th one could have introduced new situations.

Considering that most of the novel was a little uneventful, when a situation closer to the end, related to Marcus' guilt and his need to move on becomes possible, it was quite the emotional surprise and it offered an interesting view on closure. I liked it that the characters could learn something new and that this might help everyone in the community in the future, but it happened quite quickly and  too close to the end... it made the rest of the story feel like it dragged.

All in all, I really expected more of this story... I will read the next one someday, again with the hope it will bring back the feelings I had when i read the first book.

Grade: 6/10

Sharon Gosling - The Lighthouse Bookshop

At the heart of a tiny community in a remote village just inland from the Aberdeenshire coast stands an unexpected lighthouse. Built two centuries ago by an eccentric landowner, it has become home to the only bookshop for miles around.
Rachel is an incomer to the village. She arrived five years ago and found a place she could call home. So when the owner of the Lighthouse Bookshop dies suddenly, she steps in to take care of the place, trying to help it survive the next stage of its life.
But when she discovers a secret in the lighthouse, long kept hidden, she realises there is more to the history of the place than she could ever imagine. Can she uncover the truth about the lighthouse’s first owner? And can she protect the secret history of the place?

Comment: I got interested in this book while looking for something else. This got in my radar and I wondered if it would be a good story, at least the premise seemed fine... since it wasn't expensive, I've decided to give it a go.

In a small village near Aberdeenshire, there is a lighthouse in a place that isn't very usual, even more so since it is where the local bookshop is located. The business part of things isn't the best but what matters is the local community and those who live nearby enjoy their life as it is. Then, suddenly, two new people arrive to shake things up a little. Toby, a writer, finds the bookshop and its mysterious employee Rachel fascinating, and Gilly, who seems to be homeless, finds comfort and shelter there. However, the bookshop's owner Cullen, an old man is true, sadly passes away and his last words to Rachel seem to be a confused mess, but then Rachel discovers a secret in the lighthouse and the lives of everyone are about to change. Will Toby and Gilly, newcomers, be the help the community needed to maintain the coziness of their lives?

I really focused on the "romance" and "community" words I've seen when this book got on my radar and those were the elements I expected to find while reading. It is a fact these elements exist in this novel, but I will also say I didn't think the plot choices to be as great as they could have been.

The story is told in a very lyric manner I'd say. It reminded me of a tale told by the fireplace, the setting and the story are wonderful details but perhaps not to the extension it has. I liked the story, both the one related to the characters we follow, as well as the one hinted at while they research the secret found in the lighthouse. Perhaps it was how the author chose to tell this story that didn't fully work for me... the writing is correct and fluid enough but it is also a little bland and safe and lacks vibrancy.

All the characters have a past that would be great to develop, to go into more deeply but we are given only surface ideas and situations. This contrasted with the lengthy descriptions of the days going by while everyone is going on with their lives and the little things happening here and there. I can't explain it better, but the writing style wasn't fully suitable, I think the author should have focused on just three or four characters' POVs, and let us infer things about others in a different way, instead of having third person references to so many characters. It got to a point where things were repetitive, not always exciting...

I did like the characters, but Rachel was just too mysterious acting, even though she had a good reason, and this means her interactions with Toby were too superficial and didn't seem to be that important, considering the wording in how they saw each other and what they did together, which wasn't much. It was difficult to see how they would be this amazing couple, although they don't really become one officially, anyway. The romance we do get is actually related to another couple and while I can see how they would be a good match, most things happen out of the page. To summarize, the story has a lot of themes and situations and neither feels really developed.

I did like the local references, some information about Scotland and books, one of the characters is an artist so some interesting details about what she does is also interesting, then when they investigate the lighthouse's secret, those sections were good too. I think the idea of this story was great, and the characters in general as well, but the mix of everything wasn't as fluid as I assume the author wanted. I did fail to establish an emotional connection with everyone, except Gilly, but Gilly wasn't the main character, so she didn't have as much focus as she could.

For most of the novel, I had mixed impressions, sometimes things seem great and captivated me, other times things were boring and I wish we could move on from that moment. Some of the things hinted at, both the romantic relationships and the story hidden in the lighthouse, seemed to not have a matching "reward" in how they were dealt with. I feel the author just wanted those elements to justify plot decisions and not because they were really intrinsic to the main story. It feels some details weren't used as well as they could.

I think my impression is simple, considering what I have written repetitively: the writing didn't convince me, it made everything too bland. I think it started well, it did have good details and offered interesting moments here and there, but as a whole, too boring and without enough bookshop situations, plus the characters were under developed.

Grade: 5/10

Rosie Walsh - The Love of My Life

I have held you at night for ten years and I didn't even know your name. We have a child together. A dog, a house.
Who are you?
Emma loves her husband Leo and their young daughter Ruby: she’d do anything for them. But almost everything she's told them about herself is a lie.
And she might just have got away with it, if it weren’t for her husband’s job. Leo is an obituary writer; Emma a well-known marine biologist. When she suffers a serious illness, Leo copes by doing what he knows best – researching and writing about his wife’s life. But as he starts to unravel the truth, he discovers the woman he loves doesn’t really exist. Even her name isn’t real.
When the very darkest moments of Emma’s past finally emerge, she must somehow prove to Leo that she really is the woman he always thought she was . . .But first, she must tell him about the other love of her life.

Comment: Some years ago I've given a book by this author as a gift to a friend. While in the process of choosing, the author's other title, meaning this one, somehow caught my eye, and I've decided to get it for myself.

Emma and Leo have a great marriage, and their lives have become richer since the birth of their daughter Ruby. Their professional lives are stable as well, and it all seems to be perfect until the day Leo notices something strange and decides to investigate. At the same time, while doing his everyday work of writing obituaries, he is reprehended over a piece he pre-wrote for the wife of a BBC presenter, who has been missing, in case she is found dead. All this things put him in a position of suspicion and Leo decides to look at some details his wife told him, and that he found to be lies. What exactly is she hiding and why? Is there any connection with the BBC presenter and if so, what happened?

The blurb of this book seemed to hint at a mystery/light thriller and that was the main reason why I was interested in reading it. Although this isn't my most consumed genre, I like to try things that might catch my eye and while the plot of this one didn't seem to indicate anything original, I was still curious enough to try.

From the start, this was precisely the idea I had, that while Leo and Emma had a good relationship, she was hiding something and it really seems that her secret is an affair. Things were going well enough, if not spectacular, but I will say I wasn't totally convinced by the first person narrator, alternated between Leo and Emma's POVs. I suppose the tactic is obvious, this way we only get their perspective and everyone knows sometimes narrators aren't reliable. However, this forced way to keep up the mystery elements also made the writing jarring, and I don't think the author pulled it off.

As things move along, I've started to notice that the thriller vibe was becoming less and less intense, so much that around the middle of the book this story looked more like any other woman's fiction novel and not a mystery anymore, even though certain things had not yet been shared. The secrets became obvious, though, and having the book divided into three parts, in which the second (slightly after half way) with Emma's POV twenty years before "explaining everything" was a little disappointing. The third part is actually about how the characters process things, without any real mystery yet to uncover.

As I often do after finishing a book, I've glanced at some other readers' reviews and saw that several believe the issue to have been the mix of genres. it doesn't seem clear what the author intended with this novel, and I agree in part. If it was meant to be a mystery, I feel it wasn't thrilling, if it was more about the characters' development, then the execution failed to keep up the motivation. I've finished only to see if Leo and Emma would still be married at the end, but the story did lack some excitement after a while.

Leo and Emma seem to be a good couple and having access to their thoughts makes me like them, they do seem good people, even though Emma is hiding something. When we find out what, it's really not that bad, well, from a moral POV I mean, it certainly would have been stressful, traumatic and chaotic if to happen to real people. Still, while they are good people, while I understand them, the writing style never brought them to any sphere of uniqueness and they could have been any other characters.

Some of Emma's choices in the present seem to be exaggerated and it does seem that she went too far by keeping such a secret from Leo. I suppose I can understand but at the same time it does feel that her reactions and options weren't really justified.

All in all, this did offer interesting details and it painted a picture of a story that while predictable, it was still captivating until a certain point. I my opinion, writing style and plot choices just didn't do it justice. Again, it's not bad book, but it wasn't as great as it might have been either.

Grade: 6/10

Tal Bauer - The Rest of the Story

Let me earn it.
I keep things simple. I’m a classic one-night wonder. Relationships? Are you out of your mind? No. No way. Not interested. My heart is vulcanized rubber, puck hard, and that’s the way I like it.
Then I'm traded to the absolute worst team in the NHL, the Rocky Mountain Outlaws, and I’m hit with a one-two punch.
First: I’m asked to step up and lead the team, which is every kind of bad idea you can imagine. I'm a head-down, mind-my-business kind of guy. Mr. Uninvolved, Mr. No, Not Me, Mr. Find Someone Else. But these players have been through a mess of hell, and someone thinks I can help pull them together.
The Outlaws are made up of jaded veterans and wide-eyed rookies, and we have no business whatsoever succeeding. We are scrappy and plucky and built out of spit and duct-tape… and whatever we’re doing, it’s working.
Second: The first day I’m in Boulder, I go over the boards and come face-to-face with a pair of blue eyes and lose my heart. Boy, howdy: meet my new co-captain, Shea Darling.
He’s way, way off-limits. It's a stratospherically terrible idea to want or crave him. This crush, this infatuation, is going nowhere fast.
Yeah, right. I’m gone for Shea. I’m head over heels, and I’m all tangled up in something I can’t understand or control. This isn’t me. I don’t fall in love. And there’s nothing simple about Shea, or about the Outlaws. This team is finally putting up the wins, and we are making something of ourselves. Falling for my co-captain while we’re on a Cinderella run could jeopardize everything we’re striving for.
But then there’s this one night.
And this one kiss. And everything changes. Eighty-two games in a season. Twenty men hungry for redemption. One co-captain who could be my forever.
This is the rest of the story.

Comment: This is the third book I read by this author, the second one featuring hockey players. I feel confident already to say I can have a good read on the author's formula and while it's readable and addictive for the most part, his style is also rather cheesy...

Morgan is a veteran hockey player, meaning he is in his early 30s, and he has had a pretty good career but not remarkable despite having won a Stanley Cup once. He feels he might be ready for retirement when his agent calls to say he has been traded to the Outlaws, the worst team on the league. He is reluctant but after contacting a friend in that team, he is told something is going on and the Outlaws need his help. When he arrives, he finds something no one would imagine and he can't truly ignore he needs to help his new teammates. He isn't prepared, though, to find such a quick connection with Shea, his new co-captain, and that he also seems to reciprocate the interest. The focus has to be the team and to bring everyone together as such, but is there hope for Morgan and Shea to be more than just teammates?

As it had happened when I read the other two books by this author, I've found everything to be addictive and compelling for a while, from the start of the book until a certain point. Then, things start to become a little mushy, a little sugary, but I didn't particularly mind, I suppose one gets used to it. My issue is that, just like in the other books, closer to the end, something dramatic! happens and the plot turns into melodramatics. I really think the stories would gain more by not having such highlight on this tactic.

The plot is seemingly simple: Morgan arrives at the Outlaws with the reputation of being a easygoing guy, who does make waves, but he has the experience and confidence to do the opposite, something his friend Gavin is betting on. We soon learn the Outlaws' captain is being authoritarian and the coaches are complicit of this. I never understood why, perhaps laziness, not caring? Anyway, Morgan arrives and very quickly everything changes. The other players, who until now have been psychologically manipulated, suddenly start to work as a team and Morgan seems to be the "father" figure", the real captain the team should have had.

I was actually feeling the vibe of this in a very entertaining way, you know, this fantasy idea that someone is that special, and then, of course, the management of the team changes and all the pieces start to work out. I will repeat the word fantasy, because from a certain point on, that is what this story feels like, even though things don't get magically solved, it still feels as the plot moves on to a very fluid state of things, the puzzle pieces fit in well.

The team becomes stronger, the friendship bonds reveal they are all great guys and that the terrible state of things before Morgan arrived is now firmly behind them. It was a little too fairy tale like, which I've come to conclude is the author's style. Tal Bauer simple needs to write about good people having their HEA while stuff around them happens positively. I cannot say I dislike this but then, it's as if the struggles are just props to force the characters to move a certain way and to, obviously, set up a comparison with the negative aspects when things go wrong.

What happens here to add drama isn't that unlikely to believe, but it's also too much and the guys'reactions seem exaggerated, no matter how much they care about each other as friends and as a team. I have accepted that if I am to enjoy the author's romances, and I do plan on trying others one day, this is just the way things are and if knowing drama will happen, along with sugary romance, then the book would never work. I prefer to think about the "good vibes".

I won't write about the romance between Morgan and Shea, it's too sugary, too easy, too cute, just like the others I've read. Yes, I always feel happy for them, but it's fantasy romance, nor truly realistic.

Nevertheless the issues I could keep criticizing that might fit my personal taste, I still had a good time reading the book, it entertained me, it motivated me to read more by the author and more m/m stories with the themes (hockey+romance), so positive is was.

Grade: 7/10

TBR Challenge: Amy T. Matthews - Someone Else's Bucket List

After the untimely death of her outgoing, hugely successful influencer sister, an introverted woman takes on the terrifying challenge of completing her sister’s bucket list as the world watches, in a bid to save her family—and others—from the crippling medical debt her cancer battle left behind.
My dying wish is for you to finish my bucket list. I refuse to die without knowing this list will be completed. And I refuse to die without knowing my family will be okay . . .
Jodie Boyd is a shy and anxious twenty-something, completely unsure what to do with her life. Her older sister, Bree, is an adventurous, globe-trotting, hugely successful Instagram influencer with more than a million followers. She’s the most alive person Jodie knows—up until Bree’s unfathomable, untimely death from Leukemia. The Boyds are devastated, not to mention overwhelmed with medical debt. But Bree thought of everything—and soon, Jodie is shocked by a new post on her sister’s Instagram feed.
The first of many Bree recorded in secret, the post foretells a jaw-dropping challenge for Jodie: to complete Bree’s very public bucket list. From “Fly over Antarctica,” to “Perform a walk-on cameo in a Broadway musical,” if Jodie does it—and keeps all Bree’s followers—a corporate sponsor will pay off the staggering medical debt. If she gains followers, the Boyds won’t be the only ones to benefit. It’s crazy. It’s terrifying. It’s impossible, immoral even, to refuse. So, despite the whole world watching, Jodie plunges in, never imagining that in death, her sister will teach her how to live, and that the last item on the list—“Fall in love”—may just prove to be the easiest.

Comment: Here we are for another TBR Challenge post. The days do fly by so quickly...

The theme for the month of April is "fool's errand" and I've decided on a book whose main character will finish the bucket list of her recently deceased sister, as a way to pay off the medical bills. I thought this idea to be a little crazy, especially since the tasks aren't easy to imagine being accomplished.

Jodie and her family have lost Bree, her older and adventurous sister. Bree has traveled all over the world and has seen incredible things and had it all posted on social media, making her a very famous influencer. However, cancer doesn't pick people and Bree fought but could not win this battle, meaning her family has been left with a huge debt to be paid. Knowing how this would affect her family, Bree still found the will to prepare things so that, with the help of a flying company, her sister could be sponsored to finish her bucket list and make some publicity about it, and the flying company would pay off what her family owes. The issue is that Jodie has never been an extrovert like her sister and some tasks seem unlikely to be met, such as falling in love, how can Jodie find someone in such a short amount of time?

In spite of the theme, I still had hopes this story would be a sweet story about sisterly love and doing things out of your comfort zone, with Jodie trying her best to finish the tasks and "discovering herself" at the same time. I was not counting on the fact the flying company being so active in Jodie's days... I thought the company would be a viewer like everyone else, and Jodie would need to do most things on her own, with them only facilitating the hard stuff, such as flying over Antartica of course. But no, this story went on to be way more about public exposure than what I imagined.

This is my first book by the author, so no expectation writing wise, and now I can say the style is accessible and pleasant which means that, in general the reading experience was a positive one. However, in my opinion, things drag. There are several passages and situations that happen in a repetitive pattern or include a lot of information/scenes that could have been edited. I think if this had happened, a few details would have been more poignant. For instance, the first three chapters describe Bree's illness and days while battling her disease, which was emotional, yes, but I kept thinking if we really had to have so many pages with something that not only was already established but that we knew how would end...

The bucket list idea seems very silly from a practical POV. It also makes the whole experience a little far fetched because there things in the list that cannot be achieved easily. Still, I had an idea the plot of this book would be for Jodi to find a way to do things on her own, even if that included the company paying her expense in going to the places or buying the "tools" necessary to do it. No, the reality is that someone from the company helps Jodie and deals with all those complicated details... I mean, OK, that should free Jodie to reach personal conclusions easier but the whole things turns into a circus.

I think I understand the point, on how social media takes over one's life and what is there isn't always true or only shows things for value's sake and all that, but while I as reading, although the things Jodie accomplishes and the friendships/acquaintances she forms teach her something, it also kind of made the story feel less serious, considering it happens because someone died. The author does try to highlight this, but I think there were too many distractions for the subject to be taken as seriously as I think it merited.

Romance wise, I liked it where this went, but of course there was a third act problem that made everything seem melodramatic when it didn't have to be. Despite this, I liked what happened between Jodie and her intended and the lessons we were supposed to learn from this novel. I'm also aware of the flaws in this novel, the things that weren't done very correctly, but considering the premise, this is a contemporary fantasy and I could let go of reality to just enjoy reading.

Grade: 7/10

Grace Burrowes - A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances

Lord Julian Caldicott, still recovering from his years at war, is tasked with investigating the circumstances of a small boy who could be either the salvation of the Waltham dukedom or a pawn in a scheme to sink the Caldicott family in endless scandal. The boy is alone in the world, though any one of several women might be his mother, and they all claim that Julian’s brother, the late Lord Harry Caldicott, was the child's father. Or a heritage of honor...
To uncover the boy's parentage, Julian must face demons from his own past, solve puzzles left behind by Lord Harry, and thwart enemies who wish the lad harm for reasons of their own. His investigation takes him from barracks, to brothels, and to Hyde Park by dark of night. The longer he searches, the more tangled—and dangerous—the mystery becomes, for Julian and for the innocent child who deserves to know the truth of his own birthright.

Comment: This is the third installment in the Lord Julian Mysteries series by Grace Burrowes, an interesting historical blend of light mystery and character development.

In this adventure, which closely follows the events of the previous one, Lord Julian and his brother, the duke, need to investigate the claim that a certain boy, who has been living with a military widow, is the son of Harry, their deceased brother. The boy came with his mother and nursemaid but the widow isn't interested in offering more charity and it is necessary to make sure he is who everyone claims. This leads Julian to investigate the mother, who died of consumption, the nursemaid and even the widow... what he discovers paints a picture but it also takes him into paths that might help him, personally. Is the boy truly his nephew or not, that is the question...

This being the third book in the series and having I read other books by the author means I kind of know what to expect from the author's style. It also helps that these Lord Julian stories are more on the short size than not, which means the plot is actually rather concise. One could even say that the mysteries are more a character study than actual riddles to solve, and most of the focus is on how Julian connects the dots than a serious investigation like the police would do.

As I imagined, this was an easy and additive story to read, between the plot and the author's writing style. It's actually funny because in some other books by the author I've read, there were times certain ways of explaining what was happening felt a little annoying but in these books, I think the author really got the perfect method to write and deliver the information. I also like it that the characters "speak" in a realistic but still approachable manner, especially since English isn't my mother tongue.

The plot is quite simple, of course, the more we get to learn as things become available. The boy, Leander, is rumored to be the son of Julian's brother, the one who died at war, but no one knew about him. The mother also died and didn't leave documents or enough evidence to support her claim. If the duke acknowledges the connection, it would lead to a certain behavior and society expectations, which of course is different if the boy isn't related to them. Julian needs to investigate with discretion and in the process of asking questions about Leander and those who were close to him at some point, he learns things about himself too.

This is really an interesting study in decoding secrets. Things people say or let it be known in a version of events, which can be seen differently if one looks at it from a different angle. I like the psychological element to these "games" and how we can learn if what mattered was truly that simple or more complex. For instance, Leander's mother had good reason to not share certain things when she came to live with the widow, someone she knew in her past, and when we learn them, it becomes easy to see why. At the same time, if those things had been shared right away, a lot of the plot would have been simplified.

I think the mystery aspects in this novel were engaging enough to keep me interested in what would happen next. I also liked how everything ends and the inferring we can have out of it.

As for the development of the characters' relationships and interactions, this was also something that seemed well done.

There is one little detail, however, that bothered me a little bit. Julian and Hyperia, the woman he would have married if not for the war and its consequences, are still friendly and we know he still has feelings for her. They have an honest conversation in this book, and I thought this would be a sweet prelude to further romantic developments - I still think this will happen, the series is long after all! - but then she confides something and I'm a little annoyed because even if this is something she feels, was it unavoidable to talk about it now, when they aren't even a real couple yet? I think it was unnecessary.

Still, all in all, this was a satisfying add-on to the series. I'm certainly going to keep reading!

Grade: 8/10

Julie Anne Long - Hot in Hellcat Canyon

A broken truck, a broken career, and a breakup heard around the world land superstar John Tennessee McCord in Hellcat Canyon. Legend has it that hearts come in two colors there: gold or black. And that you can find whatever you’re looking for, whether it’s love . . . or trouble. JT may have found both in waitress Britt Langley.
His looks might cause whiplash and weak knees, but Britt sees past JT’s rough edge and sexy drawl to a person a lot like her: in need of the kind of comfort best given hot and quick, with clothes off and the lights out.
Her wit is sharp but her eyes and heart—not to mention the rest of her—are soft, and JT is falling hard. But Britt has a secret as dark as the hills, and JT’s past is poised to invade their present. It’s up to the people of Hellcat Canyon to help make sure their future includes a happily ever after.

Comment: I had this book in the pile since 2016. The reason why is probably due to the fact I have loved the historical Pennyroyal series by the author. I knew a contemporary setting would mean different things, but I probably hoped to regain the same feelings the historical series had given me.

JT McCord is a talented actor whose career seems to always be linked with a famous TV series and the woman who got between him and his fellow co-actor in that series. JT is about to begin a new project near Hellcat Canyon, California, but before he gets anywhere, his car has problems and he needs to stop in the small town. That is how he gets to meet Britt, someone he feels very attracted to, which seems to be mutual, and someone who also challenges him to trust in love again.

Britt has had a terrible experience with her ex and she hasn't felt ready to go back to dating, but JT is something else and he will likely only stay for a while. It seemed simple for them to be together for a while, but what if they are actually perfect for each other?

In general, this was a good story, entertaining and captivating enough, and I liked the slightly amusing vibe and lighter tone in storytelling, even when it included emotions that required more pondering. I often thought this reminded me of other authors, like Susan Elizabeth Phillips, in terms of style and characterization, but there was always something missing to allow me to love it, like I have loved some of her historical novels.

The story is cute and very close to many others set in any small town America, with quirky characters  - or descriptions of them - and close communities, with people who look out for each other and situations that  seem to always find someone to help/to give advice/to impact one profoundly. I liked knowing these characters but, at the same time, perhaps because they looked like they were more an idealization than an actual character, I've not bonded deeply with any. 

The main characters made for a cute couple too, and their personal stories were easily recognizable, understood and rather predictable in what would lead them into being once they settled on becoming a couple. There is a certain flavor to this type of predictability and I did root for them and appreciated that they fell in love in such an adorable way. But I have also missed some more layers to them, or seeing how JT and Britt would do without the usual cliches.

The romance is more on the silly side than the romantic one, in my opinion. There are too many situations that are a little ridiculous or happen in ways that include secondary characters being part of way too many coincidences or circumstances that aren't very realistic. This does not mean they only do silly things, but I think the lack of more inner musings or self awareness in a way that was not always linked to a fun scene or fun emotion made their dynamics and relationship a bit too superficial.

I liked both JT and Britt as individuals, they have enough nuance to what they are portraying and I think their personalities are likable. I also could understand how their lives shaped them into who they are in this novel and there is enough about the whole journey that makes what happens in the book worthwhile. I did have a good experience reading this book but I will say that I did expect something more. I cannot explain exactly what, but yes, something was missing.

This was the first in a series but I don't think I'll read more. I mean, if I already had the books I would, but since I don't, I won't get them on purpose. Perhaps due to that something msising.

Grade: 7/10

Nicci Cloke - Her Many Faces

When four influential members are poisoned at London’s most exclusive private club, a young waitress is charged with their murder. Her personal life and upbringing are dissected, and five men begin to question how well they really knew her.
FIVE MEN. FIVE STORIES. BUT ARE THEY READY FOR HERS?
Her father remembers the sweet schoolgirl.
Her childhood friend bonded over a shared fascination with conspiracy theories.
Her lover regrets ever falling for her.
Her lawyer believes she is hiding something.
A journalist is convinced he knows exactly who she a cold-blooded killer.
But which is the true face of Katherine Cole? The reality lies somewhere between these very different perspectives.

Comment: I became aware of this book while checking out a list which included stories where a trial in a  courtroom would take place. I can't explain why, but books with this element somehow seem appealing to me...

Katie is a young woman accused of killing four important men at a private club, especially since that, when caught by the police she says "they all deserved it". Katie is now going to a trial, and her defense needs to convince the jurors that she is innocent, but as the evidence starts becoming available, it seems too many things are not easy to explain or when something is, more information comes forward and it all becomes muddled again. Is Katie innocent or guilty? If she is guilty, why did she do this and if she is innocent, why was she caught in the cameras? Katie is a mysterious woman, but somehow, someone must know how she really is...

This was an engrossing story to read, I will say that. I had no expectations except I wanted courtroom scenes and considering this is my first attempt at a book by this author, I had no way to compare with anything else. I saw that this seems to be her first book for adults (she has written YA stories before) so I'll try to be on the lookout for future books.

The story is told by several men who are now somehow linked to Katie. The first and last chapters are actually on third person, centered on Katie, but the rest of the book is told, in alternated chapters, by her father John, her barrister Tao, her childhood friend Gabriel, her lover Conrad and Max, the journalist investigating her life. Her father shares his POV on what Katie was growing up and what he feels now, Tao and Max present us with the contemporary events, and Gabriel and Conrad are a link to Katie's past, how she was before things got to this point.

It does seem that having so many POVs and jumps in time would make this messy, but in reality, the men's voices are distinctive, their views on what is happening and about Katie very easy to set apart. I've found myself quite eager to see what happen next, because with each new chapter we would learn something else and, more important, we would be given a new slice of life on Katie's personality, so the mystery remains until the end, is she a victim or is she guilty of the crime.

If there is one element I could do without is that a few chapters were unnecessary, because there comes  a point where the story drags a little. I'd change those chapters with more courtroom scenes or more situations where we need to keep guessing if Katie is guilty or not. I can't really say if the resolution was to my taste or not, but the process to get there was definitely fascinating. When we get Katie's, and the books', last chapter, it also felt the author wanted to leave with an extra dramatic twirl, and I cannot say this was such a great ending, but it does finish what the plot proposed, so... 

Katie is the central character but we only know her through the eyes of the five men. I liked everyone except Conrad, because of some things he does, but what makes this story successful is how nothing is every universal, everyone has layers, everyone has behaviors and emotions that change, and seeing things from just one side will always lead to incomplete results. I think the author accomplished what she aimed for, which I'm assuming was to let the reader come up with personal conclusions. Of course, beneath all these doubts about Katie, there is still a crime to be understood and when we do, I mean, sometimes we really do look for elaboration when reality is simpler.

This was a clever story, very interesting, with an unique way of storytelling. I still think a few details weren't used as greatly as they could, and in some moments we were just rehashing the same information with different words, but sometimes this didn't really add to new POVs, so... but, all things considered, this was still a great book to me, it did entertain me completely.

Grade: 8/10

Emily Sullivan - Duchess Material

When her student goes missing, an independent bluestocking must seek the help of the arrogant duke who spurned her in this sizzling tale of romance and intrigue.
Phoebe Atkinson is what society might call unconventional. Instead of marrying well like other women born to wealth, she chose to be a schoolteacher. Not to mention she lives in a leaky flat in an unfashionable part of town rather than stay in her parents’ mansion. But when her most promising pupil goes missing she has only one option: beg her sister’s best friend, the powerful Duke of Ellis, for help.
The last thing William Margrave ever expected was to inherit a dukedom. But now that he has it, he’s determined to act the part perfectly—and that includes marrying the perfect duchess. A bluestocking Bohemian schoolteacher is decidedly not duchess material. But he can’t resist her plea for help regarding her missing student.
As they fall further into the mystery, William discovers that he never got over his childhood crush on Phoebe, and he doesn’t really want to.

Comment: I got aware of this book through a site where I usually check lists of things that might interest me. The idea of this book sounded interesting and that is why I got it.

Phoebe Atkinson is a teacher at a school for girls of poor means and she just cannot accept Alice, one of her most promising pupils, has run away so when she tries to follow her it leads to her being arrested for invasion of property. Thankfully, family friend Will, now the duke of Ellis, is able to rescue her, even though they haven't been close for a long time, specifically since a summer long ago when it felt as if they could be more than friends. Now, Will needs to marry and he thinks he needs to choose a lady who is "duchess material", something Phoebe is not. But can they escape their feelings this time around, since they are older and wiser in what they need?

What made me want to read this novel was the opposites attract idea, since Will and Phoebe have had very different views on life and, now that Will is a duke, he also has other types of responsibility that require his attention in a way it didn't before the dukedom fell into him. I was interested in seeing how this would lead into them agreeing to be a couple.

Phoebe and Will had known each other since they were young because their families were neighbors and all was well until their puberty, when they started seeing each other as someone attractive. Neither could express themselves properly so they went different directions and now Will is the embodiment of something Phoebe dislikes - too much power, not enough action in society - but when the story begins, she needs his help and they reconnect.

I will say that I've found the rekindling quite fast, but they did know each other before, which adds some dynamics that validate this quickness, but I wasn't much of a fan of this tactic. I kind of wanted them to fall in love at a slower pace and for their relationship to be even more poignant. There were times where this seemed obvious, others where it wasn't, and when things were getting closer to the end, I was still thinking if I was enjoying the romance or not.

Phoebe is a fascinating young woman, a veritable modern woman in an historical setting, thus sometimes it was a little hard not to roll my eyes at certain things, which felt very anachronistic, but as a whole, I liked her and personality and her need to help the girls who were, of course, overlooked by society and not given the necessary to ensure their rights. As a person, I liked Phoebe a lot, but as a romantic heroine, I would not say she will be memorable to me.

As for Will, he does seem to be a very respectable man and he wants his influence as a duke to help others but now that he is back in the sphere of Phoebe, being with her makes him rethink certain things, namely some politics he has been trying to carry on, and the young lady who seems to be the perfect choice for a duchess, but whose father, he learns, proves to not be who he thought. I can understand all these things weighting on his shoulders, and I think the author addressed his worries well, but, again, as a romantic partner, I kind of wanted better.

And that it is, my biggest disappointment here was the romance. I liked the story, I liked the characters, but I wasn't amazed by their relationship. Thinking about it as a whole, it was simply good.

There is also the issue of what happened to Phoebe's student. The author hints at a very mild mystery which ends up being solved in a simple way, but the road there provided the main character with interesting social and political discoveries, and this did enrich the plot. I kind of liked the slight complexity of what everyone was involved in. I also felt interest in Phoebe's family dynamics and what that might mean for her sisters - I assume will be heroines in future books. Perhaps one day I might read more by this author.

Grade: 7/10