5-Star Archives - The Litertarian

Book Review:: Daughter of Ruins | Yvette Manessis Corporon

Historical fiction isn’t something I read often. Not unlike sci-fi/fantasy novels, it requires a higher level of effort from the reader than other genres. It can be slower to suck you in, demanding patience as the story threads weave themselves together. But if you’re lucky, as the pieces dance and settle into their places, you’ll be left with an intricate tapestry that takes your breath away. Daughter of Ruins stands in testament of that truth. It serves as a beacon to how powerful the genre can be.

Daughter of Ruins Yvette Manessis Corporon Book Cover

Demitra is a motherless daughter brought back to her father’s home country of Greece after losing his wife in America. She uses drawing as a coping mechanism in her childhood loneliness, sketching Italian soldiers of the World Wars where they find leisure on the Greek beaches. Then the war takes a turn and the once lithe and eager bodies are piled high and lifeless. There are many hard lessons like this one in store for Demitra as she navigates the world, and this book follows her through many trials and tribulations through her life, though it is not all hardship. Her journey takes her from Greece to America and back again, and all the while she is developing into the woman she was destined to be.

I think the story captured the life of a young woman so well. It was a difficult time in Greece, and a difficult time for women. Though she had no direct maternal influence, there were many strong women mentors in Demitra’s life. With an artist’s curiosity she observed the world around her, turning her wisdom and unique understanding into art.

I am still quite stunned by the intricate structure of this novel. Demitra uses many figures of Greek mythology to analogize the human lives around her and translates them into her art. She dives deep into her understanding of the gods before she draws them, and though they are done with simple materials, her art has a depth that is undeniable by those who witness it.

This is an emotional book. There is grief and sorrow and growth and healing and hope and faith and passion and curiosity and pain and confusion and determination and love. There is tenderness and betrayal. There is scheming and outsmarting and deceit and compassion. There is everything under the umbrella of human emotion, because this is a human story.

I will not soon forget this story. Demitra and Maria and Elena and Aphrodite and all of those who weave in and out of these pages. I listened to this as an advanced listeners copy from netgalley and the publisher and I have nothing but great things to say about the incredible narrator Alex Sarrigeorgiou. Phenomenal work. There is something special about the story of a woman coming into her own. I hope you will read it.

Details

Title:: Daughter of Ruins
Author:: Yvette Manessis Corporon
Genre:: Historical Fiction
Publisher:: Harper Muse
Length:: 416 pages
Audio Length:: 12h 24m
Audiobook Narrator:: Alex Sarrigeorgiou
Audiobook Publisher:: Harper Muse
Published:: October 8th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

The Cheesemaker’s Daughter | Kristin Vukovic
The Weight of Ink | Rachel Kadish (no review on the blog as I read it years ago, but another sweeping historical fiction tale I think you’ll love if you liked this book).

Book Review:: What the River Knows | Isabel Ibanez

When a book lists The Mummy as a comp in the blurb, you know your girl’s gonna pick it up. That’s as far as I got in the description (I love going in blind), and it was everything I’d hoped and more. There is something so intriguing about ancient Egypt, and when you add a touch of actual magic, you get What the River Knows.

What the River Knows Isabel Ibanez Book Cover

Young Argentinian Inez Olivera’s parents spend half of every year in Egypt, working alongside and funding archeological digs there. They’ve never let Inez make the treacherous journey so far across the globe with them, but when Inez receives a letter that the two of them have been lost in the sands of the desert, she sneaks away from her family in Buenos Aires and steals away to Egypt to meet her uncle, who worked with them there. Inez is determined to find out the truth of what happened to her parents, their lives in Egypt, and whatever she can about the magic ring her father secretly sent to her before he died. Between her tight-lipped uncle who tries to push her onto an Argentina-bound boat every chance he gets, and his handsome rogue ‘aide’ he sets to mind her the rest of the time, Inez has to scheme to find out the secrets her parents kept from her, and the rest of the world. Meanwhile, her uncle is in a race to discover the tomb of Cleopatra before his biggest rival, and the ring Inez’ father sent her might just be the key he needs to do it.

This book is a grand adventure with stakes that reliably rise ever higher the whole time, down to the last line (which had my jaw on the floor). It reads like nineteenth century historical fiction, if there were magic rings, and magic sandals, and magic neckties back then. I absolutely loved the tangled webs of secrets and lies that build and build and leave you wondering if what you think you know is the truth, or just another deception. It was seriously compelling, but the pacing was maybe slower than some readers might prefer. Inez takes time to describe the things around her, which adds to the complexity of the world and gives the novel a rich, complete flavor.

The best part, perhaps, is our heroine. Inez is a spunky, resourceful woman in a time when those of her gender had very little power, if any at all. A book like this doesn’t work well with weak or arrogant main characters, and luckily, Ibanez gives us a smart, cunning woman we can trust to act rationally with the information she has. With so many trying to hide their truths from her, anything less would have been torturous to endure.

Did I mention the will-they-won’t-they slow burn forbidden romance plotline? Inez and Whittford Hayes, her uncle’s ‘aide’, are undeniably attracted to one another, but life isn’t that easy, and when she doesn’t know who she can trust, the tension is utterly delicious. Every little moment that betrayed their feelings I ate up with relish, including probably the shortest chapter I’ve ever seen:

Bloody hell.
Whit

I consumed this story as an audiobook narrated by Ana Osorio & Ahmed Hamad. Ana, especially, impressed me. There are several accents to juggle, and in general she handled it gracefully. It was a real pleasure to listen to.

The worst part? Having to wait until November for the sequel. The ending has you begging for what happens next. Masterful storytelling, honestly — and I cannot wait for more! So if you’re looking for a little more mystery and adventure in your life, What the River Knows will certainly scratch that itch.

Details

Title:: What the River Knows (Secrets of the Nile, #1)
Author:: Isabel Ibanez
Genre:: Historical Fantasy
Publisher:: Wednesday Books
Length:: 404 pages
Audio Length:: 16h 36m
Audiobook Narrator:: Ahmed Hamad & Ana Osorio
Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio
Published:: October 31st, 2023
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Hardcover] [Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Divine Rivals | Rebecca Ross
Ruthless Vows | Rebecca Ross

Book Review:: The Truth About the Devlins | Lisa Socttoline

A dead body. Brotherly love. This book starts out with a bang.

The Truth About the Devlins Lisa Scottoline Book Cover

John Devlin, the golden boy of the family, comes to his brother with a terrified confession: he’s just killed someone. TJ is the ‘messed up’ one of the family, so of course John chose him for his absolution. TJ is an alcoholic. He’s served jail time. But he’s been sober two years now and is on the straight and narrow – making something of himself. TJ also works as an investigator for their family’s law firm, and he loves his brother, so he agrees to help…but when they get back to the quarry, the body is gone. They don’t know if the guy was still alive, or if he had some conspirators cleaning up what happened, either way, John is fucked, and TJ is determined to help him. But the guy has disappeared, and weird shit starts happening-then John changed his story, throwing TJ under the bus. Now TJ isn’t just fighting to keep his brother safe, but himself, his reputation, and the lives of those around him.

Gah, I loved this book. I’ve already ordered several more titles from Lisa Scottoline and can’t wait to read more from this incredible author. But let’s talk about this one first!

So if you can’t tell by my summary, TJ is an underdog, and damn if we don’t love an underdog story. He isn’t a loud person – he plays his cards close to his chest – and he’s one to show them through actions, not words. Sometimes people are slow to see that, and when there are other people telling lies about you, and you’ve already done the worst possible thing a scumbag can do (in the past), you don’t feel like you can defend yourself. But TJ is a changed man. He’s doing his best, one day at a time. He’s a hero I love to root for. A character like this carries the whole book on his back like it’s nothing. Excellent character.

The rest of the characters were also pretty great. The father seemed a little wishy washy with how strong his convictions were, then turning on a dime at one point, but that’s a father for you (lol), and my only complaint.

The plot is complex and layered and so frigging juicy. There is a lot going on and it’s all a mystery to unravel, but it doesn’t tug apart too easy.

Basically, it’s a banger, and I cannot recommend it more highly. If you’re in the mood for a thriller…”pick me, choose me, love me!”

Details

Title:: The Truth About the Devlins
Author:: Lisa Scottoline
Genre:: Thriller/Suspense
Publisher:: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Length:: 384 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 40m
Audiobook Narrator:: Edoardo Ballerini, Lisa Scottoline
Audiobook Publisher:: Penguin Audio
Published:: March 26th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Hardcover] [Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Every Moment Since | Marybeth Mayhew Whelan
The Midnight Feast | Lucy Foley
Wrong Place Wrong Time | Gillian McAllister

Book Review:: The City in Glass | Nghi Vo

Where have I been all my life where I haven’t experienced the work of Hugo Award winning author Nghi Vo? By happy circumstance, I’ve been given the opportunity to review her latest book before its release, The City in Glass. Now I will take it upon my own responsibility to make sure you don’t miss out on this unique and riveting story.

The City in Glass Nghi Vo Book Cover
Romanesque statues of a man and woman on either side of a burning city in the background.

This is a book unlike anything I have read. It is poetry and philosophy. Biology and sociology. It is Anthropology and metaphysics. It captures at once the fragility of a human life, and its unique, irreplaceable beauty. Perhaps most of all it explores the most potent and universal human desire: to be remembered.

Azril is an ancient city that has grown and developed through the ages. It has done so by the careful and loving influence of the demon Vitrine, who records its most special figureheads, events, and traditions in the book she stores in the glass case within herself. When a group of vengeful angels comes to destroy what she most loves, she is almost destroyed in her grief and curses the angel nearest her before giving in to her despair. Unwilling to give up the place she loves, she sifts through the wreckage slowly and methodically and coaxes the rivers to return to the once prosperous land. The angel she cursed is ostracized from his own kind so long as he bears the mark she’s given him, and she refuses to remove it, so he keeps close and watches as Vitrine scrambles to recreate that which was once so precious to her. Decades pass. Then centuries. More.

Gazing upon the Earth from the astral perspective offers such value to consider. When we realize as humans how fleeting we are, does it not humble us? Does it not force us into gratitude for the present moment, every moment, we happen to be granted?

I received a copy to listen to for free, and before I was halfway done with it, I had pre-ordered a hardcover copy. This is the kind of book that begs to be read with regularity. I have no doubt in my mind that revisiting these pages will reveal new and fascinating insights each and every time I turn them.

Details

Title:: The City in Glass
Author:: Nghi Vo
Genre:: Fantasy
Publisher:: Tordotcom
Length:: 224 pages
Audio Length:: 6h 5m
Audiobook Narrator:: Susan Dalian
Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio
Published:: October 1st, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Hardcover] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Divine Rivals | Rebecca Ross
The Familiar | Leigh Bardugo
Heartless Hunter | Kristen Ciccarelli

Book Review:: Splendid Little Schemes | Robin Strong

As a 30-something middle-ish-class woman, I have been approached by a lot of MLMers through the years, and even joined a few (for the discount, of course). Essential oils, beauty products, ‘adult’ things, jewelry, children’s books, and even packaged food and mixes. I know how they operate. I know the jargon they use and the sickly positive vibes they project like the batman spotlight for encouragement and motivation…and damn, if this book did not capture that vibe perfectly.

Splendid Little Schemes Robin Strong Book Cover

Vicky is a high ranking Puremetics consultant looking for the next great team member to recruit and push her up over the next line of promotion in her business. She is currently the fastest growing upper tier star of the company and wants to keep up the momentum. When she meets Anna, a new member of their community, she pounces on the opportunity to get her (and her contacts back in Oregon) in her downline. But a mistaken address leads Anna to a different sort of meeting that will change the course of both their lives. Instead of a spy-day style girl’s night to sample Puremetics products, Anna has stumbled upon one full of anti-MLMers looking to take down the beast that is Puremetics and its enigmatic leader.

This is a scathing commentary on MLM pyramid scheme style direct-sales marketing companies and the way they prey on the vulnerable (women, mostly, but really any and everyone new consultants can convince to join). While the book does not mention any real MLM companies (except a brief reference to the OG Avon) and is perhaps a caricature of some of their most despicable practices & of those who lead companies like these, it certainly takes a stance against them.

Religion is another rampant theme. Vicky’s husband’s career is in the Mormon church, and her family has always been devout in that religion (yep-it’s set in Utah, how’d you guess?). I’m not sure if it was a critique of this religion in particular, or stringent religious beliefs which encourage deep life-long guilt for making very human mistakes, and sometimes simply being who you are in general. Either way, the issues are characterized well within the plot of the novel, driving character decisions and living rent free in the character’s heads. There may also be a nod to scientology mixed in there somewhere that I didn’t miss (but seriously, where are you Shelly Miscavige?!).

The perspective shifts between a few characters to show many aspects of the issues. There is the diehard ‘business owner’ Puremetics consultant, an anti-MLM hero with a personal vendetta, and a normal-ass chica with her own problems who gets swept up in all of it. The ‘mission’ to take them down gives the novel clear focus and makes it so compelling.

I don’t watch a lot of reality tv myself, but I imagine fans of it would eat this novel up. It’s got suburban drama with a side of Stepford going on. I loved it, I think you will too.

Note: I received this title as an advanced listening copy from netgalley and the author for free in exchange for my honest review.

Details

Title:: Splendid Little Schemes
Author:: Robin Strong
Genre:: Contemporary Fiction/Satire
Publisher:: Strong Stories LLC
Length:: 309 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 17m
Audiobook Narrator:: Robin Strong
Audiobook Publisher:: Strong Stories LLC
Published:: October 10th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Hardcover] [eBook]

If you liked this book, check out…

The Cheesemaker’s Daughter | Kristin Vukovik
My (Not So) Perfect Life | Sophie Kinsella

Book Review:: The Reappearance of Rachel Price | Holly Jackson

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson is a nonstop whirlwind of twists and clues and intrigue I couldn’t put down. It’s about a young girl’s search for the truth, but more than that, it’s about the stories we tell ourselves. To make sense of the world. To cope. To survive.

The Reappearance of Rachel Price Holly Jackson Book Cover

Bell and her family are in the middle of filming interviews for a new true-crime documentary coming out about the disappearance of her mother sixteen years ago, when she was presumably taken from their car with Bell still in the back seat. Bell was so young she doesn’t remember the woman, but considering her body was never found, she always suspected her mother left her voluntarily. Now, Rachel Price walks back into town, ragged and ruined, claiming she’d been locked in someone’s basement all this time. Bells’s world is turned upside down with her mother invading every space that used to be just her and her father. And she’s also noticed a few inconsistencies in Rachel’s story. She tries to be accepting, tries to ignore the oddities prickling the back of her mind, but then she notices another, and another, and can’t let it go. With the help of one of the members of the documentary crew, and her cousin Carter, Bell continues to search for the answers to unlock the past of her family.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. The YA/Not YA distinction is blurry at best these days, and I was thinking this was going to be a kind of ‘soft’ mystery either way, but oh boy, this thing gets dark. Think Veronica Mars. Young girl investigator (18), real, horrible crimes.

The length is perfect, the pacing is excellent, the tension and mystery propelled me forward irresistibly. The investigation was just so compelling! We didn’t know if Rachel really was lying, hiding something, or she was just traumatized and that explained away the inconsistencies. I was on board with Bell all the way through, and man, it really had me going. This is the kind of book where you dream of getting that first read back.

Tis the season for dark suspense novels, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t recommend this one with enthusiasm. The Reappearance of Rachel Price is an excellent novel, and I can’t wait to read more from Holly Jackson!

Details

Title:: The Reappearance of Rachel Price
Author:: Holly Jackson
Genre:: Suspense/Thriller
Publisher:: Delacorte Press
Length:: 448 pages
Audio Length:: 16h 34m
Audiobook Narrator:: Sophie Amoss
Audiobook Publisher:: Listening Library
Published:: April 2nd, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Hardcover] [Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Wrong Place Wrong Time | Gillian McAllister
Every Moment Since | Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

Book Review:: Let It Settle | Michael Galyon

Have you seen the dreamy guy on Instagram with the soft comforting voice and the message to slow down, take a breath, center yourself, and let it settle? It’ll make you stop scrolling every time. His name is Michael Galyon, and now, he’s written a book!

(You can find his instagram feed here – you’re welcome)

Let It Settle, Daily Habits to Move You from Chaos to Calm Michael Galyon Book Cover

I received this book as an advanced listening copy from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review, and I cannot tell you how much I recommend it. If you clicked over to Michael’s IG, you’ll know what I mean by saying he has one of the most calming, gentle voices. Listening to it is like warm honey pouring across your shoulders and down your back. I don’t know if it would even matter what he was saying, I think it would be a calming experience regardless.

But what he is saying is so valuable.

This book is designed to give you lots of tools he help guide you through stress, anxiety, and bad patterns of thinking. Even more than that, honestly. It is an arsenal to guard you against the chaos the human brain can often be.

There are very introductory meditation exercises here if you’re a beginner, like the body scan, but there are also many more advanced exercises explored too, and each includes an anecdote that help to explain how they can be helpful in practical application.

Then there are the actual guided meditations. Again, the audiobook is going to give you more bang for your buck here. I’ve never felt more relaxed and centered when listening to an audiobook as I did this one. It is so soothing.

If you’re looking for some extra help managing the chaos of your life, I really recommend this book. I think anyone could find something in its pages to benefit them.

Details

Title:: Let It Settle: Daily Habits to Move You From Chaos to Calm
Author:: Michael Galyon
Genre:: Non-Fiction/Self Help
Publisher:: Wiley
Length:: 256 pages
Audio Length:: 6h 25m
Audiobook Narrator:: Michael Galyon (the author)
Audiobook Publisher:: Ascent Audio
Published:: September 24th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Hardcover] [eBook] [Audible]

Book Review:: The Slowest Burn | Sarah Chamberlin

So you like to read romance…lucky for you, I’ve found your next favorite romance author. Do you enjoy authors like Tarah Dewitt, Katherine Center, Sarah Adams, and Abby Jimenez? Go ahead and add Sarah Chamberlain to the list, because you’ve stumbled onto the review one of my favorite romance reads of 2024. I can save you a few minutes of reading by telling you to just buy it. This is one you’re going to want to chronicle on your bookshelves at home. It’s so good. But if you still want the deetz, I got you.

The Slowest Burn Sarah Chamberlain Book Cover

Ellie is a cookbook ghostwriter living in the cottage house of her dead husband’s parents. He died three years ago, leaving her a widow in her late twenties. Since then, she’s thrown herself into her work, saving money to eventually buy her own place and get back on her feet. Unfortunately, the client of her latest project is less than genial. In fact, he’s all but openly hostile. She’s got the writing & cooking skills she needs to do a great job, but she can’t write a book in this guy’s voice unless she knows…literally anything…about him. Kieran recently won a prestigious televised cooking contest and his agent is looking to capitalize on the flash of fame. Putting out a cookbook is the obvious step forward, except it feels like schoolwork, and Kieran has never been good at that. In fact, he’s been exceptionally bad at it, and this project is stirring up a lot of old insecurities.

Oh, but this book is delicious. There is something in reading about food, even if it’s food you’d never want to eat yourself. Happy croissants? I can get behind that. A blood orange and duck confit salad? Yeah, that’s not going into my mouth. But reading about it? I mean, it’s sexy. It’s sexy when someone takes such care in choosing and preparing ingredients to assemble a bite that will do pleasant things in your mouth. Food is romance (or at least it can be, and in this book, trust me, it is).

But I haven’t even gotten to the swoony bits yet! Let’s take the title, The Slowest Burn. I mean, with a title and a cover like that (LOOK HOW PRETTY IT IS), you just know you’re in for a treat, and Chamberlain did not disappoint.

What is it we love about a slow burn romance? The longing. The intimacy of getting to know someone so completely before jumping in the sack, right? The deep and honest friendship with possibility that simmers and fizzles just underneath every interaction. Check. Check. Check.

Ellie and Kieran are both misunderstood. They each have trauma from their formidable years that shaped them into what they currently are: functioning adults with relationship issues (aren’t we all). Through the forced proximity of the cookbook project, which they both need to do well, their layers of armor weaken around each other as they connect over the food they’re creating together. A true bond forms between them that emulsifies into something simply irresistible.

Both main characters have depth and realistic internal conflict they need to work through. Ellie needs to work on enforcing boundaries, and Kieran has always been too much for most people to handle and is a little too eager to employ his coping mechanisms.

But it’s not all about the romance! There are many other types of relationships explored in these pages: professional, familial (siblings, parents, in-laws), and friendships. Themes of grief are discussed as well as learning disabilities. The FMC is plus sized, the MMC isn’t super tall, both are simply integrated into the characterization and not flouted around just to be ‘Inclusive’. So much good stuff to chew on in this book!

I read this book as an advanced listening copy from the publisher & netgalley. I devour audiobooks like Ellie devours frites, and this one was no exception. Both narrators did a great job. Occasionally I could hear a few mouth sounds from Hunter Johns, but to be honest, I actually liked that. *blushes*

So in conclusion, this book is amazing, and you all should read it. Thank you for coming to my TEDtalk.

Details

Title:: The Slowest Burn
Author:: Sarah Chamberlain
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Griffin
Length:: 336 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 12m
Audiobook Narrator:: Hunter Johns & Kate Handford
Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio
Published:: September 24th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Rating:: 3

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Savor It | Tarah Dewitt
PS I Hate You | Lauren Connolly

Book Review:: Every Moment Since | Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

Tragedy changes people. It ripples outward, affecting more than just the usual suspects. It captures the families with the biggest waves, the friends and acquaintances, and still others, too, as reality struggles back into equilibrium. Simply bearing witness to something is enough, sometimes, to change someone. And for anyone involved, it can calcify even the most innocent things into something to be held close like a secret. Words muttered by instinct; others unspoken. Guilt somehow osmotically bleeds into everyone surrounding tragedy. Because it’s not just one story, is it? Everyone has their own. Every Moment Since is a brilliant and compelling crime suspense novel that captures these truths, and others, so well through an emotional character driven narrative.

Every Moment Since Marybeth Mayhew Whalen Book Cover

Eleven-year-old Back to the Future obsessed Davy Malcor disappeared one night over twenty years ago. Now, his iconic jacket has been found, and the case is no longer cold. His brother, who now makes a living off of his tell (almost) all book, comes back to town to be with his family as the investigation ramps back up. It is the formative unsolved case for the town of Wynotte North Carolina. There was never any evidence for conviction, but rumor has power too, and the town has its suspect, who never did leave town.

This story was so profound for me. It is not about the solving of a decades-old cold case, it is about the repercussions the disappearance of one little boy had on a whole community of people. The father who could not let go of hope to a level of personal detriment, the mother in denial of deep-rooted resentments, the brother, parading around behind a facade of the truth for a living. The sculptor, the girl next door, the young girl who was the last to see Davy alive…it is such a rich and compelling story with layers that resound through time. It is a study, in some sense (as I suppose all novels are), of human nature.

I loved the jumping perspective. Getting into the heads of so many characters was so interesting, as each one seemed to focus on a different aspect of the tragedy. It also kept the pacing and suspense wound tight. I was lucky to be granted an advanced listening copy by the publisher and netgalley, and the full cast did an excellent job giving life to each of the characters. I couldn’t stop listening!

I have been enjoying reading suspense novels more and more as the days grow shorter, and this one is one of the best I’ve read. If you are a fan of the genre at all, you’ll want to get your hands on a copy. I can’t wait to read more from Marybeth Mayhew Whalen.

Details

Title:: Every Moment Since
Author:: Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
Genre:: Thriller/Suspense
Publisher:: Harper Muse
Length:: 384 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 48m
Audiobook Narrator:: Cassandra Campbell, George Newbern, Kirby Heyborne, Jane Oppenheimer, Macleod Andrews, Renata Friedman
Audiobook Publisher:: Harper Audio
Published:: October 1st, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Wrong Place Wrong Time | Gillian McAllister
The Midnight Feast | Lucy Foley

Book Review:: Ruthless Vows | Rebecca Ross

Letters of Enchantment Book #2 (conclusion)

[Book One is Divine Rivals – skip this review if you haven’t read it yet! There will be rampant book one spoilers!]

The last pages of Divine Rivals left me SO nervous. I was terrified it was going to be similar to a Hunger-Games-Peeta situation, but it was clear pretty early that was not going to be the case. Maybe that’s a spoiler, but it held me back from picking this book up for a few weeks, because my heart couldn’t take that! So for anyone else in the same boat, know it’s okay. This book isn’t going to run your heart through a shredder in that same agonizing, irreparable way.

The war between gods continues with fervor. Dacre moves relentlessly toward the city of Oath and his estranged god-wife Enva. Corruption in the city has left it unprepared for the invasion Dacre is planning. Iris is back in town, working at the newspaper with Attie and they’re striving, as ever, for the truth. Meanwhile, Roman wakes up among Dacre’s ranks with no memory of who he is, or how he came to be there. He is tasked with writing articles for Dacre, from his side of the war, in direct opposition of Iris and friends. But he’s still using the Aluette typewriter, and Iris is determined to save him.

This is a book about war. War is violent and messy and maims or destroys everything it touches. Rebecca Ross did a great job keeping that front of mind. There was no character unscathed by their experiences in this story, but in the end, there was hope. There was always hope, and that’s the key to a story with so much darkness.

If you loved the romance of Divine Rivals, rejoice! This book is still very romantic. Iris and Roman’s romance is plagued by distance and danger, but there are other sparks kindling, too. I loved the subtlety of Attie’s love story told in lingering looks, concern, and quiet conversation. I loved that Forest was able to find someone to share himself with, too. Within the darkness, there is always light.

The focus, of course, is not the romance, but the whole saving-the-world-as-we-know-it thing. Rest assured, there is plenty of action in the relentlessly paced plot. So much is at stake, and success isn’t guaranteed. The tension is strung tight, but there are little moments of respite sprinkled in too that offer great balance.

This book had to accomplish so much. It is the conclusion of the series, and from where Divine Rivals ended, there was a lot of ground left to cover. This book was far more heavy on the magic and fantasy, but since book one eased us in, I still think it’s a great entry-level fantasy book those unused to the subject could easily devour.

There is nothing in this duology I would change. It’s wonderful. No notes! If it were up to me, it would be required reading! I know I will personally be rereading these beautiful books many many times, and the hardcovers look gorgeous on their well-earned place on my bookshelf.

Details

Title:: Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment #2)
Author:: Rebecca Ross
Genre:: Historical Fantasy
Publisher:: Wednesday Books
Length:: 432 pages
Audio Length:: 14h 6m
Audiobook Narrator:: Alex Wingfield & Rebecca Norfolk
Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio
Published:: December 26th, 2023
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars