Tag: 5-Star

Book Review:: Perfect Fit | Clare Gilmore

There’s nothing I love more than a romance novel that blows away my expectations. By the cover and description, I figured this would be a light, not-that-deep rom-com that would be entertaining while it lasted, but likely wouldn’t leave much of an impression. I probably should have known better with a cover blurb from Tarah Dewitt, but I’m happy to report I was wrong. This book has pressed itself into my memory, and will not soon be forgotten.

Perfect Fit Clare Gilmore Book Cover

Josephine is the CEO of her own fashion brand, Reventant, based in Austin, TX. For a side-gig she started as a hobby in college, it has grown into something she never expected: an online phenomenon with dozens of employees. In an effort to keep aligned with her values, she’s after a new certification which will tell customers how dedicated the brand is to quality and sustainability. To that end, Revenant is hiring a consultant to help, and the man who wants the job happens to be a ghost from her past she’s been afraid to run into in town. They did not part in high school on the best of terms, and she’s not sure she wants to open the door back up on all the hurtful feelings from the past. But he’s a skilled professional and has taken an interest in her business. A few months of working together should be tolerable, right? Especially if it pushes her company, which is everything to her, in the right direction.

So what do I love about this book? The romance felt realistic. These two didn’t fall in love over the course of a hot weekend, or a single business trip, or basically just a big firework of an event that ‘changed everything’. They build a genuine friendship. Yes, it might be colored by burning crushes on both sides, but over time and many interactions, the two of them form a genuine connection that is strong and true and flush with meaning. Not to mention Will Grant is a walking, talking green flag. Oh my gosh, the romance in this book is everything you could want. It reminded me of all my favorite summer romances that came out this year (reviews for my favorites are linked below)!

There were also deep themes of friendship woven into the fabric of the story. Josephine was best friends with Will’s sister Zoey in high school, and they had a falling out way back when. It happens. It’s happened to me. But it’s about recognizing your mistakes, realizing there are sometimes greater things playing into things that happen that can exaggerate or cause hurtful things to happen, and that it’s okay to forgive, and grow, and repair. The author balances these themes through several characters and really created a big impact for me.

This was my first Clare Gilmore book, but gosh dang it, she’s going on my watch list cause this book was something special. I was provided an arc copy from netgalley and the publisher, and what do you know, I hit pre-order as soon as I was finished! I will be reading it again, and I think you should too!

Details

Title:: Perfect Fit
Author:: Clare Gilmore
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: St. Martin’s Griffin
Length:: 352 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 47m
Audiobook Narrator:: Katharine Leonard
Audiobook Publisher:: Recorded Books
Published:: October 29th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Rating:: 2

Linky Links!!

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Author Website
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[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

The Rom-Commers | Katherine Center
Summertime Punchline | Betty Corrello
Funny Story | Emily Henry

Book Review:: Butcher & Blackbird | Brynne Weaver

Holy gee whiz. I requested this from the library because I was honestly not expecting to like it. I mean, serial k*ller romantic comedy? WTF?! How does it have such high ratings? Such a wide audience? What is happening!!

Y’all.
Y’ALL.
I loved it.

Butcher & Blackbird Brynne Weaver Book Cover Dark Romance

How in the world does this book work? Let me tell you: it’s a magic mix of comedic tone, high stakes, and deliciously slow burn romance.

Sloane and Rowan are straight up serial k*llers. They hunt and destroy the biggest scumbags in the country. They have monikers. And secret identities.

On one hunt, which happens just before the start of the novel, Sloane makes a mistake and gets locked in a cage. Luckily, Rowan was coming to hunt down the same guy and finds her there before she…expires. Yes, folks, he rescues her, the modern morbid damsel in distress. They get to talking shop, and a contest is proposed. Once a year, Rowan’s brother will pick out a sleezebag for them to end and whoever gets there first and does the job wins.

Don’t get me wrong, this shit is bloody and gruesome and horrific. Sloane is known for removing the eyes of her victims, for example, and they may or may not have been served a steaming plate of human by one of their targets. But with an impossibly light and hilarious tone, it fucking works. This is exactly the same genre as any other romantic comedy you can think of, except it’s probably better than a lot of them. It’s like that movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith. They’re doing all this badass shit, blowing shit up, as****inating targets, etc., but the movie is actually about their marriage. Same thing. How, Brynne Weaver. How?!

The romance is what shines in this book. Oh, it’s so juicy. Our two characters are in such high stakes situations whenever they see each other, and it makes for fast and strong trust bonding. It’s also spaced out over years, and there’s lots of longing and wondering and daydreaming and yearning and burning. Gah, the author just hits so many good notes. The nicknames, the symbolism, the ‘seeing’ of each other’s damage, the real, deep love. Extraordinary.

Also, the audiobook is the first true duet I think I’ve ever heard (and I listen to a lot of audiobooks). It’s fantastic, and I absolutely think it adds so much to the experience of the book. I don’t always recommend one format over another, but this time I really do. (Also, do you really want this hanging out on your shelves for OTHER PEOPLE TO SEE?! I’m not even trying to scar my children that way).

Literally what are you still doing reading this. Go find this book and give it a listen (check your library, if you’re not ready to commit yet). But the best part? IT’S A SERIES (with a glorious name, see below).

One warning though, while I wouldn’t say this is erotica by a long stretch, the scenes of intimacy there are could be described as…………..wild. intense. torturous? I mean it fits their characters, hey? But they’re certainly skippable if they’re too much for you (they were for me!). However, it is absolutely still worth reading even if you’re not into that!

Details

Title:: Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy #1)
Author:: Brynne Weaver
Genre:: Dark Romantic Comedy
Publisher:: Independently Published
Length:: 360 pages
Audio Length:: 8h 43m
Audiobook Narrator:: Joe Arden & Lucy Rivers
Audiobook Publisher:: Blue Nose Publishing
Published:: August 14, 2023
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Rating:: 12?

Linky Links!!

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

If you liked this book, check out…

King of Wrath | Ana Huang
Burn for Me | Ilona Andrews
Not in Love | Ali Hazelwood

Book Review:: Maybe Next Time | Cesca Major

There is something magical about finding the right book at the right time. When something about the state of your life at the moment resonates deeply with the book you’ve chosen to read at that time. It might not be something that blows everyone away with its grandeur, but it touches on some deep-rooted truth in you.

Maybe Next Time Cesca Major Book Cover

Emma is so focused on her career as an underappreciated literary agent that she’s been skimming past many other aspects of her life: her kids, her friends, her dog, and her husband. It’s their anniversary, and for the first time ever, she’s forgotten to write him their traditional anniversary letter. It turns out to be a pretty typical day for her, rushing past everything and everyone, until a catastrophic event happens just before bed and changes everything. The next day she wakes up and lives it again. And again. Maybe she has the opportunity to change things – to avert the catastrophe. If only she can find the way.

As a thirty-something working mama who’s been married 10+ years, this book hit me hard. It’s about seeing what’s right in front of you. Not taking anything for granted. Slowing down. We get so caught up in the things we have to do (make money), that we neglect the things that are actually the most important to us. Why is it so easy to get our priorities mixed up?

I think the part that connected so deeply is how realistic it seemed. Yeah, obviously she hasn’t connected to her friends in awhile. Yeah, her kid’s problems are probably going to be old news by the weekend at the latest. Yeah, she has important shit to do at work she needs to concentrate on and that take priority. Yeah, her husband is always there to help pick up any slack.

Ooof.

I cried like a little baby. A sobbing, inconsolable baby.

I will read this book many times in the future, but I’m really not sure if it will have the same effect on me when I read it again. I hope it does. And I hope you read it too. This is one of my favorites of the year!

Details

Title:: Maybe Next Time
Author:: Cesca Major
Genre:: Magical Realism
Publisher:: William Morrow
Length:: 384 pages
Audio Length:: 8h 38m
Audiobook Narrator:: Clare Corbett
Audiobook Publisher:: Harper Audio
Published:: March 7th, 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…

The Cheesemaker’s Daughter | Kristin Vukovik
Amazing Grace Adams | Fran Littlewood
The Most Fun We Ever Had | Claire Lombardo

Book Review:: The Underwriting | Michelle Miller

Can you still enjoy a book with nothing but despicable characters? Before this book, I might have said no. But damn if The Underwriting by Michelle Miller hasn’t blown me away with this Wallstreet meets Silicon Valley business thriller. Everyone (except arguably two/three among a very large cast) are absolute dirtbags.

The Underwriting Michelle Miller Book Cover

Hook is the hot new hookup app sweeping the world, and they’re ready to take the business public. The CEO has a lead with a banker on Wallstreet, and he wants it done in time for second quarter earnings, two months away. He gets a small team to get the job done, each of them excited for the opportunity this deal presents for them. But a Hook user at Stanford winds up dead, and the IPO might be at risk. What will each of them do when it’s time to show their true character?

The large cast of characters and wide scope of perspective kept me on the edge of my seat and really had a chance to showcase the highly specific setting of this novel. I don’t think anyone would argue that the culture in both investment banking and Silicon Valley are very abnormal and unhealthy sub-cultures, but they sure are interesting to read about! The stakes are high, the desperation real, and it can make personal integrity disintegrate with the opportunities vast amounts of money and influence affords.

I’m reluctant to say much about the plot, but it’s the kind of book that starts with lots of scattered POVs that eventually all come together in interesting ways to form a cohesive plot. The characters are unlikeable, but the main players all go through some sort of transformation with their experience in these events.

This was a gem I found at the library. Sometimes I think that’s how obscure books you’d never otherwise choose for yourself find you. It isn’t the best book I’ve ever read, but I do think it deserves five stars. I listened to the full-cast audiobook and it was wonderful.

Details

Title:: The Underwriting
Author:: Michelle Miller
Genre:: Business Thriller
Publisher:: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Length:: 372 pages
Audio Length:: 12h 31m
Audiobook Narrator:: MacLeod Andrews, Cassandra Campbell, Mark Deakins, Jorjeana Marie, (full cast)
Audiobook Publisher:: Penguin Audio
Published:: May 26th, 2015
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 Whalen
Wrong Place Wrong Time | Gillian McAllister
The Truth About the Devlins | Lisa Scottoline

Book Review:: The Familiar | Leigh Bardugo

The Familiar is a sweeping historical fantasy novel of survival, deception, resourcefulness, cunning, and resilience.

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo Book Cover, Old Medieval European Sleeve holding a chain with a scorpion peeking out from under it

Luzia has a gift for magic. She sings the songs of her ancestors, and God, or something like it, answers. It’s little things that help her in her daily life as a scullery maid: multiplying beans, mending small tears, or restoring burnt loaves of bread. Harmless things. Until her mistress begins to suspect her and devises a plan to use her magic to win friends and favor. Word spreads quickly of the maid who can wield magics, and soon the great Victor de Paredes becomes her patron for a contest to become the King’s champion. Politics are powerful, and everyone, even the greatest men in the land, are beholden to the whims of the King. Even Victor. But he’s feeling lucky, and Luzia’s gifts are real. Paredes sends Guillen Santangel to foster Luzia’s talents, to teach her to harness and hone them into something the King cannot deny. As the contest progresses, the stakes ratchet ever higher, and instead of just winning the King’s favor, it becomes clear her own fate is not the only thing on the line in this contest.

The setting is 16th century Spain, in the throes of the Inquisition, where heretics are being persecuted and often burned. Luzia’s parents are both dead, and her ambitious aunt is the only family she has left. Unlike most women of her rank, Luzia can read and write, which makes her existence as a servant even more droll. She wishes for finer things, but also knows there is danger in the spotlight, especially in times like these. She is a strong female lead who knows when to pick her battles, and ultimately creates her own path forward despite the advice flying at her from many directions.

The characters in this book are something special. Each of them are unique in their own authentic way. They are each driven by their own selfish motivations, which I feel is a very difficult thing to pull off and their stories follow through to endings they (mostly) deserved in a tingle-inducing finale.

I listened to this as an audiobook narrated by Lauren Fortgang and man, did she do an incredible job. I found it so immersive to hear all the words I might’ve otherwise not known how to pronounce perfectly spoken so beautifully and naturally. Sometimes a narrator really adds to the reading experience, and I feel like The Familiar certainly falls into that category.

It may not be a page-turner, pacing-wise, but if you go into it with patience, Leigh Bardugo will weave you a story that is captivating, rewarding, and really quite romantic.

If you are a fan of V.E. Schwab, specifically The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, I feel like you will certainly find value in this book. I found myself thinking of Addie’s story frequently while reading. I might even recommend this for people who really loved the Outlander series. The Familiar is not as spicy, but there is something similar about the complex characters woven within a historical context. This is the only thing I’ve read so far by this author, and I’m looking forward to reading Six of Crows now more than ever!

Details

Title:: The Familiar
Author:: Leigh Bardugo
Genre:: Historical Fantasy
Publisher:: Flatiron Books
Length:: 387 pages
Audio Length:: 12h 57m
Audiobook Narrator:: Lauren Fortgang
Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio
Published:: April 9th, 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…

What the River Knows | Isabel Ibanez
Daughter of Ruins | Yvette Manessis Corporon
The Haunting of Maddy Clare | Simone St. James
Heartless Hunter | Kristen Ciccarelli

Book Review:: Wish I Were Here | Melissa Wiesner

I looooooooved this book. In Wish I Were Here there is adventure, humor, drama, a heist, heart, community and the smidgiest smidge of magical realism that made it an experience I won’t soon forget.

Wish I Were Here by Melissa Miesner Book Cover

Catherine has it all. The life she’s dreamed of her entire childhood. A place of her own, every aspect of her life within her control, and she’s about to start the career of her dreams: a tenure track role in the mathematics department of the university. But when she shows up for orientation, she’s told there was a problem with her paperwork. Turns out, none of her forms of ID are valid. She’s not in the system & will lose everything she clings to so desperately for if she can’t get it fixed, and fast. With the help of her disorganized but compassionate doorman with connections all around the city, it’s a race against time to save her job.

Catherine and Luca are a perfect match for a romance novel. She craves organization almost to a point of pathology and that ranks low on Luca’s priority list. His actions shout at her to stay away, but there is something about him that she can’t deny she’s drawn to. He’s an excellent problem solver and Catherine happens to have a lot of problems that need solving at the moment!

Let’s talk about Luca Morelli. Oh my. Dream boat. This guy is Catherine’s nightmare, having so much in common with her literal clown of a father, but folks, he takes the time to dance with old ladies in the lobby, run them on their errands, listen to their stories, shows up every week to family dinners, and goes out of his way to help everyone every time. He’s a tatted-up teddy bear. He’s a keeper.

Kitty Cat (as the real ones call her) has quite the journey to traverse over the course of the novel. She’s got an identity crisis (literally), her father’s lost (another) job, and she learns about her mother for the first time in her 30 years of life, who might just be the answer to unlock everything else.

Not to mention the cast of side characters in this book are all fun, endearing, and incredibly special. The community aspect of this book is truly aspirational.

The romance in this book felt so…pure. It’s completely organic and hopeful and sweet and gah I just loved every bit of it. The personal journey Catherine goes on reminds me of the best Katherine Center books. This one blew me away. I got an arc copy from netgalley and the publisher, but before I was even halfway through I knew I was going to need a copy for myself to keep on my shelves. Absolutely wonderful. What are you waiting for?!

Details

Title:: Wish I Were Here
Author:: Melissa Wiesner
Genre:: Romance
Publisher:: Forever
Length:: 368 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 23m
Audiobook Narrator:: Helen Laser
Audiobook Publisher:: Forever
Published:: October 15th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

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

If you liked this book, check out…

Hello Stranger | Katherine Center
PS I Hate You | Lauren Connolly

Book Review:: Libby Lost and Found | Stephanie Booth

Libby Lost and Found is an absolute treasure. The originality crackles on the first page. The themes resound toward our deepest fears and offer hope through profound pain. The prose stuns in both its beauty and wisdom. The whole thing is a parallelogram that had me wondering for a while if everything I was reading was a jaunt into madness or relatively reliable which left me nearly speechless. But not completely, lucky for you.

Libby Lost and Found Stephanie Booth Book Cover.

Libby is a writer. But not just any writer. She writes The Falling Children series-the most popular franchise in all of history (bigger even than HP). She’s struggling to write the next book so much she sees a doctor and gets an early diagnosis of dementia. It leaves her already anxiety prone personality in shambles. She’s missed so many deadlines the fans are feral. She’s desperate for some way to Save the Children (who she’s written into a forest from which there is no escape), so she reaches out to her ‘biggest fan’ for help finishing the book. The thing is, no one knows she is F.T. Goldhero, and it’s vital she keeps her real identity a secret.

Maybe my favorite part of the book are the voices. Libby and her biggest fan Peanut are our two narrators, and each one of them has such a strong and pigeon-holed voice. Peanut is a series obsessed child with unique family circumstances, and Libby is quickly losing trust in her own mind. Their voices covered everything in an almost otherworldly sheen that was so interesting and beautiful.

Then we can talk about world of The Falling Children. Wow! The creativity it takes to come up with a secondary world like that for the sake of telling another story is incredible. The concept, the personalities, the ‘magic’…I was blown away.

So don’t be a bone grocer – go get this book!

Note:: I received this title as an advanced readers copy from netgalley and the publisher. Then I pre-ordered a copy for myself 🙂

Details

Title:: Libby Lost and Found
Author:: Stephanie Booth
Genre:: Women’s Fiction
Publisher:: Sourcebooks Landmark
Length:: 400 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 58m
Audiobook Narrator:: Mia Barron
Audiobook Publisher:: Recorded Books
Published:: October 15, 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…

How to Hide in Plain Sight | Emma Noyes
Amazing Grace Adams | Fran Littlewood
The Book of George | Kate Greathead

Book Review:: The Heiress | Rachel Hawkins

Rachel Hawkins is a master of subtle psychological thrillers. Her books have a flair for being compelling contemporary reads with a dark twist. I’ve read them all, and they’re all worth your time. While The Wife Upstairs is my favorite (I mean, it’s an echo of my favorite book of all time, Jane Eyre – hard to beat that), The Heiress comes in a close second.

The Heiress Rachel Hawkins Book Cover

Everyone has secrets. Cam and Jules are an ordinary couple working meager jobs to afford their Colorado rental. The secret is that they don’t have to. Cameron is the heir of Ruby McTavish, an Appalachian princess married and widowed four times before her death ten years before. He’s a multi-millionaire, but he doesn’t want anything to do with the money, or Ashby House, the mansion he inherited, and the few remaining family members who remain inside it. But after a couple of cryptic emails, he knows he can no longer put off the inevitable. He has to go back. The past has a way with catching up to you.

Cam’s family is deplorable. They resented his mother, and they resent him even more for the decisions she made. He was always an outsider, and they weren’t afraid to let him know it. It was an unhappy childhood he ran from as soon as he got the chance, but even putting an entire country between himself and his past isn’t enough to save him from it.

Ashby house is the perfect gothic setting. A mansion full of old portraits and antiques in every room, a sprawling property in a dangerous wooded area, all fallen into grotesque disrepair-Bronte couldn’t have written it better herself.

A big chunk of this novel was comprised of letters written by the heiress, Ruby, in what turned out to be her last weeks. Her life was plagued by rumor, and she decides to finally set the record straight, if only in private correspondence. Though she is long dead in the narrative, the letters bring her to life in such a vibrant way, and the contents of the letters are…captivating.

The theme seems to ask an age-old question: are people who do bad things, bad people? Is it our surroundings who make us who we are, or is our nature buried someplace deep inside us, impregnable to corruption? It certainly doesn’t answer the question, but it begs the question with every carefully crafted character, and a plot that often swerves in unexpected directions.

I was gripped by this story early on, and ate up every twist and turn. Fans of Colleen Hoover’s Verity, or the author Lucy Foley (The Midnight Feast, The Paris Apartment) will enjoy the suspense and intrigue of this book. While there is some darkness in these pages, it wasn’t scary, so I feel like it’s a good choice for people who enjoy thrillers, but are a little wimpy, like me!

Details

Title:: The Heiress
Author:: Rachel Hawkins
Genre:: Gothic Mystery
Publisher:: St. Martin’s Press
Length:: 294 pages
Audio Length:: 8h 20m
Audiobook Narrator:: Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, & Patti Murin
Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio
Published:: January 9th, 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 Whalen
Wrong Place Wrong Time | Gillian McAllister
The Midnight Feast | Lucy Foley

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

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