Tag: 5-Star

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!!

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Author Website
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[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!!

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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!!

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Author Website
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[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!!

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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!!

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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.

Ruthless Vows Rebecca Ross Book Cover

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

Linky Links!!

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

If you liked this book, check out…

In the Likely Event | Rebecca Yarros
Divine Rivals | Rebecca Ross

Book Review:: Divine Rivals | Rebecca Ross

Letters of Enchantment Book #1

Holy hell, I was not prepared for this book. I like to go into new stories blind, especially the hyped ones, and this one has earned its reputation. In fact, I’m not sure it’s popular enough! Y’all have to read this.

Divine Rivals Rebecca Ross Book Cover

Iris E. Winnow has taken a job as an obituary writer at a local newspaper after her brother went off to war, fighting for a god, leaving her alone with her alcoholic mother to care for. She is in direct competition with fellow newspaper cleric Roman C. Kit for a columnist job. For Roman, it’s supposed to be the start of a respectable career, pressured heavily by his father – for Iris, it could change her and her mother’s entire lives. In the evenings, Iris types out long letters to her brother, but each and every one of them are unanswered. He’s disappeared. Then one day, a reply shows up…in her wardrobe. She and the mystery correspondent who wrote to her strike up an unlikely friendship through the pair of magically connected typewriters, and she resolves, eventually, to do anything she can to find her brother and bring him back home.

That’s all I’ll say without revealing too much. But Magical typewriters? Rivals to…more? FMC with a hero complex (in a good way)? Genuine friendships with good people? What is there not to love?

When I was young, I read a WWI YA romance – a random choice at the library (all the best ones are – aren’t they?). I can’t remember what it was for the life of me, but this book has me back in those same feels. It harks of a time where words wooed, expectations of ‘the right path’ were high, and love was quick and all-consuming in a different sort of way. When you find something you love in a war-torn world – you hold on tight and make each moment count, because anything might happen next.

Iris is not only pulling herself up by her bootstraps and earning every inch of what she has, she is constantly in search of more she can do, ways she can be of service. Listening to the accounts of soldiers in the divine wars, helping with evacuations…Iris is a symbol of many real-life heroes that existed in a war-torn Britian once upon a time.

It’s not often you read a book with a perfect title. The kind that actually reflects the content, not only on one level, but several. The kind where you reach for your book as you’re nearing the end, catch the title out of the corner of your eye, and realize what it means. Deeper than the surface level. On all the levels. Both Divine Rivals & Ruthless Vows (the sequel) have this epic energy.

Readers of historical fiction, especially of the early twentieth century/WWI&II era, will eat this up. It’s nostalgic of wartime British Isles, with a fantastical twist. It’s perfect for those looking to dip their toes into fantasy. The fantasy elements are certainly present, but they’re not overwhelming or difficult to understand. It’s really a scintillating wartime love story all readers can enjoy. Consider Divine Rivals a gateway drug, and prepare yourself to crave more!

Details

Title:: Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment #1)
Author:: Rebecca Ross
Genre:: Historical Fantasy
Publisher:: Wednesday Books
Length:: 357 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 50m
Audiobook Narrator:: Alex Wingfield & Rebecca Norfolk
Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio
Published:: April 4th, 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…

In the Likely Event | Rebecca Yarros
Ruthless Vows | Rebecca Ross

Book Review:: Wrong Place Wrong Time | Gillian McAllister

It started with a feeling. Deja vu? Something like it? A bad feeling. The calm before the storm type of feeling. Like in the next instant, the world will change. Irreparably.

Wrong Place Wrong Time Gillian McAllister Book Cover

Jen knows something is wrong as she’s waiting up for her teenaged son to come home late on an October evening. Propelled by this supernatural feeling, she goes to the window and witnesses her son stab a stranger, killing him. The next hours are a nightmare as she and her husband Kelly grasp for answers about what happened and why. Somehow, they make it home to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. When she wakes, it is to the previous morning, before the crime. Her son is there, safe and happy. The next morning, it’s another day earlier. Somehow, she’s stuck in a backwards time loop, moving further and further back through time. Every day, she notices something new – signs she missed that led to that moment with her son holding a knife. She’s convinced it’s an opportunity for her to change things – to prevent that dark day from ever happening. But the more she discovers about the past, the more impossible it seems to untangle her family from the web of events that led them there.

We’re all familiar with the groundhog-day trope – living the same day again and again until things set themselves right – but this one does it different. Jen continues traveling back in time, weeks, months, years – gathering information she will need to unravel the mystery of that night and the truth everyone around her has been hiding.

There are twists and turns and each piece of the puzzle built the suspense and had my mind engaged the entire time. The pacing was just right; not so quick that you missed things because the details were too quick or subtle, and not so slow that any part of it was boring.

I don’t read this genre often because I have a soft heart that can’t take much evil, and though there are dark things in this book, for me, it was the perfect amount of darkness to still be able to enjoy it. I especially hate when books get darker at the end, taking a gruesome turn that haunts you. This one does not.

I’ve been reading a lot of books this year with protagonists who are mothers. I’m devouring them. There are certain things that are universal, and a mother’s love and falling into the trap of not paying enough attention to the every-day things are two of them. This is the suspense/thriller side of the same coin as Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major, one of my favorite books of the year. I highly recommend both!

Details

Title:: Wrong Place Wrong Time
Author:: Gillian McAllister
Genre:: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher:: William Morrow
Length:: 416 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 7m
Audiobook Narrator:: Lesley Sharp
Audiobook Publisher:: Harper Audio
Published:: August 2nd, 2022
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

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