Book 26 Cupid’s Charm

 

Cupid’s Charm by Katie O’Connor fulfilled the category “Book with a Heart, Spade, Diamond, or Club on the Cover” for the PopSugar 2021 Reading Challenge. You can see from the cover, there are hearts galore!

I’ll be honest. I met this author through Facebook and was impressed by her kindness. Then I read her novel was equally impressed by her writing. I love the quick-wit style, her choice of setting, and awesome cast of characters. After I finished, I hoped for more books in the series.

One of the best elements of the novel is the setting. It makes everything happen. The town’s name, Rapture, gives a big hint. The town was founded on the concept of true love, and they embrace Valentine’s Day with a vengeance. There are parties, festivals, dances, and more. The entire place is bathed in hearts. When Olivia moves in, she’s a little put-off. Not that she hates love. She was not looking for it on every surface of everything everywhere. Her avoidance is hilarious.

Also, Rapture is in Canada. This is my first Canadian romance, and I loved all the tidbits the author added to make me feel like I was there. (Though living in Upstate NY, I can relate to that February weather.) It might sound silly, but having the weather as a part of the story made it more believable. It wasn’t just winter activities. It was chasing the dog through the snow or freezing on an evening out because you wore the wrong outfit.

Another thing I loved was the friends-to-lovers trope. Our hero Max was taken with Olivia from the start, but she puts up the stop sign fast. And he, being a true gentleman, respects her boundaries. Of course, that doesn’t stop him from cooking for her every chance he gets. Their friendship grows as the book progresses until we readers are like “Olivia, go get him!” But the sweet way they come together is heart-warming and wonderful. A slow-burn romance is always a great way to spend the afternoon.

If all this hasn’t gotten you hooked, add in a Houdini dog, a small-town setting complete with a perfect diner, and funny, fun escapades with townies and our couple.

Personally, Olivia’s backstory spoke to me. I’m kind of an introvert, and alone time is necessary and appreciated. Our girl is one of a dozen children. She moves to Rapture not only for a new job but for space from her family. She loves them but needs room to grow. After this pandemic, many of us feel that need to be alone or spread our wings and fly away for a new adventure. I loved her journey.

I give Cupid’s Charm by Katie O’Connor Five Strings of Heart Lights for my balcony.

 

 

Book 25 Troubled Blood

 

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) fulfilled the category “Longest Book on my TBR list” for the PopSugar 2021 Reading Challenge. Honestly, I have House of Leaves (700+ pages) on my list along with The Witching Hour (1000+ pages). But I read Troubled Blood, and as it was long enough, I opted to rant about it.

I have enjoyed the Cormoran Strike mysteries, despite their author displaying a short-sightedness about Trans issues. The mysteries are gritty and complex, with interesting characters and unrequited love. Awesome.

Troubled Blood, though, had some issues.

I’ve heard rumors that some authors stop using developmental editors when they become famous/rich enough. That means no one checks their stories for redundant passages, empty plot lines, or long-drawn-out sequences that do not forward plot. A mystery/suspense novel should always move forward. In these books, character development takes a backseat to the action. Especially in the fifth book of a series.

Troubled Blood is a cold case story. Detectives, Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott, have one year to find out who killed Margot Bamborough forty years ago, a daunting task to say the least. The 944-page novel takes twelve months to solve the case. I’ve read the author’s children’s books where the story covers the school year. Those stories also became too long at about book five. Troubled Blood could’ve been half the length if the author asked for a developmental edit.

It’s not to say I didn’t like the novel. I did. The mystery was interesting, though drawn out. The characters are still compelling, though these detectives need to stop dancing around their feelings for each other. I also want Cormoran to stop being a drunk ass and take charge of his life. The book threw many personal issues at Cormoran, stopping him from moving forward with his job and with Robin. His aunt passes (which takes forever, sorry if I’m callous), and his father wants to reconnect. Robin still wallows in the “I’m not good enough” garbage for yet another book.

I don’t know if it was the cold case that stopped me from loving the book. It lacked the intrigue and gore of the other novels in the series. I’m a huge horror fan and loved that our beloved Harry Potter author was breaking out the blood and guts. Troubled Blood (despite its title) lacked the bloody mess of the other four books. Also, there was a huge cast of characters for the mystery. The entire staff of a doctor’s office was involved. With so many names and so many pages in between their appearances, it was difficult to keep them straight. Also—Spoiler—if Cormoran hadn’t conveniently forgotten something, the mystery would’ve been solved in weeks, not months.

Anyway…

If you loved the other Cormoran Strike books, be aware that this one moves more slowly, with less action and less horrific details.

I give Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith Three Red Herrings.

 

 

Book 24 Verity

 

Verity by Colleen Hoover fulfilled the category “Book on my TBR List with the Ugliest Cover” for the PopSugar 2021 Reading Challenge. What a mean category! I hate shaming anyone for their covers. Some authors can’t afford an expensive cover artist. This was an indie title, and the cover is more disturbing/confusing than ugly. But I’m so glad I read it.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been afraid to read something. Well, not so much afraid… I felt serious trepidation about finishing the novel, all the good shivers down my spine.

So, Verity…

Take a bit of Jane Eyre, mix in some Rebecca, and then sprinkle liberally with Gone Girl, and you will have Verity.

This story was amazing—well-written, suspenseful, and heart-wrenching. What a ride!

Summary—Lowen Ashleigh, a mid-list author down on her luck, is offered the job of her dreams. Bestselling author Verity Crawford cannot finish her contracted series and needs a cowriter. What’s wrong with Verity? She’s a vegetable after a car accident, and the whole thing is being hushed up to save book sales. Lowen comes to Verity’s home to look through research and papers to find the needed data for the next three books. She finds Verity’s autobiography instead. From there, the narrative goes through twists and turns, love and tragedy, love and lies.

All I can say is Damn with a capital D.

It’s hard to tell more without spoiling anything. DO NOT read any reviews or opinions with details before reading the book. It’s like Gone Girl. Don’t read ahead.

I have seen some hateful reviews for the story because of the ending. There was even one cursing the author for writing the epilogue. My opinion is Ms. Hoover did a fantastic job and smacked us one more time with her last few pages. The ending leaves more questions than it answers, as it should.

This is not a light, romantic book with a happy ending. It’s emotional, real, and nail-biting. I like a tale that challenges the norm, puts genre on its ear, and an author who writes what she needs to get a great story. I applaud Ms. Hoover for this work of fiction. Be aware some of my favorite books include Gone Girl and Watchmen. The right ending is not always the happy one.

My advice: read Verity. Go with an open mind. Question everything. Feel the feels and bite those nails.

I give Verity by Colleen Hoover Five Autobiographical Manuscripts.

 

 

Book 23 They All Fall Down

 

 

They All Fall Down by Rachael Howzell Hall fulfilled the category “A Locked-Door Mystery” for the PopSugar 2021 Reading Challenge. I had a tough time with this prompt. Apparently, the definition of a locked-door mystery is confusing. I read an entire book and the beginning of a second that claimed on Goodreads, Amazon, or Facebook that they were locked-door mysteries.

Nope.

A locked-door mystery is a story where a murder occurs in a locked room or isolated location where it’s impossible for the event to occur. Basically, there’s a dead body in a room with exits and windows sealed from within. Or an impossible robbery with no evidence of anyone having entered the room. Not a story with people behind a locked door. (I’m looking at you Nine Perfect Strangers). Or a book where people are stranded, but we know immediately who the bad guy is. (That’s No Exit which I opted not to finish.) It’s not Ruth Ware’s Turn of the Key with a room no one can get into. It’s And Then There Were None.

So I found a retelling.

They All Fall Down is a modern retelling of the Agatha Christie classic. In this novel, Miriam May has been invited to participate in a reality show on an isolated island off the coast of Mexico. Miriam agrees to the contest because her life is a mess. She’s in desperate need of cash to help with legal issues and personal difficulties. She ends up on the island with a cast of six other characters, racially diverse with their own set of problems. It doesn’t take long to find out they’ve been deceived. Their lawyer has passed and requested all seven come to his private island for a memorial service. Well, if you’ve read And Then There Were None, you know what happens.

I loved this book for many reasons. I’m a huge Christie fan and have read all her books published under the Agatha Christie name—about seventy books. And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express are my favorites. Christie stretched the idea of the whodunit with those two titles. I was thrilled to find such a great retelling.

I chose the title after some research, but I didn’t look at the reviews. I read somewhere (I can’t find it again, of course) that Ms. Howzell Hall was told she could never meet the ability of the master (Christie) and should not try. I’m so glad she did.

She rocked it.

She created the same terror and mystery of the original with her own twist of odd characters, an unlikeable heroine, and removal from the modern world. She mastered the retell, point for point with interesting characters, with deep insights, and backstories that hinted they could be whole other books. Miriam, the main, was a mess, and I loved her for it.

In middle school, my English teacher told me I wasn’t sophisticated enough to read Christie. In high school, another English teacher pooh-poohed all my writing and told me it would never amount to anything. So I cheer Ms. Howzell Hall for not listening to those critics (or the people trashing her novel on Goodreads) and writing an amazing book I loved. I’ll add the audio version was well done, and the reader made the characters come to life.

I borrowed the title from the library to listen. After seeing all the terrible (wrong) reviews on Goodreads, I ran out and bought a physical copy to support this author.

I give They All Fall Down by Rachael Howzell Hall Five HUGE Carved Chess Pieces.

 

 

Book 22 The Duke and I

 

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn fulfilled the category “Book on my TBR List with the Prettiest Cover” for the PopSugar 2021 Reading Challenge. I’m pretty sure I read this novel a billion years ago, so forgive me for using it for the challenge. But honestly, I had no recollection of the plot. So I’m counting it. Plus, EVERYONE is talking about Bridgerton, so there ya go.

Please don’t hate me for this review.

The Duke and I is a regency romance about a young woman from a large family. She has no good prospects for marriage and wants a love match. Enter the only son of a Duke who has no interest in marriage. The two strike a bargain to create a fake courtship to keep the women away from Simon and undesirables away from Daphne. But of course, it all goes wrong, and they fall for each other, after a series of very fun, very sexy, very poignant scenes. Simon consents to marry Daphne, but he insists they will have no children as an FU to his dead father who was not a good dad. Daphne can’t imagine her life without children with the man she loves. In the end, we have much happiness.

Here’s where you all start hating me and trash my blog. The Duke and I was okay. Why does everyone love this? Because it’s a great story with real love, sexy scenes, and actual conflict weaved together in an interesting fashion. Did I like the story? Yes. Did I love it? Not really. It was good. It was well written. It was sexy and fun. But I feel like I missed something.

I know part of my blah reception of this book is how Daphne tries to get her husband to have children. The novel was written in 2000, but the attempted conception scene seriously bothered me. A lot. I had a similar reaction to one of the ending scenes in the original Outlander. I can’t forgive Claire, and I can’t forgive Daphne. At least Daphne talked with her husband, and they work through it. I finished this book with a better taste in my mouth than Outlander. Perhaps I’m being too sensitive or not allowing for the historical period of the piece (both when they took place and when they were written). But I felt that all Ms. Quinn had built in their relationship and friendship was stained by her act. And I understand Daphne felt the pinch of being a powerless woman in the 1800s and had to do what she had to do. But ugh! Go ahead. Hate me. I’m sorry.

The characters, even Daphne, were wonderful, and I could see myself binging the rest of the series and watching the TV show. I’m going to chalk up my hesitations with the idea that there are just some tropes, storylines, kinks that I don’t care for. And that’s on me.

I give The Duke and I by Julia Quinn Four Bodices Ripped by Shrubberies.

 

Book 21 Plaid and Plagiarism

 

Plaid and Plagiarism by Molly MacRae fulfilled the category “A Book where the Main Character Works at Your Current or Dream Job” for the PopSugar 2021 Reading Challenge. I have a great job. I’m a writer, and I work at a library in circulation. So I see all the books. It’s lovely.

I read tons of books about librarians, booksellers, bookstores, and bibliophiles. I wanted a book for this category that was different. Most of these titles are cozy mysteries. I’ve tried to read The Bad-ass Librarians of Timbuktu twice now. Not quite my ideal or current job. I read Death Overdue by Allison Brook which I realized was a reread. And last, I couldn’t find an audio of one that looked cute called Nowhere to Be Found by Emily Thomas. Finally, I settled on Plaid and Plagiarism with the premise of an American opening a bookstore in Scotland.

I like to think I’m Scottish. My father’s people come from Nova Scotia, and I’m pretty sure Scotland before that. (Side story, In college, we read A River Runs Through It, and our TA went on and on about how their nationality was an unusual thing. “Scottish by way a Nova Scotia, who’s like that?” I raised my hand and screwed up her point. LOL) Anyway, visiting Scotland is on my bucket list. I’ve read all MC Beaton’s Hamish Macbeth books. So a bookstore there sounded jus’ grand. (That is the extent of my highland accent.)

It was a cute book, but there were some issues. It hit all the cozy mystery beats but not at the right pace. The novel took too long to give the background and rushed the ending. The ending was just right, and all the red herrings were tied up nicely. But with four protagonists, the story became weighed down with information sharing. And yes, it was ingenious for the characters to use a Google Doc to keep track of things, but… I think if Ms. MacRae had put the book in first person with Janet, it would have solved the slow start. The conversations about information sharing would have disappeared, and each plot point would’ve shone.

I also listened to the audio, and the reader, though articulate, did not do the book any huge favors. The reader had an English accent. Most of the characters were Scottish, and their accents were well done and distinguishable. But the main character and her daughter were mid-western Americans. Their accents sounded very New York City to me. And having the narration given with an English accent threw off that the book was really about Janet, Christine, Natalie, and Summer, three of which were American. It didn’t work. It didn’t ruin it, but it took away from the story.

Also, the title is a bit of a red herring too… But no spoilers!

Did I like the novel? Yes. Did I wish I’d read the paper? Yep. Would I recommend it? Yep. Will I read the next in the series? Probably (once I finish this challenge).

I give Plaid and Plagiarism by Molly MacRae Four Darling Knitted Nessies.