A Murderous Business by Cathy Pegau ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I enjoyed the characters and the storyline for this historical fiction mystery and I think it will evolve into a nice series. I questioned the historical accuracy of some elements of this story but appreciated how they set up the characters' backstories and the experiences of women, and particularly queer women, at this moment in history. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Murder on the Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood (NetGalley ARC, pub date 9/16) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This took me a minute to get back into the story, but once it got going it felt pretty strong. It leaned very heavily on Judith and kept the reader guessing on different explanations for the murder at the center of the story. I enjoyed the setting of "the theatre" and the development of various personalities (and suspects) in the town. The side story about Becks' daughter didn't do much for me, but otherwise I thought it all came together nicely. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 17 multiple authors (NetGalley ARC) ⭐⭐⭐ One of the excerpts was too crude for my taste so I bailed, but I liked the 1950s historical mystery and the game tracking detectives. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was a cute story with a strong sense of place. and the theme of found family. But I felt it had too many characters with too many side stories to keep track of and it dragged on and at times became confusing and hard to follow. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold by Ally Carter (NetGalley ARC, pub date 8/5) ⭐⭐⭐ I really enjoyed the Blonde Identity, so was really excited for the sequel, but this one did not retain the magic. I think the biggest issue was the decision to make the storytelling so choppy as it bounced back and forth between present day and 8 years ago, with each chapter being about 3-5 pages long. Between the time and location jumps, the story was hard to follow and with so much of it being backstory, there wasn't much dramatic tension or stakes until the final pages. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Dear Miss Lake by AJ Pearce (NetGalley ARC, pub date 8/5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Oh how comforting it was to be back with these beloved and familiar characters. This book made me cry several times, but in a good way. I appreciated the issues it raised while also offering a view of how humans persevere through the most difficult of circumstances.
The Creative's Mind: How Exceptional Artists Think, Make, and Perform by Jim Afremow; Phil White ⭐⭐⭐ Some of the chapters feel like they were written by publicists. I thought there would be a bit more about overcoming challenges and less gushing. The recaps at the end of each chapter felt like too much and were redundant and reductive. I think my favorite chapter was on Erik Larson, author of narrative nonfiction. There were some interesting tidbits but there was a ton of repetition.
Far and Away by Amy Poeppel - I really liked The Sweet Spot and loved Musical Chairs by this author, so I was ready for some madcap adventures. But this book I had trouble enjoying - some parts were funny, but I a lot of time annoyed by the characters’ behaviors rather than charmed by them. Around 75% in, it finally started to pull things together and that last part I really enjoyed, so the experience overall ended up feeling mixed.
One Final Turn (Electra McDonnell #5) by Ashley Weaver ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The only reason I didn't finish this sooner was because I was "saving" it. I enjoyed the change of setting with most of the book taking place in Portugal. I also appreciated how the action kept going through most of the book and I thought "how will they resolve these storylines in time" but it did so and provided the satisfying ending I wanted. I will be exploring the author's backlist and I hope she will create more stories with characters that I enjoy as much as these. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King - This is a tough one for me to review as reading this was a really mixed experience for me. I liked the premise and the settings, but as the book went on it started to drag for me. I became somewhat tired of the two younger characters. I wanted more to be offered from Meng's perspective which was only brought forward near the end and was too brief. I thought the total lack of explanation for Monica's mother's behavior was really odd, and didn't really understand her father at all either. I also thought too much time was spent on repeatedly describing the physical nature of the Reforging process which felt like an unnecessary and unpleasant detail to repeat over and over. There were aspects of this book I really enjoyed but overall my experience was frustrating. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The Potting Shed Murder by Paula Sutton - I first heard about this book as I follow the author's "Hill House Vintage" Instagram account and enjoy the style and gardening. The book seemed to borrow heavily from the author's life. Unfortunately, I found this book to be a slog. I was simply not invested in the characters or story, and would often feel like I had spent a long time reading without getting very far. I liked the premise and the sense of place, but most of the characters were bored miserable rich people and their darling children. The descriptions felt repetitive and the story dragged on. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The Love Haters by Katherine Center - The meet cute is as usual, a little too convenient, but I was able to roll with it. I enjoyed the description of the bright colors of the Florida Keys and appreciated as more of the nuance and backstory unfolded for the main characters. I laughed out loud quite a bit. I was telling myself "oh this is so predictable" and yet I stayed up late to read the last 60% of the book, so I guess we can call it propulsive! I think that Katherine Center is officially my favorite romance writer. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Where the Rivers Merge by Mary Alice Monroe - This book started out a bit slow for me, but as the author weaved her story, it became richer and more engaging. I enjoyed her blend of historical fiction and ecology with the focus on strong Southern women that I've found in Monroe's other works. This book is not billed as a series, but the author's note suggested that the matriarch would continue with her story in a second book. I knew the timeline wasn't keeping up with how much was left in the book, but it was a bit surprising for the book to not be more clearly described that way up front. The story was largely unresolved at the end, but it did make me want to continue to the next book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
We Need Your Art by Amie McNee - I am still working on claiming the title of artist for myself as it's something I enjoyed in high school, put aside for 20 years, and have just started returning to in the past couple years. So there were pieces of this book that I didn't feel applied to my current level of engagement. However, many many sections really did speak to me around the fears and hesitations and resistance. I was highlighting sections. Reading this book helped me pick up my watercolor painting for the first time in several months - something I had been eyeing but was avoiding. I think that reading this book helping me return to an almost-daily art practice is about the highest praise I can give. Thank you Amie. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Back After This by Linda Holmes - This book started off a little slow for me - perhaps because I am not into podcasts, so some of the inside baseball didn't do much for me. About a third of the way in, I started to get into it - and I stayed up late to finish the last third of the book! I've enjoyed Holmes' other books which delve into some interesting themes but are also sprinkled with plenty of laugh-out-loud humor. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens - This was a hard read but I think important to learn about some of the wars in the 1990s that were only lightly covered. This was much more of a thriller than it was mystery or historical fiction. Despite the dark topic, I mostly enjoyed reading it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
