Books, Books, Books, and a Cat

  This was such a great story especially if you love cats!  There were so many wonderful little touches that will draw you in.  From the magical oven that bakes pastries at midnight, intelligent characters willing to do whatever it takes to save others, and cats who steal the show; this is a fantastic, wonderful book filled with magic, action, and a little romance.   Agnes is a woman in her 30s who is grieving the loss of her partner and has now dedicated her life to saving cats.  She runs a cat shelter and is desperate to find a new home.  When a shop she can actually affords comes up she jumps at the chance to rent it.  However she finds out that a magician named Havelock is using her shelter as a front so that he stays hidden from the police.  Havelock is a world famous magician who almost ended the world. Agnes would be ok with this until one day another magician shows up and almost destroys her shelter and the cats in her quest to find a...

  This was a fascinating look at the life of Evelyn Talbot, a girl who was raised in poverty to become a Broadway sen sensation in the early 1900s.  Based on a real person, Evelyn has the look that draws everyone in.  As a young girl, Evelyn is spotted and becomes an artist's muse.  She works her way up to model and then actress.  The only problem is that this is a man's world and there are many wealthy men who want to take advantage of Evelyn.  Her mother, who should be looking out for her, really only craves the comfort and security that Evelyn's new found fame has brought.  Evelyn must figure out how to have it all including her freedom. Evelyn's story was captivating and an excellent read for anyone who loves historical fiction or strong females. I loved her intelligence and spirit.  She had so much happen to her in her life and I always love to read about women who can accomplish so much when there is so much against them.  I appreciate ...

  If you have ever been the fat girl then you will completely get Cherry.  Cherry is in her late 30s and has always been overweight. She has accepted it and moved on, embracing her body.  However, her soon to be ex-husband, Tom, has written a popular comic featuring a character based on her that is going to be turned into a movie.  This shouldn't be an issue but it is, because just when Cherry thinks she can move forward with her life this character comes back to haunt her.   It is hard to describe what this book is except by saying that if you have ever been over weight in your life you just get this story.  Cherry was an incredibly relatable character and I felt her struggles and she delved into her past dating life and her current struggles.  This book is not just about her weight but about her relationships. First she needs to figure out if she should give her ex a second chance or forge a new path with a guy she liked in the past.  The b...

  If you love books, you will LOVE this book!  This book is the fantasy of every book lover out there.  A chance to go to a magical library where you can spend time in your favorite books.   Alix was abandoned by her mother and raised in the foster care system.  Now in her twenties, she works several dead end jobs and is about to be homeless.  Her identity has been stolen and she has nowhere to turn to.  Feeling hopeless she takes refuge at the Boston Public library when a door opens for her and she finds herself in the Astral Library.  She meets the Librarian who offers to take her into any book she wants to live for as long as she wants.  This is a dream come true for Alix but before she can decide where to go, danger comes for other patrons of the Astral Library.  Alix decides she wants to help and becomes entangled in an attack on the library.  Alix must help the Librarian save the library before this magical place can be d...

  4.5 Stars- This was a really good thriller.  There were many different twists and intriguing back stories to keep me interested throughout the entire novel.   Set in a coastal town in Alabama, Geneva is running her family's inn all by herself.  Her mom has early onset Alzheimer's and Geneva did not want to give up her family's legacy so she is trying her hardest to keep the inn afloat.  She is thrilled when she learns that a writer is booking the inn for an extended period of time to write about a supposed murder that happened in 1984 during a devastating hurricane.  Lo Bailey was 19 and accused of murdering Landon Fitzroy, a married man but also the golden boy of a local politician.  Landon died in that hurricane and Lo was tried for murder but the jury was hung so she went free.  August, the writer, wants to know her side of the story so Lo also comes to stay at the inn.  It turns out that Geneva has a connection to this story and wh...

 I am still in shock after finishing this book.  I did not expect what I just read. 3 out of 5 Stars Elodie is recently married and moved to Virginia with her new husband.  She has a baby on the way and has left a bad situation in Australia. She finally has a husband who loves her.  However her son has some difficulties and is not an easy child.  He is not progressing as he should and requires her to come up with games to motivate him.  Elodie does not want anything to mess up her relationship with her new husband so she tries to hide just how bad her son can be.  The problem is they are in her husband's childhood home that needs lots of work.  Jude, her son, is convinced the house is trying to eat them.  Elodie starts to think something is wrong with the house as well.  Things go from bad to worse as she starts spiraling and things with Jude get worse.  Elodie needs to figure out what is really going on.  This book to me was t...

 This was a perfect romantic holiday read to get you in the mood for Christmas.   Ruby loves the holidays.  She works in retail and loves everything Christmas.  One day on her way home after impulsively buying a Christmas tree she runs into Rashid. Actually, her tree falls on him.  He agrees to help carry it to her apartment and she finds out that he is a grump who hates Christmas.  The two of them run into each other again and both of them are frustrated with one another.  However she finds out that his family owns hotels in the UK.  Ruby will be leaving Toronto soon to pursue her and her mother's dreams of owning their own small hotel in the English countryside.  She needs a leg up so she decides to befriend Rashid and change his mind about her.  They end up growing closer and Ruby needs to figure out what is the best path going forward. This was a cute love story set during the holidays and I am all for it.  It was a great e...

You can't go wrong with a story that has one of its main characters being a ghost.  "Death at the Door" was a great second installment in this paranormal mystery series.   Ruby is adjusting to her life away from her family and living with her roommate/ghost, Cordelia, when someone is murdered at work. Ruby and Cordelia team up to try and figure out why he was killed and why.  In the process we learn more about Cordelia's life and that things were not what they seemed.  Ruby's work life may also be in trouble.  Ruby and Cordelia need to find out what really happened before something else awful happens. This was a great mystery that had me guessing as to what really happened until the very end. Cordelia being a ghost and teaming up with Ruby elevates this novel to the next level.  I like that the reader gets both of their perspectives.  This one also introduces us to Cordelia's brother and we learn more about her back story which I enjoyed reading a...

 This book was an incredible blend of fantasy, time travel, and historical fiction.  I honestly loved this book because it  had all of the elements I enjoy in a story.  It has also been a while since I have cried so much while reading a book.   Beatrix was born in the late 1400s.  She has lived a life as an outcast from her village and even her family because she has two different colored eyes.  others see her as something unnatural.  She eventually meets someone and falls in love but her life is cut too short.  She makes a wish to live and her wish is granted with a twist.  She is immortal and forever stuck in her twenties.  Her life becomes one of survival until she meets a man named Oliver in London and then sees him again in Italy more than 100 years later.  Beatrix and Oliver form a bond that will span centuries and endure so many challenges.  This story was heartbreaking but powerful. I had to give this book 5 S...