Books, Books, Books, and a Cat

 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...

  A novel centered on the first female pharaoh of Egypt, yes please!  Plus Lord Carnarvon had a daughter that was present at the discovery of King Tut's tomb. I had no idea!  As someone who has studied and read so much about this time period, this book taught me so much as well as kept me interested until the very end.  The novel is told in two parts.  Lady Evelyn is fascinated with ancient Egypt, especially that of Hatshepsut.  Eve dreams of one day finding Hatshepsut's  tomb.  She has joined her father, Lord Carnarvon, and Howard Carter on some of their excavations in the early 1920s.  Her mother however wants to settle down in a good marriage.  Lady Evelyn refuses to give up and is determined to find Haatshepsut's resting place no matter the cost.  The second part of the story is that of Hatshepsut and how she came to be the first female pharaoh of Egypt. Her story is fascinating especially considering that Egypt had a female who...

  This was such a good romance!  Definitely one of my top romance reads of the year!  5 out of 5 Stars This novel is set in Australia and alternates between Sadie and Jonah.  Both are literary academics who have fought against each other every step of the way.  Jonah ends up in a tight spot and Sadie comes up with a plan to help them both out.   However her plan causes tension between her and her sister.  The reader is left wondering if these enemies to lovers will make it through all of the turmoil.   I absolutely loved the tension between these two characters.  You could just feel the attraction between the two of them radiating off the pages.  Jonah and Sadie were great characters in their own right so I really enjoyed reading about their lives.  I also loved learning more about the college academia world.  It was really interesting to read about what they had to go through.  Besides the two of them their fami...

 Revenge, Served Royal is an excellent historical story with a strong female lead character in this murder mystery meets British Bake Off novel!  Petra is at Windsor Castle for a week of celebrating the monarchs and has been asked to judge a patisserie contest.  Her own cook is taking part in the contest as well.  While there the former royal chef is murdered.  There is a suspect but Petra does not think that he is the guilty party.  In fact the suspect is the brother of her own lady's maid.  Petra is determined to find the murderer even if it might mean someone she is close to and related to.  However while searching for the murderer, Petra's own life is put in danger.   Petra is the kind of character I can get behind and one that I love reading about.  She uses her intelligence and  courage to do the right thing in a male dominated society.  I found this to be a great mystery as I did not figure out who the murderer was ...

 This was a great follow up novel to Legends and Lattes and Bookshops and Bonedust! This book followed Fern who we met in Bookshops and Bonedust.  Fern moves to Thune to set up her bookshop and be close to VIv.  Only when she gets there something isn't right.  She ends up getting drunk and winds up in the wagon of the legendary Astryx the Blademistress and Oathmaiden.  Thus begins Fern's adventure as she travels with Astryx to bring in a goblin, Zyll, who is worth a huge bounty. This book was filled with adventure, action, and emotion.  I loved the characters and the atmosphere the book created.  Fern's emotional journey was relatable on so many levels and I think any reader would be able to connect with what she was going through.  The trials and tribulations that Fern, Astryx, and Zyll, deal with on their journey will keep you reading late into the night.  What I loved most about the book though was how it made me feel as I read about their...

  3.5 Stars- The premise of this book pulled me in.  Who wouldn't take advantage of a magical typewriter?   Emerson is our main character and she is dealing with a lot.  She is a single mom who just lost her father, a famous author.  Her mother is an alcoholic who just wants to move past her father's death and sell the house.  Emerson's teenage daughter has not been acting like herself and is now getting in trouble at school.  With all of these events spiraling, Emerson just wants a little control. While cleaning out her father's office, she comes across her dad's typewriter.  She types out a wish and then it comes true in an unexpected way.  Emerson thinks this has to be a coincidence so she does it again.  Emerson has to decide if this is the answer to her prayers or is there an even greater cost to this typewriter.  There was lots of family drama as we got to know Emerson, her daughter Sadie, and her mother, Dorthy.  I ...