Books, Books, Books, and a Cat

 3.5 Stars- This novel really grew on me.  It is a cozy fantasy with a slow burn romance and interesting characters.   Ainsworth is a scholar that travels to the Misnich Inn to record the accounts of all the adventurers that have traveled on Mount Vengeance.  He comes to the mountain pretty full of himself and with the air of someone who thinks he is better than the others around him.  Once there he discovers that no one has actually traveled the mountain.  He begins to do research and tries to solve this unusual mystery.  He also begins to become friends with everyone at the inn including the innkeeper Honey.  Things go well until his ex turns up and Ainsworth has to decide where is home truly is.  It did take me awhile to get into this book.  It is a fantasy and I enjoyed learning about the different supernatural creatures but I sometimes got lost with the unusual names.  I enjoyed learning about the character's backstories b...

 3.5 Stars- This was a really unique novel that was a blend of magical realism, mystery, music, and horror.  Told from two different points of view, the reader learns about a family curse that kills all the females of a family line at the age of 33 due to a deal with the devil.  The year is 1995. Rhea, our main character, lost her mother when she was five and has been living with her aunt and uncle since then.  She is not treated well so when she finds out at the age of 18 that her mother was a famous singer and she is now a millionaire, she can't wait to leave home and find out more about her.  The second perspective is about Rhea's mother Lulabelle in 1967.  Lulabelle also lost her mother at a young age and is determined to become a singer since she can always hear music.  She leaves home after an incident and tries to make it big in Nashville.  Both women have a hard road ahead of them.  They both have to overcome secrets and lies as they ...

 This is definitely a five star read!  I cannot believe how many different emotions I had while reading this book.  This will be one of the best books of 2026!  The story alternates between present day Elsie and her past as Mabel in the 1950s.  This is a story about an 81 year old murderer.  We start with Elsie discovering her neighbor has died.  She didn't particularly like him but suddenly she finds herself in the spotlight after he turns up dead.  The reader learns about each of Elsie's neighbors and their own stories.  In the past we learn about many of the tragic event's in her life that led up to her committing murder and being called Mad Mabel. This should not have been a book that made me cry like I did, but I could not help but be drawn to Elsie (Mabel). Her backstory grabbed me and I felt so deeply for this fictional character.   I loved all of the present day characters in her neighborhood as well.  I loved reading a...

 This dual timeline novel was an absolute delight.  I loved the musical elements infused in the novel.   In the present day, we have three different characters all with their secret battles and turmoil.  Devlin decides to buy a violin from the lost and found from Heathrow Airport instead of getting an engagement ring for his longtime girlfriend.  However it turns out that the violin is stolen.  Not knowing where to turn, Devlin reaches out to his old history teacher, Walter.  Walter had been on the verge of taking his own life when Devlin came by.  Together they try to figure out a plan but first try to determine the violin's history and if it truly has been stolen.  They go to Gabrielle, a former musician, who had to give up her career due to  pain that randomly appeared when she was young. She runs her family business and appraises musical instruments.  Together the three of them go on a wild ride to try and figure out what t...

 4.5 Stars- "Wildflower" is a cozy fantasy that will warm your heart and really make you want to run out and get some flowers.  Fliss is a florist who is cursed.  She can only speak the truth.  Fliss receives a request for a unique and rare flower.  To get it she has to travel out of the citadel to a place in the north that is rumored to be cursed.  Once there she gets the help of a sorcerer named Willoh Vane.  Fliss finds herself attracted to Will but her best friend, Card wants nothing to do with him.  Card is engaged to the prince who hates Will for some reason.  Fliss finds that her friendship is threatened as she grows closer to Will, but she also begins to find her own independence.  She soon figures out that something is going on in the kingdom and she has to do something fast before the people she loves get hurt.  First of all I loved the character Fliss and how hard she had to overcome her curse.  I love a novel with a...

I loved all of the elements of this novel!  I am obsessed with these characters  and their lives.  I truly hope there will be more books to come.  This fantasy novel sets five different students from different worlds together in the same magical school.  Each student has magic and has been recruited to attend Strixhaven.  Eula, our main character, can make magical shields and wants a better life than the one set out by her father.  Alandra is merfolk who hopes to learn more magic to help protect her homeland. Segante is from a dangerous world where every day it is about survival. Kequia is from Dominaria and can touch things to learn their history.  Lastly, Jamira, is a minotaur from a planet that was destroyed by the Phyrexians.  Each student has their own secrets and different reasons for attending this school.  However these trans-planar students are not wanted by everyone on the campus.  Threats mount against them and the five m...

With this book Jennifer Ryan has become a must read historical fiction author for me.  5 out of 5 Stars! "The Queen's Coronation" follows the lives of three different women in 1953 as they prepare for Queen Elizabeth's coronation.  Caroline, Lucy, and Miranda come from three different backgrounds but all three find themselves working at the palace as Queen Elizabeth prepares to accept the throne.  Caroline is trapped in an abusive marriage with no way out until she finds out that her first love is still alive.  For the first time she is able to dream of a different life.  Lucy, has big dreams of being a singer.  With her beautiful face, she thinks she might be able to make it if only she can find the right man to help her dreams come true.  Miranda is a widow trying to make it as a journalist in a man's world.  She has to do whatever it takes to not lose her job and find the next big story.  All three women face uphill battles as they try to ...

  This book was like the Real Housewives on steroids!   April hosts a Youtube baking show in which she shares secrets to make your bake even better.  She seems to have a perfect life with a great husband, son, friends, and being a baking influencer.  However one day she begins to receive threatening text messages.  Someone is anonymously contacting her and knows exactly what is going on in her life before she does.  April's life begins to spin out of control and she is desperate to take control before she loses everything.  One thing I really enjoy about a Freida McFadden book is figuring out the twist.  This book was no exception.  Set in Long Island with two different points of view.  The story features moms who just want what is best for their families and will do whatever it takes to keep their families together. It was dark at times but it also kept me on my toes as I tried to figure out what was going to happen next.  If ...

  Abigail Adams is an absolutely amazing woman and I feel lucky to have read about her life.  She is an inspiration to women everywhere, even though she lived more than 250 years ago.   This book took me through a gambit of emotions.  The story starts in 1765 when she is pregnant and the revolution has not quite begun.  The reader learns about her life through her many pregnancies and life with a husband who was often absent. She not only had to run a farm by herself but raise small children all the while a war was going on.  Not only did she raise children, kept the farm going, but she also managed to survive a war and make her own money during a time when women had no independence outside of their husband. I am in awe of all that she accomplished, plus she never stopped championing women's rights and the end of slavery.   Abigail Adams's life was fascinating to me.  She went through so much and never stopped helping others including he...