Books, Books, Books, and a Cat

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...

 Do you ever want to read a book that gives you a good scare?  This is the book.  It was dark and creepy but I had to keep on reading.  Told from three points of view, this book packed surprise after surprise and left me guessing what was going to happen next.  Hazel has just moved back in with her parents after her husband filed for divorce.  Cathy is a single mother with two boys who has barely any contact with her parents or sister Hazel.  When Hazel moves back she calls Cathy to meet up and to try and reconcile.  Only Hazel never shows when Cathy and her are supposed to meet.  Cathy finds it strange especially when she runs into Suzie, an old friend of Hazel who had recently seen Hazel.  Together, Cathy and Suzie begin to piece together that all is not as it seems and something bad may have happened to Hazel.  Meanwhile Hazel finds herself trapped in a madman's basement.  She has no idea why she is there and she knows that ...

This was a delightful and satisfying read in more ways than one.   "Death Meets Cute" is a standalone fantasy novel about a witch determined to become more evil than she is.  Iris ends up resurrecting an orc to be her bodyguard because every evil villainess needs a bodyguard. Only she is not the most powerful witch and he comes back to life not quite right.  Talon is amazingly sweet, charming, a great cook, and just about everything a girl could want.  Iris has to decide what to do with Talon, figure out what has happened to her magic, increase her potion business, and deal with her two sisters.   There was so much to enjoy about this book.  I loved the fact that Talon was an orc but that did not stop him from being the perfect man.   I also enjoyed that Iris was a lovable character who was able to learn and grow.  Plus she has a hedgehog as a familiar.  How adorable is that!  There were so many fantastic characters and wo...

 This was the fourth book in this series but the first one I have read.  I was able to read this as a stand alone.  I do think reading the earlier books would have helped but the author did a great job explaining the past as the main character, Ernest, often referred to past events.   In this novel Ernest is in a bank with this fiance when it gets robbed.  Usually Ernest is one to solve murders not a bank robbery but things escalate.  There is a murder to solve and even Ernest's life is in danger.  What is interesting is that all of the hostages in the bank have a motive to rob the bank. and possibly one of them is even a murderer.  Ernest must do what is necessary to figure out who could behind not only the robbery but a murder before he loses his own life.  I did find this book a little confusing.  There were many characters and different motives that at times it was overwhelming keeping everyone straight.  I did not agree wi...

  This was a delightful romance that will make you want to go on a hiking trip and spend time in the great outdoors! Sadie has been recently dumped because she is too high maintenance.  She is out to prove her ex wrong so she goes on a hiking adventure in the Sierras.  This is way out side her comfort zone but she is determined to prove she can do it and not die like her ex suggests.  Thorn loves the outdoor and his job as a wilderness guide.  He is not however thrilled to go on his latest hiking tour with his ex-best friend who stole his girlfriend and moved to Peru together.  Thorn is determined to get through this trip but to his surprise he is really enjoying being with Sadie. Sparks fly and the great outdoors is the place to be.  This story was told from both Sadie and Thorn's point of view.  I always enjoy having the two perspectives when reading a romance.  There was drama, a love triangle, and adventure.  The characters also grew...

  3.5 Stars- This story was a unique blend of horror and thriller that will have you greedy for more.  First of all the setting of this book is perfect.  I love food and I enjoyed reading about the different types of food and other culinary experiences in Japan.  The writing in this book was good. The book flowed and I was interested until the very end.  However I did want more.  The end did not satisfy me but maybe that was the point.   Ed is from England but moved to Japan and fell in love.  He has a wife and a baby.  He also has a horrible gambling problem and is desperate for money to pay off his debts to the local Japanese mob or he or his family might be swimming with the fish. He takes a job as a chef for a high profile and wealthy woman, Hazeline, even though he has very little experience cooking.  He is able to impress her enough that he is able to pay down his debt a little and life becomes a little better.  The longe...

  A new Katherine Center novel is one of things I look forward to most in the year.  "The Shippers" did not disappoint and was a great way to start this year off.   In this novel JoJo has relationship issues.  In order to solve these issues, JoJo hatches a plan with her sister to win back the guy who was her first kiss and longtime crush, Finn Turner  He also happens to be on a cruise ship with her entire family and old neighborhood for her sister's wedding.  Also on that cruise ship is JoJo's best friend, Cooper.  They have been estranged for four years. At one time they were inseparable and have only now just started speaking again.  JoJo ends up roping in Cooper to try and help her win Finn, but as you can probably guess, things do not always go to plan.  I absolutely loved this book.  It was a great escape and a heart warming story.   I really enjoyed reading about all of the characters and seeing their growth especial...