I picked up A Wild and Heavenly Place because I love historical fiction, though romance isn’t my usual genre. I’m glad I gave it a try. The story follows Hailey MacIntyre and Samuel Fiddes from the slums of Glasgow to the untamed frontier of Seattle. Their connection happens fast, and they can’t seem to stay apart, no matter how life tries to separate them. I traveled to Scotland twice, so the descriptions of Glasgow felt familiar. Still, I wanted more sensory detail. I longed for deeper sights and sounds that would pull me further into the streets and shipyards. That said, the scenes in Seattle offered a window into the […]
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Ribbons of Scarlet: A Bold Idea That Fell Flat
DNF at 50% I had high hopes for Ribbons of Scarlet, an ambitious novel about seven women pivotal to the French Revolution. With six celebrated authors contributing, I expected a richly layered tale of courage, sacrifice, and upheaval. Unfortunately, it didn’t meet my expectations. This historical novel unites seven real women from all walks of life, including aristocratic Sophie de Grouchy, fruit-seller Louise Audu, pious Princess Élisabeth, and determined Charlotte Corday. Each one fights for her beliefs—Sophie educates peasants, Louise storms Versailles, and Charlotte seeks to rid the Republic of bloodshed. Their stories intersect in intriguing ways as the revolution intensifies, from gilded salons to the crowded streets. While the […]
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Secrets, Subplots, and Strange Skies: Cornwell’s Latest Scarpetta Mystery
3.5 stars for the eBook, 5 stars for the narration. Identity Unknown takes Dr. Kay Scarpetta into two chilling cases: the suspicious death of 7-year-old Luna Briley and the bizarre murder of Nobel-winning physicist Sal Giordano, who was once Scarpetta’s lover. The story begins with intrigue, from a tragic child abuse case to a haunting murder scene in an abandoned theme park, complete with crop circles and eerie clues. The forensic details are sharp, but the novel feels overloaded. With countless subplots and references to past events, I struggled to keep track. This isn’t a standalone—new readers will probably feel left out. The UFO angle was weird, though it ironically […]
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Turow’s Latest Legal Thriller Delivers Tension and Insight
Scott Turow proves once again why he’s the king of the legal thriller with Presumed Guilty. This book pulled me in from the first page and didn’t let go. Rusty Sabich, now retired, finds himself back in the courtroom defending his fiancée’s son, Aaron, against a murder charge. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and the tension is palpable as Turow expertly navigates themes of racial bias, small-town dynamics, and the complexities of the justice system. The courtroom drama is riveting—Turow obviously has courtroom experience, but he also has a delightful sense of humor. Rusty’s internal conflict adds emotional depth, and the layered characters make them authentic and relatable. Aaron’s struggles […]
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A Love Triangle on the Prairie: Louise Erdrich’s Tender and Powerful Tale of People, Land, and Loss
Pulitzer Prize winner Louise Erdrich’s The Mighty Red took me back to the fields and skies of rural North Dakota, where my mother grew up. This novel, set during the 2008 recession, captures the soul of a prairie town—the people, the land, and the struggles that tie them together. The characters are vividly real, especially Crystal, a sugar beet hauler trying to give her daughter Kismet a better life. Kismet’s love triangle with Gary, the high school quarterback, and Hugo, a dreamy outsider, adds emotional depth, though their angst occasionally veers into YA territory. The humor—like a chaotic town book club—balances the heavy themes of fracking, climate change, and economic […]
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Faith, Family, and Finding Oneself in 1967 Alabama
3.5 rounded up Untethered is a thought-provoking exploration of faith, duty, and self-discovery set against the backdrop of a racially tense 1967 Alabama. Katia Daniels, the protagonist, has dedicated her life to caring for others—first her family, and now the boys at the Pike County Group Home. Her struggles with love, loss, and a deeply rooted sense of obligation unfold in a story filled with emotional depth and historical context. While I appreciated the book’s focus on faith and its examination of trauma, I had trouble fully connecting with the characters and the narrative. The writing sometimes felt awkward, and the story lacked cohesion, which made it hard to stay […]
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Electrifying Action: Brian Freeman Delivers with The Bourne Shadow
Brian Freeman’s The Bourne Shadow is an absolute knock-out. The fifth installment in Freeman’s continuation of the Jason Bourne series is everything you’d want in a high-octane thriller—loaded with tension, packed with action, and impossible to put down. Freeman dives into David Webb’s haunting past, weaving a taut narrative that forces Bourne to confront secrets buried under years of amnesia. When a woman unexpectedly recognizes him as Webb, it sets off an electrifying chain of events that thrusts him into a breakneck journey across Europe. From neo-Nazi cells to political intrigue, the stakes couldn’t be higher as Bourne searches for answers about his forgotten life. The pacing here is masterful. […]
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Survival, Separation, and the Strength of the Human Spirit
I’ve read many WWII books, but The Refugee’s Daughter by Carolyn Newton stands out. Set against the stark realities of war-torn East Prussia and the horrors of Soviet gulags, it sheds light on the little-known Wolfskinder—children who faced unimaginable trauma to survive. Thirteen-year-old Giti and her brother, Otto, live with their mother and grandmother. Russian soldiers attacked, killing their grandmother and burning their farm, forcing the survivors onto a crowded train bound for the Soviet Union. Tragedy strikes again, separating Giti and Otto. Giti escapes into the forest, where she’s rescued by a man in hiding. The two form an unlikely bond, but Giti’s determination to find her brother never […]
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High-Octane Action with Layers of Secrets
Break Every Rule packs a punch from page one. Tommy Miller hides in Florida, hoping his old life remains buried. That hope vanishes when kidnappers snatch his wife, Teresa, and infant daughter, Rosalita. Tommy taps his old skills as a soldier and member of a secret group called the Outsiders. Violence waits at every turn. He learns Teresa carries secrets of her own, tied to the murder of a British Royal tangled in a sex ring. Detective Lindy Jax investigates the abduction and suspects Tommy holds back key details. She has her own reasons: years ago she lost her brother without a trace. Brian Freeman, known for continuing Robert Ludlum’s […]
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A Willy Wonka-esque Premise
Lucy Hart knows all too well what it’s like to grow up without loving parents. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found solace in books, especially the Clock Island series by reclusive author Jack Masterson. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher’s aide, she shares her love of reading with her young students, particularly seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, who tragically lost his parents and became an orphan. Lucy dreams of adopting Christopher, but she lacks the funds and stability to make it happen. Jack Masterson, the mega-bestselling author of the Clock Island series, quit writing under mysterious circumstances and for the past six years has been drinking himself into an early […]
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