Tag: writing and writers

REVIEW: Full Flight by Ashley Schumacher

REVIEW: Full Flight by Ashley Schumacher

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Weston is the outcast in the town of Enfield. In a small town, everyone knows your business. So everyone knows about his parents’ divorce, about the year he spent at the rival high school. And the things they don’t know, they make up with rumor and assumption. Everyone but his closest friends thinks he’s weird at best if not actually dangerous.

Anna is an unexpected bright spot in Weston’s life. While they are supposed to be practicing their big duet for marching band, they are finding in each other someone who, surprisingly, GETS them – his struggles after the divorce, her anxiety, his music, her writing.

But since everyone assumes the worst about Weston, Anna feels she has to hide and lie to be with him. But in a small town, no one keeps a secret for long.

Review

I have to be honest. The synopsis for this book did not grab me when I read it. But the author wrote my favorite book of 2021. So reading this one was a given. While I read, my feelings were mixed.

I loved Anna and Weston, both as individuals and together. And the author’s writing is top notch. But I just did not get this story. For so long, nothing was happening. Sure, they grew closer, they faced some roadblocks. But things just kept rolling along. I couldn’t figure out the point of it all.

I’ve described my ideal book a lot here. A big piece of my enjoyment is the puzzle or the quest – something to solve, something to overcome, something to rail against. This just isn’t that sort of book.

I have no idea how to rate this – I was engrossed in the characters and enjoyed the writing. On that alone, I would probably give this 4 stars. But I just couldn’t connect to the plot. And the ending did not help my enjoyment of the story. The whole reading experience was unsatisfying in the end.

Readers who love character-rich stories and don’t care about driving plots are likely a much better audience for this than I was. There’s a lot here to enjoy if you are excited about watching a relationship unfold over time with some fantastic descriptions – especially if you have a soft spot for band stories. (Language, sex, TW: Grief)

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥ = Good, solid, fine

REVIEW: Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano

REVIEW: Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will release February 1, 2022.)

Summary

Finlay Donovan is done with dead bodies. After what happened last time, she’s not even up for dealing with her daughter’s dead goldfish. The only good thing about all that happened before – aside from her friendship with Vero and whatever sparked between her and that detective – was it helped her break through her writer’s block.

Unfortunately, the writer’s block is back. And the muses seem intent on setting Finlay up for another wild ride in real life that might help with her next story idea.

Finlay has discovered a post on a women’s forum that seems to be hunting for a contract killer to take out Finlay’s ex-husband. While she doesn’t want him back in the least, Finlay also doesn’t want her kids to suffer if he’s killed. But tracking this would-be killer is going to involve another round of bluffing, bullets, and bodies.

Review

This was fantastic!

Know going in that the books in this series are painful and awkward a lot of the time as Finlay and Vero are magnets for trouble. But the mysteries are brilliantly plotted, the characters are fascinating, and the stories are a hoot! I am a huge fan of this series! Book 1 was one of my 2021 favorite reads.

This book – and book one, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It – are so DIFFERENT from any of the other mystery series I read. They truly feel like a genre all their own – and I am absolutely here for them. I love the writing angle as Finlay tries to wrangle the crazy situations she finds herself in into useable fiction for her career. I love the relationship between Finlay and Vero. And the piling on of problems and spiral-staircase-like twists to the mystery kept me frantically turning pages until the end.

Another feature I love in these is the epilogue that teases the next book. I am already thinking about what could happen in book 3 for Finlay and Vero. The next book is a must-read for me. (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ – I loved it! Would read again.

REVIEW: Her New Story by Laura Bradford

REVIEW: Her New Story by Laura Bradford

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

It’s been a year, and Tess is still reeling from finding her new husband and her “best friend” together. In fact, her distraction is starting to impact her work. She missed a huge, newsworthy story that happened right in front of her. And now she’s dealing with the fall out – in Amish country.

Tess was supposed to get a fun, exotic assignment for her job at In Depth magazine. Her peers are going to dogsled in Alaska, hunt poachers in South Africa, and shadow Special Forces in Afghanistan. She was supposed to go to Belize. It feels so unfair.

But Tess is determined to find her story – something attention-grabbing, something to get her back in her boss’s good graces – and then she can get her career back on the right trajectory.

Review

While the four books in this “series” stand alone, there are threads of connection from Portrait of a Sister to A Daughter’s Truth (♥♥♥♥) to Piece by Piece and finally to Her New Story. And I have adored the previous three books so much, reading this was essential. I loved getting to spend some time with these characters again.

That said, Tess made it really hard for me to enjoy this. Her bitterness and feelings of betrayal are completely understandable. And I sympathized with her. But she let her experience turn her hard and prickly. And she was that way through most of the book.

Then, she let her prickliness drive her work. She wanted to find a flashy story in Amish country that fit – and reinforced  – her broken and bitter worldview that no one can be trusted but yourself.

I can’t fault the author here. She does an excellent job of telling Tess’ story. I just didn’t like her. Thankfully she was offset by the women around her (from the earlier books) as well as a flirty newcomer. Those other characters, plus Tess’s mentor who tried to be a mirror for Tess to see herself, kept me engaged and curious to see how things turned out.

The resolution felt abrupt to me, especially after enduring brittle, angry Tess for 80% of the book. But it was satisfying, and it left me feeling content about the whole in the end. Readers don’t have to have read the other books – or to have read them in any particular order – to read this. But I personally would recommend the other three first to give better context for this one.

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥ = Good/solid/fine

REVIEW: Reserved for Murder by Victoria Gilbert

REVIEW: Reserved for Murder by Victoria Gilbert

Posted on by Jaymie

[There’s no YA review today – the book I had scheduled just wasn’t a great fit for me. Instead, enjoy this review of a new adult cozy mystery. I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Chapters Bed and Breakfast is playing host to Amanda Nobel, an author of romantic fantasy books, as well as a few of her fans. Amanda is looking for a respite from her hectic book tour, so her stay at Chapters is a secret. But she did agree to one signing event in town, a cooperative venture between Chapters and the local indy bookstore, Bookwaves.

Charlotte, the owner of Chapters, is doing all she can to make the author’s visit restful and relaxing, including staying on her guard for any sort of trouble. A year ago there was a murder, and Charlotte wants no part of that sort of excitement ever again!

But Charlotte isn’t going to get her wish. When the president of an Amanda Nobel fan group is murdered, Charlotte and her neighbor, Ellen, start asking questions and looking for clues to the killer. The woman’s troublesome ex-husband seems the most likely candidate, but he’s certainly not the only one who had it out for the woman.

Review

While I am a huge fan of Victoria Gilbert and her Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, I somehow missed reading the first book in this Booklover’s B&B Mystery series, Booked for Death (I have it on my e-reader.). But now I know I need to get back to it soon. The mystery here is solid, but there’s an intriguing side story about Charlotte’s neighbor that I wasn’t expecting. It really grabbed my attention. It gave the mystery a fresh spin from the usual formula.

I liked the series set up – the B&B, the writing/reading/publishing pieces, the perfectly sized cast. The mystery was well done with lots of questions. The pacing of the reveals was nice. I’m looking forward to picking up book 1 as well as watching for what might happen for these characters in the future. Don’t miss either of the author’s mystery series!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

 

REVIEW: Plot Twist by Bethany Turner

REVIEW: Plot Twist by Bethany Turner

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

On February 4, 2003, Olivia was minding her own business at a crowded coffee shop, working on her screenplay. Annoyed after several interruptions, she shared space on a couch with a handsome actor. When yet another “interruption” wouldn’t take no for an answer, Olivia’s couch-mate came to her rescue with an outlandish story about their undying love for one another. It was a meet cute made for movies.

And then it was over. The actor left for an audition after extracting a promise that they would meet up at the same coffee shop in 10 years when he would be a famous actor and she would have a screenplay. Olivia never even got his name.

The next year, on February 4th, Olivia finds herself at the same coffee shop to meet her boyfriend – and everything about their relationship changes. A year later, on February 4th, she discovers the name of her mystery actor. A year later, she is grieving a break up.

As the years march by, February by February, bringing Olivia ever closer to February 4th, 2013, her life and her work twist and turn in ways she never expected. And everything seems to hinge on the magical 4th and that long ago conversation in a coffee shop.

Review

My thoughts and feelings on this one are mixed.  This is an author I have enjoyed for several years now. And the first and last chapters of this were as delightful as the previous books of hers that I love. But in some ways, the 2003 and 2013 chapters feel like a different book than the middle chapters. Unlike the main character, Olivia, I love rom-coms, and these chapters deliver all the fun, flirty banter and meet-cute moments I adore.  Those chapters are right up my alley.

The rest of Olivia’s journey, though, while interesting and engaging, wasn’t “fun.” I was committed to seeing the story through. But I didn’t love any of the characters, and I pushed through to the end somewhat out of obligation. I prefer stories and characters that drive me to frantically flip pages to see what might happen next. The final chapter was so spectacular, though, I exclaimed out loud and even several days later I feel like it made all the rest of the reading worthwhile. I just wish the rest of Olivia’s story had been as fun.

Fans expecting a faith story in this book published by Thomas Nelson may be surprised to find no mention of faith in this one whatsoever. Readers looking for a romcom may have mixed feelings like I did. Romance fans who enjoy the ups and downs of a complicated journey may be a better fit for this story as a whole. And that closing chapter is *chef’s kiss* perfect.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

* ♥♥♥½ = Good +

 

REVIEW: Deadly Delights by Laura Jensen Walker

REVIEW: Deadly Delights by Laura Jensen Walker

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Lester Morris – aka “Lester the Molester” – is notorious for his lecherous behavior. Sexist comments, inappropriate touching, innuendo and more. In fact, he grabbed Teddie’s butt while he was serving as a judge for the local baking off. She smacked him with her rolling pin and told him off.

So it’s really no surprise that Teddie is the prime suspect, at least to Lester’s widow, when Lester is later found dead. But Lester harassed a LOT of women who were sick of his behavior. Maybe one of them – or a husband or father – finally had enough of Lester’s antics.

Teddie and her friends are determined to clear her name – again. The last murder almost cost her her publishing deal. She’s not willing to risk that again.

Review

This was fun! I enjoy the crew in Lake Potawatomi, and it’s always fun to head back to my childhood home region, even if only in fiction. The mystery here is pretty straightforward, but the solution was twisty. My guess for the culprit was wrong, but I enjoyed watching the full resolution play out.

If you aren’t familiar with Laura Jensen Walker’s work, I highly recommend anything she writes. You can read my review of Murder Most Sweet, the first book in the Bookish Baker Mystery series, here. You can also read my review of the first book in her Faith Chapel Mystery series, Hope, Faith, and a Corpse, here. Be sure to check out her whole backlist, too – I’ve read several of her older books, and I loved them. (TW: sexual harassment)

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

 

REVIEW: Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado

REVIEW: Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Sometimes, Charlie wishes she was more like her best friend, Amelia. She’s stylish, athletic, and popular. Even Charlie’s mom acts like she’d rather have Amelia as her daughter. And Charlie’s crush, Cal, can’t get enough of Amelia, even though she shuts him down, hard, all the time.

Not only does Charlie’s mom seem to like Amelia better, but she’s always on Charlie about her weight.  She gave her an activity tracker so she can track Charlie’s steps. She sells meal replacement shakes online and pushes Charlie about using them. When Charlie’s dad died and her mom focused her grief on losing weight, the dynamic between them shifted dramatically. Charlie chose self-acceptance instead of obsessing about weight, or at least she is trying to.

As Charlie negotiates her junior year, her worsening relationship with her mom, and her first boyfriend, things come to a head that leaves her on shaky ground.

Review

I adored this! It’s absolutely perfect – painful at times, sure, but so enjoyable overall. I loved Charlie! She, Amelia, and Brian made such a fantastic core group of characters. I would have loved a few more chapters with the characters at the end.

The writing and the story and the characters perfectly capture first love – and its sometimes all-consuming nature. The dynamic between Charlie and her mom also felt very real. I liked that, while progress was made, there were no instant solutions or easy answers to their issues (although, honest communication helped).

This is Charlie’s story of self-kindness, self-acceptance, and self-celebration. It’s a story *every* reader could enjoy and learn from. There were several moments where I wanted to mark the page or underline the writing – perfect little nuggets  I wanted to savor. This would make an excellent choice for a book group or discussion group. Don’t miss this one! (Language, LGBTQ+, TW: fat shaming)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

REVIEW: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

REVIEW: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Negalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Finlay Donovan is watching her life slip away from her. Her next book is overdue, and she hasn’t written a word of it. She can’t afford to pay back her advance – she can’t even pay her electric bill. Her ex is threatening to pursue full custody of their kids. And he laid off the nanny she was counting on for some child-free writing time.

During a meeting with her agent, Finlay notices a woman sitting nearby, watching her. But the woman misunderstands Finlay’s conversation about her romantic suspense novels and thinks Finlay is a killer for hire. And the woman is willing to pay big money to have her husband killed.

Finlay’s curiosity is too much to ignore, so she goes to check out the husband. Just to see what kind of guy he is.

Before she really knows what is going on, the guy is dead, his wife has gone missing, and Finlay has the name of someone else to kill. This whole, weird situation is just the creative  jump start she needed to write her new book. But she’s not sure which risk is worse – the risk of being arrested and having her kids taken away or the risk of being discovered by the big, dangerous men tied to the dead body she now has in her garage.

Review

The premise of this is brilliant, and so is the execution! I haven’t had this much fun with a mystery in awhile – and I have read some excellent mysteries in the last month.  But the mysteries I read and enjoy tend to follow a pattern. And this throws the pattern right out the window. And I loved it!

I loved Finlay and the nanny, Vero. What a team they make! I loved watching Finlay get a handle on her life again, especially thanks to Vero joining their family again. And their partnership regarding the dead body was fantastic.

There are laugh-out-loud moments in this as well as a few twists that made me gasp out loud. And the epilogue is a stunning set up for the next book. I was already excited about reading another Finlay Donovan adventure, but that epilogue made book 2 a must-read for me.

Mystery and suspense fans should be sure to check out this clever, funny, captivating story. I loved it! (Language, off-page sex, sexual references, TW: references to sexual assault)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

REVIEW: Murder Most Sweet by Laura Jensen Walker

REVIEW: Murder Most Sweet by Laura Jensen Walker

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Teddie St. John is an author living in Lake Potawatomi, Wisconsin with tons of friends and her family nearby. A cancer survivor, Teddie took early retirement from her government job and toured Europe before settling down at home to become an author of cozy mysteries. Life is too short to not do what you love.

Tavish Bentley is an author, too, visiting Lake Potawatomi for a book signing. Teddie ends up missing it due to a hot flash issue (early menopause thanks to her cancer). But she’s first on the scene to find Bentley’s ex-fiancée dead. And to discover the woman was strangled with a scarf someone stole from Teddie earlier in the day.

As a mystery writer, Teddie can’t ignore a murder mystery right in her home town. And as a suspect, she needs to clear her name before her publisher drops her for violating the morality clause in her contract. So she’ll be pressuring her friend the sheriff for details and keeping her ears open for clues. And maybe even going under cover! Whatever it takes to find a killer before they strike again.

Review

This was fabulous!! From the very first page, the writing and the voice grabbed me. In fact, in those early pages it felt like nothing I had read before. The voice is fresh and fun. I would love to be part of Teddie’s circle. (I am a Wisconsin girl, too, and from the area around where Lake Potawatomi is supposed to be.) Every reference to kringle (the Wisconsin stuff, not that stuff in the one Hallmark Christmas movie) made me crave it.

As if all of the Wisconsin pieces weren’t enough to endear this to me, Teddie is fabulous. She’s a writer, and a mystery writer at that. And her whole vibe over being a cancer survivor is brilliant. She discusses her mastectomy in a matter-of-fact way, sometimes with humor, which made her stand out for me compared to other mystery protagonists.

So, by all means pick this up for the perfect setting and awesome protagonist. But stick around for the great mystery. I had two favorite theories going into the home stretch, but I had to wait for the big reveal to find out which would be correct. Also, I don’t usually like mysteries where the protagonist is the main suspect. I find them extra stressful. But the balance here of suspects was terrific. The author paces the whole novel in such a way that Teddie can really dig into investigating a suspect. I loved it! She also does a great job of giving Teddie a reason for sleuthing that felt plausible.

I was thrilled to discover the second book in the Bookish Baker Mystery series – Deadly Delights – is already scheduled for summer 2021. And I also realized I have a review copy of the launch of the author’s second cozy series – the Faith Chapel Mystery series – waiting to be read. I’ll be reviewing Hope, Faith, and a Corpse in January 2021. In fact, as I looked into the author’s backlist I discovered that I have read her work before. She published at least two books with Thomas Nelson (Christian) publishing that I enjoyed years ago – Reconstructing Natalie (2006) and Miss Invisible (2007). I can recommend those books, too.

I am so pleased to support this fellow Wisconsinite and a great writer. Cozy fans should NOT miss Murder Most Sweet!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥= Outstanding, Excellent, Amazing

BONUS REVIEW: The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi

BONUS REVIEW: The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Henry Holt and Co. in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Years ago, mathematician Grant McAllister posited a math theory about literature, specifically murder mysteries. He privately published the theory along with a book of seven short mysteries to illustrate his ideas called The White Murders.

Julia Hart is working for a small publishing house that wants to re-publish the book for a wider audience. So she’s tracked Grant down and traveled to his seaside cottage to talk through the stories in the book in order to prepare them for publication.

Except Julia has noticed some oddities and inconsistencies in the stories. She’s hoping Grant will be able to explain them to her. Maybe they are the innocent errors of a writing novice. Or maybe there’s a connection to an unsolved murder from over 20 years ago.

Review

The book launches with the first short story in The White Murders before introducing readers to Julia and Grant in chapter 2. The rest of the book toggles back and forth between the short stories and Julia’s work on the manuscript.

Honestly, I felt the short stories were more engaging than the larger story of the novel which is the Grant/Julia piece. If I was rating the short stories alone, I’d give them 4 stars. But the Julia/Grant portion was maybe a 2 star read on it’s own. So my overall rating for the book is an average of the two.

The Julia and Grant story never clicked for me. There wasn’t a lot of time in the book for readers to really get a feel for the characters. It’s a lot of Julia pushing and probing for information Grant doesn’t want to give and him telling her how little he remembers of the stories in the book. And the math pieces of this – Venn diagrams, sets and subsets – felt so basic (as far as “math” goes). Even the application to mysteries – killers and suspects and victims and detectives – wasn’t much of a revelation. It was a stretch for me to think this work was anything “significant” enough to warrant a first book much less a republication. There ARE twists to this part of the book, but they weren’t enough to elevate my enjoyment of it, and in some ways they undercut my enjoyment of the short stories. That said, I DID enjoy the short stories, though some were more violent/gruesome than I usually read.

This one is a mixed bag for me. Come for the short stories. If they work for you, awesome. I think you can easily just read the short stories – they are basically every other chapter of the book. If you like the short stories enough to stick around for the larger story, good for you. You will have some twists and turns in store. (LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥ = “Solid/Fine”