Author: Steph Caffrey

Stephanie R. Caffrey is a romantic suspense author living in the midwest

May 2021 Reads

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I look forward to every Black Dagger Brotherhood release each year, and I’m never disappointed. In Lover Unveiled, I really liked the new couple, Mae and Sahvage, but I felt like their story isn’t complete. I have a feeling their story is going to bleed into the next book, which JR Ward is not spilling the beans on yet.

I also am super intrigued by Balz and the detective. I have a strong feeling they are going to be the new book, and their story is going to intertwine with Mae and Sahvage.

I think the best part of this book is the HUGE reveal for Lassiter at the very end. I love Lass, and I know he’s getting a book, and I’m just so anxious for it.

5 Stars

Second First Impressions was so cute. I loved this book so much. I absolutely fell in love with Teddy. I read a lot of romance, but Teddy stood out amongst all the male love interests. He was hilarious, and cute, and just *sigh*. Not be outdone, I also loved Ruthie. I wanted to be here friend.

Their relationship just felt so organic, moving from acquaintance, to best friends, to lovers. There was not one thing I didn’t love about this book. I wish I could go back and read it a first time again.

5 Stars

There are some books that you read that will stick with you forever. The Death of Vivek Oji is one of those books. This is a powerful story about an important topic that needs to be told and read. I can’t really say much more than this, since I don’t want to spoil anything about the book. This is definitely a book that will be read for generations. (BOTM)

4 Stars

Man Enough was written for men, but it can be read and enjoyed by anyone. Justin Baldoni wrote his truth and a book that gives men to be themselves and not what society expects them to be. The book really gave a lot of insight into adolescent boys, which will be useful for me to reflect on as my son gets older.

4 Stars

A Longer Fall is the second of the Gunnie Rose books, and I actually enjoyed it better than the first. A lot less worldbuilding. A lot more character development. I love the characters of Lizbeth and Eli so much, and I love their relationship building.

This book took us to a new section of the old United States, and it was really cool to see the difference.

4 Stars

The Gunnie Rose series just gets better and better with each book. I loved The Russian Cage the most. It’s probably because I’m a huge fan of romance. But in addition to the growing romance of Eli and Lizbeth, there was a lot more action and mystery. I really enjoyed the new setting of The Holy Russian Empire.

4 Stars

Picked to read with my sisters, I really enjoyed this book. The first half was very slow, but then the haunting started and the second half flew by. I found myself sitting in my car long after arriving home just to read a little bit more. If you’re a fan of Shirley Jackson, you’ll enjoy this book.

4 stars

Ever since I knew they made this a real book, I had been looking forward to reading it. However, I was super disappointed once I read it. I know in the show they made a big deal about it being Jane’s story, but I didn’t expect it to be a complete word for word retelling of the first season of the show. I was a little annoyed with it. Not my favorite book.

3 Stars

My kids and I have started reading together every night again, and our first book was Fortunately the Milk. And it was so funny. We alternate who reads, and we couldn’t stop laughing. It’s a quick read, and I think everyone should read it, young or old.

5 Stars

This book was a very uneven read. The first 3/4 of the book was so good. I loved reading about the victims and their lives, and about queer New York. However, where the book fell flat for me was when you learned that while the killer was caught, he never confessed, they never found the place he was killing these men, and there was never a clear motive found. I know the case is very recent, but the part I love most about True Crime is learning the why and how. And this book was missing this. The book ended so abruptly, it left me me feeling like the book was incomplete.

4 stars

The second book we picked to read as a family, if you like cat puns, this is the book for you. This was a short fun graphic novel, that was the third time my son read, however, he was so excited to read it with me, his excitement rubbed off on me.

4 stars

This was a cute book. And one that was hard for me to put down. The characters were fun, the romance was believable, and I wanted to be friends with Kara. As a fellow romance author, I loved the breakdown of what makes a romance novel. A fun book to read while camping.

4 Stars

Christina Lauren are quickly becoming my favorite RomCom authors. I have read three of their books in the last six months, and I have read each of them in one day.

My favorite thing about The Souldmate Equation was how swoony the romance was. Jess and River’s chemistry was palpable. The addition of Juno took the story to the next level.

What I appreciate about Christina Lauren is that their characters fall in love doing the mundane, and they know how to write a love story.

4 Stars

April 2021 Reads

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Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay is a thriller that delivers. From the minute it starts, the plot does not slow down. Finlay is really good at keeping the reader in suspense, and while some of the plot was slightly predictable, it didn’t detract from the story at all. I read this book in two sittings, and stayed up way too late at night reading.

4 Stars

After reading Kristin Hannah’s The Four Winds last month and loving it, the next logical step was to read The Grapes of Wrath. A classic that I had been meaning to read since high school, I’m glad I waited to read this as an adult. I think I could appreciate it better.

I loved the alternating chapters, one which told the stories of actual refugees from the dust bowl, and one which told the story of the Joads. The book was a grim window into the realities of the Great Depression and the Dust bowl, and the discrimination “Okies” faced trying to find a better life for themselves in California.

My only complaint is I wish there was more story to tell. I want to know what happened to the Joads. I like to imagine things got better for them, and they were able to reunite with those they had to separate from.

5 Stars

Pretty Things was my book club’s pick for April. At first I didn’t think it would be a book I would enjoy, but in the end I thought the book was pretty good.

A thriller, it took about half of the book to really become what I would define as a “thriller.” Once I passed the halfway mark, I didn’t want to put the book down.

My one complaint would be there just seemed to be too many twists to make sense. I think with so many twists you were really expected to suspend your disbelief a little too much, and it really made Nina and Vanessa seem dense and oblivious most of the time that they weren’t able to see some of these situations before they arose.

4 Stars

I had been really looking forward to reading The Paris Library, and while it was a good book, I felt slightly let down by it.

Odile’s story was really the part of the book I cared the most about. I loved hearing about her life in Paris both before and during the War. However, it took a very long time for it to get to the war, and I guess I was expecting her to play a bigger role in things. But as my husband pointed out, sometimes it’s the stories of people who do mundane things, or the small things that need to be told, and that was Odile’s story.

Lily’s story was one that I really didn’t understand why it was there. I found myself struggling through her portions. It wasn’t until the final chapter that the inclusion of Lily made some sort of sense.

The story took a while to get into, but once it picked up, it was hard to put down.

4 Stars

Accidentally Engaged tells the story of an arranged engagement, but with the twist that the two characters meet before their parents can introduce them and they fall in love on their own terms. In this case, around baked goods.

I loved Reena and Nadim, and their whole story. They were cute, and nothing about the plot felt overly contrived. It seemed to move at a realistic pace. And it made me really hungry, especially for sourdough.

4 Stars

After being burned by Charlaine Harris with the end of the Sookie Stackhouse series, I’ve been very hesitant to support her or read anything else by her. However, for the PopSugar Reading Challenge, I needed a genre hybrid, and An Easy Death came highly recommended, so I gave it a try. And I’m glad I did.

I really like the characters of Lizbeth and Eli. I like their chemistry, and how they work together. I enjoyed the mystery, and the pace in which it was told. I was super bothered by the time line. No matter how much I mathed, there’s no way Eli could be the age he is if the events really unfolded the way Harris laid them out.

Overall the book was entertaining enough that I have the second book sitting in my TBR.

4 Stars

Recommended by a friend, A Deadly Education took a minute to get into, the narration was really hard to breath through, but once you’re in, you need to figure out what happens next.

Set in a magical school that is out to kill you, El is just trying to survive, but she’s a magnet to all the Mals in the school. Orion likes to rescue people, and the two clash often throughout the book, until they don’t. The book is a little heavy with world building and exposition, but the plot really does shine through.

I enjoyed the book enough that I will probably read the next one. Who am I kidding? With the last paragraph of this one, I’m intrigued enough that I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series.

4 Stars

I really wanted to love The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, and on paper it seems like the perfect book for me. However, the pacing of the book, and just the way the story was told really just fell flat for me.

I felt like the book was trying to do too much at one time. I wish it had chosen one thing to focus on, either Nina’s discovery of this whole family she had no idea she had, or the romance with the rival Trivia Team Captain. By trying to fit in both, the story just felt super rushed, and none of the characters felt very developed.

3 Stars

Another book that I really wanted to love, but fell flat, We Could Be Heroes just didn’t resonate with me the way I had hoped it would.

I don’t know if I wasn’t in the right mood, but this book felt like a struggle to get through. It didn’t hold my interest at all. Which is unfortunate because I really liked Zoe and Jamie. And I was really interested in their story. I just walked away from the book feeling very “meh.” (BOTM)

3 Stars

Slowly making my way through the Dune series, and Children of Dune found me saying out loud, several times, “What is going on? This is so weird. They are NINE.”

I have really enjoyed this book, and this series, but I have a feeling as I continue to the next book, things are just going to get weirder, and things were also really weird in this book. I’ll never fully understand the pre-born, and some of the situations the Atreides twins were in made me understand why the mini-series aged them up significantly. My favorite character is still Duncan Idaho.

4 Stars

March Reads

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I am a huge Greek Mythology nerd, and when I read Circe a couple years ago, I really loved what Madeline Miller did to a very familiar story. I feel the exact same way about The Song of Achilles.

The story is incredibly poignant. The love story told through Patroclus’ point of view makes the Trojan War come to life in ways that I never could have imagined. I absolutely loved the relationship between him and Achilles. The love they shared was beautiful, and I really enjoyed that it didn’t follow any romance tropes. They fell in love, and they stayed in love. I may have cried, a lot.

5 Stars.

The Bad Muslim Discout is a book I probably wouldn’t have found without being a member of Book of the Month Club. It is a little bit out of my comfort zone as far as content and genre, but it’s a book I was really glad I read.

While it was a book that I read slower than any other I’ve read recently, it wasn’t something I had to struggle to get through. I really liked it. The contrasting stories of Safwa and Anvar give you a really good window into what it’s like to be an immigrant to America, and a Muslim one at that.

While it’s a book that is a commentary on living as a Muslim in America, and living life as a Muslim in general, the book doesn’t take itself seriously. Anvar is hilarious, and so is hid dad. (BOTM)

4 stars

I am a huge Lord of the Rings fan, and my goal in 2021 was to read all the books. I discovered in the last year that “classic” books are easier for me to read through the audiobook format. And so I found Fellowship of the Ring on audiobook, and discovered it is a BBC Radio dramatization of the book. And I rejoiced.

This was a really fun read. And quick. At only five hours, they do make some cuts: less walking through the woods, no Tom Bombadill, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. If you like the movies, but the books intimidate you, this is the way to go. The actors are great, and there’s music. It’s like watching a film.

4 Stars

Snow Like Ashes was our book club pick this month. When this book came up on our randomized spinner, I was worried. I didn’t think I was going to like it. And for the first couple chapters I was sure that feeling would be confirmed. However, it turns out, this book wasn’t terrible, and I actually enjoyed it.

Like most YA Fantasy books, it’s pretty predictable, however, even with the predictability, the book is very enjoyable. The plot moves quickly, it holds your interest, and I’m now looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy. Team Mather FTW.

4 Stars

My sisters and I are doing a book club together this year, and our next book to come up on the wheel of chance was Prisoner of Azkaban. This was obviously a re-read for me. The book hasn’t lost anything in the ten years since I read it the first time. This is one of my favorites of the series.

5 Stars

I love me a good romance novel, and Love at First is just that. It’s your cliche romance novel. I read this in two sittings, and really enjoyed the story. The slow burn was a bit too slow for me, but the story was fun. Will’s backstory reminded me a lot of the Willoughby’s, which if you’ve seen it, or read the book, you’ll know what I’m talking about. I think my favorite part was the “fate” aspect of the book.

Heiress Gets a Duke is another typical romance, this time it’s a historical romance. This was a fun book. August and Evan and their banter was just amazing.

When I’m reading a romance novel, I prefer a strong, independent female lead, and this book delivered. It took it one step further with the male lead falling in love with the female lead because of her independence. This led to the two having amazing chemistry. (BOTM)

4 Stars

The Kiss Quotient intrigued me with the concept: a gender swapped Pretty Woman. Add in the fact that it’s an #OwnVoices work written by an Autistic AAPI woman, I was sold.

The book was really fun, and pretty funny. I loved all the characters, and I will probably read the other books in the series. I felt that the relationship between Stella and Michael was very believable and the pacing was good. Michael’s family was probably one of my favorite aspects of the novel.

Warning: This book is STEAMY (BOTM)

4 Stars

The Four Winds gets the honor of being my favorite book I’ve read this month. Set during The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, this novel tells the story of Elsa.

The story is told so very vividly, I had dreams that I was living during that time. I could feel Elsa’s plight as she tried to save her kids from illnesses borne of breathing in the dust that flew during the storms, and from starvation once they made it to California.

This book is about the courage of women who would do anything for their children. You couldn’t help but root for the Martinellis. (BOTM)

5 Stars

Continued with my BBC Radio Lord of the Rings listen with The Two Towers. I learned that the movie wasn’t the whole book. The book included what ended up being the beginning parts of Return of the King. Also, the movies really didn’t take advantage of Treebeard singing. It was probably my favorite part. The book ending with the encounter with the giant spider really makes you want to listen, or read, the next book right away.

5 Stars

If The Four Winds was my favorite book of the month, then The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is my runner up. I was worried this book wouldn’t live up to the hype. I’ve been hearing about how great this book was for months. However, not only did this book live up to the hype, it exceeded my expectations.

Addie’s story was very compelling, and I loved the way Schwab chose to tell it. At first I thought things were moving a bit slowly, but then the book introduced Henry and I couldn’t put it down. The love between the two catapulted the story forward. And the end? I just had to sit there and hold the book for a minute, and soak it all in. Highly recommend. (BOTM)

5 Stars

Do you like superheroes, but wish they were more gay? The Extraordinaries is the book for you then! This was a hilarious tale about a high school boy pining over the local superhero. It is very much a YA book, but even adults can enjoy it. I fell in love with Nick and Seth, and I am counting down the days for the sequel. I don’t want to say too much more, because I don’t want to spoil anything, but please do yourself a favor and go pick this book up today!

5 Stars

February 2021 Reads

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This book was the perfect book to kick off Valentine’s month. It was fun and cute and perfectly hit all the romance beats. I loved Daisy’s Avenger’s obsession, it made her so much more relateable. Loved how sensitive Liam was. And it was the perfect friends to enemies to lovers trope. Their shared history is what made the book so much better.

I ended up reading this book in one sitting, and I have no regrets. For a book I picked out just because the cover was pretty, I think I did a good job. (BOTM)

4/5 Stars

This was our book club pick for February, and I will admit, I wasn’t sure about this. I had heard good things about it though in many of the book groups I’m a part of, so I gave it a chance.

Matthew McConaughey is a storyteller. He knows how to weave a tale. And he has certainly lived an exciting, and different, life. However, one couldn’t help but wonder as you’re reading, how much of this is an exaggeration? How much is he using his storytelling to push forward something by bending the truth just slightly? Either way, I really enjoyed reading this book. And now I want to watch all of his movies.

4/5 Stars

This was a beautiful story. Therapist finds a suicidal man on the side of a bridge ready to jump and saves him. She brings him into her life for a weekend and both of their lives are changed forever. I never wanted this book to end. I could have stayed in their world for at least 200 more pages. Everything about the story Cross-Smith wove was beautifully done. The book moved me to tears several times over. Did I like the ending? It wasn’t one I expected, but it was realistic and just like the rest of the novel, perfect. (BOTM)

4/5 Stars

What can I say about this book? This is my favorite read of February. I’ve had this book sitting in my TBR for a few months, and I don’t know why it took me so long to get to it. Azere and Rafael are serious couples goals. My favorite thing about this book was how it was a traditional romance, and hit all the traditional romance beats, but it also interwove this complex story about being an immigrant and having to try and balance maintaining your own culture and trying to fit in with your new culture.

Everything about this novel was beautifully written with ease. I predict that I’ll be reading this book over and over and over again. (BOTM)

5/5 Stars

After beginning the series a year ago, I am finally done, and I have to say, the series has a fairly satisfying ending, although I can see why they made the video games.

The book was very long, and dragged at times, and I felt a lot of it was unnecessary, however, it was a really good end for Ciri. Her story wrapped up very nicely, and I loved seeing her come into her own, become a Witcher, and have a mostly happy ending.

4/5 Stars

This. This was a fun read. I love, love, LOVE retellings of popular stories. Especially when they’re taken from their typical setting and placed in a completely new one.

Pride takes Pride and Prejudice from Regency Era England and plops it down in 21st Century Brooklyn. And the story just…fit. I loved the new time bending and race bending of the characters, and their relationships. Zoboi fit it all in. Everything. But updated. If you’re a fan of Jane Austen, then you should definitely give this book a try.

4/5 Stars

Well, this was definitely a book that was well outside of what I would normally read, but I’m so glad I read it. Clarke is a master at storytelling. When the novel begins, it’s very unclear what is happening. But slowly, things start to get revealed, and once you know what is going on, the novel just becomes even better. The build up of the mystery of what exactly was happening to Piranesi made me want to keep reading. I won’t say anymore, because this is a book best to go into cold. But I will say, if you do pick it up, keep reading. You won’t regret it.

5/5 Stars

The second book I read this month in one sitting. My second Christina Lauren book, and just as the first I read (In a Holidaze), I loved it so much I couldn’t stop reading. A romance that hits all the romance beats, and featuring one of my favorite tropes (enemies to lovers), The Unhoneymooners is hilarious, swoonworthy, and tear inducing. The banter between Olive and Ethan was enviable. I hope I can write banter that good. There was absolutely nothing I didn’t like about this book.

5/5 Stars

I didn’t think I would be reading this book so soon, I was on a very long wait list at the library. However, I was lucky enough to score a skip the line copy, and I’ve never been so happy.

A prequel to The Hate U Give, Concrete Rose is Maverick’s story when he was Seven’s age. It begins with him learning he’s Seven’s dad, and moves through about a year in his life. Prequels are usually hit or miss, and sometimes they can ruin a character for me (I’m looking at you Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) however, this book was not that. This book made me love Maverick even more.

I loved the relationship between Maverick and Seven, and between him and Lisa as well. Everything felt fluid, and made me want to re-read The Hate U Give.

5/5 Stars

This book, I really don’t know what to say about it. I think I’m still trying to process what I read. Written as a satire of tech startups, Black Buck is a commentary about race in the tech world. And race in the world in general.

Saying all of that, this book was weird. Not bad weird, just weird weird. You have to remind yourself that the book is satire so when it goes off the rails, you still keep reading. I will say the pacing was a bit clunky, and this is the book that took me the longest to read all month. However, I enjoyed Buck’s story, and never was tempted to abandon the book. (BOTM)

4/5 Stars

The shortest book in the Dune series, and I listened to this book for 9 hours, and I can probably summarize what happened in just a few sentences.

But while not much happened plot wise, I really enjoyed it. I’m sad about the fate of Paul, but he also had one of the most badass scenes out of either of the books I read, so I guess I will forgive him for the choice he made at the end.

4/5 Stars

I don’t know what I was expecting when I picked up this book, but it wasn’t what I got. If you are loooking for a great feminist Western, this is your book. I didn’t expect alternative history, nor did I expect for the reason why the gang was formed, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The book drew me in with its amazing first line, and kept me there. I’m not quite sure I liked the ending. It felt very abrupt. But it didn’t ruin the book. I really liked Ada and The Kid, and the rest of the Hole in the Wall Gang. I just wish I had some more closure at the end. I was instead left wanting more. (BOTM)

4/5 Stars

January 2021 Reads

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Hamnet

My first read of the new year was actually supposed to be my last read of the previous year, but I didn’t get it finished in time. Hamnet is the story about Shakespeare’s family. The story is very historical fiction, as we don’t really know much about Shakespeare and his life. And to tell the truth, the story more revolves around the women in his life, and Shakespeare isn’t really ever really named.

The novel deals very heavily in the loss of a child. Historically, Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, died at the age of 11, cause unknown, but heavily believed to be from the bubonic plague. The story is beautifully told, and I really enjoyed the dual storylines of Agnes’ past and present in the front half of the book. If you can’t handle reading about a child dying or reading about a mother’s grief, you may want to hold off from reading this book for now.

Rating: 4/5

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany

This book was so beautifully written, it just transported you to Italy. Everyone knows that the second born Fontana daughter is cursed to never find love. Which is why when Great-Aunt Poppy calls Em and Luce and tells them she can break the curse on her 80th birthday if only they all go to Italy, what is there to lose?

Nothing. There is nothing to lose, and what follows is a fun story about finding yourself at any age, and not letting a family legend define you. The characters leapt off the page and sprung to life, and this book should be a study in character development. And interwoven with the Italian adventure of Poppy, Em and Luce is a beautiful love story between Poppy and Rico that will equally break your heart, and make it swell in joy. (BOTM)

Rating: 5/5

Play it as it Lays

Realistic Fiction is not my favorite genre, so I dreaded this book a little when it came up as the randomized choice in the book club I’m doing with my sisters. And while it was not something I would normally pick up, it was okay. The problem with realistic fiction is it doesn’t really feel like anything really happens in the book. The plot moves slowly. Also, in this book the characters were not very likeable, and there was absolutely no character growth. The book didn’t really hold my interest, but I didn’t hate the book, and I’m glad I read it and went outside of my comfort zone.

Rating: 3/5

Pretty Little Wife

When everyone started raving about Pretty Little Wife in the Book of the Month Club Facebook group, I knew I needed to read it. Thankfully my friend had it and let me borrow. I went into the book thinking it would be very much like Gone Girl or Girl on a Train, and a lot of it read that way. Spouse mysteriously disappears, surviving spouse is the prime suspect. However, there are multi-layers to this book.

The story starts off pretty slow and predictable, but soon the story picked up and the suspense kept me reading. And then the end. Let me tell you. If you like good endings to your suspense/thrillers, this is a book for you. (BOTM)

Rating: 4/5

The Giver

My book club book for January was The Giver. I hadn’t read it since I first read it in middle school over twenty years ago. And let me tell you, reading it as an adult is a completely different experience than reading it as a pre-teen. When you’re twelve, you’re reading it as if you’re Jonah. As an adult, you can see more of the nuances of the community. Also, since having read this previously, I had also read two of the sequel books. Knowing what comes next really takes away from the ambiguousness of this books endings. All of this being said, I still loved the book very much, and it is one that absolutely holds up through time.

Rating: 5/5

The Book of Longings

What. A. Beautiful. Book. Told from the point of view of Ana, Jesus’s wife, The Book of Longings brings to life Israel at the time of Jesus. Relegated to a mere side character, Jesus is treated as a historical figure rather than a religious one, and I think that is what makes the book so beautifully done. Yes, Ana is Jesus’s wife, but she is also so much more than that. Feminist in a time when it was unheard of, Ana longs for her freedom, and to write.

Ana is such a well drawn character, it’s hard to imagine that she wasn’t real. She starts off as a wealthy girl, who doesn’t want to be forced to marry someone she doesn’t love, transitions into her role as Jesus’s wife where she learns how to farm and do domestic chores, and finally as a devout religious figure who writes for the rest of her days.

We all know how Jesus’s story turns out, and even though I know the story of the crucifixion in my sleep, it’s even more devastating told through the eyes of the woman who called him beloved.

The prose is beautiful, and I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve read a book by Sue Monk Kidd. (BOTM)

Rating: 5/5

Tower of Swallows

Book 6 in the Witcher series, and the penultimate book at that. This was my audiobook for the month, because at about twenty hours, I can only listen to one audiobook a month right now.

This book was mostly about Ciri, and her journey to The Tower of Swallows. The book was mostly filler, and not a whole lot happened to advance the plot very much. Geralt and Yennefer are barely in it. My favorite part of these books is the analyzing of Ciri’s genetics, which sounds weird. I probably wouldn’t enjoy it so much if I was physically reading all of it, but I love listening to it.

There’s a big reveal at the end about Ciri that made me yell in the car, and I waited very impatiently for the final book to arrive in my library app.

Rating 4/5

Boyfriend Material

Boyfriend Material is such a fun book featuring one of my favorite romance tropes: fake dating. Luc is the son of two former rock stars, so basically famous by association. When he gets a series of bad press, his job tells him he needs to clean up his image or get fired. So, he gets set up with Oliver, a straight laced attorney who needs a date to his parents’ anniversary party. What follows is exactly what you would hope from a fake dating romance.

Luc and Oliver’s relationship was very swoonworthy, even before the fake dating turned into real dating. The book also had amazing side characters and made me laugh out loud several times before utterly breaking my heart and making me cry. This book is all around perfect. I had been looking for something to stand up against Red, White and Royal Blue, and this one hit the mark perfectly.

Rating: 5/5

Winter Counts

Winter Counts was a very interesting book. It was advertised as a thriller, I would categorize it more of a suspense than a thriller. It definitely kept me reading. It was a slow burn, but totally worth it. Virgil is a vigilante on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, taking care of cases law enforcement won’t, bringing justice to the people. When hard drugs start finding their way to the rez, and his teenage nephew he’s caring for OD’s, it becomes Virgil’s mission to find who is bringing in the drugs, and bring them down.

What follows is an intricate story of finding the balance between biding your time and following the laws, and bringing about justice for those you love. All of which is interwoven with what every day life is like on an Indian Reservation. The story is both simple and complex, and it builds to an amazing finale that has me hoping Weiden will make this book the first in a series of Virgil the Vigilante books. (BOTM)

Rating: 4/5

The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living

This was a very cute book. It was a nice formulaic romance about a baker who moves to a small town to bake for a tiny little inn. She finds love and family and plays in a bluegrass band. All while baking delicious pies and cookies and all manner of desserts. I absolutely adored Livvy and thought she was a very well developed character. I do wish there was more Martin, and that the author showed more of their relationship developing rather than Livvy baking practice pies for the pie contest. Other than that, I felt this was a great book, and it made me super hungry for apple pie.

Rating: 4/5

Conversations with Friends

Another pick for my book club with my sisters. The randomizer seems intent on bringing me out of my comfort zone with realistic fiction. This one, though, was a chore for me to read. I was already a bit against it when I flipped through and noticed there were no quotation marks. And then as I was reading, the prose felt more like Rooney was making lists of things that happened.

The book was definitely not one for me. This book was just another strike against realistic fiction, and a very big one. The characters were all terrible people with nothing redeeming about them, especially Frances, the narrator. The only character I felt anything remotely close to sympathy for was Nick, and that’s because I felt sorry that everyone was treating him terribly. This was advertised as a romance, but I found absolutely nothing romantic about it, and I was rooting for Nick to just leave both Melissa and Frances and go live with his sister and beloved niece. The ending just made me rage. The story felt like it dragged, and nothing seemed to actually happen in the book. I don’t plan on reading anything else by this author.

Rating: 2/5

December Reads

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The Twelve Dates of Christmas

This was a cute book to kick off my Christmas month of reading. An easy romance, that had everything I love about a book. It was quirky, light-hearted, and the romance didn’t seem forced. I loved the conceit of the main character trying to find love at Christmas time through twelve blind dates, and I loved the backstory between her and her best friend.

In a Holidaze

I absolutely loved this one. After a disastrous day after Christmas, Maelyn Jones makes a wish, and suddenly it’s Groundhogs Day meets Christmas! Mae needs to try and get her life together, or else she’ll be stuck reliving the same holiday for all eternity.

This book was SO GOOD. I loved Mae and Andrew and the romance that bloomed between the two. And I’m a sucker for time-loop stories. Another feel good romance for the holiday season. (BOTM)

A Warm Heart In Winter

I NEVER skip a J.R. Ward book. And this year’s December release was billed as Blay and Qhuinn’s mating ceremony. FINALLY. But the book was so much more than that. In fact, the mating ceremony is such a small part of this heartbreaking book. If you’re caught up on the series, this is definitely worth the read. It adds to Z’s story, and we get some resolution to the Lesser attack on the Glymera from early in the series. But at the heart of the book, you get to feel and see Blay and Qhuinn’s love for one another, and that is just amazing.

This Time Next Year

New Year’s Eve, 1990, two moms labor together, when they have their babies at the same time, Quinn is the New Year’s baby! Minnie, who was supposed to be named Quinn, misses out by just minutes and also loses her name in the process. What proceeds is a life believing she is cursed at New Year’s. On the Eve of her 30th Birthday, she runs into Quinn, stealer of her name and her luck, and the two form a friendship that grows over the year. A beautifully written book about love, friendship and making your own luck, this is a book that I will probably try and read annually. (BOTM)

Dune

For YEARS, my husband has been trying to get me to read Dune. It’s one of his favorite book series. Over the summer, we learned how to play the board game, and everyone who had read the book understood what was happening, those of us who didn’t, had no idea. So, I finally read the book. I got the audiobook from the library, and I was HOOKED. This book is AMAZING! It’s like Game of Thrones, in SPACE! I was drawn in by the politics between the houses. The book was 21 hours long, and I DEVOURED it. My goal in 2021 is to finish the series.

Anxious People

I had heard a lot of good things about Anxious People, and it has made a lot of the best of 2020 lists, that I was really excited to finally have it come in at the library. And I have to say, this book lives up to the hype. It starts off slow, but keep reading. The payoff at the end is just amazing. The book is beautifully written and deals with so many different topics, and it does it with humor. Seriously, I laughed out loud multiple times. This book is a great study in character and relationships. (BOTM)

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark

If you know me, you know I love True Crime. This book is amazingly written. When she wrote it, The Golden State Killer, a name she coined, was still unsolved. Responsible for 12 murders and 50 rapes up and down the California coast between 1978 and 1986, The Golden State Killer, or also known as the East Area Rapist and the Original Night Stalker, was one of the most prolific serial killers, that no one was talking about. It wasn’t until the 1990s with the invent of more sophisticated DNA technology that all of the cases began attributing themselves to him, since he crossed jurisdictions. A collection of her research, this book puts humanity into the GSK’s victims, and turns them into people, and not just numbers. Make sure you lock your doors at night, and sleep with a light on, this book is going to make you paranoid of every sound you hear in your backyard at night.

No Time Like the Future

Michael J. Fox’s newest memoir discusses his life from about 2016 on. He talks about the back surgery he needed to remove a tumor from his spine, his recovery, his later career when he felt like he would never act again, and finally his decision to officially retire from acting. I listened to this on audiobook, narrated by the author, and you could hear the love he has for his family in his voice as he talked about all of the support they’ve given him over the years. If you are a fan of Fox, I highly recommend this book.

Ready Player Two

Definitely the most disappointing read of 2020. If I could unread a book, this would be the one. I loved the first book SO MUCH. But this one just made me hate Wade. I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you want to know specifically why I hated this book, you can find a spoiler filled review on my Goodreads page, or you can comment or send me a message and I will tell you in excruciating detail why this book is at the bottom of my list.

Love Lettering

This book was really cute. Meg is a professional at handlettering. Reid is an uptight quant on Wall Street. When Reid discovers Meg left a message in his doomed wedding programs, he comes to confront her about it. What follows is a story about finding inspiration in the most unlikely of places, and falling in love with the most unlikely of people. This book was fun, romantic, and you couldn’t help but root for Meg and Reid.

November Reads

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Sword of Destiny

I’m slowly making my way through all of the The Witcher books. This one is a collection of short stories that are a prequel to the main series, and it’s also what the Netflix series based part of its storyline on.

Some of the stories were okay. It was the last couple that really got me. I loved the story of Ciri and Geralt finally meeting. It makes me really excited for the second season of the show to see where they choose to take the story. Whether they’ll follow canon closely or not.

The Midnight Library

The Midnight Library is one of the most popular books this year, and I was seeing online that a lot of bookstores are sold out of copies. I went into it a bit skeptical, but I’m a sucker for a good story a la It’s a Wonderful Life.

At first, the story seemed a bit predictable as the main character moved through different versions of her life, and decided why maybe that version of her life wasn’t the best.

Then, the Librarian and the main character began talking about why life is worth living. And what life means, and what it takes to be happy in the life you have, and then did I see why this book is so popular.

The prose and ideas were so moving, so beautiful. The book is a quick read, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

City of Girls

This is another very popular book that I was excited about reading. I listened to it on audiobook.

I have to say, the book was okay. I enjoyed it, and I really liked the characters. I will say though, it is one that I probably won’t recommend to people off hand, but if someone were to ask me if they should read it, I will say they should.

The book has a weird format in that it’s written as a letter to someone who asks the main character how she knew her dad. And then the book is nearly 500 pages. I think I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if the author had left out the letter format.

I will say, don’t read this book if you don’t like books with a lot of sexual content.

The House in the Cerulean Sea

What can I say about this book? This book is magic. This book is brilliance. This book is my second favorite book I’ve read this year.

Linus and Arthur are easily some of my favorite characters I’ve read on the page. Watching Linus come to terms with maybe the status quo way of running the Department for the Control of Magical Youth, was breathtaking. Talk about watching a successful character arc.

The kids were also amazing. They brought the story to life, and I found myself falling in love with them along with Linus.

What a beautiful story about fitting in and prejudice. And a beautifully romantic story.

If you read one book from my list, have it be this.

Little Fires Everywhere

I chose to read this book because I’ve heard a lot of good things, and it was made into a Hulu series.

I will say, this type of book is not one I would typically pick up for myself to read, and while it was nice to read it, I don’t think I’ll be reading it again.

I like my books to be full of likeable characters and preferably with a happy ending, and this book didn’t contain either of those.

I also didn’t really like the prose, and I didn’t like the way the story was told. It felt clunky and confusing.

If you’re into tragic family stories where no one ends up happy, this book is for you. If, like me, you prefer books where there is hope and happiness at the end, then this is not for you. (BOTM)

You Had Me At Hola

One of the year’s most popular romance novels, You had me at Hola is a fun read about a soap opera actress and a telenovela star falling in love as they star together in a new show with a popular streaming service that will be their big break.

The book follows the romance formula, which is comforting, especially after reading Little Fires Everywhere. I love when the story is all about love, and a happy ending where every gets exactly what they want and they live happily ever after.

The characters are all likeable, and I loved them and their development. The prose was well written, and funny, and even when the characters aren’t communicating, you never truly get upset, you know they’ll work it out in the end. If you want a fun romance, this book is for you.

Hiddensee

This was our book club pick for December, but I decided to read it a little early. This book is supposed to be a retelling of the Nutcracker story a la Wicked, but it was a bit of a letdown.

The story felt very disjointed, and very slow. It was really hard to pinpoint what exactly was important and what was filler. Eventually you learn that it was all important, kind of, but again, it’s not the best at indicating it.

I liked that Dirk was really good with kids, and I liked the last part with Klara. Otherwise, the book was a little meh for me.

October Reads

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Lovecraft Country

I was watching the show, and really enjoying it, but very confused, so I decided to pick up the book, hoping it would make the show make some more sense. Spoiler Alert: it did not.

The book is vastly different than the show, and just as good. I couldn’t put the book down. If you want a good sci fi fantasy that also deals with race relations in the US, this is definitely a book for you. Especially if you enjoyed the show.

Night Swim

As a lover of the True Crime genre, and a listener of True Crime podcasts, the premise of this book appealed to me greatly. And I was not disappointed. This is easily my favorite book of the month. I couldn’t put it down. The best part was, by the end of the book, I hadn’t solved the “who did it” mystery of the past crime told throughout the book. I was honestly completely shocked. And that says a lot, because usually I can figure it out.

The book does deal with sexual assault, so please be aware of that if you prefer not to read books with that. There is a case where it’s just mentioned, and then there is one where the situation is not super graphic, but it’s not implied either. (BOTM)

Rebecca

This was our book club pick for the month. And I did not enjoy it. At all. It wasn’t the writing or the plot, per say, it was specifically the character of Mrs. de Winter. I couldn’t get past the fact that she didn’t stand up for herself, and she let herself be treated like garbage. I prefer books where the female protagonist is a lot stronger and can hold her own. And before you state it was written this way because of “the time,” remember that Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice are things, and their female leads wouldn’t take any crap from anybody.

The Boys Volume 2: Get Some

This book mostly was a lesson on the different factions of Supes around the world, and more lessons for Wee Huey. I really enjoy these comics because they’re fun, and a quick read.

Baptism of Fire

I prefer to listen to these books, so I took a break while there was no school for six months. But now that school is back in, I can listen to books in the car again, the toddler doesn’t have an opinion…yet.

This book furthered the action of the previous two. We are well and truly entrenched in the war with Nilfgaard. But Geralt is finally prominently featured in a book as he goes in search of Ciri. In fact, most of the action takes place around Geralt. Ciri and Yennefer making brief appearances. There is a huge section where they explain the genetics around Ciri and her powers, which is probably one of the most fascinating things I’ve read. The book ends with a cliffhanger, for the first time giving me a sense of urgency to read the next one.

No Judgments

I have loved Meg Cabot since The Princess Diaries series, so the fact that she has branched into adult romances thrills me to no end. Was this the best book I’ve ever read? No. Was it fun, romantic and an easy read? Yes. That’s why I gave it five stars. I love a book where I can devour it in one sitting, and walk away feeling a warmth in my chest. If you like Hallmark movies, you will love this one. Also, there’s a whole plot point about rescuing animals. If you’re an animal lover, you will feel your heart warm.

No Offense

Another quick, fluffy read from Meg Cabot. This is the second book in her Little Bridge Island series. I devoured the book in a day, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first one. But, still, it was a fun romance between a librarian and the sheriff. The plot was just a little messy with a few loose ends that don’t really get tied up at the end.

September Reads

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The Guest List

I’d seen a lot of buzz surrounding The Guest List, especially after Reese Witherspoon chose it for her book club, so I put myself on the list at the library. It finally came in, and I read it over the course of two days. I could not put it down.

The book is told through four different points of view, and is really good at spreading out the murder mystery throughout the book. By the end I was shouting at the book because I honestly had no idea 1) who was dead and 2) who had done it. I had thought for sure I knew both, but Lucy Foley did an amazing job at throwing you off the scent.

I highly recommend this book, and I am probably going to read more Lucy Foley books now. (BOTM)

Head Over Heels

This was one of my Book of the Month Club picks, and I found it a nice fluffy romance to help cleanse my pallet from a lot of heavier books I’ve been reading lately.

Head Over Heels tells a love story between two former Olympic level gymnasts who fall in love while coaching a young gymnast for the 2020 Olympics, which go on as planned because in this world, there is no pandemic.

The book is fun, and follows the romance formula, and I read the whole thing in 24 hours. If you’re looking for a fun, easy read, I highly recommend this book. I’ll even lend you my copy! (BOTM)

Home Before Dark

Home Before Dark is a haunted house story in the vain of Amityville Horror. The book tells of a family who fled their house to save their lives and then profited from the story. Years later, the daughter moves back into the house, and finds out whether the story her father wrote about was true or not.

The book was pretty good. It alternated chapters between current time and chapters from her dad’s book. I felt there were parts of the book definitely lacking, but it kept me interested enough to keep reading. I was honestly surprised with the way the author chose to end the book.

While this is the book I would rate lowest this month, I still recommend it, and will gladly loan you my copy. (BOTM)

The Picture of Dorian Gray

After several months of choosing new releases to read, our book club decided to choose a classic for September. We chose The Picture of Dorian Gray. At first I had a really hard time getting into the book, and then I found it at my library on audio, and I could not stop listening to it.

Earlier this year I listened to Oscar Wilde’s Importance of Being Earnest and fell in love. This book was no different. There’s just something about the way Wilde tells a story. Yes, there was a whole section that dragged, but it really didn’t deter the story too badly.

I went into the book knowing this was what got Wilde arrested and imprisoned for homosexuality, and boy, could you really see it. He was not trying to hide it. The book was a good commentary on sin, and society, and had a good amount of suspense. I really wanted to know what was going to happen to Dorian. I highly recommend, and if you don’t think you can get through the text, get the audio!

The Boys, Volume 1: The Name of the Game

My husband and I started watching the show on Amazon Prime, and I immediately put myself on the list for the first set of comics. And after reading this I came away with a few takes.

  1. Casting Simon Pegg as Hughie’s Dad makes A LOT of sense
  2. They changed quite a bit between book and screen.
  3. Homelander is still a giant ass.

If you’re like me, and you’re enjoying the show, definitely check out the comics. Don’t be surprised if you see more on my list before the year is out.

August Reads

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The Vanishing Half

This was our book club pick for the month of August, and I had it read in two days. Not having power for a week due to a land hurricane called a derecho barreling through Iowa may have been a helping factor, but the book was so good.

The Vanishing Half tells the story of two identical twin sisters who leave their small home town. The sisters are Black, but they can pass for White, which is what one sister does. The two go their separate ways, and live separate lives, until their daughters cross paths.

The story is a wonderful journey in the lives of four women, the twins and their daughters, and I love how rich the story is. I became very invested in their stories, and could only hope things would work out for the women.

I highly recommend this story to everyone. (BOTM)

You Are Not Alone

I borrowed this book from a friend, and I have to say, out of all the books I’ve read so far in 2020, this is definitely near the bottom of my list.

Billed as a thriller, I never really felt like the main character was in any danger. Throughout the book the authors made it feel as if the socialites had some big secret society thing going on, and when everything is revealed, it felt like a bit of a let down.

If you’re going to try to read one book a month for the rest of the year, skip this one, it’s not worth trying to fit in. (BOTM)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

I really wanted to like this one. I really did. And It was okay. I liked parts of it. However, there are a few things that made me frustrated, and things that I would have wanted to change.

The story is basically President Snow’s origin story, so it is expected to show how he became the sadistic man we met in The Hunger Games Trilogy. However, because we knew he would become evil, there really wasn’t anything too shocking.

The things I felt were interesting in the book were the 10th Hunger Games which helped show us how the games had evolved, and President Snow’s ties to District 12, which allowed us insight into why Snow did the things he did with Katniss.

Things I felt could have been better: I really, really, really wanted there to be an LGBTQ+ relationship between Snow and his rival. I wanted there to be some tragic story of loss and class difference between the two of them, and I wanted that to propel Snow into the man he became in the Trilogy.

That said, I think everyone should read it, especially if you’re a fan of the Trilogy, and I’m actually looking forward to the film.

The Jackal

I don’t have much to say about this one. I love basically everything J.R. Ward publishes. If you’re a fan, I recommend this book. I loved the love story, I loved the characters, and I’m interested to see where the story goes, since this is touted as Prison Camp Book 1, and seeing how this book ended, I wonder how there will be more.