Author: baltimorebibliophile

Title: You Have a Match

Author: Emma Lord

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publication date: January 5th, 2021

320 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give her friend and secret love interest, Leo, a nudge. After all, she knows who she is already: Avid photographer. Injury-prone tree climber. Best friend to Leo and Connie…although ever since the B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) with Leo, things have been awkward on that front.

But she didn’t know she’s a younger sister.

When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, never mind the same parents—especially considering Savannah, queen of green smoothies, is only a year and a half older than Abby herself.

The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp (obviously) and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications: Savvy is a rigid rule-follower and total narc. Leo is the camp’s co-chef, putting Abby’s growing feelings for him on blast. And her parents have a secret that threatens to unravel everything.

But part of life is showing up, leaning in, and learning to fit all your awkward pieces together. Because sometimes, the hardest things can also be the best ones.

Review

After reading Tweet Cute last year, I knew I needed to read You Have a Match – and it did not disappoint. Emma now has set herself up as the author to incorporate social media sites into her novels, and she does it so. well. You Have a Match uses Instagram to help tell the story of Abby and Savannah, secret sisters who find each other through a DNA app. There’s a story here, and the two try to navigate their parent’s lies while also getting to know each other. On top of that, there’s a subtle romance aspect and a summer camp plot line.

Overall, I found this story to be super cute. Each character had specific personality traits, and the secret sister storyline was VERY compelling. Since the boom of DNA testing, you’ve heard stories in the media of people finding family members they didn’t know existed and familial secrets that wouldn’t have been discovered otherwise. I enjoy that Emma Lord incorporated this story line. Instagram is used by both sisters for different purposes, but it isn’t as much of the storyline as Twitter is in Tweet Cute. Emma Lord’s writing is very good and her pacing is always on point. I never felt unfocused while reading it or that it was too long or wordy.

I didn’t prefer the romance portion as much as I wanted to. I actually wanted Abby to end up with a background character, I just felt like he was a better fit for her. But, I recognize why the romance happened the way it did, I just also wish it was resolved sooner than it was. Also, there was a character in Abby’s friend group that just didn’t have as much page time as she deserved. As a “best friend” you’d think she’d have more of story – but she seemed to only serve to move a minor plot line forward. I wanted more for Connie.

The ending was very heartwarming, and you love to see it. I do highly recommend this story, especially if you read and loved Tweet Cute like I did.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Happy 2021 (again)! Here I come with my January TBR. I fell off TBR lists the last few months of the year but I really want to get back into it. I will be more mindful to carefully curate the list so I have a good balance of all categories. I am working on reading 10 books each month that are ARCs or related to ARCs, 1 book each month that was a recommendation from someone on bookstagram, and the rest will be trying to tackle my unread but owned books.

I have a general goal of reading about 20 books each month, but that isn’t a requirement. Last year I tried to make 2020 reading goals, and completely failed a them, so I’m not doing that this year. I want structure without rigidity. Expectations without requirements. Flexibility but with a routine. That’s how I’m going to take on this year.

So on that note, below are the books I’m planning to read this month!

PHYSICAL

1. Diamond City (The City of Diamond and Steel #1), Francesca Flores
2. Tower of Down (Throne of Glass #6), Sarah J Maas
3. The Crow Rider (The Storm Crow #2), Kalyn Josephson
4. The Bird and The Sword (The Bird and The Sword Chronicles #1), Amy Harmon
5. Girls of Storm and Shadow (Girls of Paper and Fire #2), Natasha Ngan
6. Red, White, and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston
7. These Divided Shores (Stream Raiders #2), Sara Raasch

EBOOKS

1. Paradise, Judith McNaught
2. The Friend Zone (The Friend Zone #1), Abby Jimenez

ARCS

1. Scars of Cereba (Memoria Duology #2), Rachel Emma Shaw
2. Lies Like Poison, Chelsea Pitcher
3. These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights #1), Chloe Gong
4. Roman and Jewel, Dana L. Davis
5. Mr. Right Across the Street, Kathryn Freeman
6. Shadow City (The City of Diamond and Steel #2), Francesca Flores
7. Take a Chance on Me, Beth Moran
8. Curse of the Divine (Ink in the Blood #2), Kim Smejkal
9. As Far As You’ll Take Me, Phil Stamper
10. Amelia Unabridged, Ashley Schumacher
11. Glimpsed, G. F. Miller

What books are you planning to read this month?

Happy reading, folks!

Happy 2021! Wow ya’ll, 2020 really did the most. However, I have high hopes for 2021 and believe it will be an amazing year across the board. This is the year I get married and make the ultimate commitment to my fiance. I have big reading plans and am currently setting up my 2021 reading journal – one of my favorite things to do every year! I hope 2021 brings all the happiness you could want!

So below is my December 2020 wrap up. I spent most of this month just rereading books I love to end the year on a high note.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

1. Midnight Sun (Twilight #5), Stephenie Meyer – 5/5 stars
2. A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy #1), Deborah Harkness – 5/5 stars
3. Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy #2), Deborah Harkness – 5/5 stars
4. The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy #3), Deborah Harkness – 5/5 stars
5. Dragonsong (Harper Hall #1), Anne McCaffery – 5/5 stars
6. Dragonsinger (Harper Hall #2), Anne McCaffery – 5/5 stars
7. The Storm Crow (The Storm Crow #1), Kalyn Josephson – 4/5 stars
8. Well Met (Well Met #1), Jen DeLuca – 5/5 stars
9. Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, Christina Lauren – 5/5 stars

EBOOKS

1. Forever Wild (The Simple Wild #2.5), K. A. Tucker – 5/5 stars
2. Dragonflight (Dragonriders of Pern #1), Anne McCaffrey – 5/5 stars
3. Fifty Shades Free (Fifty Shades #3), E. L. James
4. Blithe Images, Nora Roberts – 2.5/5 stars
5. Dragonquest (Dragonriders of Pern #2), Anne McCaffrey – 4/5 stars
6. Montana Sky, Nora Roberts – 4/5 stars
7. True Colors, Diana Palmer – 3/5 stars
8. The Happy Ever After Playlist (The Friend Zone #2), Abby Jimenez – 5/5 stars

ARCS

1. Faking It, Portia MacIntosh – 4/5 stars
2. Happy Singles Day, Ann Marie Walker – 4/5 stars
3. Truth, Lies, and Second Dates (Danger #3), MaryJanice Davidson – 3/5 stars
4. Part of the Family, Charlotte Philby – 3/5 stars
5. The Project, Courtney Summers – 3/5 stars
6. A Curse of Roses, Diana Pinguicha – 4/5 stars

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Truth, Lies, and Second Dates (Danger #3)

Author: MaryJanice Davidson

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publication date: December 15th, 2020

pages

3/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Captain Ava Capp has been flying from her past for a decade. She’d much rather leave it, and her home state, behind forever. But when she finds herself back in Minnesota, against her better judgment, everything goes sideways in a way she never expected it to.

M.E. Dr. Tom Baker has never forgotten Ava and the cold case she ran away from. When she shows up unexpectedly in town, in spite of himself, sparks fly. Which is terrible because he can’t stop his growing attraction to her. Can these two Type-A’s let their guards down and work together to put Ava’s tragic past behind her for good? And keep their hands off each other at the same time?

Review

Truth, Lies, and Second Dates is the third book in the Danger series by MaryJanice Davidson. I have not read the first two books, which did create some confusion. Some context would’ve been helpful, so I definitely suggest reading the first two books. I think this technically can be a standalone, but that’s my suggestion.

Instead of a typical romance book, TLaSD added a mystery into the equation, which did pique my interest. Also, I found the airplane setting to be very interesting, with our MC being a pilot. LOVE that it is a female pilot, where that field can be very male dominated. I appreciate the author for including that into this book. The MC was also very strong and confident, and then has her love affair with the ME investigating her best friend’s murder (cue mystery).

However, this book just didn’t entirely hit the mark for me. The writing felt very disjointed, it did flow particularly well. Generally with romances I can be sucked in pretty immediately and find it hard to stop reading, but I had no problem putting this book down and coming back to it.

I don’t believe what didn’t please me about this book was entirely due to not reading the first two. I think I just don’t relate well to the author’s writing style, which is entirely for me. There is definitely an audience for this book, if you do love romance mysteries I recommend it. I’m not sure if the whole series is in that conjoined genre, but worth it to check out!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: The Camelot Betrayal (Camelot Rising #2)

Author: Kiersten White

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publication date: November 10th, 2020

400 pages

3/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Everything is as it should be in Camelot. King Arthur is expanding his kingdom’s influence with Queen Guinevere at his side. Yet every night, dreams of darkness and unknowable power plague her.

Guinevere might have accepted her role, but she still cannot find a place for herself in all of it. The closer she gets to Brangien, pining for her lost love Isolde, Lancelot, fighting to prove her worth as Queen’s knight, and Arthur, everything to everyone and thus never quite enough for Guinevere–the more she realizes how empty she is. She has no sense of who she truly was before she was Guinevere. The more she tries to claim herself as queen, the more she wonders if Mordred was right: she doesn’t belong. She never will.

When a rescue goes awry and results in the death of something precious, a devastated Guinevere returns to Camelot to find the greatest threat yet has arrived. Not in the form of the Dark Queen or an invading army, but in the form of the real Guinevere’s younger sister. Is her deception at an end? And who is she really deceiving–Camelot, or herself?

Review

The Camelot Betrayal is the middle book in Kiersten White’s Camelot Rising series, a magical retelling of the King Arthur legend. TCB picks up shortly after The Guinevere Deception ended. We catch up with our favorites for TGD while meeting new characters and going on new adventures.

TCB ramps up the action and the inner turmoil affecting Guinevere and her decision both in the past and throughout this book. TCB really shows some growth for Guinevere as she grapples more with romance, family, and her own history. Arthur’s character also got a tad more fleshed out, along with Lancelot, though I would have preferred even more. I don’t feel like I really understand all the character’s motivations.

I found this book to be paced much slower than TGD, which is a typical middle book experience for me. It spent a lot of time setting up the conflict for the third book instead of focusing on the plot actually happening. I also didn’t expect a lot of what happened in the book, and not in a good way. More like I just didn’t understand the decisions the author made when writing to continue the plot along. The plot continuation and new conflicts introduced in this book didn’t jive well with me.

I am interested enough to read the final book when it comes out to see how it all gets wrapped up. I do like that I’m not at all able to predict how this series could be concluded and where the characters may end up. The lead is very well buried, so for that I commend Kiersten.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: The Guinevere Deception (Camelot Rising #1)

Author: Kiersten White

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publication date: November 5th, 2019

352 pages

3/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

There was nothing in the world as magical and terrifying as a girl.

Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom’s borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution–send in Guinevere to be Arthur’s wife . . . and his protector from those who want to see the young king’s idyllic city fail. The catch? Guinevere’s real name–and her true identity–is a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot.

To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old–including Arthur’s own family–demand things continue as they have been, and the new–those drawn by the dream of Camelot–fight for a better way to live. And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land. Arthur’s knights believe they are strong enough to face any threat, but Guinevere knows it will take more than swords to keep Camelot free.

Deadly jousts, duplicitous knights, and forbidden romances are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: the girl with the long black hair, riding on horseback through the dark woods toward Arthur. Because when your whole existence is a lie, how can you trust even yourself?

Review

“There was good, and there was evil, but there was so much space between the two.”

The Guinevere Deception, Kiersten White

I went into this book knowing that King Arthur retellings are not generally my jam. I am just not a huge fan of the King Arthur legend and they are often hit or miss for me. However, I recently read Legendborn by Tracy Deonn and I loved that retellings so I wanted to try this one. Frankly, it was okay – and you can probably assume by my 3 star rating.

I enjoyed parts of this book, don’t get me wrong. I liked the twist where Guinevere is a fake, and that she was using magic secretly in Camelot where it is forbidden. The forbidden magic trope is one I really enjoy. I loved the supporting characters, especially Guinevere’s maid and Mordred. I feel a love triangle coming in the future of the trilogy which I don’t love but also don’t hate.

HOWEVER. You can miss me with Arthur’s character. I fully hope he gets better over the trilogy but he was so blahhhh in this book. Like, I’m here for Guinevere being the main character, it’s fantastic. But Arthur is a complete wet blanket with no real personality. I look forward to the potential of growth for each character.

Lastly, I couldn’t predict where this story was going. Every time I thought I understood, there was some twist. Which normally I was LOVE and flail around about – but I found myself thinking the plot line I was expecting in my mind was better than what was really happening. Some choices of the author just confused me. I am continuing the series, so come back tomorrow for my review of book two, The Camelot Betrayal!

Happy reading, folks!

Title: A Curse of Ash and Embers (Tales of the Blackbone Witches #1)

Author: Jo Spurrier

Publisher: Voyager

Publication date: November 3rd, 2018

368 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

A dead witch. A bitter curse. A battle of magic.

Some people knit socks by the fire at night. Gyssha Blackbone made monsters.

But the old witch is dead now, and somehow it’s Elodie’s job to clean up the mess.

When she was hired at Black Oak Cottage, Elodie had no idea she’d find herself working for a witch; and her acid-tongued new mistress, Aleida, was not expecting a housemaid to turn up on her doorstep.

Gyssha’s final curse left Aleida practically dead on her feet, and now, with huge monsters roaming the woods, a demonic tree lurking in the orchard and an angry warlock demanding repayment of a debt, Aleida needs Elodie’s help, whether she likes it or not.

And no matter what the old witch throws at her, to Elodie it’s still better than going back home.

Review

A Curse of Ash and Embers was a very interesting read. I really enjoyed the world Jo Spurrier created, and how she was able to give information about it without openly world-building or info-dumping. The MC leaves her family home to take a job with a witch, which she didn’t know at the time. In her tasks for the witch, she learns of magic and plots and evil and gets drawn into the world, somewhat against her will.

I liked the characters, the plot was fast paced and unique, and the magic system wasn’t confusing. It isn’t fully explained, but you don’t feel like you need more information to understand the plot. I am excited to continue in this series and read more Tales of the Blackbone Witches.

Thank you to Voyager and Edelweiss for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: She Lies Close

Author: Sharon Doering

Publisher: Titan Books

Publication date: November 10th, 2020

400 pages

3/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

A compulsive debut thriller about motherhood, obsession and how far we’d go to protect the ones we love.

Five-year-old Ava Boone has been missing for six months. There have been no leads, no arrests, no witnesses. The only suspect was quiet, middle-aged Leland Ernest.

And Grace Wright has just bought the house next door. Recently divorced, Grace uprooted her two small children to start again and hopes the move will reset her crippling insomnia. But now she understands bargain-price for her beautiful new house.

With whispered neighbourhood gossip and increasingly sleepless nights, Grace develops a fierce obsession with Leland and the safety of her children. Could she really be living next door to a child-kidnapper? A murderer?

With reality and dream blurring more each day, Grace desperately pursues the truth – following Ava’s family, demanding answers from the police – and then a body is discovered…

Review

She Lies Close follows a single mother of two, recently divorced, who also has mental health issues and is just trying to keep her kids safe. Unfortunately, her new house is next door to the man who is suspected of kidnapping a young child in the neighborhood, and this sends Grace into a tailspin. She tries to solve the disappearance of Ava while struggling with insomnia and paranoia. But when her next door neighbor turns up dead and she dreamt of killing him the same way, that same night, she starts to wonder if she is the killer….

So, I found the concept of She Lies Close to be compelling, but there was something lacking in the execution. I don’t mind irredeemable characters, but Grace had nothing positive going for her so it was hard to root for her. Parts of the story were unbelievable, as she continued to spiral and did more illegal things without getting caught. Also, her kids were brats and rude and it was just hard to read.

I appreciated the twist ending (as most thrillers/mysteries boast). One tiny detail of the ending was a let down, but overall it was a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to Titan Books and Edelweiss for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!