David Baldacci is an excellent author. His books pull you in and keep you until the very end. This one is no exception. It is a very emotional story. A time when things were not good in this country. When people thought it was ok to hate. Kind of like now. Back in 1968 there was a hope for change. Now in 2025 there are those that want to go back to the 60s.

review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2025/02/a-calamity-of-souls-by-david-baldacci.htm...

Outstanding WW2 novel. This book will grab you and keep you until the very last word.

Full review as part of a blog tour coming tomorrow....

@pamjenoff
@harlequinbooks @harlequin_audio
@parkrowbooks

I read some very good books in January..

@jocallaghankat
@robertdugoni
@jennifercoburnbooks
@kristinkovalwriter
@authormariebenedict
@kay_bratt_author
@rebeccayarros
@dkenitz
@alicewriterland
@costanzacasati
@melissalarsenauthor

I didn't care for the first half. Yes the first 50%. The second was great. It made the first better. I almost DNFed this book because I don't like to read other people's messages or text in books but held out. It was great for the last half. I figured out a lot of it but not the killer.

Full review:
https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2025/02/cross-my-heart-by-megan-collins.html

This book was so well researched and takes you inside a Jewish ghetto camp where humans were treated like animals. Starved and many horrors facing them daily. It's heartbreaking to know these things happened and very possibly could happen again.

Full five star review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-girls-of-glimmer-factory-by.html

I believe this is a debut novel. It‘s one you don‘t want to miss. It has so many feelings and will give you such deep emotions. In parts I got goosebumps and sure shed lots of tears. But the overall story is so good. It made me look at some things in a whole new way. Especially where kids who have committed crimes are concerned.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2025/01/penitence-by-kristin-koval.html?m=1

Excellent addition to the other books in the series. It has a lot going on and the love story of Violet and Xaden. Also much more.
If you enjoy fantasy you should read this series. The ending blew me away. Now the wait begins for the next book.....

I received an arc from Brilliance Audio along with an ebook from Lake Union. The narrator was spectacular. He brought the emotions out in this story. Made you feel all of the characters laughs and tears. The pain. The sadness. And the love between the main two characters. It was narratorated to perfection.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2025/01/hold-strong-by-robert-dugoni.html

I received an audio from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this audio. Both narrators were so good. Both portrayed the characters supremely. Both gave me exactly what I expected in a great audio.

I loved it. This was my BOTM choice and I'm very happy with it.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2025/01/beautiful-ugly-by-alice-feeney.html

Babylonia

This was such a good book. I highly recommend it.
You follow a woman who started out with nothing but went on to rule an empire. She married a king. She had his child. She became queen....

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2025/01/babylonia-by-constanza-casati.html

@costanzacasati
@sourcebooks @bookmarked
#rbmedia

I was very pleasantly surprised with this book. A new to me author and a very exciting book. It was filled with a lot of action and some edge of your seat tension.

While I would not call this a book about fixing up houses or a girl truly gone missing, it is about a tv personality who remodels homes and a woman who takes her twins and leaves.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-perfect-home-by-daniel-kenitz.html

Not your typical Christmas story. I'm so glad though. This book is excellent. It kept me turning the pages.

Another wonderful story in the Hart's Ridge series.

Full Review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2025/01/so-this-is-christmas-by-kay-bratt.html

@kay_bratt_author

My favorite line from this book is: “You saw what I wanted you to see and what you expected to see. Things are not always as they appear.“

The main characters in this book are: Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh. Five authors from 1931.
This book is very good.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-queens-of-crime-by-marie-benedict.htm...

The Lost House

This is my first book by this author. I look forward to reading more.

This book was slow to start for me but it did pick up and the ending was great. The author definitely wrapped it up great.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-lost-house-by-melissa-larsen.html

@melissalarsenauthor
@stmartinspress
@macmillan.audio
@netgalley

This is the second book in the Kat and Lock series. Jo Callaghan has created very likable characters with these two. One is a female DI and the other is an AI who they are trying to use in the course of investigations.

This book is so good.

Full 5 star review here: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2025/01/leave-no-trace-by-jo-callaghan.html?m=1

I loved this book. Keeping in the fantasy genre it was a perfect read for the end of this crazy year.
This book is so good. I enjoyed it from start to finish.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/12/a-sorceress-comes-to-call-by-t.html

@redwombatstudio

I loved this book. It was such a good story about witches, powers, and a witch hunter. It had all the feels and all the things I love in a good book. I laughed in places and cried in others. I rooted for the three witches to prevail. This author did a fantastic job of capturing my attention and keeping it until the very last word.

An unputdownable historical that will take your breath away. A story set in Paris that gives a look at fashion and what happened during WW2. How the resistance worked. And a bit of a love story too.

This is a must read if you love a good historical.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-last-fashion-house-in-paris-by.html

@reneeryanbooks
@harlequinbooks
@harlequin_audio
@netgalley

I loved this book. I can't wait for the sequel coming early next year.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/12/heartless-hunter-by-kristen-ciccarelli.ht...

I everyone has a great Holiday Season.

How to review this book/audio. This was a like/hate book for me. Parts were really good and parts were just aggravating. I think maybe it could have been shortened and possibly better.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/12/blood-of-hercules-audio-by-jasmine-mas.ht...

@harlequin_audio
@netgalley

First, the narrator was wonderful. I was sucked into this story. It was a bit slow at first but it was worth it. What this world did to humans was horrendous. What white people did to slaves was deplorable. Owning another human will never set right with me. Harming another human for the benefit of having a slave is awful. It‘s sad what happened in this book. Good to hear the side of the slave. James was a good man.

I devoured the first book, The Road of Bones and this one was even better. Such a good series this is.

This book continues with Silla and Rey and their story. You also meet Saga who is Silla's sister.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/12/kingdom-of-claw-ashen-series-2-by-demi.ht...

@demiwinterswrites
@randomhouse
@netgalley

This book was great. It has everything I love in a good book. Laughter, thrills, intense behavior, family, murder, who done it... It's filled with action from start to finish.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/12/what-wife-knew-by-darby-kane.html

@hkdimon
@williammorrowbooks
@netgalley

I loved this book. It's so good and I can't wait for the next in this series.

A fantasy filled with lots of action. A love story in the making. A lost sister.

If you like fantasy you will love this one.

I read and loved this author's book Weyward. I didn't know exactly what to expect from this one but I did enjoy it also. It kept me turning the pages until the very ending which I did not see coming. Not that this is a thriller but still... I did not see that part coming.

5 stars

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-sirens-by-emilia-hart.html

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Definitely in the top ten that I have read for this year.
If you haven't read it, you should.

I enjoyed this book. It was a bit longer than necessary but still good. It kept me wanting to read to see where it was going. Though it was obviously going to a home where unwed mothers stay. Little did they know what awaited them. And you won't find out until the last third of the book. It's quite good but I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-ghost-woods-by-c-j-cooke.html

I thought this was a great read. Yes there were a few things that made my skin crawl but nothing to overt. It is a magical read in many ways. A tense read also. There is a lot going on and the main character, Harriet, is treated horribly by both her father and then her husband.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-peculiar-garden-of-harriet-hunt-by.ht...

@chelseaive
@bookmarked
@recordedbooks

This was a wonderful and very sad story. The narrators did an excellent job of bringing it to life. I listened to this one while reading it.

Bringing in the feelings. The agony and the love. The friendships and family. The losses. The pain of losing someone you love so deeply. Not who you expect.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/11/pictures-of-you-by-emma-grey.html

I so enjoyed this audio. It had a wonderful cast that depicted the characters perfectly. This is a very tense and thrilling book. I loved how each character had a chapter. Alternating between them until the very end.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-business-trip-by-jessie-garcia.html

This author is one of my very favorites. I've read both of her previous books and they were fantastic. This one is even better. The tear factor is 100%. It gives you a chuckle or three an you will fall in love with the main male character Kyle.

The main characters in this book are: Kyle, Wyatt, Casey, Danny and of course Star.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/11/what-happened-to-mccrays-by-tracey-lange....

This book was a bit disappointing. I may have had higher expectations but still. It was good but not great. I do look forward to the sequel and did enjoy this one after a bit past the halfway point. The audio was good. It just had way to much going on in the descriptions. It could have been much shorter. The female, Raeve, used to many descriptions and was childish in parts. I loved the narrators.

You Can't Hurt Me by Emma Cook
A new to me author. This book was intriguing. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it but I have to admit it was good. A bit out there and unbelievable but still good.

lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/11/you-...

@emmacook2000
Harlequin
Hanover Square Press

This was the perfect book for me now. It was so good and kept me turning pages. I laughed. I cried. I cringed. I had all the feels. Mostly I enjoyed all the laughter. It felt so good to laugh...

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/11/desperate-deadly-widows-by-vanessa.html

How to begin this review. This was a perfect first novel. A debut to be so proud of. One that will take your breathe away. Make you shed tears and even give you a bit of hope in places. It also made me feel fear. Sadness. Some happiness. And possibly hope.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-sunflower-house-by-adriana-allegri.ht...

This is a very touching and loving family novel. The Brennans are a family that love one another no matter what. They have arguments and disagreements like most families but they are always there for each other.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/11/we-are-brennans-by-tracey-lange.html

This is my second book read by this author. It's a very touching and emotional story. The story of a young lady who loves the beauty of the sea. She was suppose to be a ballet dancer before the loss of her mother.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/11/dancing-with-dragons-by-jenni-ogden.html

@ogden.jenni
@seadragonpress
@netgalley

This book is an absolute must read. From start to finish it kept me turning the pages.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/11/a-very-bad-thing-by-j-t-ellison.html

J. T. Ellison

Noelle Salazar is fast becoming a favorite of mine. She writes books that hook you from the start and proceed to hold you captive. They pull at your heartstrings. Make you think. Give you hope.This is a love story and a WW2 story about two people who are fighting. One fighting for the betterment of the world. The other fighting to keep the soldiers alive.
Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-lies-we-leave-behind-by-noelle.html

A wonderful book about mother's and daughters. Though a tough one to read in places. It's a bit about an abusive relationship. A mother's desertion. Children growing up and doing good things. It's a story of hope and love. It has a lot going on and it was a pleasure to read but sure made me emotional in places.

Full review:
https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/11/like-mother-like-mother-by-susan-rieger.h...

Susan Rieger

As you follow Steinbeck and Reed through a tough case that involves children in a small Minnesota town you will be holding your breath. Cringing as the pieces start falling into place. It makes you feel like you are in the dark and dreary woods. Along the wet streets. In the motel as they are trying to get some rest. These two stop at nothing to get at the truth.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-reaping-by-jess-lourey.html

I enjoyed this book so much. This author took two characters, best friends, and made them real. Made me like them. Made them part of my life in a way. I rooted for them to find each other again. If only...

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/10/catch-you-later-by-jessica-strawser.html

This whole series has been so good. I've enjoyed each book and this one was a great way for it to end. A very long book. A very long series. Filled with lots of action. Love. Sadness. Joy. Battles. Breath holding. Aww inspiring. Magic. Heartfelt friendships. It's had it all and more.
If you enjoy books about Faes, Witches, Kings and Queens, everyday people in their midst, then you will love this series and this book.

This author has done it again. I've read several of her books before and they were so good. Way different than this one but every bit as good. This is an edge of your seat story of what horrible things can be done. What some people do to children. What one man did to try and help. What another did in the name of justice. Or maybe didn't do....

https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/10/two-good-men-by-s-e-redfearn.html

This is a debut novel about a girl gone missing. To me this book could have been so good. It had so much promise. But the author overdid some things. The descriptions were overdone.

There could have been more about the girl who actually went missing. More than what I read at the ending.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-undercurrent-by-sarah-sawyer.html

@zibbybookspublishing
@netgalley

This book was a gem to read. So different from the books I've been reading. It was a light, happy, read. One that I didn't want to put down. A book that many grandmothers may be able to connect with in ways. It was funny, serious, adorable, family orientated. A truly lovely story.

I won a paperback copy of this from @suzyapprovedbookreviews

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/10/who-loves-you-best-by-marilyn-simon.html

A story that will break your heart. A story that will make you weep. But in it's way it also gives you some hope. Hope that lives can be built back. Families can move on. People can find some kind of closure.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/10/every-moment-since-by-marybeth-mayhew.htm...

@marybethwhalen
@harpermusebooks
@netgalley

This is a debut thriller and wow it was good. I always worry about an author's first book being just a tad short of what I expect but this one was SO GOOD. I did figure out what was going on fairly early on but it didn't take away from the book at all. I could have been wrong. I wasn't.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-presidents-lawyer-by-lawrence.html

@atriabooks
#lawrencerobbins
@netgalley

What a story. Or in this case a couple of stories told together in different timelines and from several prospectives. About friends. About women. About a war. This author did a fantastic job of weaving together a story that will have you turning the pages until the very end. How she makes the characters come together is perfection. Especially the sisters working on the party. The reunion party. Made me cry so hard. And gave me lots of smiles.