I always enjoy books from Hoffman, but this one wasn‘t on the top of my list. Interesting narrative that weaves between character development, lessons of magic and the actual storyline. The book does a great job of giving the reader glimpses of history, love, family, and the inner wickedness we all must navigate. Using your powers to help or hurt in order to achieve what you want, very intriguing overall!

This book started off wildly captivating and I couldn‘t put it down. The plot begins to drag and loose ends get tied up just a little too nicely and neatly for me to stay as hooked as I was in the beginning. Politics, money, love and loss - this book shows you parallels between all these things in life. Easy and fun read overall.

As a devoted Jodi picoult fan, it pains me to rate this one as “meh.” Her authors note says she wrote this book at land-speed, and it shows. It‘s fragmented and felt rushed, but also long winded at certain times. There are highlights-the lessons we‘ve learned through the pandemic, how to appreciate who and what you love in the now. The research about NDEs and coma dreams of parallel universes was striking, though. Not bad, but not her best work.

Sandra Browns books are always a tried and true for me because I know I can expect a love story, exciting plot, developed characters and usually a (relatively) happy “case closed” ending. this was one of the most enjoyable Sandra brown books I have read to date! Having a deaf character made me think about communication and perspectives in a new lighting, so I especially appreciated this detail throughout the story.

I devoured this book in a day. Pushed me outside of my normal comfort zone with a twisted storyline and an even more shocking ending. This book haunted me for days after I was done with it.

This book was hard for me to put down! A storyline that spans over decades/ several characters, it evokes those integral human emotions that are highlighted during strife/warfare - love, acceptance, yearning for something better and making connections with those you love. Ian‘s storyline of losing his brother, Nina‘s fierceness & bold approach to life, Tony‘s suaveness that has a deeper layer, and Jordan, who inspired me to find my inner j bryde!

A gripping tale of modern day piracy that digs into the depths of humanity. Shares how human emotion connects us across countries and culture and how past traumas shape our present day reality. The joys and heartache that come with family and loving relationships. It took me a while to get into this book, but once I caught the flow I was completely hooked!

“He understood why his customers wanted to play something that looked fixed but left room for randomness and hope.”

Finished this book, filled with the relentless human spirit navigating the sufferings of a hard life, yet always having a heart filled with hope that‘s tied to loving family above all else. Tough to read at times, but completely worth it!

A provocative and nail biting story that will keep you hooked until the very last page. A look into lifestyles from royalty, gladiators and servants, this book does an amazing job with character development. I found myself loathing lady Lepida and rooting for The Barbarian and Thea. Surprises, romance and historical references make for a superb read!

A thriller with lots of unexpected twists along the way. Some chapters are an actual podcast, which is an interesting way to weave the storylines and characters. With such a focus on various timelines and characters, it lacked character development so I never could form a deep connection to main characters.

Thought provoking, sometimes infuriating but always interesting. Three generations worth of stories that show the common thread of humanity and heartache. Outside my comfort zone of my usual reads, but worth the read!