As I‘ve said before, I‘m a big fan of Hunter‘s sweet, romantic books. And while I enjoyed this one as well, it wasn‘t quite as stellar as expected. Sadie is an art teacher in NYC who writes Western Romance on the side. When asked to switch to contemporary romance because of lackluster sales, the never-been-in-love Sadie takes a summer rental on the coast of NC to focus on writing in her new genre. She meets her neighbor Sam who seems a bit 🔻

I will probably be in the minority here over this (originally in Spanish) beginner to a trilogy. Taking place in Bilbao Spain, Antonia Scott is a forensic genius who is legendary at solving baffling crimes and works for a specialized secret agency until a personal tragic event pushes her into a self-imposed retirement. She reluctantly returns with a new partner, Jon Gutierrez, a disgraced and suspended police officer, to investigate a macabre 🔻

REPOST for @LitsyBirthdays :

January is nearly over and the Birthday Fairies are getting ready to celebrate all our lovely Littens with February birthdays. If you'd like to be added to the list (for any time of year) and receive birthday wishes on your special day, just email litsybirthdays@gmail.com with your Litsy handle and the date of your birthday and we'll do the rest!

@LitsyEvents

This was one that I was sent as part of a contest to judge. While I really had nothing against this park ranger/fire marshal romance, it really didn‘t grab my attention and pull me in. 3/5⭐️

Going ahead and posting my #BookSpin / #DoubleSpin February list a little early. 📚

This was my #DoubleSpin and my first Harper book. This was actually two mysteries taking place 10 years apart on a small coastal town. Kieran and his partner and baby are returning home after a long absence for a short visit to pack up his parents for a move. Ten years before, as a teenager during a catastrophic storm, his life was changed by a family tragedy for which he still feels guilt. When a young woman is murdered on the beach, it brings🔻

This was a poignantly written story of family, centering on sisterhood in all its trials and triumphs. The Padavano sisters (Julia, the problem solver; Sylvie, the romantic dreamer; Cecelia, the free-spirited artist; and Emeline, the caregiver) share an unbreakable bond that is tested as each enters adulthood in their own unique ways. William Waters marries into this boisterous Italian family as an emotionally abused only child. As William ⬇

This one was a so-so/soft pick for me because I had a couple of frustrations with it. Sally, a coffee shop owner and hopeless romantic (romcom queen) and her new flat mate hopeless cynic Harry (yes, Harry and Sally 😆) are drunk when they recreate the lift scene from Dirty Dancing one night. It goes viral so with a financial incentive they begin to spin other take-offs of famous romcom romantic moments. One thing leads to another, and they must🔻

This was my first #BookSpin of 2023, and it was a good way to start out the new year.😊 Eve and Sally, two complete strangers, meet one morning by chance and end up offering to navigate another stranger‘s (Anastasia, a fiercely independent and somewhat crotchety narrowboat-dweller) narrowboat on a summer-long journey to be serviced. Eve and Sally are both at loose ends and in need of reflection to figure out what path to take forward in their 🔻

Is anyone having issues with notifications not showing up on their Litsy app? The number of posts you‘ve been tagged in on your phone screen app?

I read 12 books in #December with this one as my only 5⭐️.

I loved this debut so much for its wit and charm, but the incandescent heroine trying to overcome discrimination stole the show. ❤️

Honorable mention: When the Moon Turns Blue

#12Booksof2022

Second in the Finley O‘Sullivan series, this was my first to read, but I had no trouble catching up. Finley, as a legal investigator in Nashville, must determine if a wealthy, influential businesswoman murdered her husband (as all signs point to), or is there more to the story than the evidence indicates. I have read several of Webb‘s books, and while they tend to have their darker moments, they are also very well-written, smart and engaging. 🔻

I read 12 books in #November, and this was my favorite.

This is third in the Olive Bright historical mystery series. Set during WWII, it follows the adventures of a young woman who offers her services as a pigeoneer to aid the war effort and solves mysteries on the side. 😆

#12Booksof2022

I loved the 2 previous books that I‘ve read from this author (although one broke my ❤️), and this one was just as wonderful. This YA takes place at a Renaissance Fair and centers around Gwen/Maddie, a 17 yo who lost her mother a year before and travels the circuit with her father selling handmade items. She meets Arthur, a bard, who stubbornly works to pull her back into life. This is a wonderful story with layers of teenage insecurities 🔻

I read 15 books in #October with 2 5⭐️ in the bunch.

I loved this Christie-esque, closed-door, dysfunctional family murder mystery. So good.

#12Booksof2022

I read 14 books in #September with only 1 5⭐️, but some good runners-up.

This is 7th in the Gilded Age series, a favorite. I love the characters in this series, especially the spunky heroine, but this one was very interesting as it focused on the history of Niagara Falls (the setting).

Runners-Up: Authentically Izzy
Meredith, Alone

#12Booksof2022

I read 14 books in August with 2 5⭐️s.

I loved this “saga” for several reasons but mostly for the wonderful character development.

Honorable mention to this 2nd in series historical mystery. Loved it! (A Trace of Poison)

#12Booksof2022 #August

This was my best year of reading ever. And I was worried about upping my number from 50 to 70. 🤷🏻‍♀️😂😂

Should I take a walk on the wild side and aim for 100 in 2023?! 😳😳😳🤔😰😆

I think Emerson said it best…for ANY day of the year.

Wishing all my amazingly wonderful Litsy friends a very happy, healthy and blessed 2023.

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

*Image courtesy of Etsy

This is my last book for 2022, and it‘s one I read as a judge for a Readers‘ Choice Awards. Deck is a DEA agent and along with his K-9 partner Thor investigate a lethal new drug cocktail (Gray Death). They pull in Tori, an ER doctor, to help with the investigation into the suppliers. Danger, romance (very steamy!), adorable dog…solid read. Only caveat? Deck‘s occasional use of “baby”, “honey” for Tori…not a fan. 4/5⭐️

I read 13 books in July and 5 were 5⭐️ reads in my humble opinion. 😊

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), I couldn‘t pick just one favorite…so I‘m picturing all 5. Sorry, Andrew! 😂😂

There‘s a YA generational, a next-in-series historical mystery, a humorous romance, a generational sisters‘ tale of trials/triumphs in the brewery business and a wonderful dysfunctional family story with lovable characters.

#12Booksof2022 #July

I read a whopping 22 books in June…has to be a personal best for me. 😳 Obviously, I did nothing EXCEPT read for the entire month! LOL

These two were 5⭐️ with quite a few 4.5/5. 😉

Extra kudos to Namesake (sequel to Fable) for possibly my favorite #coverlove of the year! 💙

#12Booksof2022 #June

I read 14 books in May and 3 were 5⭐️.

This YA centered around connecting during Covid and two very endearing young characters. So good.
#12Booksof2022 #May

I read 14 books in #April and 8 were 5⭐️ (a banner month!).

I loved this sequel to The Jane Austen Society…so good.

#12Booksof2022 #April

For promotion, six teenaged social media influencers are invited for a pre-opening weekend at a new “gothic-themed” amusement park on Jagged Island. While the billionaire owner seems a bit odd, the group loves the rides/vibes. But as dead bodies start mounting up they must figure out who they can trust (Each other? The park staff? The owner?).
I really wanted to like this one. Great premise, great book cover, but unfortunately that‘s🔻

Violet Hamilton is a 28 yo self-professed spinster living in Hastings (1896) with her father and has never had closure since her vivacious, beautiful mother disappeared 10 years earlier. She decides to hire a private detective in an attempt to move forward with her life. She is not pleased with the obsessive, aggressive PI (who refuses to be fired) and tries to convince another more honorable (former) PI (now furniture seller) to take the job. 🔻

I read 11 books in March. Three were 5⭐️ for me. This is my pick…funny, sweet and heartwarming. I‘ve loved everything from this author. ❤️

#12Booksof2022 #March

Here‘s my first #BookSpin / #DoubleSpin for 2023.

Thanks, Sarah!

2023??!!! 😳😳😳 Wow…I‘ll be writing 2022 for AT LEAST 6 months. 😂😂😂🙄

Saw this on Instagram and had to share.
So true. ❤️

I read 13 books in February and 3 were 5⭐️ picks for me.

I adored this one. Great characters, sweet story. Just all-around wonderful. 💙

Honorable Mention: One Night on the Island, Josie Silver

#12Booksof2022 #February

Wishing all a peaceful day filled with love and comfort. 💙

Merry Christmas to all those celebrating.

Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born…”

*painting by Leonid Afremov

These just popped up on a US Kindle sale ($1.99-2.99) if anyone‘s interested. I picked up a couple…Merry Christmas to me. 😂

I read 14 books in January this year, but only two rated 5 stars for me. I found this one especially fascinating and very well imagined. My other 5⭐️ was from a favorite historical mystery series…An Old, Cold Grave.

Andrew, you and I have great taste in books. 😂😂 Thanks for hosting #12Booksof2022 ! 😊
#January

I am so blessed by your generosity and friendships Carolyn, Jess, Elisabeth (and Matty 💙), Helen and Karen! I have been showered with beautiful Christmas cards, a cute pair of bookish socks, a lovely bookmark and several wonderful books that I‘m looking forward to reading. Thank you friends and fairies for your kindness and Christmas wishes. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well! 💞💞💞💞💞

Wow @Daisey !!! Your #JolabokaflodSwap is simply PERFECT!!! ❤️ Thank you so very much!!! As I was tearing (yes, tearing!) into the wrapping paper on the book I saw the word “Killers”, and I was so excited…OK, that sounds a bit ominous. 😂 I love Raybourn and am looking forward to this one. Also, the chocolate?! Spot on!!!

Thanks again and thanks @MaleficentBookDragon for hosting the swap!!

I was asked to read this one for a competition that I‘m helping to judge. Unfortunately it wasn‘t my cup of tea. It‘s a NA romance/thriller set on a college campus with a naive 18 yo Sara Browne, who tragically lost her parents at 12, stepping out of her isolation into the world. She meets upperclassman Scott Williams, a soccer star and is drawn to him even though he is surrounded by jealous “mean girls” who try to thwart them. While the writing🔻

This is the conclusion of a duology, the first of which I read back in Feb. While I do remember the gist of the storyline of the first, I do wish I had been able to read them back-to-back just to have all the smaller details fresh. Hazel is a young surgeon living in Edinburgh who is determined to break into a man‘s world. Following the hanging of Jack, the love of her life, she throws herself back into her work of healing until she is arrested 🔻

This is second in a mystery series that I‘m really enjoying. The unlikely duo of Brodie, a mysterious and stubborn Scot (former Inspector) and Mikaela, an unconventional and fiercely independent mystery writer are asked to help absolve their friends of a murder accusation…a murder which begins with a tattooed foot. As the body count rises, they begin to uncover treasonous motives which lead them to desperately dangerous actions to unmask the 🔻

This is the first in a spin-off of the Rockton series (which I haven‘t read but now I‘d like to). Set in the Yukon wilderness, Detective Casey Duncan and her husband Sheriff Eric Dalton have instigated the construction of a small town (Haven‘s Rock) which will provide safe haven for those in need. As it nears completion, they are called in early to investigate the disappearance of two of the construction crew. Are the disappearances related? 🔻

I fell in love with this author‘s debut and was excited to get my hands on this one, and she‘s definitely not a one-hit wonder. Centered around a small Georgia town this one begins with a death and ends with a happier occasion. This speaks to how communities/friends can be torn apart by discrimination/political maneuvering and how we‘re never too old for change/starting over in our lives. Terry‘s a beautiful writer. Her analogies and her nuanced🔻

RE-POST for @LitsyBirthdays :

It‘s not quite the end of 2022 yet, but the Birthday Fairies are already looking forward to celebrating the first of our 2023 birthdays!
Here's our list of lovely Littens celebrating in January. If you'd like to be added to the list (for anytime of the year), and receive birthday wishes on your special day, just email litsybirthdays@gmail.com with your Litsy handle and the date of your birthday and we'll do the rest!

My #Jolabokaflod swap gift arrived today!! 🎉 Thank you @Daisey (I think?)!! 😊 So excited to open soon!

Thanks for hosting, Michelle! 💝

This was a fun and entertaining historical murder mystery set in 1889 London. Mikaela Forsythe is an unconventional “spinster” (at 24) who travels the world, pushing the envelope of how proper young ladies should behave (she enjoys a smoke, has taken self-defense instruction and is quite stubborn). Her married younger sister is missing, and Lennie‘s lady‘s maid turns up murdered. As Mikaela begins the search, her aunt (also unconventional) 🔻

An adult fantasy (although I‘d argue it‘s more YA), this one took place in 1930s Chicago and centered around Grace Dragotta, a young ballerina who is elevated to prima ballerina as her best friend, Emilia, retires to marry. She is taken up by a mysterious benefactor/patron, Master La Rosa, and comes to realize that all is not what it seems (both of La Rosa and her dream position). As she is basically “sold” by her dancing Mistress, she is 🔻

This series is both fun and interesting. This one finds Emma with 3 interconnected murders to solve (one involving a prince!). The motive behind the murders was a little far-fetched to me, but the secrets, lies and obsessions made it all absorbing. A big plus in this series is the attention to historical detail (1898, Newport, RI). The settings feature the luxurious lavish mansions of American “royalty” (the Four Hundred) and become a character 🔻

This was a sweet story (out today and the first in series) revolving around (you guessed it!) sisters. The Summers‘ sisters (Sarah,(26), twins Viola and Emily (21), and Georgiana (15)) live with their widowed mother at Sea View, their home on the shore of Devonshire. With financial worries, they decide to open as a guest house and take in boarders. And so we meet a menagerie of delightful, sometimes quirky guests with most becoming like family. 🔻

Let me preface by saying I‘m a huge James fan. She‘s always been a writer that I measure other historical romance writers by. However I haven‘t read her in awhile as I‘ve been more into mysteries. This book did not seem like it came from her at all. The writing didn‘t move me (as hers always does), and the H/h had no charisma. The hero was spineless, the heroine back and forth on her decisions, and the intimacy felt sudden for the lack of 🔻

My #JolabokaflodSwap headed North yesterday. 😊 I won‘t tag my match as I‘d like to keep the surprise factor going. Hope it arrives safely. 🤞🤞🤞

Thanks for hosting, Michelle! 🤗

Don‘t normally do a monthly wrap up, but what the heck…maybe a New Year‘s resolution?! 😆

Just one 5-star. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While I just finished reading this book (it was a short, quick one), I‘m not going to rate it yet. And here‘s why. This is a follow up to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, neither of which I‘ve read. While I was able to ferret out the gist of the story, I don‘t feel prepared to give a review before reading its predecessors. I don‘t think I can do it justice until then. I can say #coverlove though. 😊