It's only been a few weeks since Emmaline "Emma" Cross helped solve a murder at the luxurious Newport home of her well-known Vanderbilt uncle.  Now, another of her illustrious relatives is in trouble.  This time, it's 18-year-old Consuelo Vanderbilt.  Distressed at the news that she will soon be forced into an advantageous engagement to an English duke she barely knows, Consuelo begs Emma to help her escape the impending nuptials.  Emma's not sure how to help the young woman.  Before she's really had a chance to do anything, a woman is killed on the grounds of Consuelo's home and the bride-to-be has gone missing.  While the police handle the murder, Consuelo's mother pleads with Emma to find her missing daughter.  Discreetly.  The girl's dramatics cannot be allowed to spoil her upcoming marriage.

Emma, who dreams of being an investigative reporter, can't resist the chance to put her detective skills to work once again.  She wants to know who strangled the mysterious psychic, but she's more concerned about her young cousin.  Did Consuelo flounce off somewhere to pout?  Or has someone taken her against her will?  Emma vows to find her.  If she happens to bring a murderer to justice along the way, all the better.  With the help of a dashing journalist, she will get to the bottom of Consuelo's disappearance—even if it means putting herself in harm's way.  Which it will ...

I enjoyed Murder at the Breakers, the first installment in Alyssa Maxwell's Gilded Newport Mystery series, so I was excited to pick up the next book, Murder at Marble House.  Like its predecessor, the novel features a vivid historical setting, likable characters, and a plot that kept me guessing.  As a poor relation of a wealthy family, Emma straddles the line between upstairs and downstairs, which gives the stories an added layer of tension and intrigue.  With her bravery, loyalty, and compassion, she is an appealing heroine who handles her station with humor and aplomb.  All these elements work together beautifully to create engaging tales that make for a fun, entertaining series that's just all kinds of enjoyable.  I'm looking forward to reading the next book and the next and the next ...

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other historical mysteries like the Tess Holloway series by Jennifer Ashley, the Lady Darby series by Anna Lee Huber, and the Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn)

     

One of the things I love about libraries is that they're full of possibility.  There are literally millions of stories sitting on the shelves, just waiting to be told.  You might walk in having a vague idea of what you want to read, but you could walk out with something totally different.  The best part is you don't have to limit yourself to only one or two stories—you can experience them all!

Imagine a library with that kind of power, except every book on its shelves stars one person:  you.  Each represents a life you are living in a parallel universe, one in which you made different choices than those you picked in your root life.  You can hop in and out of these volumes to find the story that suits you best.  With endless possibilities, which life would you choose?

This is the premise behind The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.  The story revolves around Nora Seed, a 35-year-old who has just lost her long-time dead-end job as well as her beloved cat.  After realizing that these are her only real connections in a world where she's always felt superfluous, she decides to take her own life.  Instead of ending up in heaven or hell, however, she finds herself in an in-between place called The Midnight Library.  Here, she has the ability to try on her different lives to find one that feels more comfortable, more satisfying than her root life.  As Nora tries these variations on for size—experiencing versions that are glamorous, successful, adventurous, terrifying, humdrum, disappointing, surprising, etc.—she begins to wonder if any life is really worth living.  When her strange library starts to crumble, she must decide whether to live or die.  

With that kind of premise, how could I not be drawn into The Midnight Library?  It's a fascinating seed from which to grow a compelling story.  The novel definitely tells an interesting tale, one which is both entertaining and thought-provoking.  It explores some intriguing concepts:  potential and perspective, regrets and resolutions, choice and possibility.  Still, I didn't end up absolutely loving The Midnight Library, but I did like it.  It's a unique, life-affirming read that kept me turning pages.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  You?)

When Sir John Franklin and his crew of explorers disappear after an 1845 trip to the Arctic, everyone is eager to learn of the company's fate.  After several parties fail to find her missing husband, Lady Jane Franklin decides to take the matter into her own hands.  She pays for an all-female crew to make a secret trek into the wilderness.  If they succeed in finding Franklin, the team of women will become famous the world over.  Should they fail?  No one will ever know.  Or will they?

I love survival stories set in remote, dangerous places.  Mix in a murder mystery and you've got my attention, one hundred percent.  As soon as I read the synopsis for The Arctic Fury, the newest historical novel by Greer Macallister, then, I knew I had to read it.  A girl-power survival novel set in the Arctic?  Yes, please!  I was all-in for what I hoped would be an absorbing, immersive read.  Did The Arctic Fury meet my (admittedly high) expectations?  Yes and no.  The premise is definitely unique and interesting (the all-female expedition is entirely fictional, but what if it weren't?).  As far as plot goes, there's enough tension, suspense, and mystery to keep the tale moving at a satisfactory clip.  The tale definitely never got boring for me.  I had a hard time with the characters, though.  The cast is large and even though each of the women in the expedition narrates at least one chapter of the book, I still didn't feel like I really knew any of them.  Thus, it was difficult to care too much when characters died—none of them felt real enough to make me mournful.  Since I'm not sure exactly what purpose all the book's courtroom scenes served, I would have preferred that the whole novel—or at least a good 80% of it—took place in the Arctic.  That way, the story would have been more atmospheric, intense, and compelling.  Plus, it would have given Macallister more time to really develop all the female explorers, create a bond between them that the reader could feel, and offer more excitement and thrills to the plot.  I also would have liked to see the women have a more proactive role in their own rescue. 

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of The Terror by Dan Simmons)

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of The Arctic Fury from the generous folks at Sourcebooks via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

Happy New Year!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are settling into the new year with hope and resolve.  I've yet to make any resolutions, but I've definitely been thinking about what I want to accomplish this year, both on the blog and off.  What have you come up with?  Any big goals or plans?  Whatever you're shooting for, I wish you the very best of luck with it.

Today's Top Ten Tuesday concerns our Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2021.  I feel like I've talked a lot already about the new releases I'm most looking forward to, but I'll go ahead and give you ten more.  There are tons of great-sounding books coming out this year—I can't wait!

If you want to join in the TTT fun, click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl to get all the details.

Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2021:  

1.  What You Never Knew by Jessica Hamilton (available April 13)—June Bennett is shocked when she inherits her family's ancestral home and island, which she thought had been sold after her father's mysterious disappearance thirty years ago.  When she returns to the island, she learns that her former neighbors believe her dad was murdered.  As June looks into the past, she's taunted by strange happenings in the present.  What is going on in her 100-year-old cottage?  And what really happened to her father?  Sounds compelling!

2.  Survive the Night by Riley Sager (available June 29)—This thriller features a student who uses his college's ride board to hitch a ride home to Ohio.  He's never met the driver and the longer the two are on the road together, the more frightened he becomes about who the man behind the wheel really is.  It's Sager, so I'm definitely in for this one.

3.  Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala (available May 4, 2021)—The first installment in a new cozy culinary mystery series, this novel features a woman who is tasked with saving her Tita Rosie's struggling restaurant.  When her food critic ex-boyfriend is found dead, she finds herself playing Nancy Drew in order to save her own neck.  This one sounds similar to the Noodle House Mystery series by Vivien Chien, which I love, so I'm excited to check out this series debut.

4.  Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto (available April 27)—This mystery/rom-com sounds like a lot of fun.  It's all about a woman who accidentally kills her blind date.  When she calls her mother for help, her mother calls in her squad of sisters.  The aunties must help hide a corpse while trying to keep their wedding planning business afloat.  

5.  War and Millie McGonigle by Karen Cushman (available April 6)—This middle grade novel concerns a California girl who's life is changed irrevocably both by a faraway war and problems closer to home.  I'm always up for a World War II novel, so I'm curious to see what this one's all about.

6.  Quiet in Her Bones by Nalini Singh (available February 23)—Ten years ago, a wealthy socialite disappeared with a whole lot of money.  When her body is found buried in the elite neighborhood where she lived, it becomes apparent that she didn't just skip town.  What really happened?  Color me intrigued!

7.  Starfish by Lisa Fipps (available March 9)—This body-positive MG novel revolves around a girl who is bullied because of her weight.  She finds solace in the swimming pool and with supportive people, who help her thrive in spite of her mother's constant criticism.

8.  Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson (available March 2)—I enjoyed A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, so I'm excited for this sequel.  This time around, Pip is on the hunt for a missing teenager.

9.  When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain (available April 13)—When a seasoned missing persons detective returns to her California hometown to grieve, she discovers that a local teen has vanished under mysterious circumstances.  The incident is eerily similar to one that occurred when she was a child.  Can she figure out what happened then and what is going on now?  Sounds compelling, no?

10.  The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. by David Levithan (available February 2)—When Aidan goes missing for almost a week, everyone wondered where he was.  He returns with an impossible story.  His brother, Lucas, wants to believe Aidan's wild story, but how can he?  With a vague premise like that, I'm definitely interested to see where this story goes ...

There you go, ten 2021 releases I'm looking forward to reading.  Which are on your list?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours.

Happy TTT!