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Monday, August 17, 2020
YA Revolutionary War Espionage Story An Exciting, Appealing Departure
9:03 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
When her mother dies, 15-year-old Francesca "Frannie" Tasker is left in the hands of her greedy, lascivious stepfather. The older man insists she take her mother's place as his bride; Frannie would rather die. She gets her wish when a shipwreck in the Bahaman waters where she dives for treasure delivers up the corpse of an obviously well-bred young woman. Frannie can't save the dead girl, but maybe by letting herself "die" and assuming the girl's identity, Frannie can save herself. The ruse only has to last long enough to get her far away from her evil stepfather in the Bahamas. Trading her rags for the dead girl's sodden but sumptuous clothing, Frannie steps boldly into her new life.
Frannie's ploy works far better than she ever expected it to. Becoming Emmeline Coates, a wealthy New York City heiress, gives her exposure to the kind of luxury she's never known. It also teaches her about the trouble brewing in America's fledgling colonies. Even though her looming marriage to a handsome British lieutenant feels like being caged all over again, Frannie recognizes that her closeness to him could prove very advantageous. Determined to do what she can to help her new country, she becomes an unlikely spy for George Washington. Her borrowed identity already puts Frannie's gilded life at risk, but now she's playing an even more dangerous game, one that could end with her as dead as the real Emmeline Coates.
Rebel Spy—a YA historical novel based on a real female spy known only as "Agent 355"—is a departure for Veronica Rossi, who's known for writing supernatural and dystopian books. I, for one, enjoyed Rossi's foray into hist-fic. As much as I adore the genre, I haven't read a lot of stories about the Revolutionary War, so I found Rebel Spy's setting fascinating. Colorful period detail fleshes out the backdrop, which adds authenticity to Frannie's tale, which—let's face it—is a tad bit far-fetched. Still, it features an empathetic heroine, an exciting plot, and a smoldering romance. Combined with the book's intriguing setting, these appealing elements create an engrossing, entertaining book that kept me turning pages. True, I would have preferred a story with more derring-do and less romance, but overall, I can't complain too much. Overall, I quite enjoyed Rebel Spy. I'm definitely up for more historical fiction from Rossi—here's hoping there's more in the works!
(Readalikes: Um, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for mild language (no F-bombs), violence, blood/gore, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Top Ten Tuesday: Books I've Loved But Not Reviewed. Yet.
9:08 AM
According to my mom, I taught myself to read before starting kindergarten and just never stopped. I've read thousands of books throughout my life; since I didn't create my blog until 2006, that means there are tons of titles that would work for today's Top Ten Tuesday topic: Top Ten Books I Loved But Never Reviewed. Could my aging memory come up with enough to make a decent list? Yeah, right! I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday (actually, I can't remember at all—did I even eat breakfast yesterday?). Thankfully, I am, as always, months behind on writing reviews for this year's reads, so I'm just going to chat about ten books I've read in 2020 that I loved but haven't reviewed. Yet.
You've probably got lots of books you loved but haven't reviewed, too, so why don't you join in the TTT fun? All you have to do is click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, scan a few quick instructions, make your own list, then spend some happy hours spreading the love across the book blogosphere. It's a great way to check in on favorite blogs, discover new ones, and of course, find awesome reading recs to add to the ole TBR mountain chain. It's a good time, I promise!
Top Ten Books I've Loved This Year But Haven't Reviewed Yet
1. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren—This enemies-to-lovers romance about a wedding reception that goes awry, leaving the best man and the maid of honor to take the newlyweds' honeymoon vacation, is just plain fun.
2. Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart—Based on the real-life experiences of a "lady cop" and her crime-fighting sisters in early 20th Century America, this mystery is the first in a series featuring the indomitable Constance Kopp. It's interesting and compelling.
3. The Split by Sharon Bolton—I love suspenseful stories set in remote places and Bolton's newest definitely fits the bill. It's a novel with a deceptively simple premise—a woman who has fled to remote South Georgia for an extended research trip is being pursued by an ex-con. Why? Will he find her? Like all of Bolton's mysteries, this one is taut, tense, and twisty. The Split might be my favorite of all her books.
4. The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate—This dual-timeline novel combines adventure, mystery, and history to create an intriguing tale that I very much enjoyed.
5. Beyond the Horizon by Lois Lowry—It might be a thin volume, but this memoir-in-verse that recounts the author's experiences as a young girl in Hawaii during World War II, packs a big punch. I found it profoundly moving, but in a way that snuck up on me, if that makes any sense.
6. Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain—This impactful novel is about a new social worker from a privileged background who begins her career in rural North Carolina during the turbulent 1960's. Her life and outlook are both changed when she meets a young girl who's carrying all the burdens of keeping her desperately impoverished family afloat.
7. The Imperfects by Amy Meyerson—It's hard to describe this Knives Out-ish novel, but it's an on-point exploration of what can happen when an estranged family unexpectedly inherits an exorbitant amount of wealth—and secrets.
8. Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams—True, there's nothing super original about this YA novel in which the members of a sheltered religious cult have to face the alarming effects of a terrifying pandemic, but it tells a thoughtful story that kept me engrossed. It asks some important questions about faith, blind obedience, family, etc. I also like that it features a character with Type 1 diabetes (in a cult that eschews medicine, no less). You don't see my disease featured in a lot of books, so I was glad for this important representation.
9. From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks—I enjoyed this middle-grade novel about a girl who intercepts a letter from the father she's never met, who's in prison for murder. She starts a secret correspondence with him that leads her to make some important discoveries about herself and her family. Despite its heavy-ish content, this is an upbeat, enjoyable book.
10. The Line Between by Tosca Lee—This YA novel is similar to Agnes at the End of the World and I liked it for a lot of the same reasons. It tells an exciting story, but it also offers up a lot of lots of food for thought on faith, works, and religion. For a doomsday novel, it's surprisingly clean and upbeat.
There you have it, ten books I enjoyed but haven't gotten around to reviewing yet. What do you think? Have you read any of them? Do any of them sound like reads you would enjoy? What books have you loved but not reviewed yet? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Monday, August 10, 2020
Debut Friendship Novel Upbeat, Even If Not Super Exciting
10:57 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
With her only child away at college in faraway California, single mom Renee Rhodes feels unmoored. Without her daughter to dote on, she hardly knows who she is anymore. She enjoys her receptionist job at a pediatrician's office (although her crush on her boss is downright embarrassing), her gardening, and her baking, but is it enough to sustain and fulfill her?
Chasing an active toddler around all day and trying to keep her home in order without the aid of her workaholic husband has left Sadie Landry feeling bone-tired. When she discovers she's pregnant again, she realizes she's reached her breaking point. Between the baby she's growing, the tension in her marriage, and the constant criticism from her outspoken mother-in-law, Sadie has had it.
Although they're neighbors in quaint Cranberry Cove, Maine, Renee and Sadie don't really know each other. Until a culinary disaster brings them together. The resulting friendship that develops between them gives both women the outlet and support they've been looking for. But will it be enough to sustain them as Renee and Sadie both take big leaps in their lives?
Forever Friends, a debut novel by Sarah Mackenzie, is a little fluffier than my usual reading fare. Still, the story touches on deeper subjects than its easy, breezy cover would suggest. It tells an upbeat tale set against a cozy backdrop and featuring likable characters. Its central theme of women supporting women definitely resonated with me. While the plot doesn't exactly offer tense, nail-biting action, there was enough going on to keep me turning pages. There was never a point, though, that I couldn't have put Forever Friends down for good. Overall, then, I liked but didn't love this one. Will I read the next book in the series? Eh. Maybe, maybe not.
(Readalikes: Um, nothing's coming readily to mind. You?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (1 F-bomb, plus milder expletives) and sexual content
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Forever Friends from the generous folks at Forever (a division of Hachette Book Group) in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Thursday, August 06, 2020
Ho-Hum Series Starter Means I Won't Be Reaching For a Sequel
9:35 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Beth Rivers has made a career out of crafting chilling plots for her bestselling thriller novels, but when she has her own brush with a madman, it leaves her frightened and unmoored. For her own safety, Beth changes her name and relocates to tiny, remote Benedict, Alaska. A strange twist of fate has her living with criminals in a halfway house there while she tries to make sense of life in The Last Frontier.
When Beth is offered the opportunity to revive the town's fledgling newspaper, she jumps at the chance. Not only will the job give her something to do with her time, but it will also allow her the opportunity to investigate the recent murder of a local woman. In doing so, she finds herself growing closer to handsome Donner Montgomery, a park ranger who has been deputized to help Benedict's police chief. Can she trust him with the secrets of her past? How about with her heart? As Beth comes closer to finding the killer, it's also her life that is—once again—on the line.
I love stories set against the wild backdrop of Alaska, so I was excited to give Thin Ice by Paige Shelton a go. This series opener does indeed feature an intriguing setting, which happens to be my favorite thing about it. Character-wise, the novel leaves a lot to be desired. I was hoping for a quirky, small-town cast to give Benedict some life, but most of the story people are very ordinary folks. Beth herself is a sympathetic character, but not an overly likable one. She doesn't have a whole lot of personality to make her interesting. Unfortunately, Donner doesn't either, which means I didn't feel any real chemistry between them. The plot of Thin Ice isn't any more original. Although the tale was intriguing enough to keep me reading, the plot seems far-fetched (Would people in a buttoned-up little town like Benedict truly reveal all their deepest, darkest secrets to a stranger like Beth?), the killer's identity is pretty obvious, and none of the plot twists really surprised me. Bummer. In short, I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. With a series starter as ho-hum as this one, I won't be reaching for its sequel.
(Readalikes: Hm, nothing's coming to mind. You?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, and blood/gore
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Thin Ice from the generous folks at St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
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