WWW Wednesday: September 13th, 2023

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Here is what I am currently reading, recently finished, and plan to read from Thursday to Wednesday.

Let me know if you have read or are planning on reading any of these books!!

Happy Reading!!


What I am currently reading:

Mess Hopkins, proprietor of the seen-better-days Fairfax Manor Inn, never met a person in need who couldn’t use a helping hand—his helping hand. So he’s thrown open the doors of the motel to the homeless, victims of abuse, or anyone else who could benefit from a comfy bed with clean sheets and a roof overhead. This rankles his parents and uncle, who technically still own the place and are more concerned with profits than philanthropy.

When a mother and her teenage boy seek refuge from an abusive husband, Mess takes them in until they can get back on their feet. Shortly after arriving, the mom goes missing and some very bad people come sniffing around, searching for money they claim belongs to them. Mess tries to pump the boy for helpful information, but he’s in full uncooperative teen mode—grunts, shrugs, and monosyllabic answers. From what he does learn, Mess can tell he’s not getting the straight scoop. It’s not long before the boy vanishes too. Abducted? Run away? Something worse? And who took the missing money? Mess, along with his friend Vell Jackson and local news reporter Lia Katsaros, take to the streets to locate the missing mother and son—and the elusive, abusive husband—before the kneecapping loansharks find them first.


What I recently finished reading:

Daniel Rosenberg and Liyah Cohen-Jackson’s last conversation—fourteen years ago at summer camp—ended their friendship. Until they find themselves seated next to each other on a plane, and bitterly pick up right where they left off. At least they can go their separate ways again after landing…

That is, until Daniel’s marketing firm gets hired by the Chicago museum where Liyah works as a junior curator, and they’re forced to collaborate with potential career changing promotions on the line.

With every meeting and post-work social gathering with colleagues, the tension (and chemistry) between Daniel and Liyah builds until they’re forced to confront why they broke apart years ago at camp. But as they find comfort in their shared experiences as Jews of color and fumble towards friendship, can they ignore their growing feelings for each other?

With sexy charm and undeniable wit, Rachel Runya Katz’s sparkling debut, Thank You For Sharing, proves that if you’re open to love, anything is possible.


What I think I will read next:

In this thrilling contemporary fantasy novel, a father must uncover the secret magical underbelly of Los Angeles to find his daughter, who has seemingly disappeared into the fictional universe of her favorite fantasy series.

When Byron Kidd’s twelve-year-old daughter vanishes, the only clue left behind is a note claiming she’s taken off to explore the Hidden World, a magical land from a series of popular novels. She is not the only child to seek out this imaginary realm in recent years, and Byron—a cynical and hard-nosed reporter—is determined to discover the whereabouts of dozens of missing kids.

Byron secures a high-profile interview with Annabelle Tobin, the eccentric author of the books, and heads off to her palatial home in the Hollywood Hills. But the truth Byron discovers is more fantastical than he ever could have dreamed.

As he uncovers locations from the books that seem to be bleeding into the real world, he must shed his doubts and dive headfirst into the mystical secrets of Los Angeles if he ever hopes to reunite with his child. Soon Byron finds himself on his own epic journey—but if he’s not careful, he could be the next one to disappear…

Told through journal entries, transcripts, emails, and excerpts from Tobin’s novels, Dreambound is a spellbinding homage to Los Angeles and an immersive

he Circle is robbing the dreams of its citizens.

In Logan Kent’s world, disease, hunger, and war have all been resolved by the dreams of its citizens thanks to nanobots developed and implanted into everyone as newborns. At least, that’s how it seems…

Now The Circle wants Logan to join their fold and continue the utopia they’ve created. He has no reason to distrust his parents—high ranking members in The Circle—until he meets Reina, a girl from the exiled faction “Anyone,” who refuse to give up their free will.

Logan begins to question everything he knows and loves. Can the girl be trusted—especially when she’s a medicine thief skulking around Capitol City—or is it really true that peace can only be maintained beneath The Circle’s rule?

Fans of The Matrix, Inception, and The Giver have been dreaming of this series for a long time coming.

Logan Kent is abandoning everything he knows.

Logan’s parents have failed to recruit him into the folds of The Circle– a secret society puppeteering the government and forming a utopia by stealing the dreams of its citizens.
Unrest has broken out between The Capitol and the rebel faction, Anyone. Now Logan is running away with Reina, a medicine thief from Anyone, to escape the oppression of The Circle and find refuge with those still clinging to their free will.

Danger awaits between the quiet outlying Heartlands and an arid expanse where few dare cross. Will they reach the last major rebel outpost in the country before The Circle starts hunting them down?

Fans of The Matrix, Inception, and The Giver have been dreaming of this series for a long time coming.

Amy Chua’s debut novel, The Golden Gate, is a sweeping, evocative, and compelling historical thriller that paints a vibrant portrait of a California buffeted by the turbulent crosswinds of a world at war and a society about to undergo massive change.

In Berkeley, California, in 1944, Homicide Detective Al Sullivan has just left the swanky Claremont Hotel after a drink in the bar when a presidential candidate is assassinated in one of the rooms upstairs. A rich industrialist with enemies among the anarchist factions on the far left, Walter Wilkinson could have been targeted by any number of groups. But strangely, Sullivan’s investigation brings up the specter of another tragedy at the Claremont, ten years the death of seven-year-old Iris Stafford, a member of the Bainbridge family, one of the wealthiest in all of San Francisco. Some say she haunts the Claremont still.

The many threads of the case keep leading Sullivan back to the three remaining Bainbridge heiresses, now Iris’s sister, Isabella, and her cousins Cassie and Nicole. Determined not to let anything distract him from the truth―not the powerful influence of Bainbridges’ grandmother, or the political aspirations of Berkeley’s district attorney, or the interest of China’s First Lady Madame Chiang Kai-Shek in his findings―Sullivan follows his investigation to its devastating conclusion.

Chua’s page-turning debut brings to life a historical era rife with turbulent social forces and groundbreaking forensic advances, when race and class defined the very essence of power, sex, and justice, and introduces a fascinating character in Detective Sullivan, a mixed race former Army officer who is still reckoning with his own history.

Scenes of the Crime by Jilly Gagnon

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam

Date of publication: September 5th, 2023

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Contemporary, Adult, Whodunit

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | Kobo | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

An ambitious screenwriter tries to solve her friend’s disappearance by recreating their fateful final girls’ trip in this riveting locked-room mystery from the author of All Dressed Up.
A remote winery. A missing friend. And a bunch of sour grapes.

It should have been the perfect spring break. Five girlfriends. A remote winery on the Oregon coast. An infinite supply of delicious wine at their manicured fingertips. But then their center—beautiful, magnetic Vanessa Morales—vanished without a trace.

Emily Fischer was perhaps the last person to see her alive. But now, years later, Emily spots Vanessa’s doppelganger at a local café. At the end of her rope working a lucrative yet mind-numbing gig on a network sitcom, Emily is inspired to finally tell the story that’s been percolating inside her for so long: Vanessa’s story. But first, she needs to know what really happened on that fateful night. So she puts a brilliant scheme into motion.

She gets the girls together for a reunion weekend at the scene of the crime under the guise of reconnecting. There’s Brittany, Vanessa’s cousin and the inheritor of the winery; Paige, a former athlete, bullish yet easily manipulated; and Lydia, the wallflower of the group.

One of them knows the truth. But what have they each been hiding? And how much can Emily trust anything she learns from them… or even her own memories of Vanessa’s last days?

Suspenseful, propulsive, and interspersed with scenes from Emily’s blockbuster screenplay, Scenes of the Crime is an unforgettable mystery that examines culpability, the shiny rearview mirror of Hollywood storytelling, and the pitfalls of female friendship.


First Line:

I’d made it about thirty precent of the way through the most glaringly insane round of script notes known to man when a ghost walked into the coffee shop.

Scenes of the Crime by Jilly Gagnon

Emily is struck by inspiration after seeing the doppelganger of her missing friend in the cafe where she was revising a television script. She decides that Vanessa’s (her friend) story needs to be told. But to do that, Emily must solve a fifteen-year mystery: What happened to Vanessa the night she went missing? The answers lie with three other people there that night: Brittany, Paige, and Lydia. Emily leans on Brittany to have a girls’ weekend at the vineyard where they last saw Vanessa. But not everyone wants to be there, and everyone has secrets about that night. Will Emily be able to tell Vanessa’s story? Will she solve what happened that night fifteen years ago?

When I read the blurb for Scenes of the Crime, I knew I wanted to read this book. I, along with millions of other people, love reading about cold cases. This book would be just that: the reopening of a cold case. And it was. But it was also a story about secrets, friendships, and how those secrets can destroy lives.

What was interesting about Scenes of the Crime was how the author wrote it. The author told the present-day story from Emily’s POV, with Brittany, Paige, Vanessa, and Lydia having their chapters. But, it was also written as a screenplay to tell the story fifteen years ago, complete with editing notes. I liked it because it gave insight into the girl’s frame of mind the night Vanessa disappeared and the girl’s weekend.

The main storyline was well-written and kept my attention up to the point when the author started to reveal the girls’ secrets. Everything after that, though, I thought was overkill. I had figured out what happened to Vanessa reasonably early in the book. So, to add that extra bit of drama about her grandparents disowning her and the will didn’t do it for me.

The mystery angle of the book was well written, but the author stretched it thin. How? Well, at one point, five different mysterious scenarios were going on. The author did a great job of keeping them separate, but I still got them jumbled up. The primary angle (what happened to Vanessa) was twisty, turny, and often unbelievable. I wasn’t surprised at the considerable twist that occurred almost at the end of the book (see previous paragraph), but I was surprised at who was involved. Then, I was astonished at what happened to that person. It was almost too much.

The end of Scenes of the Crime was almost anticlimactic, and I wasn’t a fan of it. With everything that went on that weekend, this is how it ended up. I was happy for Emily, but dang.

I would recommend Scenes of the Crime to anyone over 21. There is language, violence, and sexual situations.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam, NetGalley, and Jilly Gagnon for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Scenes of the Crime. All opinions stated in this review are mine.


If you enjoy reading books similar to Scenes of the Crime, then you will enjoy these books:


Other books by Jilly Gagnon:

In Darkness: The Werewolf by L. Diane Wolfe

Publisher: Dancing Lemur Press

Date of publication: September 5th, 2023

Genre: Paranormal, Romance

Purchase Links: Kindle | Kobo | Apple Books

Goodreads Synopsis:

Souls shrouded in darkness…

On her own in England, Vicki trains at a prestigious fencing school. Face marred by a birthmark, she’s suspicious of Nicholas’ attention. A dinner date reveals his genuine interest and they begin to connect. Nicholas is attractive and she wonders why he’s so shy and reclusive.

Then one evening she happens upon him changing into a lycan. Every werewolf legend is shattered by the gentle, fearful creature before her. Vickie accepts his secret, but Nicholas knows he’s an unpredictable beast. Can they trust love enough to overcome their physical challenges?


First Line:

“I wonder why he’s always watching me?” Vicki mumbled.

In Darkness: The Werewolf by L. Diane Wolfe

Vicki is attending a prestigious fencing school in England when she meets Nicholas, her landlord’s handsome son. She is suspicious of his attention since she has a large birthmark that covers half of her face. But she is soon swept away by Nicholas’s attention. One night, Vicki accidentally sees Nicholas changing into a lycan. But she isn’t afraid of him. But Nicholas is fearful for her because he knows his beast is unpredictable. Can their love overcome everything? Or will they be forever apart?

I am a huge sucker for paranormal romances and have a secret obsession with werewolf romances (thank you, Dreame app!!). So when Dancing Lemur Press invited me to read In Darkness: The Werewolf, I immediately accepted. I am glad that I did because this was a great novella.

In Darkness: The Werewolf is a short book. It is around 125 pages, and it is a quick read. But, I found depth in the characters and the story for a novella. I was disappointed when it ended because I wanted more.

The main storyline of In Darkness: The Werewolf centers around Vicki, Nicholas, his secret, and their romance. The author fleshed out the storyline and kept my attention. As I said, I was disappointed that the book ended because I wanted more.

The paranormal angle of In Darkness: The Werewolf was interesting. There was a brief explanation about how Nicholas became a lycan and mentions of a pack (or clan) in Scotland. The author did a great job of describing a half-turned-lycan and making him at least somewhat dangerous. I did like the extra spin that she put when Nicholas and Vicki started to get intimate. All I could think was, “Growing pains,” and I laughed slightly.

The romance angle was adorable. I liked that Nicholas saw past Vicki’s birthmark to the beautiful person underneath. I also liked that Vicki accepted that Nicholas was a lycan. Their love wasn’t quite Instalove but it bordered it.

The end of In Darkness: The Werewolf was left open and made me wonder if the author would write another book in this world. I would love to see Nicholas and Vicki present day.

I would recommend In Darkness: The Werewolf to anyone over 16. There are fade-to-black sexual situations, mild language, and mild violence.

Many thanks to Dancing Lemur Press and L. Diane Wolfe for allowing me to read and review this ARC of In Darkness: The Werewolf. All opinions stated in this review are mine.


If you enjoy reading books similar to In Darkness: The Werewolf, then you will enjoy reading these books:


Other books by L. Diane Wolfe:

Fly with Me by Andie Burke

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin

Date of publication: September 5th, 2023

Genre: Romance, LGBT, Contemporary, Lesbian, Queer, Adult, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Adult Fiction, Lesbian Fiction

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | AbeBooks | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

A sparkling and steamy opposites-attract romance, Fly with Me by Andie Burke is filled with sharp banter and that sweet, swooping feeling of finding “the one” when and where you least expect it.

A one-way ticket to love or a bumpy ride ahead?

Flying-phobic ER nurse Olive Murphy is still gripping the armrest from her first-ever take-off when the pilot announces an in-flight medical emergency. Olive leaps into action and saves a life, but ends up getting stuck in the airport hours away from the marathon she’s running in honor of her brother. Luckily for her, Stella Soriano, the stunning type A copilot, offers to give her a ride.

After the two spend a magical day together, Stella makes a surprising Will Olive be her fake girlfriend?

A video of Olive saving a life has gone viral and started generating big sales for Stella’s airline. Stella sees their union as the perfect opportunity to get to the boys’ club executives at her company who keep overlooking her for a long-deserved promotion. Realizing this arrangement could help her too, Olive dives into memorizing Stella’s comically comprehensive three-ring-binder guide to fake dating. As the two grow closer, what’s supposed to be a ruse feels more and more real. Could this be the romantic ride of their lives, or an epic crash and burn?


First Line:

“We’re not going to crash.”

Fly with Me by Andie Burke

Never having flown before, Olive is on the verge of a panic attack when a flight attendant makes an announcement asking for a medical professional. An ER nurse, she answers the call and saves the life of a man. When the video starts generating positive press for the airline, the co-piolet, Stella, approaches Olive with an arrangement. Olive is to pretend to be Stella’s girlfriend, and Stella can finally get a promotion. Surprisingly, Olive agrees and dives into Stella’s amusing three-ring binder guide to fake dating. But, as their feeling becomes more and more real, outside forces are trying to derail their romance. Will they have a happily ever after, or will they crash and burn?

When I read the blurb for Fly with Me, I was instantly intrigued and wanted to read it. Since St. Martin’s Press had it as a Read Now book, I downloaded it. I am glad that I did because I loved this book. This book is so much more than what is mentioned in the blurb.

The main storyline of Fly with Me centers around Olive, Stella, and their fake romance. I found that storyline to be amusing and heartbreaking. It was also well-written and kept me glued to the book. I was rooting for Olive and Stella. I wanted them to have their happily ever after.

The storyline with Olive, her family, and their fight over the care of her brother was heartbreaking. Olive’s brother was pronounced brain-dead after saving the life of a child. Olive, a nurse who controls her brother’s finances and medical decisions, had decided to pull life support. But her mother didn’t want it, got a lawyer, and fought to keep her brother alive. Meanwhile, she blasted Olive as someone who only wanted her brother’s money and wanted him to die so she could get it. It caused a massive rift in the family, with everyone agreeing with Olive’s mother. While I sympathized with Olive’s mother, I thought she was a nasty piece of work. There was nothing redeemable about her. As for Olive’s father, I thought that maybe he would be reasonable, but nope, he wasn’t. I was beyond angry at what he requested of Olive at the end of the book. I couldn’t believe what he told her not to do and how he treated her afterward.

The storyline with Olive, Lindsay, their on/off relationship, and Olive’s mental health was interesting. I thought that Lindsay was a piece of work. She was verbally abusive to Olive, and when Olive started fake dating Stella, she became a full-fledged stalker. Lindsay downplayed Olive’s anxiety disorder and her depression. What she said to Stella about them was vile. I should have seen what Lindsay did coming, but I didn’t. I wasn’t surprised, though. There were hints about what she was capable of throughout the book.

The romance angle of Fly with Me was sweet. Both Olive and Stella did not want a relationship. Olive was dealing with a crazy ex (Lindsay), and Stella was so career-driven that she didn’t have time for a relationship. But this book showed that falling in love often happens when people least want or need it. I loved watching their relationship progress. There were roadblocks (a major one at the end of the book), but I liked seeing Olive and Stella work through them.

Olive and Stella had immediate chemistry, which the author built on. So, when they finally had sex, the scene exploded. The author was also very stingy with the sex scenes (there were two detailed scenes).

The end of Fly with Me had me in tears, from everything that Olive had to endure with her family and Lindsay to what happened with her and Stella. I loved that Olive decided to get help with her mental health (minor spoiler here). The epilogue was perfect. The book couldn’t have ended on a better note.

I would recommend Fly with Me to anyone over 21. There is language, mild violence, and graphic sexual situations.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley, and Andie Burke for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Fly with Me. All opinions stated in this review are mine.


If you enjoy reading books similar to Fly with Me, then you will enjoy these books:

Seams Deadly (Measure Twice Sewing Mystery: Book 1) by Maggie Bailey

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Date of publication: September 5th, 2023

Genre: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Sewing

Series: Measure Twice Sewing Mystery

Seams Deadly—Book 1

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | Kobo | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

When seamstress Lydia Barnes finds a dead body soon after moving to a new town, she will need more than shear luck to find the killer, in this novel perfect for fans of Molly MacRae and Anna Gerard.

Lydia Barnes is excited for a fresh start when she moves to the quaint mountain town of Peridot, Georgia. Her friend, Fran, offers her a job at the Measure Twice fabric store and even sets her up on a date with the handsome Brandon Ivey, who also happens to be Lydia’s new next-door neighbor. Finally, things are looking up. But after a disaster first date that ends with a fist bump instead of a kiss, Lydia doesn’t think her night can get any worse. She’s soon proven wrong when she later stumbles upon Brandon’s dead body.

Considered the prime suspect by the police, Lydia calls on her friends to help her hunt for the truth and prove her innocence. But when another body is soon found inside the Measure Twice store, Lydia knows that the killer must be close by, and that this town has more than its fair share of secrets. Who would want to frame the newest addition to Peridot for these terrible murders—and why?

Lydia may discover that while sewing might have a pattern, killing rarely does. Will she be able to stitch together the clues and clear her own name before the killer strikes again?


First Line:

“Did you at least put your hair with a nice clip?”

Seams Deadly by Maggie Bailey

After finding her husband in bed with his intern, Lydia retreats to the town of Peridot, Georgia, to heal. With the help of her friend, Fran, she works at Measure Twice, a fabric store, and she is going on her first date with Brandon, a clerk at a local bookstore and Lydia’s next-door neighbor. When the date doesn’t go well, Lydia decides to check in on Brandon and stumbles across his body. The police then named her as the prime suspect. Wanting to clear her name, Lydia calls upon her friends to help her solve Brandon and Ava’s murder. Can Lydia clear her name and find out who killed Brandon and Ava? Or will she end up a victim of the real killer?

I know I mentioned this in other reviews, but I am a sucker for a cover with an animal. So, when I saw the cover of Seams Deadly, it caught my attention, and I knew I wanted to read it.

Seams Deadly is the first book in the A Measure Twice Sewing Mystery. Since this is the first book in the series, I won’t put my usual drivel here (read the previous book).

The main storyline of Seams Deadly centers around Lydia, the murders, and Lydia’s investigation into them. The storyline was well written with a twist in the mystery surrounding the murders of Brandon and Ava. But, there was a lot of lag while Lydia and her friends were investigating and I felt my attention wandering while reading.

I didn’t like Lydia. I did feel bad for her because of what happened to her (caught her ex sleeping with his intern). But, as I got deeper into the book, the more she got on my nerves. She lived in her head and often missed when people were talking to her. She was selfish and thought only about herself. By not explaining patterns, she made sewing boring for me (and I was excited to read about sewists). The only thing I liked about her was that she adopted Baby Lobster from the shelter.

I thought the mystery angle was well written, and who the killer was surprised me. The author did a great job of throwing red herrings out. She also did a great job of introducing suspects. I liked that she had Lydia and her friends do round table-type meetings, where they throw out theories. Of course, none of the ideas worked out, but it was still fun to read. The scene where the killer was revealed was surprising, and I did not see it coming. As for the reason for the murders, again, I was surprised by the motives.

The end of Seams Deadly was interesting. The author left enough wiggle room for a book 2. She also left me wondering what was going on with Fran. The author revealed a surprise in the last chapter that I saw coming. As much as I disliked Lydia, I want to read book 2.

I would recommend Seams Deadly to anyone over 16. There is mild language, violence, and no sexual situations.

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley, and Maggie Bailey for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Seams Deadly. All opinions stated in this review are mine.


If you enjoy reading books similar to Seams Deadly, then you will enjoy these books:


Other books by Maggie Bailey:

It’s Monday: What Are You Reading? – September 11th, 2023

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet and share what you have been and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kid-lit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle-grade novels, young adult novels, or anything in those genres – join them.


Personal:

  • It was hotter than hot out last week. I am so sick of this weather and can’t wait for the cooler air to come in.
  • Miss R had two lessons last week. Her usual day and Thursday was a make-up lesson. Both days were super hot, and Miss R was a sweaty mess by the time she untacked, groomed, and turned her horse (well, one day, horses) out.
  • Speaking of her lesson, Miss R fell off her horse on Thursday. She didn’t get hurt (a scrapped elbow and a couple of bruises) and didn’t cry. Instead, she was cracking up laughing. See, the fall was in slow motion. She gradually fell off Hershey and onto her side. Everyone was like, “What on earth happened.
  • Miss R had her first test on Friday. The test was naming the states around North Carolina. I’m waiting for Tuesday folders to come home to see how she did.
  • We were supposed to go to our city’s Pride event this weekend, but they canceled it due to rain. We were all disappointed but can’t wait to go at the end of the month.
  • We had an issue with one of Miss R’s frenemies doing ding-dong ditch repeatedly on Friday night. We have the Ring camera, so we know exactly who it was. Also, BK stood on the side of the house and yelled at her when she approached the front door. She hasn’t been back since.
  • And lastly, Miss R’s Occulus broke Friday night. Since she uses it constantly (she plays Gorilla Tag), we got her another one on Saturday (an early birthday present).

Reading:

  • I am at 63 books on NetGalley. Once I finish writing the reviews for the books I read over the weekend, it will be around 60.
  • I caught up with my reading over the weekend. I read four books between Friday and Sunday (with staying up late on Sunday to finish a novella).
  • As for reviews, I am behind 5. But I will knock out a few today and hopefully be caught up by tomorrow (keeping my fingers crossed). If I’m not, I will have to write on the weekends (which I try to avoid).
  • I also plan to start reading my reading challenge books this coming weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t get stuck on any of my ARCs (The Blue, Beautiful World, and Sandymancer were very trying for me to read)

What I am Reading Now:

An ambitious screenwriter tries to solve her friend’s disappearance by recreating their fateful final girls’ trip in this riveting locked-room mystery from the author of All Dressed Up.
A remote winery. A missing friend. And a bunch of sour grapes.

It should have been the perfect spring break. Five girlfriends. A remote winery on the Oregon coast. An infinite supply of delicious wine at their manicured fingertips. But then their center—beautiful, magnetic Vanessa Morales—vanished without a trace.

Emily Fischer was perhaps the last person to see her alive. But now, years later, Emily spots Vanessa’s doppelganger at a local café. At the end of her rope working a lucrative yet mind-numbing gig on a network sitcom, Emily is inspired to finally tell the story that’s been percolating inside her for so long: Vanessa’s story. But first, she needs to know what really happened on that fateful night. So she puts a brilliant scheme into motion.

She gets the girls together for a reunion weekend at the scene of the crime under the guise of reconnecting. There’s Brittany, Vanessa’s cousin and the inheritor of the winery; Paige, a former athlete, bullish yet easily manipulated; and Lydia, the wallflower of the group.

One of them knows the truth. But what have they each been hiding? And how much can Emily trust anything she learns from them… or even her own memories of Vanessa’s last days?

Suspenseful, propulsive, and interspersed with scenes from Emily’s blockbuster screenplay, Scenes of the Crime is an unforgettable mystery that examines culpability, the shiny rearview mirror of Hollywood storytelling, and the pitfalls of female friendship.


Books I plan on reading later this week:

In this thrilling contemporary fantasy novel, a father must uncover the secret magical underbelly of Los Angeles to find his daughter, who has seemingly disappeared into the fictional universe of her favorite fantasy series.

When Byron Kidd’s twelve-year-old daughter vanishes, the only clue left behind is a note claiming she’s taken off to explore the Hidden World, a magical land from a series of popular novels. She is not the only child to seek out this imaginary realm in recent years, and Byron—a cynical and hard-nosed reporter—is determined to discover the whereabouts of dozens of missing kids.

Byron secures a high-profile interview with Annabelle Tobin, the eccentric author of the books, and heads off to her palatial home in the Hollywood Hills. But the truth Byron discovers is more fantastical than he ever could have dreamed.

As he uncovers locations from the books that seem to be bleeding into the real world, he must shed his doubts and dive headfirst into the mystical secrets of Los Angeles if he ever hopes to reunite with his child. Soon Byron finds himself on his own epic journey—but if he’s not careful, he could be the next one to disappear…

Told through journal entries, transcripts, emails, and excerpts from Tobin’s novels, Dreambound is a spellbinding homage to Los Angeles and an immersive

The Circle is robbing the dreams of its citizens.

In Logan Kent’s world, disease, hunger, and war have all been resolved by the dreams of its citizens thanks to nanobots developed and implanted into everyone as newborns. At least, that’s how it seems…

Now The Circle wants Logan to join their fold and continue the utopia they’ve created. He has no reason to distrust his parents—high ranking members in The Circle—until he meets Reina, a girl from the exiled faction “Anyone,” who refuse to give up their free will.

Logan begins to question everything he knows and loves. Can the girl be trusted—especially when she’s a medicine thief skulking around Capitol City—or is it really true that peace can only be maintained beneath The Circle’s rule?

Fans of The Matrix, Inception, and The Giver have been dreaming of this series for a long time coming.

Goodreads Monday: The Replacement Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts

This is a weekly meme where anyone can choose and highlight a random book from their Goodreads TBR. This meme was formerly featured on LaurensPageTurners and was taken over by Budget Tales Book Blog.


True love can’t be strategized.

After book blogger Vivian Galdi’s longtime crush pretends their secret summer kissing sessions never happened, Vivian creates a list of safe crushes, determined to protect her heart.

But nerd-hot Dallas, the sweet new guy in town, sends the mission and Vivian’s zing meter into chaos. While designing software for the bookstore where Vivian works, Dallas wages a counter-mission.

Operation Replacement Crush is in full effect. And Dallas is determined to take her heart off the shelf.

The Blue, Beautiful World by Karen Lord

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey

Date of publication: August 29th, 2023

Genre: Science Fiction, Fiction, Adult, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fantasy, Adult Fiction

Series: Cygnus Beta Series

The Best of All Possible Worlds—Book 1

The Galaxy Game—Book 2

The Blue, Beautiful World—Book 3

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | AbeBooks | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

As first contact transforms the Earth, a group of gifted visionaries race to create a new future in this wondrous science fiction novel from the award-winning author of The Best of All Possible Worlds.

The world is changing, and humanity must change with it. Rising seas and soaring temperatures have radically transformed the face of the Earth. Meanwhile, Earth is being observed from afar by other civilizations … and now they are ready to make contact.

Vying to prepare humanity for first contact are a group of dreamers and changemakers, including Peter Hendrix, the genius inventor behind the most advanced VR tech; Charyssa, a beloved celebrity icon with a passion for humanitarian work; and Kanoa, a member of a council of young people from around the globe drafted to reimagine the relationship between humankind and alien societies.

And they may have an unexpected secret weapon: Owen, a pop megastar whose ability to connect with his adoring fans is more than charisma. He has a hidden talent that may be the key to uniting Earth as it looks towards the stars.

But Owen’s abilities are so unique that no-one can control him, and so seductive that he cannot help but use them. Can he transcend his human limitations and find the freedom he has always dreamed of? Or is he doomed to become the dictator of his nightmares?


First Line:

The emissary kept on digging his own grave, centimeter by centimeter, word by word.

The Blue, Beautiful World by Karen Lord

First contact has always been something that the people of Earth regarded as a myth. But, to a small, select group, the truth is known. Aliens have been on Earth for a while, gathering intel on the people. With the climate crisis reaching its pinnacle, the aliens have decided to make themselves known. Their emissary is a pop megastar, Owen, who is an alien. Owen has abilities that can unite Earth after first contact. But, there is a dark side to Owen, and it calls to him. Can Owen keep his dark side suppressed to help the people of Earth? Or will that dark side take over and have him become Earth’s dictator?

When I read the blurb for The Blue, Beautiful World, I was intrigued. I like reading science fiction, and seeing that the author would integrate VR technology into the plotline, I wanted to read it. While the book was great in some areas, it was lacking in others, which killed the book for me.

The Blue, Beautiful World is the third book in the Cygnus Beta Series. Readers cannot read this book as a standalone. You must read the first two books to know what is happening in this one. This was a significant issue for me because I read book three first.

I will be blunt: I was not too fond of this book. I found it very hard to follow at the beginning. But, towards the middle of the book, it got better to follow. Not by much, but I wasn’t as lost as in the book’s first half.

I did like the science fiction angle and loved that the author had VR as a significant part of the plotline. It made for exciting reading, even if it did get dry and repetitive at points. I wish the different civilizations (aliens) were introduced at the book’s beginning. There was a brief rundown (around when the Lyraen spies were caught). But nothing was mentioned about any of the races (and there are a bunch of them).

The characters were meh to me. The only one I connected to and liked was Kanoa. All the others (Owen, Noriko, Berenice) either I didn’t like or weren’t as fleshed out as they should be. I also needed clarification on the different names that the same characters went by. It drove me up the wall to discover that what I thought was a singular main character was exactly two (for example, Tareq is two separate people: Kirat and Siha).

The end of The Blue, Beautiful World was different. I had to reread it twice to understand what was going on. And even then, there is going to be a book 2? I needed clarification on that.

I recommend The Blue, Beautiful World to anyone over 21. There is violence and mild language, but no sexual situations.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey, NetGalley, and Karen Lord for allowing me to read and review The Blue, Beautiful World.


If you enjoy reading books similar to The Blue, Beautiful World, then you will enjoy these books:


Other books by Karen Lord:

A Dragon’s Dyne (The Talisman Series: Book 6) by Brett Salter

Publisher: Createspace

Date of publication: July 19th, 2023

Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade

Series: The Talisman Series

The Search for Synergy—Book 1 (review here)

Riders of Fire and Ice—Book 2 (review here)

Windy City Ruins—Book 3 (review here)

The Battle for Verdana—Book 4 (review here)

Desperate Tides, Desperate Measures—Book 5 (review here)

A Dragon’s Dyne—Book 6

Purchase Links: Kindle

Goodreads Synopsis:

Things have gone from weird to blatantly absurd in Rome and Julian’s quest to preserve the boundary between the Earth realm and The Void. With Darkbrand numbers growing at a terrifying rate, the escape of Beliarahm, the fiercest Nocturn yet, and the struggle to make ANY headway with the Elementals and all their tomfoolery, The Alliance has hit a veritable wall. Even with the promise of the light Talisman to oppose the forces of darkness, there’s just no telling how or where to find it. All the other Talismans are collected, but that doesn’t necessarily give our heroes any comfort, because to this point, these magical items seem to have served more as crosshairs than protection. Maybe they need something more than the Talismans. But what could that be?


First Line:

The heroes stood in a circle with no idea what to do next. The sun rapidly moves toward its decline into the horizon, but the group had accomplished little in the way of unearthing the next step to take.

A Dragon’s Dyne by Brett Salter

Rome, Julian, and their allies have gathered all of the Talismans and their Elemental counterparts together to preserve the boundary between Earth and The Void. But, they are stonewalled when they are told there is one more Talisman out there. This Talisman, with a Light Elemental, has the power to turn the upcoming battle in their favor. But the Alliance doesn’t know where it is and is given a few cryptic clues to follow. With more Darkbrands escaping The Void and The Tyrant King getting closer and closer to breaking through the barrier, there is no time to waste. Can Rome, Julian, and the rest of the Alliance find the Light Talisman? Will they be able to defend Earth from The Tyrant King?

When the author reached out and asked if I wanted to read/review A Dragon’s Dyne, I immediately said yes. I have been reading this series from book one and was waiting for book six to come out. I had become invested in this series and wanted to know what would happen. I wasn’t expecting this to be the last book in the series.

A Dragon’s Dyne is the 6th book in The Talisman Series. You cannot read this book as a standalone. You must read the first five books to understand character backstories/past battles/and character relationships. You will be confused if you do not read the first five books. And trust me, reading those books before you read this one is worth it.

The main storyline of A Dragon’s Dyne centers on Rome, Julian, their friends/allies, the search for the Light Talisman, and the battle to save Earth. It is a well-written storyline that kept my attention from the beginning. It is also a fast-moving storyline. There is some lag towards the middle of the book (when Rome and friends are searching for the Talisman). That lag I anticipated, and it didn’t take away my enjoyment of this book.

A couple of times, I was surprised by A Dragon’s Dyne. One is a huge spoiler, and the other, well, I should have seen it coming. All I can say about the spoiler is that my soul broke during that chapter. I was not prepared for that. But I also wasn’t prepared for what happened in the next chapter. Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions within a couple of pages. While I didn’t see it coming, the other surprise didn’t surprise me. It made sense (there were hints).

This book is written for middle-grade kids. The main characters are in middle school and act like it (mainly Julian). I could put any of my kids in this book, and they would behave very similarly to how Rome and Julian acted. There are no adult situations (well, Rome and his girlfriend kiss a couple of times) or language.

I loved the lore and the fantasy angle of A Dragon’s Dyne. I could have just read about the different dragons, how they fit in, or just disappeared with the human race, their customs, and magic. Those added touches added depth to this storyline and increased my enjoyment of this book.

I was sad to read that this was the last book in the series. But two things did stand out to me, which made me think the author would have spinoffs. One was Rome’s vision, and the other was what happened at the very end of the book. I hope the author decides to write more books in this universe.

The end of A Dragon’s Dyne was interesting. The author wrapped up all the storylines with the expectation of one. With what was written (see above), I hope that means more books in this universe.

I would recommend A Dragon’s Dyne to anyone over 12. There is violence. But there is no language or sexual situations.

Many thanks to Brett Salter for allowing me to read and review A Dragon’s Dyne. All opinions expressed in this review are mine.


If you enjoy reading books similar to A Dragon’s Dyne, then you will enjoy reading these books:


Other books by Brett Salter:

WWW Wednesday: September 6th, 2023

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Here is what I am currently reading, recently finished, and plan to read from Thursday to Wednesday.

Let me know if you have read or are planning on reading any of these books!!

Happy Reading!!


What I am currently reading:

A wild girl with sand magic in her bones and a mad god who is trying to fix the world he broke come together in SANDYMANCER, a genre-warping mashup of weird fantasy and hard science fiction.

All Caralee Vinnet has ever known is dust. Her whole world is made up of the stuff; water is the most precious thing in the cosmos. A privileged few control what elements remain. But the world was not always a dust bowl and the green is not all lost.

Caralee has a secret—she has magic in her bones and can draw up power from the sand beneath her feet to do her bidding. But when she does she winds up summoning a the former god-king who broke the world 800 years ago and has stolen the body of her best friend.

Caralee will risk the whole world to take back what she’s lost. If her new companion doesn’t kill her first.


What I recently finished reading:

As first contact transforms the Earth, a group of gifted visionaries race to create a new future in this wondrous science fiction novel from the award-winning author of The Best of All Possible Worlds.

The world is changing, and humanity must change with it. Rising seas and soaring temperatures have radically transformed the face of the Earth. Meanwhile, Earth is being observed from afar by other civilizations … and now they are ready to make contact.

Vying to prepare humanity for first contact are a group of dreamers and changemakers, including Peter Hendrix, the genius inventor behind the most advanced VR tech; Charyssa, a beloved celebrity icon with a passion for humanitarian work; and Kanoa, a member of a council of young people from around the globe drafted to reimagine the relationship between humankind and alien societies.

And they may have an unexpected secret weapon: Owen, a pop megastar whose ability to connect with his adoring fans is more than charisma. He has a hidden talent that may be the key to uniting Earth as it looks towards the stars.

But Owen’s abilities are so unique that no-one can control him, and so seductive that he cannot help but use them. Can he transcend his human limitations and find the freedom he has always dreamed of? Or is he doomed to become the dictator of his nightmares?


What I think I will read next (I will definitely get to the ARCs on this list. The reading challenge books will be read if I have finished the ARCs.):

ARC

A sparkling and steamy opposites-attract romance, Fly with Me by Andie Burke is filled with sharp banter and that sweet, swooping feeling of finding “the one” when and where you least expect it.

A one-way ticket to love or a bumpy ride ahead?

Flying-phobic ER nurse Olive Murphy is still gripping the armrest from her first-ever take-off when the pilot announces an in-flight medical emergency. Olive leaps into action and saves a life, but ends up getting stuck in the airport hours away from the marathon she’s running in honor of her brother. Luckily for her, Stella Soriano, the stunning type A copilot, offers to give her a ride.

After the two spend a magical day together, Stella makes a surprising Will Olive be her fake girlfriend?

A video of Olive saving a life has gone viral and started generating big sales for Stella’s airline. Stella sees their union as the perfect opportunity to get to the boys’ club executives at her company who keep overlooking her for a long-deserved promotion. Realizing this arrangement could help her too, Olive dives into memorizing Stella’s comically comprehensive three-ring-binder guide to fake dating. As the two grow closer, what’s supposed to be a ruse feels more and more real. Could this be the romantic ride of their lives, or an epic crash and burn?

ARC

Souls shrouded in darkness…

On her own in England, Vicki trains at a prestigious fencing school. Face marred by a birthmark, she’s suspicious of Nicholas’ attention. A dinner date reveals his genuine interest and they begin to connect. Nicholas is attractive and she wonders why he’s so shy and reclusive.

Then one evening she happens upon him changing into a lycan. Every werewolf legend is challenged by the gentle, fearful creature before her. Vickie accepts his secret, but Nicholas knows he’s an unpredictable beast. Can they trust love enough to overcome their physical challenges?

Reading Challenge

A new romantic comedy that will stop readers in their tracks…

For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.

But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.

Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.

Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a magical, sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time.

Reading Challenge

What would you sacrifice to bring to light the greatest discovery in human history?

Quentin Darnell was only a boy when his anthropologist parents were overcome by a professional failure so crushing it led to his father’s suicide. Now a schoolteacher, Quentin is looking for answers that can only be found in the wild terrains of Indonesian Papua, where years ago his parents studied an isolated aboriginal tribe.

Quentin leads his wife, son, and six students on a field trip to experience Papua’s pristine tropical forests. When their plane tragically crashes in the wilderness, Quentin becomes trapped in a vicious fight to protect the ones he loves.

Just as resources and hope run out, several mysterious tribesmen appear, bearing a substance with extraordinary healing properties. The material promises to benefit all of humanity. But it’s much more than medicine. It creates creatures unknown to science. And it brings to life what should remain dead—including Quentin’s own son, Addison.

Logic and sanity begin to unravel. Addison speaks a new language. He knows things he shouldn’t. And he’s a killer.

For the others to escape, Quentin must face a decision no parent should have to make.

ARC

An ambitious screenwriter tries to solve her friend’s disappearance by recreating their fateful final girls’ trip in this riveting locked-room mystery from the author of All Dressed Up.
A remote winery. A missing friend. And a bunch of sour grapes.

It should have been the perfect spring break. Five girlfriends. A remote winery on the Oregon coast. An infinite supply of delicious wine at their manicured fingertips. But then their center—beautiful, magnetic Vanessa Morales—vanished without a trace.

Emily Fischer was perhaps the last person to see her alive. But now, years later, Emily spots Vanessa’s doppelganger at a local café. At the end of her rope working a lucrative yet mind-numbing gig on a network sitcom, Emily is inspired to finally tell the story that’s been percolating inside her for so long: Vanessa’s story. But first, she needs to know what really happened on that fateful night. So she puts a brilliant scheme into motion.

She gets the girls together for a reunion weekend at the scene of the crime under the guise of reconnecting. There’s Brittany, Vanessa’s cousin and the inheritor of the winery; Paige, a former athlete, bullish yet easily manipulated; and Lydia, the wallflower of the group.

One of them knows the truth. But what have they each been hiding? And how much can Emily trust anything she learns from them… or even her own memories of Vanessa’s last days?

Suspenseful, propulsive, and interspersed with scenes from Emily’s blockbuster screenplay, Scenes of the Crime is an unforgettable mystery that examines culpability, the shiny rearview mirror of Hollywood storytelling, and the pitfalls of female friendship.

ARC

Daniel Rosenberg and Liyah Cohen-Jackson’s last conversation—fourteen years ago at summer camp—ended their friendship. Until they find themselves seated next to each other on a plane, and bitterly pick up right where they left off. At least they can go their separate ways again after landing…

That is, until Daniel’s marketing firm gets hired by the Chicago museum where Liyah works as a junior curator, and they’re forced to collaborate with potential career changing promotions on the line.

With every meeting and post-work social gathering with colleagues, the tension (and chemistry) between Daniel and Liyah builds until they’re forced to confront why they broke apart years ago at camp. But as they find comfort in their shared experiences as Jews of color and fumble towards friendship, can they ignore their growing feelings for each other?

With sexy charm and undeniable wit, Rachel Runya Katz’s sparkling debut, Thank You For Sharing, proves that if you’re open to love, anything is possible.

ARC

Mess Hopkins, proprietor of the seen-better-days Fairfax Manor Inn, never met a person in need who couldn’t use a helping hand—his helping hand. So he’s thrown open the doors of the motel to the homeless, victims of abuse, or anyone else who could benefit from a comfy bed with clean sheets and a roof overhead. This rankles his parents and uncle, who technically still own the place and are more concerned with profits than philanthropy.

When a mother and her teenage boy seek refuge from an abusive husband, Mess takes them in until they can get back on their feet. Shortly after arriving, the mom goes missing and some very bad people come sniffing around, searching for money they claim belongs to them. Mess tries to pump the boy for helpful information, but he’s in full uncooperative teen mode—grunts, shrugs, and monosyllabic answers. From what he does learn, Mess can tell he’s not getting the straight scoop. It’s not long before the boy vanishes too. Abducted? Run away? Something worse? And who took the missing money? Mess, along with his friend Vell Jackson and local news reporter Lia Katsaros, take to the streets to locate the missing mother and son—and the elusive, abusive husband—before the kneecapping loansharks find them first.