Bookish Travels—December 2023 Destinations

2023-12-29 ~ Jolie ~ 6 Comments

I saw this meme on It’s All About Books and thought, I like this!! So, I decided to do it once a month also. Many thanks to Yvonne for initially posting this!!

This post is what it says: Places I travel to in books each month. Books are lovely and take you to places you would never get to. That includes places of fantasy, too!!

Bon Voyage!!

Please let me know if you have read these books or traveled to these areas.

Countries I visited the most: United States, England

States I visited the most: New York, Georgia. Texas, California, Massachusetts

Cities I visited the most: New York City, Atlanta, Highland Park, Boston

United States

**Washington (*Seattle*)**, **Illinois (*Chicago*)**

**New York (*New York City*), California (*San Diego*), Massachusetts (*Boston*)**, **Georgia (*Atlanta*)**

**Colorado (*Denver*)**, **Georgia (*Atlanta*)**

**New York (*New York City*), Texas (*Highland Park*), California (*Los Angeles*)**

**Massachusetts (*Boston, Monmouth Cove*)**

England

Spain

India

**Rann of Kutch, Banni, Gorewali, Bhuj, Ahmedabad, Surat**

Japan

**Sendai, Tokyo**, **Maebashi, Shiga Prefecture**

Earth 2

Italy

Nastrond

France

Brunnestaad

December 2023 Wrap Up

2023-12-282023-12-27 ~ Jolie ~ Leave a comment

Here is what I read/posted/won/received/bought in November.

As always, let me know if you have read any of these books and (if you did) what you thought of them.

Books I Read:

Books Reviewed:

Mister Lullaby by J.H. Markert—review here

Sister of Starlit Seas by Terry Brooks—review here

Deceptive Silence by Reily Garrett—review here

Hard Check Holiday by Ann Hunter—review here

Echoes of Ballard House by E. Denise Billups—review here

Once Upon a Christmas by Margaret Watson—review here

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher—review here

The Sisters by Ruth O’Neill—review here

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice by Alison Rose Greenberg—review here

Yours for the Taking by Gabrielle Korn—review here

The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong—review here

A Million Little Choices by Tamera Alexander—review here

Flower and Thorn by Rati Mehrotra—review here

The Final Curtain by Keigo Higashino—review here

Maternal Instincts by SM Thomas—review here

Books I got from NetGalley:

Books I got from Authors/Indie Publishers:

Giveaway Winners

Books I bought:

Dirty Rich Cinderella Story by Lisa Renee Jones

War of the Animals by Jonathan Decoteau

Back to Before by Tracy Solheim

Sofia’s Silver Bullet by Kate Hill

The Bear Trap by Paul Diron

Backtrack by Paul Diron

Taken by Hattie Jacks

Tainted Harvest by E. Denise Billups

Show Dance by Renee Dahlia

Just One Date by Chris Keniston

Shadow Hunter by Kait Ballenger

The Scargill Cove Case Files by Jayne Ann Krentz

Totally Pucked by Lauren Blakely

Boiling Point by Kimberly Kincaid

On the Defense by Piper Rayne

Seduction in Blood by Kim Allred

Ledman Pickup by Tom Lichtenberg

Thunder Valley by Thomas Kelly

Kiss Me That Way by Laura Trentham

The Stone Wolf’s Rejected Mate by Cate C. Wells

Bermuda Triangle by Bob Mayer

Reintroduction by Kyle Timmermeyer

David Balfour by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Jewel of Asgard by Aiki Flinthart

The Hammer of Thor by Aiki Flinthart

The Making of Socket Greeny by Tony Bertauski

Descension by B.C. Burgess

The Sisters by Ruth O’Neill

2023-12-12 ~ Jolie ~ Leave a comment

Publisher:

Date of publication: October 6th, 2023

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Purchase Link: Kindle

Goodreads Synopsis:

In a web of deceit, escape is just the beginning.

Ava Cressman’s life takes a twisted turn after her divorce from Spencer. Seeking comfort, she falls into the arms of a mysterious man named Joel Carney, a former college acquaintance. However, when Joel meets Ava’s sister, Tanya, an unsettling connection sparks between them.
Tanya, seemingly innocent, invites Ava and her twin sister, Belle, on a secluded trip to a remote lodge. From the moment they arrive, an ominous atmosphere hangs in the air, hinting at a hidden darkness beneath the surface.
As shocking truths emerge, will Ava find a way to expose the tangled labyrinth of secrets before it’s too late?
The Sisters is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the depths of manipulation, betrayal, and the darkest corners of the human mind. As Ava fights for her freedom and tries to untangle the lies, she also must face her own demons and find the strength to outsmart those who want to control her life.

First Line:

The wind blew strongly through the trees, the leaves rustling and swirling, a thousand tiny dancers.
The Sisters by Ruth O’Neill

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pacing of The Sisters was all over the place. In some places, it was fast; in others, it was medium; in others, it was slow. The switch-up of the pacing made this book a little tricky to read.

POV: There are several POVs in The Sisters, but it always stays in the 3rd person. This book is told mainly through Ava’s POV. There are several chapters from Spencer’s POV and a couple from the DI in charge of the case.

Trigger/Content Warning: The Sisters has trigger and content warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Bullying (moderate, on and off page)
Child Abuse (minor, on and off page)
Cheating (moderate, on and off page)
Divorce (minor, off page)
Anxiety & Anxiety Attacks (moderate, on and off page)
Depression (minor, off page)
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (moderate, on and off page)
Alcohol Consumption (minor, on page)
Drugging (moderate, on and off page)
Hospitalization (moderate, on page)
Captivity & Confinement (moderate, on page)
Cults (moderate, on and off page)
Gun Violence (minor, on page)
Kidnapping (minor, on page)
Murder & Attempted Murder (moderate, on page)
Loss of Autonomy (moderate, on page)
Medical Treatment and Procedures (moderate, on page)

Sexual Content: There is sexual content in The Sisters. There are sex scenes that are nongraphic.

Language: There is moderate swearing in The Sisters.

Setting: The Sisters are set in Bath and Cumbria, England.

Age Range: I recommend The Sisters to anyone over 21.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

After going through a painful divorce, Ava isn’t ready to date again. But that changes when a friend request from an old college friend, Joel, turns quickly to romance. But Ava is cautious after Joel meets Tanya, her older sister. There is a familiarity between them that makes Ava uncomfortable. Ava is already careful with Tanya. Twenty-three years earlier, when Ava was twelve, Tanya did something horrific to her. But Ava doesn’t let her uneasiness give up a chance to reconnect with Tanya and Beth, Ava’s twin sister. Tanya has booked them a weeklong trip to a lodge in Cumbria, and Ava is looking forward to it.

But, the minute they set foot in the lodge, something feels off. Ava soon finds herself facing her worst fears and old demons. Can Ava get to the bottom of what is going on? Or will the betrayals of past and present be enough to destroy her?

Main Characters

Ava Cressman (Bateman): I wasn’t sure what to think about Ava when the book started. She came across as childish and needy. But as the book went on, I saw that she was damaged by what Tanya did to her. But, by the middle of the book, my opinion of her changed. I still viewed her as needy and childish, but I also saw her as someone trying to overcome the past. I kept that opinion of her until the end of the book.

Tanya Bateman: I didn’t like Tanya. My inner warning bells went off every time she appeared in the book. She was almost too invested in Ava and Joel’s relationship and kept pushing for that trip together. By the middle of the book, my dislike of her intensified, and I thought she was shady. Those opinions stayed the same by the end of the book. And honestly, I felt that she got what she deserved.

Belle Bateman: Like Ava, I didn’t form an immediate opinion of her when the book started. She did come off as upbeat and tended to side with Tanya regarding Ava. In the middle of the book, as she got more page time, my opinion did change. I felt that she was foolish and easily led. She also brushed everything Ava said off until it was almost too late.

Joel Carney: I didn’t like him from the start. It was so convenient that he immediately friended Ava on Facebook (after Tanya signed her up). I also thought that he pushed for everything too soon. And don’t get me started on his blatant and poorly concealed attraction to Tanya. I won’t go into his character much more except that he got what he deserved.

Spencer Cressman: Out of all the characters in the book, I pitied Spencer the most. His behavior drove Ava to divorce him, and he knew it. It was slightly controlling when he kept calling Ava. But it also proved to be life-saving. There is a twist with him that I didn’t see coming and didn’t fit with who the author presented during the book’s first half.

My review:

I was excited and eager to start reading The Sisters. I love psychological thrillers, and this one seemed right up my alley. And in a way, it was. But, I was put off by the characters, their actions, and how the storyline kept jumping from past to present.

The main storyline of The Sisters centers around Ava, her sisters, her divorce, Spencer, Joel, and the trip. I did like the storyline and thought it was intriguing. But I had some issues following it. The author would jump from past to present on a dime. During the book’s first half, it hindered me from reading it because I couldn’t keep track of everything. But, in the end, it worked.

The storyline about the cult (towards the end of the book) was interesting. It added some much-needed depth to Ava’s, Joel’s, Tanya’s, and Spencer’s characters. There was also a massive twist to that storyline that I didn’t see coming. It surprised me because it came out of left field. I also liked how the author tied this storyline to what Tanya did to Ava when Ava was twelve.

The suspense and thriller angle of the book was good. The author did a great job of building apprehension before and during critical scenes. It was the thriller and suspense that kept me reading the book.

The end of The Sisters was interesting. There were a couple of twists in the storyline that I didn’t see coming. I wasn’t a massive fan of how the book ended. It didn’t fit in with the rest of the storyline. Don’t get me wrong, it was lovely, but I couldn’t see past what one of the characters did and what that character hid.

Many thanks to Ruth O’Neill for allowing me to read and review The Sisters. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to The Sisters, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by Ruth O’Neill

WWW Wednesday: December 6th, 2023

2023-12-06 ~ Jolie ~ Leave a comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme Sam hosts 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:

Filled with the romance and angst that defines the years you come to know yourself, with a shifting timeline covering two decades and ratcheting up the tension, Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is a novel of second chances and finding your own way.

You know that old saying, “if we are still single when we’re 35, we should get married?” Well, Maggie Vine made that vow with two different people, at two very different stages of her life.

And they both showed up.

Maggie Vine’s life is going extra-medium. At 35 she’s pursuing her dreams of being a singer and being a mother—though neither is successfully panning out. So when Garrett Scholl—stifled hedge fund manager by day but electrifying aspiring rock singer by night—comes to her 35th birthday party with the intention to kiss Maggie senseless, it feels like one piece might click into place. Except he’s engaged to someone else, and Maggie knows she won’t fit into the cookie-cutter life he’s building for himself.

Enter Asher Reyes. Her first boyfriend from summer camp, turned into heartthrob actor, he’s lived a successful yet private life ever since he got famous. When a career-changing opportunity is presented to Maggie after her reconnection with Asher, it feels like everything—music, love, family—will fall into place. But her past won’t let her move on without a fight.

What I recently finished reading:

In a web of deceit, escape is just the beginning.

What I think I will read next:

An atmospheric gothic mystery that beautifully brings the ancient Cornish countryside to life, Armstrong introduces heroine Ruby Vaughn in her Minotaur Books & Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut, The Curse of Penryth Hall.

After the Great War, American heiress Ruby Vaughn made a life for herself running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and house mate in Exeter. She’s always avoided dwelling on the past, even before the war, but it always has a way of finding her. When Ruby is forced to deliver a box of books to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside, she is brought back to the one place she swore she’d never return. A more sensible soul would have delivered the package and left without rehashing old wounds. But no one has ever accused Ruby of being sensible. Thus begins her visit to Penryth Hall.

A foreboding fortress, Penryth Hall is home to Ruby’s once dearest friend, Tamsyn, and her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth. It’s an unsettling place, and after a more unsettling evening, Ruby is eager to depart. But her plans change when Penryth’s bells ring for the first time in thirty years. Edward is dead; he met a gruesome end in the orchard, and with his death brings whispers of a returned curse. It also brings Ruan Kivell, the person whose books brought her to Cornwall, the one the locals call a Pellar, the man they believe can break the curse. Ruby doesn’t believe in curses—or Pellars—but this is Cornwall and to these villagers the curse is anything but lore, and they believe it will soon claim its next victim: Tamsyn.

To protect her friend, Ruby must work alongside the Pellar to find out what really happened in the orchard that night.

Sometimes secrets just won’t stay hidden . . .
From USA Today bestselling author and Christy Award Hall of Fame inductee Tamera Alexander comes the story of two women from different centuries living in the same house who share strikingly similar journeys.

Claire Powell’s life is turned upside down when her beloved husband admits to a “near affair.” But when Stephen accepts a partnership with an Atlanta law firm without consulting her and buys a historic Southern home sight-unseen—it pushes their already-fractured marriage to the breaking point. Claire’s world spirals, and she soon finds herself in a marriage she no longer wants, in a house she never asked for.

In 1863, Charlotte Thursmann, pregnant and trapped in a marriage to an abusive husband, struggles to protect her unborn child and the enslaved members of her household. Desperate, she’s determined to right the evils her husband and others like him commit. But how can one woman put an end to such injustice? Especially if her husband makes good on his threat to kill her?

Both Claire and Charlotte discover truths about themselves they never realized, along with secrets long hidden that hold the power to bring God’s restoration—if only they choose to let it.

This Southern historical fiction novel includes:
Dual-timeline plot
Thought-provoking treatment of the themes of difficult relationships, infidelity, forgiveness, and trust
Discussion questions—you’re all set for book club!

One girl. One boy.
A promise broken.
A magic stolen.

Irinya has wanted to be a flower hunter ever since her mother disappeared into the mysterious mist of the Rann salt flats one night. Now seventeen, Irinya uses her knowledge of magical flowers to help her caravan survive in the harsh desert. When her handsome hunting partner and childhood friend finds a priceless silver spider lily–said to be able to tear down kingdoms and defeat an entire army–Irinya knows this is their chance for a better life.

Until Irinya is tricked by an attractive imposter.

Irinya’s fight to recover the priceless flower and to fix what she’s done takes her on a dangerous journey, one she’s not sure she’ll survive. She has no choice but to endure it if she hopes to return home and mend the broken heart of the boy she’s left behind.

From the acclaimed author of Malice and Newcomer, a confounding murder in Tokyo is connected to the mystery of the disappearance and death of Detective Kaga’s own mother.

A decade ago, Tokyo Police Detective Kyoichiro Kaga went to collect the ashes of his recently deceased mother. Years before, she ran away from her husband and son without explanation or any further contact, only to die alone in an apartment far away, leaving her estranged son with many unanswered questions.

Now in Tokyo, Michiko Oshitani is found dead many miles from home. Strangled to death, left in the bare apartment rented under a false name by a man who has disappeared without a trace. Oshitani lived far away in Sendai, with no known connection to Tokyo – and neither her family or friends have any idea why she would have gone there.

Hers is the second strangulation death in that approximate area of Tokyo – the other was a homeless man, killed and his body burned in a tent by the river. As the police search through Oshitani’s past for any clue that might shed some light, one of the detectives reaches out to Detective Kaga for advice. As the case unfolds an unexpected connective emerges between the murder (or murders) now and the long ago case of the missing mother of Detective Kaga.

The Final Curtain, one of Keigo Higashino’s most acclaimed mysteries, brings the story of Detective Kaga to a surprising conclusion in a series of rich, surprising twists.

It’s Monday: What Are You Reading?—December 4th, 2023

2023-12-04 ~ Jolie ~ 2 Comments

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:

Huge update on Miss B’s Western Carolina application—She got in!!! She found out Wednesday night (I was at horseback lessons with Miss R). She was screaming so loud on the phone that the instructor heard her over in the ring…haha. We’re so proud of her!! She is thrilled to become a Catamount. We put down the deposit on Thursday, got the doctor to sign off on her immunization records on Friday, and we’re just waiting for the school to tell us the next steps. I also highly recommend doing Early Admittance/Early Action for college. By her getting in early, we have months to prepare (get stuff for her dorm, get the paperwork in…etc).
So, needless to say, we didn’t tour her second-choice college last weekend. I was glad. It was rainy, foggy (not common here), and just plain gross on Saturday.
We put up our Christmas lights and decorations on Saturday. We were going to do it last weekend, but both BK and I forgot (we usually put the stuff up the day after Thanksgiving).
The main high school in our area (we have 4) won the district football game on Friday. So what does that mean? It means they are going to Chapel Hill on Friday to play in the state game. Because of how many people are going, the district decided to have the schools (pre-k to high school) go remote. My kids are thrilled. Go Red Tornadoes!!

Reading/Blog

I am reading books like they are water. Seriously, I am a book behind, according to my schedule. If I keep this up, I will end up being ahead.
Now, writing reviews is a different story. I am 4 (soon to be 5) reviews behind where I ideally would like to be. I should catch up by the end of the week, but I have said that before.
I am almost at 50 on my NetGalley shelf. I should be under 50 by next week (keeping my fingers crossed)

What I am Reading Now:

In a web of deceit, escape is just the beginning.

Books I plan on reading later this week

To protect her friend, Ruby must work alongside the Pellar to find out what really happened in the orchard that night.

Both Claire and Charlotte discover truths about themselves they never realized, along with secrets long hidden that hold the power to bring God’s restoration—if only they choose to let it.