Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:
I did 9 weekly blogging memes:
How was your week? What did you guys read?
The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.
This Sunday I’m reading The Sea Gate by Jane Johnson.
A broken family, a house of secrets—an entrancing tale of love and courage set during the Second World War.
After Rebecca’s mother dies, she must sort through her empty flat and come to terms with her loss. As she goes through her mother’s mail, she finds a handwritten envelope. In it is a letter that will change her life forever.
Olivia, her mother’s elderly cousin, needs help to save her beloved home. Rebecca immediately goes to visit Olivia in Cornwall only to find a house full of secrets—treasures in the attic and a mysterious tunnel leading from the cellar to the sea, and Olivia, nowhere to be found.
As it turns out, the old woman is stuck in hospital with no hope of being discharged until her house is made habitable again. Rebecca sets to work restoring the home to its former glory, but as she peels back the layers of paint and grime, she uncovers even more buried secrets—secrets from a time when the Second World War was raging, when Olivia was a young woman, and when both romance and danger lurked around every corner…
A sweeping and utterly spellbinding tale of a young woman’s courage in the face of war and the lengths to which she’ll go to protect those she loves against the most unexpected of enemies.
What book are you in bed with today?
This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.
This week’s prompt is Holiday Books I’d Like to Spend the Holidays In. Here’s my list:
(All book covers from Goodreads)
Did you make a Six for Sunday list?
Title: The Ravens (The Ravens #1)
Author: Kass Morgan, Danielle Paige
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fantasy
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Source: Beacon Book Box
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: November 3, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★
Kappa Rho Nu isn’t your average sorority. Their parties are notorious. Their fundraisers are known for being Westerly College’s most elaborate affairs. But beneath the veil of Greek life and prestige, the sisters of Kappu Rho Nu share a secret: they’re a coven of witches. For Vivi Deveraux, being one of Kappa Rho Nu’s Ravens means getting a chance to redefine herself. For Scarlett Winters, a bonafide Raven and daughter of a legacy Raven, pledge this year means living up to her mother’s impossible expectations of becoming Kappa Rho Nu’s next president. Scarlett knows she’d be the perfect candidate — that is, if she didn’t have one human-sized skeleton in her closet…. When Vivi and Scarlett are paired as big and little for initiation, they find themselves sinking into the sinister world of blood oaths and betrayals.
Kappa Rho Nu is a special sorority at Westerly College with a big secret. All of the members are witches. When Vivi moved to Westerly, she was excited to finally settle down in one place after moving around constantly with her mom her whole life. She’s drawn to the mystery of Kappa Rho Nu. Scarlett is a junior in the sorority this year. She has to do her best to prove that she can be the president next year. Vivi is paired with Scarlett to get to know the sorority, but their partnership is tested when the ghosts of their past show up.
I love stories about witches and stories set at schools, so this one was perfect for me! There was a mysterious history of the sorority, which included the mothers of some of the members who were part of the sorority when they went to the school. They were a secret society of witches, so it surprised the new girls when they found out what the sorority did. They also had a personal history of personal drama, which was revealed throughout the story.
The ending was so surprising. Anything can happen when witches are around, but I wasn’t expecting what happened. This was a great ending. I can’t wait to read the next one!
Have you read The Ravens? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted Devouring Books. This week’s prompt is Water on the Cover. Here’s my list:
(All book covers from Goodreads)
If you’d like to do this list too, consider yourself tagged!
Did you make a Top 5 Saturday list?
Title: A California Christmas (Silver Springs #7)
Author: Brenda Novak
Genre: Romance
Publisher: MIRA
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 13, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★
Up-and-coming TV anchor Emery Bliss can’t imagine anything more humiliating than the sex tape her ex revenge-posted online. That is, until it causes her to lose her job on top of her self-esteem. Seeking solace—and anonymity—in Silver Springs, Emery isn’t looking to get involved with another man anytime soon. But when she’s thrown back into contact with Dallas Turner, she sees something that his many detractors have missed.
Being home for the holidays and his adoptive mother’s wedding isn’t where mountain climber Dallas feels most comfortable. Thanks to his troubled childhood, he’d rather be on a rock face alone than trying to connect with people. Emery, however, makes him want to overcome his past…somehow.
Both Emery and Dallas had been planning on a quiet, solitary Christmas, but the sparks between them are lighting a fire strong enough to last—possibly forever.
Emery Bliss is a former television anchor who lost her job after her ex-boyfriend, and co-anchor, posted a sex tape of them online. She goes back to her hometown of Silver Springs to stay with a family friend, Aiyana. Aiyana is planning her Christmas wedding, and all of her adoptive sons are coming home for the holiday. Dallas Turner is one of her sons. He’s a professional mountain climber. Now, someone from Dallas’s troubled past has reached out to him. Emery and Dallas are both planning on having a quiet Christmas in Silver Springs, but the problems in their pasts come back into their lives.
I haven’t read any of the other books in the Silver Springs series, but I’m interested in reading the other books now. There were some other characters in the large adoptive family, who were mentioned briefly. It looks like they’re the focus of the other stories. This story mostly focused on Dallas and Emery, but I didn’t feel lost without reading the other books first.
This story had a great combination of suspense and steamy romance. There were some tense scenes, with Dallas’s dark family history and Emery’s devastating sex tape. The romance between Dallas and Emery started quickly and stayed steam my throughout the story. This story had a great balance of tense moments and romance.
I really enjoyed this holiday romance.
Thank you MIRA for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Have you read A California Christmas? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted by Wandering Words, where you give the first few lines of a book to hook your readers before introducing the book.
Here are my first lines:
“The narrows remind me of August nights in the South.”
Do you recognize this first line?
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
And the book is… The Archived (The Archived #1) by Victoria Schwab.
Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.
Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.
Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was: a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.
Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost, Da’s death was hard enough, but now that her little brother is gone too, Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself may crumble and fall.
In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.
Check out my review for The Archived here.
Have you read The Archived? What did you think of it?
Title: Screech!
Author: Charis Cotter, Genevieve Simms (illustrator)
Genre: Middle Grade, Paranormal, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: August 31, 2020
Rating: ★★★★
The whole world seemed to tilt at that moment, like a painting on a wall that gets knocked a little crooked. Everything she had known as real up until now was slightly altered, and she seemed to be standing on the edge of a huge, dark, trembling world that was just a little different than it had been one minute before. Ghosts were real.
There is no dark like the Newfoundland dark. These ominous words beckon young readers onward in this spooky collection of ghost stories by celebrated ghost story-teller and award-winning middle-grade author Charis Cotter. Reimagined from family stories told across Newfoundland and passed down over generations, these 10 spine-tingling tales traverse centuries and introduce readers to the Rock’s nooks and crannies. From a ghostly blueberry-picker on the barrens to a visit from the notorious Old Hag, from a mysterious ballet troupe in a St. John’s mansion to a haunted house in an outport community on the cusp of resettlement, these stories bring the island of Newfoundland to vibrant new life (and death) as the thread of these years-old yarns is unravelled for a whole new generation.
Featuring ghostly black-and-white illustrations from Newfoundland artist Genevieve Simms, as well as an overview of the Newfoundland storytelling tradition, and a Story Behind the Story for each tale including context on the story’s history, its original teller, its featured ghost, and setting, along with tips for spooky storytelling and a Glossary of Newfoundland terms, Screech! is equal parts eerie and educational, making it a riveting read as well as a great resource for budding historians and storytellers.
This book has a collection of ghost stories from Newfoundland. These stories are based on real events from the last few centuries. Newfoundland has a long history of shipwrecks, illnesses, and hard living conditions. These elements created the atmosphere for ghost stories.
One thing that I loved about these stories was that after each story, there was a description of the origins of the story. The location of the story was described, because every town in Newfoundland has it’s own history and different living conditions. The type of ghost was described, because some were ghost stories that have appeared throughout time, such as a loved one appearing at their time of death. The author also talked about where she heard the story. I loved this historical explanation of the stories.
This is a great collection of ghost stories from Newfoundland!
Thank you Nimbus Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Have you read Screech!? What did you think of it?
TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.
My pick this week is Bone Crier’s Moon (Bone Grace #1) by Kathryn Purdie.
Bone Criers have a sacred duty. They alone can keep the dead from preying on the living. But their power to ferry the spirits of the dead into goddess Elara’s Night Heavens or Tyrus’s Underworld comes from sacrifice. The gods demand a promise of dedication. And that promise comes at the cost of the Bone Criers’ one true love.
Ailesse has been prepared since birth to become the matriarch of the Bone Criers, a mysterious famille of women who use strengths drawn from animal bones to ferry dead souls. But first she must complete her rite of passage and kill the boy she’s also destined to love.
Bastien’s father was slain by a Bone Crier and he’s been seeking revenge ever since. Yet when he finally captures one, his vengeance will have to wait. Ailesse’s ritual has begun and now their fates are entwined—in life and in death.
Sabine has never had the stomach for the Bone Criers’ work. But when her best friend Ailesse is taken captive, Sabine will do whatever it takes to save her, even if it means defying their traditions—and their matriarch—to break the bond between Ailesse and Bastien. Before they all die.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Title: The Last to See Her
Author: Courtney Evan Tate
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Publisher: MIRA
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: December 15, 2020
Rating: ★★★★
A woman disappears into the dark city night…
Gen is on the verge of a divorce from her cheating husband. When her sister, Meg, has a convention to attend in the Big Apple, she invites Gen along to celebrate her newly found freedom. But the perfect sisters’ getaway quickly goes awry when a tipsy Gen defiantly throws her wedding ring off the hotel room’s balcony. Then, wanting some fresh air, she decides to take a late-evening walk alone and vanishes without a trace.
The investigation that follows uncovers secrets–and betrayals–between sisters and spouses that will twist the truth in on itself until nothing is clear.
What really happened to Gen and who, besides Meg, was the last to see her?
Gen is about to finalize her divorce. Her sister, Meg, invites her on a girl’s weekend in New York City to celebrate. After they get drunk on the first night, Gen goes out for a walk by herself in the middle of the night. She doesn’t return. Now, Meg is frantic trying to find her missing sister. Both of them have devastating secrets, which are revealed during the investigation of Gen’s disappearance.
This is another thriller that I thought I had figured out at the beginning, but I was very wrong. The clues to the mystery of Gen’s disappearance were slowly revealed, which kept me guessing. At first, I wondered why there was so much focus on Gen’s and Meg’s pasts, from before that night in New York. Their histories actually played an important part in revealing the truth, so I was glad that was included.
There were some parts about mental health that I didn’t really agree with. Mental health was blamed for some of the characters’ problems. There was a character who had brain damage and was developmentally delayed. I can’t say much without giving anything away, but I think that the ending of the story relied too heavily on that character’s actions. I didn’t think that part of the plot was believable.
Regardless, this was a gripping thriller that I couldn’t put down!
Thank you MIRA for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Courtney Evan Tate is the nom de plume (and darker side) of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Courtney Cole. As Courtney Evan Tate, she is the author of Such Dark Things and I’ll Be Watching You. Courtney grew up in rural Kansas and now lives with her husband and kids in Florida, where spends her days dreaming of new characters and storylines and surprising plot twists and writing them beneath rustling palm trees. Visit her on Facebook or at courtneycolewriters.com
Have you read The Last to See Her? What did you think of it?
Jill's Book Blog 