Month: March 2023

Review: Belladonna (Belladonna #1)

Title: Belladonna (Belladonna #1)
Author: Adalyn Grace
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Gothic, Mystery
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: August 30, 2022
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace brings to life a highly romantic, Gothic-infused world of wealth, desire, and betrayal.

Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation, and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.

However, Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful—and more irresistible—than she ever dared imagine.

Review:

Nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow was orphaned as a baby and has spent her years with a variety of different guardians who all met an early death. Signa can see ghosts, and she can also communicate with Death, who appears to her before her relatives die. After her aunt dies, Signa is sent to live with her distant relatives, the Hawthornes, at Thorn Grove. Elijah Hawthorne is coping with the loss of his wife by throwing extravagant parties. His son, Percy, is trying to take control of the family business, and his daughter, Blythe, seems to be suffering from the same illness that killed her mother. When the mother’s ghost tells Signa that she was actually poisoned and murdered, Signa has to solve the murder in time to save Blythe’s life. 

This was such an enchanting gothic mystery. The setting was gorgeous and evocative, with Thorn Grove filled with decadent architecture, food, and clothing. I loved the paranormal aspects, especially that Signa could communicate with death. I was really shocked at the twists and reveals at the end of the story. It ended on a thrilling cliffhanger, so I can’t wait to see what happens in the next story!

Belladonna is a beautiful gothic paranormal mystery!

Content warnings: poisoning, stabbing, death of parent, death of grandparent, vomiting, substance abuse (mentioned)

What to read next:

All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

Other books in the series:

  • Foxglove

Have you read Belladonna? What did you think of it?

Review: Two for the Road

Title: Two for the Road
Author: Chantel Guertin
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: March 28, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Note: This is the Canadian title and same book as GIGI, LISTENING in the USA. For readers of Emily Henry, Gail Honeyman and Josie Silver, a tender, funny and wise new novel about a romance bookshop owner who embarks on the adventure–or misadventure–of a lifetime in search of her own happily ever after.

Sometimes there are detours on the road to love . . . 
Gigi Rutherford loves love stories. She reads them, she sells them at her romance bookstore, and she could spend hours imagining the meet-cutes of every couple she encounters. But beyond her shop’s walls, Gigi is out of stock when it comes to her own love interests. And instead of enduring bad date after bad date, these days she’d rather curl up at home with her favourite audiobook and the only man that makes her heart skip a beat: Zane Wilkenson, the smooth-voiced narrator that Gigi is convinced is her soulmate.

Then, she’s presented with the chance of a lifetime: a ten-day bus tour through the hills of the English countryside, taking in the sights and sounds of a world an ocean away from her bookstore–all in the presence of Zane, the man of her dreams, in person, as he leads the tour.

But things don’t go as planned. When Gigi arrives at the bus terminal in London, Zane is nowhere to be found. Until he shows up, she’s stuck with an eclectic group of fellow travellers she’d rather not be with on a long road trip: the recently widowed and chatty Charlotte; odd Francis, a walking Trivial Pursuit; Jenny, a true-crime-makeup YouTuber documenting every detail for her subscribers; and Sindhi and Roshi, a long-married couple that just can’t stop bickering. And then there’s the brooding bus driver, Taj, who Gigi finds infuriating but also incredibly alluring . . .

With heart and charm, warmth and humour, Chantel Guertin explores the meaning of love and family–and how, sometimes, the journey to yourself is where you’ll find everything you’ve been searching for.

Review:

Gigi Rutherford runs a romance bookstore in Ann Arbor. She’s had many bad dates from dating apps, but who she really wants is Zane Wilkinson, the narrator of her favourite audiobook. For Gigi’s thirtieth birthday, her friends surprise her with a trip to England to go on the bus tour that Zane guides as his regular job. However, when she arrives at the bus tour, Zane isn’t there. Gigi still goes on the tour, but she’s stuck hanging out with Taj, the brooding bus driver. Though the trip doesn’t start out as she planned, Gigi may still find what she was looking for. 

This was such a cute story. Gigi references a lot of novels throughout the story, which avid readers will recognize. I always love it when characters like to read. There were some emotional parts in the story, such as when Gigi talked about her parents’ deaths. I liked that some key parts of the characters’ pasts were kept from the reader until close to the end, which made their histories seem more mysterious. Gigi and Taj were a grumpy/sunshine pair. There was a little bit of enemies to lovers, which is one of my favourite tropes. 

Two for the Road is an exciting book about a fun England road trip and a cute romance!

Two for the Road will be published in Canada on March 28, with the same story being published as Gigi, Listening in the United States. 

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a physical copy and Kensington for sending me a digital copy. 

Content warnings: death of parents, car accident (mentioned), parental estrangement, early onset Alzheimer’s

What to read next:

The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary

Have you read Two for the Road? What did you think of it?

Review: A Death at the Party

Title: A Death at the Party
Author: Amy Stuart
Genre: Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: March 7, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

In this tense, spellbinding thriller set over the course of a single day, a woman prepares for a party that goes dreadfully wrong—for fans of Ashley Audrain and Lisa Jewell.

Nadine Walsh’s summer garden party is in full swing. The neighbors all have cocktails, the catered food is exquisite—everything’s going according to plan.

But Nadine—devoted wife, loving mother, and doting daughter—finds herself standing over a dead body in her basement while her guests clink glasses upstairs. What happened? How did it come to this?

Rewind to that morning, when Nadine is in her kitchen, making last-minute preparations before she welcomes more than a hundred guests to her home to celebrate her mother’s birthday. But her husband is of little help to her, her two grown children are consumed with their own concerns, and her mother—only her mother knows that today isn’t just a birthday party. It marks another anniversary as well.

Still, Nadine will focus just on tonight. Everyone deserves a celebration after the year they’ve had. A chance for fun. A chance to forget. But it’s hard to forget when Nadine’s head is swirling with secrets, haunting memories, and concerns about what might happen when her guests unite.

Review:

Nadine Walsh is hosting a sixtieth birthday party for her mother, the bestselling author Marilyn Millay. The hundred guest party is a success, with drinks flowing, beautiful decor, and delicious food. However, at the end of the party, Nadine is left standing over a body in her basement. This story follows the entire day leading up to the party, which Nadine spends rehashing events from her mother’s birthday party thirty years earlier when her aunt Colleen was found dead, up until the party with another dead body. 

This story was thrilling and fast paced. There were loads of hints of dark secrets to come in the first chapters. Everyone had secrets in their small community, and everyone was connected in some way. The story opens with Nadine standing over a dying man at the end of the party, but we don’t know who he is yet. There were so many possibilities as to who he could be that I was still guessing until the end. 

My only critique is that I want to know what happens next! I thought the story would still have a couple of more chapters when it ended. I would love to hear what happened after that final chapter. 

A Death at the Party is a great new thriller!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada and Tandem Collective for sending me a copy of this book. 

Content warnings: death, death of teenager, drugging, suggestion of sexual assault, mention of child pornography, extramarital affair

What to read next:

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

Have you read A Death at the Party? What did you think of it?

Review: Lessons in Chemistry

Title: Lessons in Chemistry
Author: Bonnie Garmus
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: April 5, 2022
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results. 

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo. 

Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.

Review:

In the 1950s, Elizabeth Zott stands out as the only woman in the chemistry department at Hastings Research Institute. Most of the men who she works with put her down and don’t see her as an equal. The exception is Calvin Evans. Calvin is a famous chemist who falls in love with Elizabeth. A few years later, Elizabeth is a single mother with a hit TV show that teaches housewives how to cook with chemistry lessons. Elizabeth has become a success despite the men who tried to hold her back throughout her career. But there are still some secrets in her life and Calvin’s that she must learn to become the chemist she’s destined to be. 

I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this book but I’m so glad I read it. This is an original story about a woman who challenged the status quo in the 1950s in the US. She had to deal with sexism and assaults, which unfortunately isn’t all a thing of the past. I wish Elizabeth’s story and the sexism she experienced wasn’t still relevant today. Though many industries are more welcoming to women, a lot more work has to be done to actually achieve equality for women and people of colour. 

I highly recommend checking out Lessons in Chemistry for a unique read!

Content warnings: death of parents, suicide, rape, sexual assault

What to read next:

The Maid by Nita Prose

Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown

Have you read Lessons for Chemistry? What did you think of it?

Review: Flowerheart

Title: Flowerheart
Author: Catherine Bakewell
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: March 14, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson and Tamora Pierce, this standalone YA debut is a stunning cottagecore fantasy romance about a girl with powerful and violent magic, which she must learn to control—or lose everything she loves.

Clara’s magic has always been wild. But it’s never been dangerous. Then a simple touch causes poisonous flowers to bloom in her father’s chest.

The only way to heal him is to cast an extremely difficult spell that requires perfect control. And the only person willing to help is her former best friend, Xavier, who’s grown from a sweet, shy child into a mysterious and distant young man.

Xavier names a terrible price in return, knowing Clara will give anything to save her father. As she struggles to reconcile the new Xavier with the boy she once loved, she discovers their bargain is only one of the heavy secrets he’s hiding. And as she hunts for the truth, she instead finds the root of a terrible darkness that’s taken hold in the queendom—a darkness only Clara’s magic is powerful enough to stop.

Review:

Clara Lucas has wild magic. She has no control over it despite studying with masters for years. One day, she accidentally curses her father, causing poisonous flowers to bloom in his heart. Her only hope of saving him is learning how to do a blessing, but with uncontrolled magic, that will be difficult. Her childhood friend Xavier offers to help her for an incredibly high price. Clara agrees because she will do anything to save her father. However, she doesn’t know the dark secrets Xavier is keeping from her. The deal Clara made with him could impact their entire magical world, if she’s able to save her father. 

This was a tragic and beautiful fantasy story. Clara’s magic often manifested as flowers, so there was a lot of floral imagery throughout the story. Though the flowers were pretty, they could be dangerous like when they grew out of her father’s body, so they weren’t an innocent product of magic. 

There was a subplot about a drug that was going around their town. The drug was called Euphoria and was supposed to get rid of sadness, but it came at a price of consciousness. This was a powerful storyline about drug abuse. The drug may have removed that sadness, but it took away everything else that made them human. 

Flowerheart is a beautiful YA fantasy story!

Thank you HCC Frenzy for providing a physical copy of this book. 

Content warnings: child abandonment by parent, drug abuse, vomiting

What to read next:

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Have you read Flowerheart? What did you think of it?

Review: Forget Me Not

Title: Forget Me Not
Author: Julie Soto
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Forever
Source: Publisher
Format: Ebook
Release Date: July 11, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

An ambitious wedding planner must work with her grumpy florist ex, whose heart she broke, on the most high-profile wedding of her career, in this spicy and emotional romance from popular fanfic author Julie Soto.

He loves me; he loves me not…

Ama Torres loves being a wedding planner. But with a mother who has been married more times than you can count on your fingers, Ama has decided that marriage is not the route for her. But weddings? Weddings are amazing. As a small business owner, she knows how to match her clients with the perfect vendor to give them the wedding of their dreams. Well, almost perfect…

Elliot hates being a florist, most of the time. When his father left him the flower shop, he considered it a burden, but he’s stuck with it. Just like how he’s stuck with the way he proposed to Ama, his main collaborator and girlfriend (or was she?) two years ago. But flowers have grown on him, just like Ama did. And flowers can’t run off and never speak to him again, like Ama did. 

When Ama is hired to plan a celebrity wedding that will bring her business national exposure, there’s a catch: Elliot is already contracted to design the flowers. Things are not helped by the two brides, who see the obvious chemistry between Ama and Elliot and are determined to set them up, not knowing their complicated history. Add in a meddling ex-boss, and a reality TV film crew documenting every step of the wedding prep, and Ama and Elliot’s hearts are not only in jeopardy again, but this time, their livelihoods are too.

Review:

Ama Torres is a wedding planner who doesn’t think a wedding is in her future. She loves a wedding, which she considers just a party, but after seeing her mother get divorced sixteen times, she doesn’t want to get married herself. When she lands the biggest wedding of the year with celebrity Hazel Renee, the catch is that she will have to work with florist Elliot Bloom. Elliot and Ama were dating years ago, but it ended suddenly. Their clients can see the undeniable chemistry between them, so they take every chance they can to get them together. Ama and Elliot have to figure out if they can make it work this time or if their plans for the future are just too far apart. 

This story was beautiful and hilarious. It starts with Ama comforting a bride with cold feet telling her that this wedding is just a party, and the marriage doesn’t necessarily have to last forever. That’s not at all what I would expect a wedding planner to say to a bride on her wedding day, so I knew this would be an entertaining read. 

Ama and Elliot had an enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance. There was loads of steam involved too. They seemed like opposites yet their chemistry was just too strong to deny. 

Forget Me Not is an entertaining and steamy rom com, coming out this summer!

Thank you Forever for providing a digital copy of this book on the Fable app!

Content warnings: divorce, death of parent (by cancer, not on page), relationship break up, broken bones

What to read next:

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Have you read Forget Me Not? What did you think of it?

Review: The Golden Spoon

Title: The Golden Spoon
Author: Jessa Maxwell
Genre: Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: March 7, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A killer is on the loose when someone turns up dead on the set of a hit TV baking competition in this darkly beguiling debut mystery that is perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Nita Prose, and Anthony Horowitz. Soon to be a limited series on Hulu.

Production for the tenth season of Bake Week is ready to begin at the gothic estate of host and celebrity chef Betsy Martin, and everything seems perfect. The tent is up, the top-tier ingredients are aligned, and the crew has their cameras at the ready.

The six contestants work to prove their culinary talents over the course of five days, while Betsy is less than thrilled to share the spotlight with a new cohost—the brash and unpredictable Archie Morris. But as the baking competition commences, things begin to go awry. At first, it’s merely sabotage—sugar replaced with salt, a burner turned to high—but when a body is discovered, everyone is a suspect.

A deliciously suspenseful thriller for murder mystery buffs and avid bakers alike, The Golden Spoon will keep you guessing until the very last page.

Review:

Celebrity chef, and “America’s Grandmother,” Betsy Martin, is ready to host season ten of The Golden Spoon, a baking competition that is set at her estate. This year is different, because Betsy will be sharing the co-hosting spotlight with the brash Archie Morris. As soon as filming begins with the six new contestants, things start going wrong. There are mixed up ingredients, appliances tampered with, and eventually a body discovered. Everyone has a different motive for going on the competition show, and a motive for murder. 

This book had so many fun references to The Great British Baking Show. However, the hosts and judges weren’t as likable as they are on TV. Though Betsy was called “America’s Grandmother,” she wasn’t warm and friendly in person. Archie looked good on TV but he was really a jerk. The six contestants were well-developed with full backstories. 

This kind of story can be repetitive as each character goes through the motions of the competition. I liked how the different POVs followed each character at different times in the competition rather than giving everyone’s perspective at the same time. The only exception was when the body was found towards the end of the story where each perspective told what almost everyone was doing at that moment. 

Fans of The Great British Baking Show will love The Golden Spoon!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada and Tandem Collective for providing a copy of this book!

What to read next:

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

Have you read The Golden Spoon? What did you think of it?

Review: Juniper and Thorn

Title: Juniper and Thorn
Author: Ava Reid
Genre: Horror, Gothic, Fantasy
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: June 21, 2022
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

From highly acclaimed bestselling author Ava Reid comes a gothic horror retelling of The Juniper Tree, set in another time and place within the world of The Wolf and the Woodsman, where a young witch seeks to discover her identity and escape the domination of her wizard father, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Catherynne M. Valente.

A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites. 

Marlinchen and her two sisters live with their wizard father in a city shifting from magic to industry. As Oblya’s last true witches, she and her sisters are little more than a tourist trap as they treat their clients with archaic remedies and beguile them with nostalgic charm. Marlinchen spends her days divining secrets in exchange for rubles and trying to placate her tyrannical, xenophobic father, who keeps his daughters sequestered from the outside world. But at night, Marlinchen and her sisters sneak out to enjoy the city’s amenities and revel in its thrills, particularly the recently established ballet theater, where Marlinchen meets a dancer who quickly captures her heart. 

As Marlinchen’s late-night trysts grow more fervent and frequent, so does the threat of her father’s rage and magic. And while Oblya flourishes with culture and bustles with enterprise, a monster lurks in its midst, borne of intolerance and resentment and suffused with old-world power. Caught between history and progress and blood and desire, Marlinchen must draw upon her own magic to keep her city safe and find her place within it.

Review:

Marlinchen and her two sisters are witches who live with their father, the last wizard, in the city of Oblya. Marlinchen and her sisters must use their magic to earn money for their family since their father was cursed. The girls are never allowed to leave their home. One night, Marlinchen and her sisters sneak into the city to see the ballet. She falls in love with the show and the principal dancer Sevas. After this taste of freedom, Marlinchen pushes the boundaries to leave her home more, but her father’s anger becomes more threatening as she has more secrets to keep from him. 

I wasn’t familiar with The Juniper Tree story, which this book is based on, so this story was a surprise to me. I really liked Marlinchen, though the people around her didn’t like her at all. She suffered abuse from her family and some clients. Though some parts of this story were difficult to read, I loved the twists and it had a meaningful ending. 

I had the opportunity to meet Ava Reid yesterday in Toronto. After hearing her speak about the book, including her inspiration and publishing process, I feel like I understand the book much better. 

Juniper and Thorn is a thought-provoking gothic horror. 

Content Warnings: physical and emotional abuse, child abuse (emotional, sexual and physical), rape, murder, death of animals, death of parent, body horror, cannibalism

What to read next:

The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

Have you read Juniper and Thorn? What did you think of it?