Jill lives in Toronto, Canada. She has studied English, Creative Writing, and Publishing. Jill is the creator and content producer of Jill’s Book Blog, where she has published a blog post every day for the last four years, including 5-7 book reviews a week. She can usually be found with her nose in a book.
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 A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair.
Goodreads Synopsis:
A Modern Hades and Persephone Retelling
Persephone is the Goddess of Spring by title only. The truth is, since she was a little girl, flowers have shriveled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hopes to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist.
Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal world and his favorite bets are rumored to be impossible.
After a chance encounter with Hades, Persephone finds herself in a contract with the God of the Dead and the terms are impossible: Persephone must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom forever.
The bet does more than expose Persephone’s failure as a goddess, however. As she struggles to sow the seeds of her freedom, love for the God of the Dead grows—and it’s forbidden.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Title: God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen (Her Royal Spyness #15) Author: Rhys Bowen Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Cozy Mystery Publisher: Berkley Books Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: October 12, 2021 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Georgie is back and hanging the stockings with care when a murder interrupts her Christmas cheer in this all-new installment in the New York Times bestselling Royal Spyness series from Rhys Bowen.
Georgie is excited for her first Christmas as a married woman in her lovely new home. She suggests to her dashing husband, Darcy, that they have a little house party, but when Darcy receives a letter from his aunt Ermintrude, there is an abrupt change in plans. She has moved to a house on the edge of the Sandringham estate, near the royal family, and wants to invite Darcy and his new bride for Christmas. Aunt Ermintrude hints that the queen would like Georgie nearby. Georgie had not known that Aunt Ermintrude was a former lady-in-waiting and close confidante of her royal highness. The letter is therefore almost a royal request, so Georgie, Darcy, and their Christmas guests: Mummy, Grandad, Fig, and Binky all head to Sandringham.
Georgie soon learns that the notorious Mrs. Simpson, mistress to the Prince of Wales, will also be in attendance. It is now crystal clear to Georgie that the Queen expects her to do a bit of spying. There is tension in the air from the get-go, and when Georgie pays a visit to the queen, she learns that there is more to her request than just some simple eavesdropping. There have been a couple of strange accidents at the estate recently. Two gentlemen of the royal household have died in mysterious circumstances and another has been shot by mistake during a hunt. Georgie begins to suspect that a member of the royal family is the real target but her investigation will put her new husband and love of her life, Darcy, in the crosshairs of a killer.
Review:
Georgie is preparing for her first Christmas with her husband, Darcy, when he receives a letter from his aunt inviting them to visit for Christmas at her home on the Sandringham estate. They bring Georgie’s mother and brother with them. When they arrive, they find the Prince of Wales and Mrs. Simpson are there too, as she is not permitted to be with the Royal Family for the holiday. Georgie soon discovers that there have been mysterious fatal accidents on the estate over the last year, which makes her keep an eye out for danger. Then, a couple of near misses make her suspect that a member of the Royal Family is being targeted. She must investigate these accidents before it’s too late.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a cozy mystery, and this one was the perfect book to jump back into the genre. I loved the setting of England in the 1930s. The Royal Family played an important role in the story because the King was a distant cousin of Georgie. I love any story with the Royal Family in it!
Though this book is number 15 in the series, I could follow it. The characters and their relationships as well as past events were described thoroughly in the first few chapters so I knew who they were right away. It is easy to read this book even if you haven’t read the previous ones.
The mystery part of this cozy mystery didn’t start until about the final third of the story. There was a lot of foreshadowing before it happened, so I was prepared for something dramatic to happen. I enjoyed the historical elements of the story that weren’t about the mystery.
God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen is a great historical holiday story!
Thank you Berkley Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
The Last Mrs. Summers (Her Royal Spyness #14) by Rhys Bowen
Love and Death Among the Cheetahs (Her Royal Spyness #13) by Rhys Bowen
Have you read God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.
The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is A Lullaby for Witches by Hester Fox. The expected publication date is February 1, 2022.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Two women. A history of witchcraft. And a deep-rooted female power that sings across the centuries.
Once there was a young woman from a well-to-do New England family who never quite fit with the drawing rooms and parlors of her kin.
Called instead to the tangled woods and wild cliffs surrounding her family’s estate, Margaret Harlowe grew both stranger and more beautiful as she cultivated her uncanny power. Soon, whispers of “witch” dogged her footsteps, and Margaret’s power began to wind itself with the tendrils of something darker.
One hundred and fifty years later, Augusta Podos takes a dream job at Harlowe House, the historic home of a wealthy New England family that has been turned into a small museum in Tynemouth, Massachusetts. When Augusta stumbles across an oblique reference to a daughter of the Harlowes who has nearly been expunged from the historical record, the mystery is too intriguing to ignore.
But as she digs deeper, something sinister unfurls from its sleep, a dark power that binds one woman to the other across lines of blood and time. If Augusta can’t resist its allure, everything she knows and loves—including her very life—could be lost forever.
Title: Wrapped Up in You Author: Talia Hibbert Genre: Romance, Novella, Contemporary Publisher: Kobo Originals Source: Purchased Format: Ebook Release Date: November 16, 2020 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
William Reid is nothing special, except for his billion-dollar acting career and his, you know, face. (Apparently, it’s a good one.) Winning ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ was nice, but this Christmas, he has more important goals in mind… like finally winning over his best friend’s little sister, the super-smart and kinda-scary Abbie Farrell.
When a blizzard leaves Will and Abbie alone at Grandma Farrell’s house (if bunking with 27 pets counts as ‘alone’), it’s the perfect opportunity to pull off a Christmas miracle. Convincing clever, frosty Abbie to give Will a chance will take more than mistletoe, but hiding his lifelong crush on her is no longer an option.
Review:
Abbie Farrell goes to spend Christmas with her grandmother early, and finds her childhood best friend, Will Reid, there too. Will is an actor in California, who stars in superhero movies, but he’s returned home for the holidays. What Abbie doesn’t know is that Will is prepared to confess his lifelong love for Abbie this Christmas. When they’re the only ones together at the house, they have to come clean with the feelings they’ve both had for their entire lives.
This was a short and sweet holiday novella. Abbie and Will were well developed characters with an extensive backstory that was mentioned throughout the story. I was rooting for them to get together throughout the whole story.
This was a friends to lovers story, and I haven’t read many of those so I really enjoyed this one. The ending of the story also had Talia Hibbert’s signature steamy romance.
Wrapped Up in Christmas is a fun holiday romance!
What to read next:
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
Booked for Christmas by Lily Menon
Have you read Wrapped Up in You? What did you think of it?
This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!
What I just finished:
This weekend I finished Wrapped Up in You by Talia Hibbert.
What I’m currently reading:
I’m currently reading God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen by Rhys Bowen.
What I’m reading next:
Next I will be reading Roxy by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman.
What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?
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 Wrapped Up in You by Talia Hibbert.
Goodreads Synopsis:
William Reid is nothing special, except for his billion-dollar acting career and his, you know, face. (Apparently, it’s a good one.) Winning ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ was nice, but this Christmas, he has more important goals in mind… like finally winning over his best friend’s little sister, the super-smart and kinda-scary Abbie Farrell.
When a blizzard leaves Will and Abbie alone at Grandma Farrell’s house (if bunking with 27 pets counts as ‘alone’), it’s the perfect opportunity to pull off a Christmas miracle. Convincing clever, frosty Abbie to give Will a chance will take more than mistletoe, but hiding his lifelong crush on her is no longer an option.
Title: Wrapped Up in Christmas Hope Author: Janice Lynn Genre: Romance Publisher: Hallmark Publishing Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Audiobook Release Date: October 26, 2021 Rating: ★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
He’s willing to risk his life to save others. Is she willing to risk her heart on him?
Morgan’s late husband was a daredevil…and now she’s a widowed single mom. All she wants now is to set up a stable life for herself and her son in the small town of Pine Hill, Kentucky.
Andrew’s a firefighter who thrives on the rush of saving others. His secret dream is to become a smokejumper and fight raging wildfires across the country. But it’ll mean leaving his hometown and the people who rely on him.
Morgan and Andrew are drawn together as they both volunteer to make quilts for veterans at the local quilt shop. Morgan’s son looks up to Andrew, and Morgan can’t help but notice how good Andrew is with him. Meanwhile, Andrew’s torn between his ambition and his growing attraction to Morgan. They both have choices to make about their future…and about each other.
Review:
Morgan moves back to her hometown of Pine Hill with her son. She is a widow and wants to have a stable life for her son by living with her grandparents. Andrew is a firefighter in Pine Hill, but his dream is to fight wildfires in California. Morgan has promised herself she will never fall for another daredevil since her husband died, but she’s drawn to Andrew. Andrew also gets along well with her son, who begins to look up to Andrew immediately. Morgan has to decide if she’ll follow her heart, even though there’s a chance it could be broken again.
My favourite character in this story was Morgan’s son. He made some cute observations, such as talking about his little girlfriend from school. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with Morgan or Andrew. They were flat characters without much depth. They only seemed to focus on one thing: Morgan focused on not falling for a daredevil while Andrew focused on his dream of taking risks. I would have liked to see them talk or think about things other than these challenges because it became repetitive and boring.
This was a slow romance without much tension. The differences between what Morgan and Andrew wanted was constantly repeated. There wasn’t much else happening in the story other than their differing goals in life. The resolution at the end was sudden and didn’t make much sense considering how adamant they were in sticking to their beliefs.
Wrapped Up in Christmas Hope didn’t work for me.
Thank you Hallmark Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Other books in the series:
Wrapped Up in Christmas
Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy
Have you read Wrapped Up in Christmas Hope? What did you think of it?
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