Review: The Mistletoe Mystery (Molly the Maid #2.5)

Title: The Mistletoe Mystery (Molly the Maid #2.5)
Author: Nita Prose
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary
Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: October 1, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Molly the Maid has a whole new mystery to solve in this heartwarming novella from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest.

Molly Gray has always loved the holidays. When Molly was a child, her gran went to great lengths to make the season merry and bright, full of cherished traditions. The first few Christmases without Gran were hard on Molly, but this year, her beloved boyfriend and fellow festive spirit, Juan Manuel, is intent on making the season Molly’s mofinst joyful yet.

But when a Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Grand Hotel raises questions about who Molly can and cannot trust, she dives headfirst into solving her most consequential—and personal—mystery yet. Molly has a bad feeling about things, and she starts to wonder: has she yet again mistaken a frog for a prince?

A heartwarming, magical story about the true spirit of the season, The Mistletoe Mysteryreminds us that love is the greatest mystery of all.

Review:

Molly Gray always loved celebrating Christmas with her Gran. Now that she lives with her boyfriend, Juan Manuel, he is trying to continue her traditions and start new ones. Even though he is being very thoughtful with gifts and traditions, Juan is acting strangely. He is speaking to other women and sneaking around at work. At the same time, Molly is a little apprehensive about the Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Hotel, since she was teased at the last one. Molly must figure out what is going on with Juan, so they can have a happy holiday together. 

It was so fun to revisit Molly Gray in this holiday novella! There was a little mystery with what Juan was doing, but I guessed what he was planning early in the story. I loved reading about the traditions Molly had with her Gran and the new ones she was starting with Juan. 

The Mistletoe Mystery is a fun holiday novella for fans of The Maid!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy of this book!

Other books in the series:

Have you read The Mistletoe Mystery? What did you think of it?

Review: Running From Roswell

Title: Running From Roswell
Author: D.A. Busby
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Contemporary
Publisher: Vanguard Press
Source: Bookinfluencers.com
Format: Ebook
Release Date: July 25, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

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Synopsis:

Twenty years to the day after insisting aliens abducted his girlfriend, the number one suspect in her disappearance vanishes in the same spot outside Roswell, New Mexico. It’s up to an unlikely duo – Oliver, a disgraced and jaded FBI agent, and Amity, a rookie on the Roswell Police Department and the missing man’s niece – to follow the clues left behind in his journals and solve both missing persons cases. The closer Oliver and Amity get to the truth, a much more earthbound question arises: where do you turn when the love of your life does the unthinkable?

Review:

Twenty years after his girlfriend disappeared without a trace in Roswell, New Mexico, David Van Horn vanishes too. He disappeared on a military base, which made FBI agent Oliver Reagan travel there to investigate. He’s partnered with local officer Amity Rogers, who is the daughter of the chief of police. Amity has a personal connection to the case because Van was her uncle, the brother to her father who left her when she was a baby. Oliver and Amity must figure out what happened to Van, while also grappling with the trauma from their pasts.

This was such a great crime story! There was the question of what happened to Van and his girlfriend Jolene since they vanished from a town that is known for suspected alien abductions. Even though they were investigating for the police, there was always a question of the paranormal hanging over their heads. I was hooked on this story from the beginning, and I couldn’t put it down. There were a few heartbreaking scenes towards the end that did bring tears to my eyes.

I highly recommend checking out Running From Roswell!

Thank you D.A. Busby and Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book for a paid campaign!

Content warnings: death, missing person, death of parent, parental abandonment

Have you read Running From Roswell? What did you think of it?

Happy Pub Day – October 1

Happy Pub Day to these authors!

Deja Brew by Celestine Martin

The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose

I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong

Your Throne, Vol. 1 by SAM

This Dark Paradise by Erin Luken

The Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents by Nicki Pau Preto

The Kiss of the Nightingale by Adi Donner

The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky

The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle

How to Help a Hungry Werewolf by Charlotte Stein

Heir by Sabaa Tahir

Zodiac Rising by Katie Zhao

Make My Wish Come True by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick

The Ballerina of Auschwitz by Dr. Edith Eva Eger

Thank you Forever, Penguin Random House Canada, St. Martin’s Press, Wattpad Books, Bloomsbury YA, Penguin Teen Canada, Simon and Schuster Canada, and Simon Teen for providing copies of these books!

What books are you most excited for this week?

Review: Lady Macbeth

Title: Lady Macbeth
Author: Ava Reid
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Del Rey
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: August 13, 2024
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ava Reid comes a reimagining of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare’s most famous villainess, giving her a voice, a past, and a power that transforms the story men have written for her.

The Lady knows the stories: how her eyes induce madness in men. 

The Lady knows she will be wed to the Scottish brute, who does not leave his warrior ways behind when he comes to the marriage bed.  

The Lady knows his hostile, suspicious court will be a game of strategy, requiring all of her wiles and hidden witchcraft to survive. 

But the Lady does not know her husband has occult secrets of his own. She does not know that prophecy girds him like armor. She does not know that her magic is greater and more dangerous, and that it will threaten the order of the world. 

She does not know this yet. But she will.

Review:

Roscille is a seventeen-year-old French girl who was sent to Scotland to marry Macbeth, the Thane of Glammis. Her life in Scotland is very different from what she’s used to. She doesn’t get any help from a handmaiden, and she is married to a bloodthirsty man. Roscille wears a veil over her eyes at all times because her eyes can cause madness in men. Roscille must do whatever she must do to survive in her new role as Lady Macbeth.

This was a tragic story. It wasn’t a retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It follows the true history that inspired the play, while also having fantasy elements. Women were treated badly, but Roscille had to find ways to stand up for herself and survive this brutal world. 

Lady Macbeth is an intense tragedy. 

Thank you Del Rey for providing a digital copy of this book!

Content warnings: death, death of parent, stabbing, rape

Have you read Lady Macbeth? What did you think of it?

Review: Ghosted

Title: Ghosted
Author: Amanda Quain
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: July 25, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Never Have I Ever meets The X-Files in Amanda Quain’s Ghosted, a gender-bent contemporary retelling of the Jane Austen classic, Northanger Abbey.

Hattie Tilney isn’t a believer. Yes, she’s a senior at America’s most (allegedly) haunted high school, Northanger Abbey. But ever since her paranormal-loving dad passed away, she’s hung up her Ghostbusters suit, put away the EMF detectors and thermal cameras, and moved on. She has enough to worry about in the land of the living–like taking care of her younger brother, Liam, while their older sister spirals out and their mother, Northanger’s formidable headmistress, buries herself in her work. If Hattie just works hard enough and keeps that overachiever mask on tight through graduation, maybe her mom will finally notice her.

But the mask starts slipping when Hattie’s assigned to be an ambassador to Kit Morland, a golden retriever of a boy who’s transferred to Northanger on—what else—a ghost-hunting scholarship. The two are partnered up for an investigative project on the school’s paranormal activity, and Hattie quickly strikes a deal: Kit will present whatever ghostly evidence he can find to prove that campus is haunted, and Hattie will prove that it’s not. But as they explore the abandoned tunnels and foggy graveyards of Northanger, Hattie starts to realize that Kit might be the kind of person that makes her want to believe in something—and someone—for the first time.

With her signature wit and slow burn romance, Amanda Quain turns another Austen classic on its head in this sparkling retelling that proves sometimes the ghosts are just a metaphor after all.

Review:

Hattie Tilney is a senior at Northanger Abbey. She used to love her dad’s ghost stories and ghost hunting, but since he died, she no longer believes in ghosts. When her mom, headmaster of Northanger Abbey, asks Hattie to guide the new student, Kit Morland, around the school, Hattie agrees to get her mom’s approval. However, Kit is attending the school on a scholarship from a ghost hunting association. Hattie and Kit must work together on an assignment about the ghosts that haunt Northanger Abbey, but while Kit is eager to share their stories, Hattie wants to prove that they don’t exist. 

This was a great gender-swapped retelling of Northanger Abbey. Northanger Abbey is told by the perspective of Catherine Morland, who believes in ghosts. I liked that this story is told from the perspective of Hattie, who’s skeptical about ghosts. It gave the story more tension, as she was surrounded by ghost stories and she used to believe in them as a kid. 

Ghosted is a great YA ghost story!

Thank you Wednesday Books for providing a digital copy of this book. 

Content warnings: cancer, death of parent

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

Review: A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes #2)

Title: A Torch Against the Night
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: August 29, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Set in a rich, high-fantasy world inspired by ancient Rome, Sabaa Tahir’s AN EMBER IN THE ASHES told the story of Laia, a slave fighting for her family, and Elias, a young soldier fighting for his freedom.

Now, in A TORCH AGAINST THE NIGHT, Elias and Laia are running for their lives.

After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.

Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars’ survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.

But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.

Bound to Marcus’s will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape…and kill them both.

Review:

After the events of the Trials, Elias and Laia are on the run to Kauf, a high security prison, to rescue Laia’s brother, Darin. Meanwhile, Helene has become Blood Shrike to the new Emperor Marcus, and her first job is to hunt down Elias and bring him back to be executed. If she can’t do it, her family will killed. Elias and Laia have to fight against many enemies on their dangerous journey to save Darin before it’s too late, while Helene grapples with her love for Elias and the safety of her family.

This was such a thrilling sequel to An Ember in the Ashes. The stakes were so high for Elias, Laia, and Helene. They all faced life and death decisions. There were twists that were so unexpected, including deaths I wasn’t prepared for. I’m so excited to continue this series!

A Torch Against the Night is a thrilling YA fantasy!

Content warnings: death, stabbing, blood, torture

Other books in the series:

Have you read A Torch Against the Night? What did you think of it?

Review: The Poop Factory

Title: The Poop Factory
Author: Lori Patterson, Daniel Limon (illustrator)
Genre: Children’s, Picture Book
Publisher: Blue Balloon Books
Source: Author
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: September 17, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Inside the poop factory on Hummingbird Lane was a big, giant poop–Barry was his name. 


Barry and his friends have spent enough time in the poop factory and now they must venture their way out. While his friends are light and airy, Barry’s large size calls for extra effort to squeeze him through the tunnel. Luckily, with the help of healthy foods Barry makes it out!

 
This playful story teaches readers how to deal with constipation in a fun-loving manner. With education and entertainment woven together, The Poop Factory is an excellent story for any young reader to enjoy.

Review:

In The Poop Factory, Barry hangs out with his friends. Barry is made of candy and cheese puffs, while his friends are made of healthier food. When Barry tries to follow his friends down a slide, he gets stuck. He needs the help of berries, beans, and peas to pass through. 

This book is hilarious and informative. I think kids would love that it’s about poop, but at the same time it teaches kids how their body works. If there is too much unhealthy food in your system, it can’t function properly and allow the food to pass through you like it should. I have IBS, so I’m always trying to manage my symptoms and get my digestive system to function. This book is a great way to open a digestive or healthy diet discussion with children.

The Poop Factory is an entertaining picture book!

Thank you Lori Patterson and Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign!

Have you read The Poop Factory? What did you think of it?

Review: The Unfinished

Title: The Unfinished
Author: Cheryl Isaacs
Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Contemporary
Publisher: Heartdrum
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: September 3, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

In this debut YA horror novel by Cheryl Isaacs (Mohawk), small-town athlete Avery is haunted by the black water and Unfinished beings of Kanyen’kehá:ka stories and must turn to the culture she hasn’t felt connected to in order to save her town.

The black water has been waiting. Watching. Hungry for the souls it needs to survive.

When small-town athlete Avery’s morning run leads her to a strange pond in the middle of the forest, she awakens a horror the townspeople of Crook’s Falls have long forgotten.

Avery can smell the water, see it flooding everywhere; she thinks she’s losing her mind. And as the black water haunts Avery—taking a new form each time—people in town begin to go missing.

Though Avery had heard whispers of monsters from her Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) relatives, she’s never really connected to her Indigenous culture or understood the stories. But the Elders she has distanced herself from now may have the answers she needs.

When Key, her best friend and longtime crush, is the next to disappear, Avery is faced with a choice: listen to the Kanyen’kehá:ka and save the town but lose her friend forever…or listen to her heart and risk everything to get Key back.

In her stunning debut, Cheryl Isaacs pulls the reader down into an unsettling tale of monsters, mystery, and secrets that refuse to stay submerged.

Review:

One morning when teenage Avery is on her morning run in the forest, she goes off the trail, gets lost, and finds the legendary black water. She’s always been told to stay on the trails, and now she has awoken the horrors that were lurking in the black water. Avery starts seeing faceless people following her in town, and then people start disappearing. When Avery’s best friend, Key, goes missing, she becomes more determined to find out what is causing these horrors and put an end to it for good. 

This was such a creepy thriller. There was so much unknown about the black water that Avery encountered. She had to learn from some elders that were familiar with it, but her family was just her, her mom, and her great-aunt who had dementia, so her resources were limited. As the disappearances got closer to Avery, the story became more suspenseful and scary. Read this one with the lights on!

The Unfinished is a great horror!

Thank you Frenzy Books for providing a copy of this book!

Have you read The Unfinished? What did you think of it?

Review: I Want to Read All the Books

Title: I Want to Read All the Books
Author: Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Genre: Children’s, Picture Book
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: September 17, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

An insatiably curious girl decides the only way to answer all her questions is to read all the books in this funny and charming picture book in the spirit of The Library Fish and Tom Chapin’s The Library Book.

Hana wants to know everything about the world around her. When she starts asking questions, her mother gives her a book. She learns so much, but now she has even more questions! She also has a big she will read all the books—every single one! She reads every book in her house…and then her friends’ houses…and then the whole block. Nonfiction, fiction, romance, mysteries, and science fiction. But when her mother takes her to the downtown library, she realizes there are a lot more books than she thought…way more. Maybe she can’t really read all the books—now what?

Review:

Hana is a curious girl. When she asks her mom where rain comes from, her mom suggests she find the answer in a book. Then, Hana makes a list of questions and challenges herself to find all the answers in books. She loves reading books so much that she declares she wants to read ALL the books. Eventually she must find another way to share her love of books when she learns that she will never be able to read all the books in the world.

This is a beautiful picture book! I loved the vibrant illustrations. There was even a picture of Hana reading this picture book on her quest to read all the books! This is a fun book that encourages children to read!

I Want to Read All the Books is a beautiful picture book!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me a copy of this book!

Have you read I Want to Read All the Books? What did you think of it?