Much Ado About You

 Much Ado About You by Samantha Young  372 pages

Summary from Goodreads: The cozy comforts of an English village bookstore open up a world of new possibilities for Evie Starling in this charming new romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young.

At thirty-three-years old Evangeline Starling's life in Chicago is missing that special something. And when she's passed over for promotion at work, Evie realizes she needs to make a change. Some time away to regain perspective might be just the thing. In a burst of impulsivity, she plans a holiday in a quaint English village. The holiday package comes with a temporary position at Much Ado About Books, the bookstore located beneath her rental apartment. There's no better dream vacation for the bookish Evie, a life-long Shakespeare lover.

Not only is Evie swept up in running the delightful store as soon as she arrives, she's drawn into the lives, loves and drama of the friendly villagers. Including Roane Robson, the charismatic and sexy farmer who tempts Evie every day with his friendly flirtations. Evie is determined to keep him at bay because a holiday romance can only end in heartbreak, right? But Evie can't deny their connection and longs to trust in her handsome farmer that their whirlwind romance could turn in to the forever kind of love.

And here's what I thought:  I can suspend my disbelief for plenty of science fiction and fantasy books, no problem. I can believe in fairies and elves, I can believe in magic, I can believe in space battles. But I have a very difficult time suspending my disbelief when it comes to romance.

This book has a fun premise and I liked the main character -- but I found all of this way too difficult to believe. After a while, it wore on me enough to make the book irritating. I finished it because I wanted to know what happened at the end, even though I could kind of predict it. Which might not bother some readers, but I won't be re-reading this one any time soon.

However, this light romance has a very fun premise and for a "beach read" holds a lot of appeal. 

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake

 Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis J. Hall   435 pages

Summary from Goodreads: Following the recipe is the key to a successful bake. Rosaline Palmer has always lived by those rules—well, except for when she dropped out of college to raise her daughter, Amelie. Now, with a paycheck as useful as greaseproof paper and a house crumbling faster than biscuits in tea, she’s teetering on the edge of financial disaster. But where there’s a whisk there’s a way . . . and Rosaline has just landed a spot on the nation’s most beloved baking show.

Winning the prize money would give her daughter the life she deserves—and Rosaline is determined to stick to the instructions. However, more than collapsing trifles stand between Rosaline and sweet, sweet victory.  Suave, well-educated, and parent-approved Alain Pope knows all the right moves to sweep her off her feet, but it’s shy electrician Harry Dobson who makes Rosaline question her long-held beliefs—about herself, her family, and her desires.

Rosaline fears falling for Harry is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Yet as the competition—and the ovens—heat up, Rosaline starts to realize the most delicious bakes come from the heart.

And here's what I thought:  This book has a bunch of elements I like: Baking contest, fun characters, and some surprise elements. I very much appreciated that there's more than meets the eye to Rosaline (spoiler: she is bisexual) and she's a great character -- someone I'd want to know in real life. I liked the baking elements, especially because I'm a fan of The Great British Baking Show. And while I don't usually read romance stories, I liked this one --- it's light, and the romance elements are there but they don't drive the entire story. And Rosaline has a good head on her shoulders, which I appreciated.

The Love Goddess' Cooking School

The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate   338 pages

When Holly Maguire inherits her grandmother's business and cooking school, she knows she has a lot to learn. After all, her grandmother, Camilla, was famous for her Italian cooking . . . and for her ability to tell fortunes and save marriages. Holly knows she needs to learn how to master Camilla's recipes, especially if she's going to take over Camilla's cooking school students, as well. As for telling fortunes? Forget about that.

But, of course, you can guess that the fortune-telling works its way into the story. The four students who sign up for Holly's cooking lessons are all looking for more than how to make Italian dishes. As the class gathers each week, friendships and romances blossom. This isn't the kind of book I read all the time, but sometimes it's nice to have a . . . nice story. The story is set on an island in Maine, which I find appealing. And, the story, while a little predictable at times, was a nice palate cleanser from the other books I've been reading lately.

Into the Bright Unknown

Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson     348 pages

The third and final installment of the Gold Seer trilogy finds Lee and her friends settling into life in Glory. When Becky hears news that her home, which was taken apart and shipped from Tennessee all the way to San Francisco, had finally arrived, she and Lee and their friends head off to San Francisco to claim it. Trouble ensues when they run across an old acquaintance and discover their deal with Hardwick for their town treaty might have fallen through. How will Lee and her friends save Glory and their claims? What ensues is a wild, high stakes heist that ends Carson's trilogy with a bang. 

This was an excellent finish to Carson's Gold Seer trilogy. I have loved each installment and I'm thrilled that the last and final book did not disappoint.

This book holds the same thrill and excitement as the previous two books. Each character that you know and love and have seen progress throughout the series continue to do so in this book. What's even more fun is that they take on new roles to pull off an amazing heist.

That brings me to my favorite thing about this series. Though it is a series, each book feels different and its own thing, while still remaining tied to the other books in the series. I love that each book takes place in a different place (the first one on a wagon train, the second in a homestead/mine, and this one in San Francisco). Each story is complete and well put together, while at the same time pulling the reader through the long arduous journey that its central characters are on. It's brilliant writing and I hold this series up to be one of my favorites that I've ever read.

I love the writing, I love how much effort Carson has put into make this story as true to history as possible - it shows! It feels like a real history being told, with, obviously, a little magic mixed it. I love that Carson has chosen to shine a light on the stories of people who history often forgets - Native Americans, our early Chinese settlers, African Americans. Keeping their stories in view, forcing the reader to acknowledge these individuals and what they contributed to America's history is rarely seen, especially in YA fiction. I'm so glad Carson put the time and effort in to sharing their stories, even if only a handful of her characters are based on real historical figures.

I'd honestly recommend this book to anyone - the story is so well done, complex and page-turning, the characters are so well developed, the history is vivid and detailed. It's great for anyone who enjoys historical fiction (especially magical-realism), or anyone looking for a high-stakes YA read. Their are strong female characters, there are diverse characters, and the story pulls you right in. Give it a read! 

Kate Daniels series continued

Magic Rises, Magic Breaks, and Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews, 1078 pages, three books

I find writing about books late in a series, or towards the end to be quite difficult. How much can I say about characters and not give early stuff away? If two characters are falling in love the first four books and get finally married, can I say that? Should I operate under the assumption of anyone reading the reviews for these books have read the previous books as well? So many conflicting thoughts.

In the past I have resorted to extremely vague, but hopefully entertaining posts to hopefully encourage a reader to continue through a series, yet not ruin anything for those just beginning their journey. And as you might have guessed by now, this post will continue that tradition.

If you were to break down the Kate Daniels series into a set of subplots, you would have action, romance, supernatural, lurking doom, and magic. As you might have guessed, all of these are slowly ramping up as the series heads for its climatic finish. There is more action as it takes larger and deadlier things to scare or even challenge the combination that is Kate and Curran. Especially as Kate learns how to control her father’s blood magic. The supernatural and lurking doom elements have shot through the roof especially with the reappearance of Roland. And finally the romance, which has thankfully stayed about the same. I am not sure I be able to like this series if we hit Sherrilyn Kenyon levels of romance.

All of this makes for a great addition to an already great series. I would certainly recommend this series to anyone who likes supernatural dystopian fiction, but wants to pass on heavy handed romance. Similar reading would include Patricia Briggs Alpha and Omega novels or her Mercedes Thompson series,  

Black Rose Alice

Black Rose Alice Volumes 1 and 2 by Setona Mizushiro, 194, 189 pages (383 pages)

Black Rose Alice is about a man who loves a woman about be wed. Of course he cannot tell her how he feels as it would be very improper considering the time. He is spared all of this misery and grief when he gets kicked in the head by a horse and dies. Sadly for him he doesn't stay dead and is back up and is shortly back up and walking about. This is all thanks to a vampires spirit that has merged with his, making him a vampire. In all honesty I am not entirely clear on how that works but it is not that important. Since he was graced with all of these new vampire powers, like the ability to make people offer themselves as sacrifices/kill themselves when he sings a certain note, he decides to use them to woo he love to him. Of course everything goes horribly wrong and he must live with the unforeseen consequences.


I am still on the fence with this manga series. I enjoyed the first volume and the developing of the characters and the start of the vampirism but the second volume was more flirty and romantic then I thought necessary. It was also borderline unbelievable or unrealistic. I think it still shows some promise as a series but if it doesn't get better soon I might have to abandon it.

Alterant

Alterant  by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love, 407 pages

I picked this book up because I needed to read a romance book for a book club. Since I had already started this series before when I was on a small Kenyon kick I decided to continue it. Despite being labeled as a supernatural romance on a couple sites, I don’t think I would have labeled it as such. While there is a building love interest it has hardly any of the steamy sexy scenes that seem to define the genre. What it did have is a somewhat interesting story about a woman named Evalle who is trying to convince a council of gods that she is not a dangerous monster. The council who consists of gods like Ares and Loki are not convinced and assign her a task to prove herself. From there it dissolves into an action novel with murderous beasts, angry spirits and an evil sorceress trying to end the world.

While this book was not what I expected I still enjoyed it. It has one of my favorite characters who’s named Feenix. Feenix is a young dragon who eats lug nuts and anything that is metal. Despite being a very powerful creature he acts like a three year old, a three year old that can breathe fire. Even with this being over 400 pages long I still blew though it in under a day.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, by Gabrielle Zevin, 260 pages

This is one of those books that I recommend reading if you work in a library/around books/in a bookstore.  You'll like some of the references and inside jokes.  A.J. Fikry is recently widowed, probably an alcoholic, and having a hard time running his independent bookstore in New England.  He comes home one night to find a baby has been left in his store, his retirement plan has been stolen, and his life changes overnight.  It has all of the markers of a typical "Hallmark" story- there's a quirky shop owner, a blooming romance, and reading has the power to change lives.  Despite that, though, I thought it managed to steer clear of sappy territory, and provide bits and pieces of poignancy, humor, and literary discussion.  It would make a good book for discussion groups.

The After House

The After House by Michael Phillip Cash   212 pages

The cover of this book of this book is awesome. A churning sea, an empty boat, and an old house with a light glowing from an upper window.  Looks like the creepy, scary kind of book that I like.

Remy Galway and her ten-year-old daughter, Olivia, have just moved into a three-hundred-year-old house in Cold Harbor Springs on Long Island. Remy is trying to rebuild her and Olivia’s lives after a failed marriage. She’s making a go of it as a yoga instructor.

The old house is charming, but old houses have their problems. Remy had been told that the house a once belonged to a whaling captain and his family. The reader knows this is true because Cash starts the novel with the Captain and his crew chasing one of the largest whales he was ever seen.  The novel alternates between the two stories---Captain Eli Gasper and Remy and Olivia. It’s easy to follow and well delineated.

Olivia feels the presence of Eli’s spirit first. Remy doesn’t want to believe in anything she can’t see. Eli is ticked that two new people have moved into his home and goes about making a mess. The mess looks like vandalism to Remy. The he manages to set the place on fire and break a few windows.

Hugh, the mayor, get involved. Cold Springs Harbor is a small town; he takes an interest in the people who live there. However, Hugh harbors more than a superficial interest in Remy.

As they struggle through the mess, the reader also gets to see what Eli is doing and thinking. He hates that new people now inhabit his home. He liked it better when Pat lived there---no television, no Internet, no comings and goings of other people.

What isn’t clear right away is the presence of two other spirits. It took a while, but I think surmised that they were Eli’s angel guardians and watched over him while he was bound to earth.

This book was labeled as horror, but it doesn’t really fit that genre. It reminded me more of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, without the romance between the Remy and Eli.

Still, I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I would have given it five if the two other ghosts were more clearly defined.